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DEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FORPLANNINGDIRECTOR,NATIONAL CENTER FOR VETERANANALYSIS AND STATISTICSDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FORFINANCIAL MANAGEMENTDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FOR INFORMATIONRESOURCES MANAGEMENTDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FOR ACQUISITIONAND MATERIEL MANAGEMENTDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FORPOLICYASSISTANT SECRETARYFOR POLICYAND PLANNINGUNDER SECRETARY FOR HEALTH,VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION173 MEDICAL CENTERSDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FORBUDGETASSISTANT SECRETARYFOR MANAGEMENTDEPUTY SECRETARYDIRECTOR, OFFICE OF SMALL ANDDISADVANTAGED BUSINESS UTILIZATIONCENTER FOR MINORITY VETERANSCHAIRMAN,BOARD OF VETERANS' APPEALSSECRETARYCHAIRMAN,BOARD OF CONTRACT APPEALSDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FOR SECURITYAND LAW ENFORCEMENTDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FORADMINISTRATIONDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FOR HUMANRESOURCES MANAGEMENTDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FOREQUAL OPPORTUNITYASSISTANT SECRETARYFOR HUMAN RESOURCESAND ADMINISTRATIONDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FORINTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRSDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FORPUBLIC AFFAIRSDEPUTY ASSISTANTSECRETARY FORCONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRSASSISTANT SECRETARYFOR CONGRESSIONALAFFAIRSDIRECTOR,NATIONAL CEMETERY SYSTEM115 NATIONAL CEMETERIESASSISTANT SECRETARYFOR PUBLIC ANDINTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRSUNDER SECRETARY FOR BENEFITS,VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION58 REGIONAL OFFICESCENTER FOR WOMEN VETERANSSPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY FORVETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS LIAISONGENERAL COUNSELINSPECTOR GENERALDEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRSDEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS479

480U.S. GOVERNMENT MANUALconsists of the Secretary of VeteransAffairs and the Deputy Secretary.Assistant Secretaries Five AssistantSecretaries provide policy guidance,operational support, and managerialoversight to the Secretary and DeputySecretary, the administrations, and othertop offices. They include the AssistantSecretaries for Management, Policy andPlanning, Human Resources andAdministration, Public andIntergovernmental Affairs, andCongressional Affairs. Other centralmanagement offices are detailed asfollows.Center for Minority Veterans TheCenter for Minority Veterans wasestablished under Public Law 103–446(108 Stat. 4645). The Center isresponsible for promoting the use of VAbenefits, programs, and services byminority veterans and assessing theneeds of minority group members.Under the law, the Center’s workfocuses on the unique and special needsof five distinct groups of veterans:African-Americans, Hispanics, AsianAmericans, Pacific Islanders, and NativeAmericans, which include AmericanIndians, Native Hawaiians, and AlaskanNatives. The Center also oversees theadministrative functions of the VA’sFederal Advisory Committee on MinorityVeterans.The primary mission of the Center forMinority Veterans is to ensure that theDepartment of Veterans Affairs addressesthe unique and special needs of minorityveterans. The Center also focuses oncircumstances, policies, and practicesthat impede the use of programs andservices by minority veterans.Center for Women Veterans TheCenter for Women Veterans acts as theSecretary’s primary adviser on womenveterans issues and evaluates VAprograms, policies, and practices toensure they are responsive andaccessible to eligible women veterans.Board of Veterans’ Appeals The Boardof Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) isresponsible, on behalf of the Secretary ofVeterans Affairs, for entering the finalappellate decisions in claims ofentitlement to veterans’ benefits. TheBoard is also responsible for decidingmatters concerning fees charged byattorneys and agents for representation ofveterans before VA, as well as requestsfor revision of prior BVA decisions onthe basis of clear and unmistakableerror. The mission of the Board, set forthin title 38 of the United States Code,sections 7101–7109, is to conducthearings, consider and dispose ofappeals properly before the Board in atimely manner, and issue qualitydecisions in compliance with the law.The Board is headed by a Chairman,who is appointed by the President andconfirmed by the Senate, and who isdirectly responsible to the Secretary ofVeterans Affairs. Members of the Boardare appointed by the Secretary with theapproval of the President and are underthe administrative control andsupervision of the Chairman. Each