Department of Veterans Affairs - Federal Departments
Year Founded:
1989
|
Employees:
848,706
|
Outlay:
$98B / year
|
Employee Expense:
$72.82B in 2020
|
The Federal Government is broken down into fifteen departments, each of which consists of a number of sub-departments and organizational groups tasked with accomplishing the Department's overall goals.
The Department of Veterans Affairs serves to honor the men and women who have served in our nations armed forces and to assist veterans and their families. At its core, the VA is a military veterans benefits program. The VA was formally established in 1989, however the roll that the Department of Veterans Affairs serves has been around for much longer. After the American Revolutionary War pensions were provided to soldiers who were wounded. In 1834, the first federally owned and operated hospital for veterans was formed. Today the benefits program has been expanded to assist not just veterans but also their families.
Who does the Department of Veterans Affairs hire?
The VA primarily hires nurses, physicians, pharmacists and mental health professionals. These care givers fulfill the Veterans Affairs primary goal of offering superior medical care to our veterans. Because the VA handles sensitive electronic medical records for all their patients there are a large number of computer experts hired by the VA as well.
In 2020, the most common occupation employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs was Nurse at 79,932 employees. The second largest occupation was Medical Support Assistance with 30,020 employees.
VA is based in Washington, D.C. but most employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs work in hospitals around the country providing life changing medical care to wounded and disabled veterans.
History of the Department of Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs was first established on July 21, 1930 but did not become a cabinet-level department until March 15, 1989. Support for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces had been provided by independent agencies and on an ad-hoc basis before the VA was established. In fact, the first Continental Congress of the United States guaranteed pension for any disabled soldier. Before the VA, medical care was provided to veterans by ordinary state and local hospitals.
After the First World War, Congress created the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions for Interior Departments and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. These agencies were consolidated to create the VA in 1930.
The WWII G.I. Bill of 1944 has had a profound effect on the landscape of American life today. The bill has shaped American way of life more than perhaps any other single legislation in American History. The benefits created by the G.I. Bill included low-cost mortgages, affordable loans, free tuition to universities and trade schools, and increased unemployment compensation. The bill applies to all soldiers who have been in active duty regardless of whether they saw combat. The G.I. bill also spurred the creation of federal hospitals to provide care to wounded veterans.
The VA has been an enormous success providing essential services to Americans who have served our nation. However, since before WWII the VA has struggled to provide timely and appropriate service to all veterans. The growing numbers of disabled veterans, longer lifespans and limited budget have all contributed to the bottleneck within the VA.
The Department of Veterans Affairs was formerly an independent agency as the Veterans Administration
Average Pay of an Employee in the Department of Veterans Affairs
Agencies in the Department of Veterans Affairs (2020)
Agency |
Employee Count |
Total Salary Expense |
Average Pay |
Veterans Health Administration |
380,278 |
$32.8B |
$87,750 |
Veterans Health Administration |
380,278 |
$32.8B |
$87,750 |
Veterans Benefits Administration |
25,252 |
$1.78B |
$75,716 |
Veterans Benefits Administration |
25,252 |
$1.78B |
$75,716 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology |
8,679 |
$863.55M |
$99,717 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology |
8,679 |
$863.55M |
$99,717 |
National Cemetery Administration |
2,126 |
$139.16M |
$65,518 |
National Cemetery Administration |
2,126 |
$139.16M |
$65,518 |
Board of Veterans Appeals |
1,231 |
$136.57M |
$112,031 |
Board of Veterans Appeals |
1,231 |
$136.57M |
$112,031 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance |
1,183 |
$92.68M |
$78,480 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance |
1,183 |
$92.68M |
$78,480 |
Inspector General (Department of Veterans Affairs) |
1,022 |
$100.16M |
$123,049 |
