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July 2008

**New York**

**And the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs**

**General Information**

The [Department of Veterans Affairs](http://www.va.gov/) (VA) offers a
wide variety of programs and services for the nation's 23.5 million
veterans. In 2007, about 5.5 million people were treated in [VA health
care](http://www1.va.gov/health/index.asp) facilities, 3.6 million
veterans and survivors received [VA disability compensation or
pensions](http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/index.htm), more than 500,000
used GI Bill [education benefits](http://www.gibill.va.gov/) and more
than 2.2 million owned homes purchased with GI Bill [home loan
benefits](http://www.homeloans.va.gov/). Some 90,000 veterans took
advantage of VA's [vocational
rehabilitation](http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/index.htm) and employment
service in 2007. More than 100,000 veterans and family members were
buried in VA's [national
cemeteries](http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/cems_nmc.asp) and more than
360,000 headstones and markers were provided for veterans' graves
worldwide.

**General Information -- New York**

-   *Number of veterans: 1.1 million*

-   *VA expenditures in New York: \$3.4 billion*

    -   *Compensation and pensions: \$1.19 billion*

    -   *Readjustment benefits: \$157 million*

    -   *Medical and construction programs: \$1.89 billion*

    -   *Insurance and indemnities: \$105 million*

-   *Number of veterans and survivors receiving disability compensation
    or pension payments in New York: 140,844*

-   *Number of New York veterans using GI Bill education benefits:
    15,201*

-   *Number of veterans owning homes backed by VA loan guarantees:
    35,832*

-   *Value of New York home loans guaranteed by VA: \$1.1 billion*

-   *Number of VA life insurance policies held by New York residents:
    92,087*

-   *Value of VA life insurance policies held by New York residents:
    \$1.05 billion*

-   *Number of New York participants in vocational rehabilitation:
    2,784*

-   *Number of veterans buried in New York's VA national cemeteries:
    9,943*

-   *Number of headstones and markers provided for graves of New York
    veterans and survivors: 24,667*

    **Health Care**

    One of the most visible of all VA benefits is [health
    care](http://www1.va.gov/health/index.asp). VA has 153 hospitals,
    732 community-based outpatient clinics, 232 Vet Centers, 135 nursing
    homes, 47 residential rehabilitation treatment programs and 121
    comprehensive home care programs. To improve patients' ability to
    access care, VA has changed from a hospital-based system to a
    primarily outpatient-focused system over the past decade. Veterans
    will make more than 60 million outpatient visits to VA health care
    facilities this year.

    ***Health Care - New York***

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-   *Inpatient admissions, fiscal year 2007: 30,371*

    -   *[Albany](http://www1.va.gov/visns/visn02/albany.cfm): 2,029*

    -   *[Bath](http://www1.va.gov/visns/visn02/bath.cfm): 931*

    -   *Western New York
        ([Buffalo](http://www1.va.gov/visns/visn02/buffalo.cfm) and
        [Batavia](http://www1.va.gov/visns/visn02/batavia.cfm)): 4,328*

    -   *[Canandaigua](http://www1.va.gov/visns/visn02/canandaigua.cfm):
        304*

    -   *Hudson Valley ([Castle Point](http://www.hudsonvalley.va.gov/)
        and [Montrose](http://www.hudsonvalley.va.gov/)): 1,169*

    -   *[Syracuse](http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?ID=130&dnum=All):
        3,327*

    -   *[Bronx](http://www.bronx.va.gov/): 5,056*

    -   *New York Harbor ([Brooklyn](http://www.brooklyn.va.gov/) and
        [Manhattan](http://www.manhattan.va.gov/)): 9,857*

    -   *[Northport](http://www.northport.va.gov/): 3,370*

-   *Outpatient visits, statewide, fiscal year 2007: 3,137,361*

-   *Outpatient clinic locations*

> Auburn
>
> Bainbridge
>
> Binghamton
>
> Bronx
>
> Brooklyn
>
> Carmel
>
> Carthage
>
> Catskill
>
> Clifton Park
>
> Cortland
>
> Dunkirk
>
> Elizabethtown
>
> Elmira
>
> Fonda
>
> Glens Falls
>
> Goshen
>
> Ithaca
>
> Jamestown
>
> Kingston
>
> Lackawanna
>
> Lockport
>
> Malone
>
> Massena
>
> Monticello
>
> New City
>
> New York
>
> New York (Harlem)
>
> Niagara Falls
>
> Olean
>
> Oswego
>
> Patchogue
>
> Pine Plains
>
> Plainview
>
> Plattsburgh
>
> Port Jervis
>
> Poughkeepsie
>
> Rochester
>
> Rome
>
> Schenectady
>
> Staten Island
>
> Sunnyside
>
> Troy
>
> Warsaw
>
> Wellsville
>
> Westhampton
>
> White Plains
>
> Yonkers

