Veterans Affairs (VA)

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a cabinet-level federal agency comprising three primary divisions: the Veterans Benefits Administration, the National Cemetery Administration, and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

The VHA operates as the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, encompassing 23 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) with more than 150 hospitals, 800 clinics, and 400 additional care facilities, including counseling centers. It employs over 14,000 physicians and nearly 300,000 healthcare professionals.
The primary mission of the VHA is to provide comprehensive medical care to military veterans. In addition, it plays a significant role in medical research and in the education and training of the healthcare workforce.

VHA also fulfills a critical fourth mission in emergency management. In this capacity, it supports medical operations as a backup for the Department of Defense through the Integrated Continental U.S. Medical Operations Plan, serves as a supporting agency under the National Response Framework (NRF), partners with the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), and contributes to continuity of government operations. Additionally, the VHA is responsible for deploying specialized emergency medical response teams for radiological incidents. Coordination and policy oversight for emergency management are managed at the Secretary level, while operational oversight is handled by the VHA