Inspector General (Department of Veterans Affairs) |
1,022 |
$100.16M |
$123,049 |
Executive Director, Office of Acquisition and Logistics |
1,002 |
$102.35M |
$102,452 |
Executive Director, Office of Acquisition and Logistics |
1,002 |
$102.35M |
$102,452 |
General Counsel (Department of Veterans Affairs) |
814 |
$92.93M |
$114,449 |
General Counsel (Department of Veterans Affairs) |
814 |
$92.93M |
$114,449 |
Office of the Secretary (Department of Veterans Affairs) |
787 |
$92.84M |
$126,492 |
Office of the Secretary (Department of Veterans Affairs) |
787 |
$92.84M |
$126,492 |
Executive Director for Security and Law Enforcement |
392 |
$21.17M |
$74,531 |
Executive Director for Security and Law Enforcement |
392 |
$21.17M |
$74,531 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Office of Resolution Management |
309 |
$29.95M |
$96,914 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Office of Resolution Management |
309 |
$29.95M |
$96,914 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology |
280 |
$34.69M |
$123,904 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology |
280 |
$34.69M |
$123,904 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management |
167 |
$20.56M |
$123,107 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management |
167 |
$20.56M |
$123,107 |
Veterans Customer Exper (Vce) |
159 |
$20.26M |
$127,401 |
Veterans Customer Exper (Vce) |
159 |
$20.26M |
$127,401 |
Assistant Secretary for Human Resources Management |
139 |
$16.61M |
$122,145 |
Assistant Secretary for Human Resources Management |
139 |
$16.61M |
$122,145 |
Office of Enterprise Integration |
82 |
$11.55M |
$142,599 |
Office of Enterprise Integration |
82 |
$11.55M |
$142,599 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration |
70 |
$7.69M |
$109,868 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration |
70 |
$7.69M |
$109,868 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration |
40 |
$4.96M |
$123,980 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs |
40 |
$5.13M |
$128,318 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs |
40 |
$5.13M |
$128,318 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration |
40 |
$4.96M |
$123,980 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget |
37 |
$5.13M |
$138,586 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget |
37 |
$5.13M |
$138,586 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs |
33 |
$4.14M |
$125,321 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs |
33 |
$4.14M |
$125,321 |
Office of Enterprise Operations |
31 |
$4.11M |
$132,466 |
Office of Enterprise Operations |
31 |
$4.11M |
$132,466 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Corporate Senior Executive Management |
29 |
$3.46M |
$123,544 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Corporate Senior Executive Management |
29 |
$3.46M |
$123,544 |
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs |
28 |
$3.78M |
$135,138 |
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs |
28 |
$3.78M |
$135,138 |
Executive Director for Identity, Credential, and Accessmanagement |
24 |
$2.57M |
$107,238 |
Executive Director for Identity, Credential, and Accessmanagement |
24 |
$2.57M |
$107,238 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Labor Management Relations |
20 |
$2.42M |
$127,210 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Emergency Management & Resilience |
20 |
$2.58M |
$128,977 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security, and Preparedness |
20 |
$2.56M |
$128,037 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Emergency Management & Resilience |
20 |
$2.58M |
$128,977 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security, and Preparedness |
20 |
$2.56M |
$128,037 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Labor Management Relations |
20 |
$2.42M |
$127,210 |
Assistant Secretary for Diversity & Inclusion |
17 |
$2.29M |
$134,726 |
Assistant Secretary for Diversity & Inclusion |
17 |
$2.29M |
$134,726 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs |
15 |
$1.97M |
$131,037 |
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs |
15 |
$1.97M |
$131,037 |
Deputy Assistance Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs |
14 |
$1.68M |
$120,017 |
Deputy Assistance Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs |
14 |
$1.68M |
$120,017 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation |
7 |
$769,135 |
$109,876 |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation |
7 |
$769,135 |
$109,876 |
Director for Resource Management |
6 |
$800,765 |
$133,461 |
Director for Resource Management |
6 |
$800,765 |
$133,461 |
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