BVAdecision is signed by a Board memberacting as an agent of the Secretary. FinalBVA decisions are appealable to theUnited States Court of Veterans Appeals.Board of Contract Appeals The Boardof Contract Appeals was established onMarch 1, 1979, pursuant to the ContractDisputes Act of 1978 (41 U.S.C. 601–613). The Board is a statutory, quasijudicial tribunal that hears and decidesappeals from decisions of ContractingOfficers on claims relating to contractsawarded by VA, or by any other agencywhen such agency or the Administratorfor Federal Procurement Policy hasdesignated the Board to decide theappeal.The Board’s jurisdiction includesapplications for attorney fees andexpenses under the Equal Access toJustice Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. 504note). Board decisions are final withinVA, but may be appealed, either by theGovernment or by the contractor, to theUnited States Court of Appeals for theFederal Circuit.The Board also acts as a trier ofdisputed material facts in debarment/suspension proceedings. Additionally,the Chairman of the Board is the seniorofficial within the Department topromote alternate dispute resolutionpursuant to the Administrative Dispute

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRSResolution Act (5 U.S.C. 581 note).Finally, the Board is charged withresolving any disputes between drugmanufacturers and the Secretary withregard to pharmaceutical pricingagreements provisions of the VeteransHealth Care Act of 1992 (38 U.S.C. 101note).Health ServicesThe Veterans Health Administration,formerly the Veterans Health Servicesand Research Administration, provideshospital, nursing home, and domiciliarycare, and outpatient medical and dentalcare to eligible veterans of militaryservice in the Armed Forces. It operates173 medical centers, 39 domiciliaries,376 outpatient clinics, 131 nursing homecare units, and 205 Vietnam VeteranOutreach Centers in the United States,the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, andthe Republic of the Philippines, andprovides for similar care under VAauspices in non-VA hospitals andcommunity nursing homes and for visitsby veterans to non-VA physicians anddentists for outpatient treatment. It alsosupports veterans under care inhospitals, nursing homes, anddomiciliaries operated by 35 States.Under the Civilian Health and MedicalProgram, dependents of certain veteransare provided with medical care suppliedby non-VA institutions and physicians.The Administration conducts bothindividual medical and health-caredelivery research projects andmultihospital research programs. It assistsin the education of physicians anddentists, and with training of many otherhealth care professionals throughaffiliations with educational institutionsand organizations. These programs areall conducted as prescribed by theSecretary of Veterans Affairs pursuant tosections 4101–4115 of title 38 of theUnited States Code and other statutoryauthority and regulations.Veterans BenefitsThe Veterans Benefits Administration(VBA), formerly the Department ofVeterans Benefits, conducts an integratedprogram of veterans benefits. It provides481information, advice, and assistance toveterans, their dependents, beneficiaries,representatives, and others applying forVA benefits. It also cooperates with theDepartment of Labor and other Federal,State, and local agencies in developingemployment opportunities for veteransand referral for assistance in resolvingsocioeconomic, housing, and otherrelated problems. In addition, VBAprovides information regarding veteransbenefits to various branches of theArmed Forces.Programs are provided through VAregional offices, medical centers, visits tocommunities, and a special toll-freetelephone service (800–827–1000) andare available in all 50 States, the Districtof Columbia, and Puerto Rico.Compensation and Pension TheCompensation and Pension Service hasresponsibility for:—claims for disability compensationand pension;—automobile allowances and specialadaptive equipment;—claims for specially adaptedhousing;—special clothing allowances;—emergency officers’ retirement pay;—eligibility determinations based onmilitary service for other VA benefits andservices or those of other Governmentagencies;—survivors’ claims for deathcompensation, dependency andindemnity compensation, death pension,burial and plot allowance claims;—claims for accrued benefits;—forfeiture determinations;—claims for adjusted compensation indeath cases;—claims for reimbursement forheadstone or marker; and—a benefits protection program(fiduciary activities) for minors andincompetent adult beneficiaries.The Service also provides fieldinvestigative services for other VAcomponents.Education The Education Service hasresponsibility for: the Montgomery GIBill—Active Duty and Selected Reserve(chapters 30 and 1606); the PostVietnam Era Veterans’ EducationalAssistance Program (chapter 32); the

