Federal Response to COVID-19: Department of Veterans Affairs [May 1, 2020]

From the Summary: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides a range of benefits to eligible veterans and their dependents The department carries out its programs nationwide through three administrations and the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) [1]The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is responsible for health care services and medical and prosthetic research programs [2] The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is responsible for, among other things, providing disability compensation, pensions, and education assistance [3] The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) is responsible for maintaining national veterans cemeteries;providing grants to states for establishing, expanding, or improving state veterans cemeteries;and providing headstones and markers for the graves of eligible persons, among other things With a vast integrated health care delivery system spread across the United States, the VHA is statutorily required to serve as a contingency backup to the Department of Defense (DOD) medical system during a national security emergency and to provide support to the National Disaster Medical System and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as necessary, in support of national emergencies These functions are known as VA's 'Fourth Mission ' Since the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Congress has passed a number of relief measures affecting the VA and its Fourth Mission COVID-19 (Disease);United States Department of Veterans Affairs;Veterans--Services for