Which U.S. president established the Veterans Administration in 1930?

President Herbert Hoover established the Veterans Administration in 1930.

Hoover signed legislation consolidating several federal veterans’ programs into one agency. The new Veterans Administration brought together the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, creating a more unified structure for veterans’ services.

The agency later became the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1989. That change elevated veterans’ affairs to cabinet-level status, while the modern VA retained responsibilities for medical care, compensation, pensions, education, and other benefits.

The 1930 consolidation is sometimes confused with the later creation of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Hoover established the Veterans Administration; President Ronald Reagan signed the 1988 legislation that led to the cabinet department’s establishment in 1989.