In 1946, the Veterans Administration (known today as the Department of Veterans Affairs) created the Department of Medicine and Surgery. In 1988, the federal government renamed it the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration and shortened it to the Veterans Health Administration in 1991. The Department initially created this subsection of the VA to help improve the medical services and research capabilities in veterans’ hospitals. Despite the organization’s initial positive advancements in areas such as medical research, nursing, and prosthetics, it has had its share of troubles.[3] Adam Turner’s essay “A History of Neglect” claims that “personnel shortages and inadequate facilities” marred VA healthcare in the years following World War II, resulting in thousands of empty hospital beds because the VA did not have the medical staff to attend to them.[4] The agency seemed to avoid major public scrutiny throughout the 50s and 60s, though it did receive complaints about the quality of care veterans received in its facilities after 1946.[5] However, the staffing problems in VA hospitals came to a head during and after the Vietnam War. These problems largely contributed to the VA’s longest period of public scandal, lasting from the early 1970s until the mid-1990s. During this time, incidents of neglect caused by understaffing deepened the sense of distrust among veterans towards the VA’s healthcare system.[6]
Throughout these years, the VA faced an influx of Vietnam War servicemen entering their hospitals. However, as reports of poor quality care began to surface, it quickly became clear that the system was not prepared to handle a rise in veterans. LIFE Magazine released an exposé on the conditions of VA hospitals in May of 1970 entitled “From Vietnam to a VA hospital: Assignment to Neglect.” This article pointed out the crucial role staffing played in the deteriorating care quality of VA facilities. The magazine observed that “there are 1,100 fewer staff in VA medical programs today than in 1966” and that many “wards remain closed for want of personnel and the rest are strained due to overcrowding.” While the exact reason for this extreme depletion in staff remains unclear, LIFE highlights that in general a lack of funding left hospitals without a sufficient number of medical personnel. The decrease in staff between 1966 and 1970 came at a difficult time. The continued escalation of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s meant even more veterans needed care post-1966 compared to prior years.