text: the department of veteran affairs was created________.? a.after the civil war b.after world war i c.after world war ii d.in 1989 the answer is d, if you're talking about the modern cabinet.  it was formerly called the veterans administration, also called the va, which was established july 21, 1930 to consolidate and coordinate government activities affecting war veterans. the va incorporated the functions of the former u.s. veterans' bureau, the bureau of pensions of the interior department and the national home for disabled volunteer soldiers.  on october 25, 1988, president reagan signed legislation creating a new federal cabinet-level department of veterans affairs to replace the veterans administration effective march 15, 1989.  in both its old and new forms, the va drew its mission statement from president abraham lincoln's eloquent second inaugural address. the specific phrase quoted by va is: "...to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan..."