Va Hospital

VHA alone has far more employees than all other elements of the VA combined have. The origin of the VHA dates all the way back to the first federal military veterans hospital (Hand Hospital) in Pittsburgh in 1778. Until the 1980s, it was known as VA's Department of Medicine and Surgery.

In recent years, VHA has opened hundreds of convenient outpatient clinics in towns across America, while steadily reducing inpatient bed levels at its hospitals. It has expanded its outreach efforts to women veterans and homeless veterans.VHA is especially praised for its efforts in developing electronic medical records which can be accessed online (with secure passwords) by health care providers far away from where the records are kept. Its research into developing better-functioning prosthetic limbs, and treatment of PTSD are also heralded.

VHA has devoted many years of research into the health effects of the herbicide Agent Orange used by military forces in Vietnam. VHA support for research and residency/fellowship training programs has made the VA system a leader in the fields of geriatrics , spinal cord injuries , Parkinson's disease , and palliative care.VHA has initiatives in place to provide a "seamless transition" to newly discharged veterans transitioning from Department of Defense health care to VA care for conditions incurred in Iraq or Afghanistan.
By Federal law, eligibility for benefits is determined by a system of eight Priority Groups. Retirees from military service, veterans with service-connected injuries or conditions rated by VA, and Purple Heart recipients are within the higher priority groups.

Veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities totaling 50% or more may be subject to copayments for any care they received for nonservice-connected conditions. VA nursing homes are primarily for veterans needing care for a service-connected condition, or who have service-connected disability ratings of 70% or higher.Reservists and National Guardsmen who served stateside during peacetime generally do not qualify for VA medical benefits.