Throughout our country’s totality of existence, we have always been united when it comes to expressing support for specialized services and benefits for those who have served in American military conflicts. From the time of the American Revolution through the Gulf War Veterans have been provided with numerous services, educational, employment and income incentives and other welfare measures designed to meet their special needs after having been disabled in military conflict. What is unique about these welfare measures following 1930 is that there were not only more measures added, but the entire system changed from one of loosely connected organizations, to one of non-centralized bureaucratic control, the Veteran’s Administration (VA). The VA replaced the War Department as the guiding force behind all welfare measures for benefits. In addition, we have seen new phenomena develop where the nature of veteran’s maladies are concerned, i.e., post traumatic stress disorder which afflicted hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans and some who served in World War II.
Yet, the nature of welfare measures for veterans runs parallel with our efforts to help those who suffer disadvantages in society that are not war related (i.e., minority groups, single mothers, etc.). However, there is often a desire to keep people off of welfare who are considered undeserving when we look at non-civilian programs, especially in the modern era where budget cuts in social welfare programs are the norm. However, the government’s viewpoint towards veterans, and the VA have long taken the approach that all veterans are deserving of benefits and maximizing the benefits they receive is a primary goal:
The federal government has maintained a comparatively small bureaucracy to administer its programs, considering that 87 percent of the VA’s 172,000 employees are engaged in the delivery of medical care. The agency administers vast programs w...