482U.S. GOVERNMENT MANUALSurvivors’ and Dependents’ EducationalAssistance Program (chapter 35); theSection 901 Test Program; and schoolapprovals, compliance surveys, andwork study.Vocational Rehabilitation TheVocational Rehabilitation Service hasresponsibility for: outreach, motivation,evaluation, counseling, training,employment, and other rehabilitationservices to disabled veterans (chapters31 and 15); evaluation, counseling, andmiscellaneous services to veterans andservice persons (chapter 30) and otherVA education programs; evaluation,counseling, education, andmiscellaneous services to sons,daughters, and spouses of totally andpermanently disabled veterans and tosurviving orphans, widows, or widowersof certain deceased veterans, includingrehabilitation services to certainhandicapped dependents (chapter 35);and affirmative action activities. EffectiveOctober 1, 1997, the Service hasresponsibility to provide vocationaltraining and rehabilitation to childrenwith spina bifida who are children ofVietnam veterans (chapter 18).Loan Guaranty Loan guarantyoperations include: appraising propertiesto establish their values; approvinggrants for specially adapted housing;supervising the construction of newresidential properties; establishing theeligibility of veterans for the program;evaluating the ability of a veteran torepay a loan and the credit risk;servicing and liquidating defaulted loans;and disposing of real estate acquired asthe consequence of defaulted loans.Insurance Life insurance operations arefor the benefit of service members,veterans, and their beneficiaries. Theday-to-day processing of all mattersrelated to individual insurance accountsis handled by the Regional Office andInsurance Centers in Philadelphia, PA,and St. Paul, MN. These two centersprovide the full range of functionalactivities necessary for a national lifeinsurance program. Activities include thecomplete maintenance of individualaccounts, underwriting functions, andlife and death insurance claims awards,as well as any other insurance-relatedtransactions. For information, call tollfree, 800–669–8477The agency is also responsible for theadministration of the Veterans MortgageLife Insurance program for thosedisabled veterans who receive a VAgrant for specially adapted housing.Accounts are maintained at the RegionalOffice and Insurance Center in St. Paul,MN.In addition, the agency is responsiblefor supervising the Servicemen’s GroupLife Insurance (SGLI) and VeteransGroup Life Insurance (VGLI) programs.Both programs are handled through theOffice of Servicemen’s Group LifeInsurance, 213 Washington Street,Newark, NJ 07102. For information, calltoll-free, 800–419–1473.National Cemetery SystemThe National Cemetery System (NCS)provides services to veterans, active dutypersonnel, reservists, and NationalGuard members with 20 years’qualifying service and their families byoperating national cemeteries; furnishingheadstones and markers for the graves ofU.S. veterans worldwide, servicemembers, and reservists and NationalGuard members with 20 years’qualifying service; awarding grants to aidStates in establishing, improving, andexpanding veterans cemeteries; andserving as the operations element for thePresidential Memorial CertificateProgram.The mission of the National CemeterySystem is:—to provide, upon request, theinterment of eligible service members,veterans, reservists and National Guardmembers with 20 years’ qualifyingservice, their spouses, and certainchildren in VA national cemeteries andto maintain their graves;—to mark, upon application, thegraves of eligible veterans worldwide,and reservists and National Guardmembers with 20 years’ qualifyingservice who are buried in national, State,or private cemeteries;—to administer the State CemeteryGrants Program, which provides

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRSfinancial assistance to States forestablishing, improving, and expandingState veterans cemeteries; and—to provide Presidential MemorialCertificates to the loved ones ofhonorably discharged, deceased servicemembers or veterans.The National Cemetery area offices(located in Atlanta, GA; Philadelphia,PA; and Denver, CO) provide directsupport to the 115 national cemeterieslocated throughout the United States andPuerto Rico.Field FacilitiesInsurance Centers Two field siteshouse all individual insurance recordscovering service members and veteransunder the Government–administeredprograms: WW I United StatesGovernment Life Insurance; WW IINational Service Life Insurance; PostKorean Conflict; Veterans ReopenedInsurance for the disabled of WW II andKorea; and Service-Disabled VeteransInsurance, the only Government–administered program open for newissues to disabled veterans only.The two field locations are the VARegional Office and Insurance Centers inPhiladelphia, PA, and St. Paul, MN. AllWorld War I insurance accounts,accounts for which