# The V.A. Man **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915 "2007-04-05T23:28:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915/1 "2007-04-05T23:28:53Z")
Who (or more likely, what) is the “V.A. man” the unfortunate fellow in the _Born in the USA_ song is seeing? (Poster not born in the USA.) ---
**Author:** ![Renob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2007, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915/2 "2007-04-05T23:33:50Z")
V.A. stands for Veterans Affairs, the department of government responsible for administering services for veterans. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2007, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915/3 "2007-04-05T23:35:10Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915/4 "2007-04-05T23:36:39Z")
[QUOTE=Wakinyan] Who (or more likely, what) is the “V.A. man” the unfortunate fellow in the _Born in the USA_ song is seeing? (Poster not born in the USA.) [/QUOTE] Veterans Affairs/Administration. The folks who members of the military turn to for aid. > **[United States Department of Veterans Affairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Veterans_Affairs)** > > The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country. Non-healthcare benefits include disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, education assistance, home loans, and life insurance. The VA also provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veter... ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915/5 "2007-04-06T02:06:43Z")
[QUOTE=toadspittle] Veterans Affairs/Administration. The folks who members of the military turn to for aid. [/QUOTE] Ah, no. The VA is for _veterans_, their families, and survivors. Active duty personnel are cared for by DOD. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915/6 "2007-04-06T14:15:08Z")
At the time the song was written, in 1984, veteran’s affairs were handled by the Veterans Administration, an independent agency of the federal government. The protagonist of the song appears to be seeking job placement assistance when he goes to see the “VA man”, as such services were and are among those provided by the VA. But of course the VA can’t create jobs where none exist, and in the decrepit post-industrial town in which the narrator appears to live, all the VA man can do is mutter, “Son, don’t you understand . . .”. In 1989 the VA was raised to Cabinet-level status as the Department of Veterans Affairs. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915/7 "2007-04-06T21:53:14Z")
I’m an old veteran and the VA treats me well. VERY well. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915/8 "2007-04-06T23:19:18Z")
[QUOTE=Jake] I’m an old veteran and the VA treats me well. VERY well. [/QUOTE] Good. That’s as it should be. But your experience certainly has not been universal. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-v-a-man/398915/9 "2007-04-06T23:33:03Z")
[QUOTE=Jake] I’m an old veteran and the VA treats me well. VERY well. [/QUOTE] Speaking only for myself (since I can’t speak for the entire VA)…_Thanks._ I know the people I work with consider it both a pleasure and a privilege to serve and assist our country’s veterans. Although I wish that your experience had been universal, very few things actually are. And we do take some pride that, for the most part, we do what we do pretty well. Better than most, some might say.