History of VA in 100 Objects
The pension system expanded enormously after the Civil War. The number of Union Veterans, widows, and dependents drawing a pension from the federal government rose from 15,000 in 1863 to over 200,000 in 1871. The soaring size and costs of the pension system raised concerns about the prevalence of fraud, which the Pension Bureau aimed to stop with special examiners.
History of VA in 100 Objects
As World War II ended and millions of service members returned home, the Veterans Administration faced the major challenge of not just delivering benefits and medical care, but also ensuring broad public awareness of these programs. The VA Public Relations office in Washington took on that challenge. And, so, Here’s To Veterans was born.
History of VA in 100 Objects
After World War I, Americans discharged from military service faced a difficult homecoming. Many struggled to find work in the tight labor market created by a post-war recession. After a deferred payout, the Bonus Act, was passed, many Veterans marched on the capital to voice displeasure. The Bonus Army soon formed.
History of VA in 100 Objects
In 1776, the fledging American government passed the first national law compensating soldiers and sailors disabled in the Revolution, but it was slower to make any provisions for widow's pension claims.
History of VA in 100 Objects
More than 15,000 Revolutionary War Veterans qualified for a pension. Veteran Joseph Winter was one of the unlucky few who did not. Winter lived in a settlement near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania before the war, where he supported his family as a weaver. As he grew older, his vision deteriorated and he could no longer perform the work required by his chosen trade. With no pension, Winter became homeless.
History of VA in 100 Objects
For a nation with limited financial resources, bounty land warrants were an appealing tool to encourage military enlistments. The promise of free 160 acres was the country's second benefit authorized for Veterans. However, the measure had devastating effect on the Indian nations that were dispossessed from the land.
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The same law that established the Veterans Bureau in 1921 authorized the new agency to open up to 140 offices at the sub-district level. The purpose of these field offices was, in the words of the bureau’s founding director Charles R. Forbes, to “bring all of the activities of the Veterans' Bureau closer to the men they serve.” The Winston-Salem Regional Office celebrated 100 Years in 2021.