**Post-Conflict Care**

VA has launched special efforts to provide a \"seamless transition\" for
those returning from service in [Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi
Freedom (OEF/OIF)](http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/).  Each VA
medical facility and benefits regional office has a point of contact to
coordinate activities locally to help meet the needs of these returning
combat service members and veterans.  In addition, VA increased the
staffing of benefits counselors at key military hospitals where severely
wounded service members from Iraq and Afghanistan are frequently sent. 
Once home, recent Iraq and Afghan veterans have ready access to VA
health care, which is free of charge for five years following separation
for any health problem possibly related to wartime service.  Some
300,000 veterans from the Global War on Terror have sought VA health
care since returning stateside, about one-third of the total number of
men and women leaving military service.

***Post-Conflict Care - New York***

-   *Number of veterans from the Global War on Terror seeking treatment,
    2007: 12,307*

    -   *Albany: 1,563*

    -   *Bath: 337*

    -   *Western New York (Buffalo and Batavia): 1,724*

    -   *Canandaigua: 639*

    -   *Syracuse: 2,276*

    -   *Bronx: 1,091*

    -   *New York Harbor (Brooklyn and Manhattan): 2,764*

    -   *Hudson Valley (Castle Point and Montrose): 748*

    -   *Northport: 1,165*

-   *[Veterans Readjustment Counseling
    Centers](http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/) (Vet Centers) Locations:*

    *Albany*

    *Babylon*

    *Bronx*

    *Brooklyn*

    *Buffalo*

    *Middletown*

    *New York (Harlem)*

    *New York (Manhattan)*

    *Rochester*

    *Staten Island*

    *Syracuse*

    *Watertown*

    *White Plains*

    *Woodhaven (Queens)*

    **Disabilities and Pensions**

    Not all military service-related issues end when people are
    discharged from active duty. About 2.7 million veterans receive
    monthly VA disability compensation for medical conditions related to
    their service in uniform. VA pensions go to about 323,000 wartime
    veterans with limited means. Family members of about 524,000
    veterans qualify for monthly VA payments as the survivors of
    disabled veterans or pension recipients.

    ***Disabilities and Pensions - New York***

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-   *Number of veterans receiving monthly disability compensation:
    104,506*

-   *Number of VA pensions to veterans in New York: 14,867*

-   *Number of death compensation or pension payments made to survivors:
    21,671*

-   *Number of disability compensation claims processed: 17,730*

    **Memorial Affairs**

    Most men and women who have been in the military are [eligible for
    burial](http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/bbene/eligible.asp) in a national
    cemetery, as are their dependent children and usually their
    spouses.  VA manages the country's [network of national
    cemeteries](http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/cems_nmc.asp) with more than
    2.9 million
    [gravesites](http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1) at
    125 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico, as well as in
    33 soldier's lots and monument sites.  In 2007, more than 100,000
    veterans and dependents were buried in VA\'s national cemeteries. 
    Additionally, VA provided more than 359,000 [headstones and
    markers](http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hm_hm.asp) and 423,000
    [Presidential Memorial
    Certificates](http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/pmc.asp) to the loved ones
    of deceased veterans.  VA-assisted [state veterans
    cemeteries](http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/scg_grants.asp) provided more
    than 23,000 interments.

    ***Memorial Affairs -- New York***

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-   *National cemetery burials in New York in 2007: 9,945*

-   *Bath: 281*

    -   *Calverton: 6,656*

    -   *Cypress Hills: 4*

    -   *Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga: 932*

    -   *Long Island: 1,952*

    -   *Woodlawn: 120*

-   *Headstones and markers provided in 2007 (statewide): 24,667*

-   *Presidential Memorial Certificates issued in 2007 (statewide):
    10,538*

    \# \# \#

    *For other state summaries see:
    <http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/statesum/index.asp>.*