Veterans Affairs, Department of

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers benefits for servicemen and servicewomen who served in the armed forces of the United States. In 2012, the VA served a veterans population of more than 20 million veterans through 817 outpatient clinics, 152 hospitals, 300 veteran centers, and 56 regional benefit centers. It maintains a network of 131 national cemeteries, which contain the remains of servicemen and servicewomen who died in every American war. More than 7 million veterans hold a life insurance policy, and nearly 3½ million receive [Page 1568]disability or old-age pension through the organization. The agency has more than 300,000 employees, the second largest number among federal departments, only trailing the Department of Defense. The VA expended slightly more than $140 billion in 2011.