ABSTRACT
The consequent inaccessibility of V.A. medical care to most veterans and almost all non-veterans raises questions about the appropriateness of the V.A. system as a model for national health care. This chapter reviews available literature, the history of veterans' medical services, and collected utilization data in order to analyze the principles underlying the creation and continued growth of the V.A. medical system. The history of veterans' benefits and services in the United States is reviewed; it demonstrates their responsiveness to dominant political, economic, military and medical interests. Men were reluctant to give up their jobs during a time of high unemployment, and the promise of government assistance after their release from service was offered as an incentive to assure the success of conscription. The V.A. system dramatically supports the dominant American value that services are a privilege to be earned and not a right of citizenship.
