A Benefits System for the Information Age

Abstract

The veterans benefits system that we have today is, with modest changes, the same one that was created in 1917 for the veterans of World War I. We have advanced since then, however, from the Industrial Age to today’s Information Age, which has ushered in huge changes for the fields of law, medicine, government, and information technology. Nevertheless, the veterans benefits system remains trapped at the start of the previous century. Today’s challenge for the system is two-fold. First, we must recognize the many ways in which the system is outdated. Second, we must make conscious, strategic decisions as to how to structure the system among all the new possibilities. There is no definitive way in which a modern veterans benefits system must be structured. However, the current out-dated process is certainly not the solution that best handles today’s challenges and opportunities.

Keywords: veterans benefits