the premium is paidby allotment from military service pay,and those paid by deduction from VAcompensation or preauthorized debit arelocated at Philadelphia. All remaininginsurance accounts are geographicallydistributed between the two VACenters—with the Mississippi Riverserving as the approximate line ofdivision. The Philadelphia VeteransAffairs Center is also responsible forformulating policy for the veteransinsurance programs.The insurance functions performed bythe two field stations include the totalrange of insurance operations to provideindividual policy, underwriting, and lifeand death insurance claims service forservice members, veterans, and theirbeneficiaries.Regional Offices Department ofVeterans Affairs regional offices:483—grant benefits and services providedby law for veterans, their dependents,and beneficiaries within an assignedterritory;—furnish information regarding VAbenefits and services;—adjudicate claims and make awardsfor disability compensation and pension;—supervise the payment of VAbenefits to incompetent beneficiaries;—aid, guide, and prescribe vocationalrehabilitation training and administereducational benefits;—guarantee loans for purchase ofmanufactured homes and lots andcondominium units, purchase orconstruction or alteration of homes andfarm residences, and under certainconditions, guarantee refinancing loans;—process grants for specially adaptedhousing;—process death claims;—assist the veteran in exercising rightsto benefits and services; and—supervise VA offices under theirjurisdiction.The offices are also responsible forveterans assistance activities, includingcoordination of efforts of participatingagencies in an outreach program toassist returning service members.Services to U.S. veterans in mostforeign countries normally are providedby the VA Regional Office, District ofColumbia. The Honolulu Regional Officeserves the Islands of American Samoa,the Commonwealth of the NorthernMariana Islands, Guam, Wake, andMidway and the Trust Territory of thePacific Islands. U.S. veterans in theVirgin Islands and Mexico are served bythe San Juan and Houston offices,respectively. Service is provided incooperation with embassy staffs of theDepartment of State.Department of Veterans Affairs RegionalOffice, District of Columbia TheDepartment of Veterans Affairs RegionalOffice, District of Columbia, is a typicalregional office with additional functions.It has global jurisdiction and grantsbenefits and services provided by law forveterans and their beneficiaries anddependents residing outside theterritorial limits of the United States, andit adjudicates certain unusual claims and

484U.S. GOVERNMENT MANUALactions not common to all regionaloffices, such as WW I adjustedcompensation death cases, forfeiturecases, and benefits under specialenactments provided by the Congress. Italso maintains liaison with the TreasuryDepartment on types and methods ofpayments to recipients in foreigncountries.VA Offices The VA office providesveterans assistance and such otherservices as cannot be convenientlyprovided to veterans, their dependentsand beneficiaries, and others in a givenlocality by a regional office or center.Medical Centers Veterans AffairsMedical Centers provide eligiblebeneficiaries with medical and otherhealth care services equivalent to thoseprovided by private-sector institutions,augmented in many instances byservices to meet the special requirementsof veterans. One hundred and twenty-sixVA medical facilities are affiliated with107 medical facilities for residencytraining; 72 VA medical facilities areaffiliated with 59 dental schools; and allcenters cooperate with one or moreeducational institutions in programs ofnursing, associated health professionsand occupations, and administrativetraining and related research, both inindividual projects and in associationwith other VA medical centers in broadcooperative studies. There are 131nursing home care units associated withVA medical centers to provide skillednursing care and related medicalservices to patients who are no longer inneed of hospital care.VA Regional Office and InsuranceCenters Veterans Affairs RegionalOffice and Insurance Centers combine aregional office and an insurance centerunder the jurisdiction of one director.VA Medical and Regional Office CentersVeterans Affairs Medical and RegionalOffice Centers combine a regional officeand a medical center or a regionaloffice, medical center, and domiciliaryunder the jurisdiction of one director.Domicil

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 475 Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) Directors: Director, VISN No. 1 DENIS J. FITZGERALD Director, VISN No. 2 FREDERICK L. MALPHURS Director, VISN No. 3 JAMES J. FARSETTA Director, VISN No. 4 JUDITH FELDMAN, Acting Director, VISN No. 5 JAMES J. NOCKS Director, VISN No. 6 LEROY P. GROSS Director, VISN No. 7 LARRY R. DEAL .