The official U.S. government abbreviation for the Department of Veterans Affairs is VA.
The department was created in 1989, when the former Veterans Administration became a cabinet-level executive department. Its responsibilities include veterans’ health care, disability compensation, education benefits, home-loan assistance, life insurance, and national cemeteries.
The abbreviation “VA” appears throughout Veterans Day materials because the department coordinates national observance information, educational resources, and many ceremonies. It should not be confused with the Department of Defense, abbreviated DOD, which oversees the military while people are serving.
The department’s name is sometimes shortened informally to “Veterans Affairs,” but “VA” is the standard government abbreviation. The acronym also appears in the names of VA medical centers and regional benefits offices across the United States.