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1789 - The new US government passes legislation ensuring pensions for disabled Revolutionary War veterans.
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1812 - The Naval Home, a facility for disabled veterans, opens in Philadelphia.
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1833 - Congress establishes the Bureau of Pensions to assist veterans.
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In 1865 congress approves the National Asylum of Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, a system of residences for disabled veterans.
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1862 - During the Civil War, Congress passes a bill allowing the president to purchase land for national cemeteries. Between 1865 and 1870, 70 national cemeteries open for burial of Union soldiers.
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1912 - Congress passes the Sherwood Act, guaranteeing pensions for Union veterans of the Civil War and veterans of the Mexican-American War, regardless of their health.
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1924 - Congress passes the World War Adjustment Compensation Act, a system of bonuses for veterans of World War I. Any veteran entitled to more than $50 is given a certificate payable 20 years in the future and worth about $1,500.
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July 21, 1930 - President Herbert Hoover signs an executive order consolidating the Veterans' Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions and the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers into the Veterans Administration. The VA has a budget of $786 million and serves 4.6 million veterans.
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1933 - The VA establishes the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
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June 22, 1944 - During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt signs into law the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, also known as the "G.I. Bill of Rights," a package of education benefits, federally guaranteed loans, and unemployment compensation.
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1945 - At the end of World War II, there are approximately 15 million veterans in the United States, and all 97 VA hospitals are filled to capacity. In response, the VA opens 54 new hospitals over the next five years.
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1973 - The VA takes over the administration of the National Cemetery System, with the exception of Arlington National Cemetery and the Soldier's Home National Cemetery.
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1979 - Congress orders the VA to study the effects on veterans of the Agent Orange defoliant used in Vietnam.
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1983 - The Agent Orange study is transferred to the Centers for Disease Control.
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1984 - President Ronald Reagan signs a bill requiring the VA to pay benefits to Vietnam veterans suffering from chloracne or porphyria cutanea tarda, possibly caused by Agent Orange exposure.
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In 1988 the US Court of approves for Veterans Claims is founded.
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1988 - The US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is founded. It gives those who served in the military a chance to challenge individual decisions made by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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In March of 2015 many veterans waited between 60-90 days for getting appointments at the facilities that they need help at.
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1865 - At the end of the US Civil War, there are 1.9 million Union veterans. Congress authorizes the National Asylum of Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, a system of residences for disabled and indigent veterans.