President Ronald Reagan signed the 1988 law that created the Department of Veterans Affairs as a cabinet-level department.
The legislation transformed the Veterans Administration into the Department of Veterans Affairs. The new department began operating in 1989, making veterans’ affairs the 14th cabinet-level department in the federal government at that time.
The change was more than a name adjustment. Cabinet status gave veterans’ programs a direct place in the president’s executive cabinet and recognized the broad national responsibilities already handled by the Veterans Administration.
This 1988 law is distinct from the 1954 law that renamed Armistice Day Veterans Day. Both laws are connected to veterans’ recognition, but they addressed different institutions: one changed a federal agency, while the other changed a national holiday.