08/07/2025
VCS was codified in law by Congress on Aug. 7, 1946, as part of an expansion of VA benefits, due to the addition of nearly 16 million new Veterans in the wake of World War II. Led by the VA Administrator, Gen. Omar Bradley, the expansion also established many new VA hospitals, committed to research and development, and formed Voluntary Services, now known as the Center for Development and Civic Engagement.
The creation of a federal canteen service for Veterans at VA was considered essential because the privately operated stores and cafés at the time were deemed “deficient” by Veterans. With the creation of VCS, Congress improved services under a common banner, while ensuring value in shopping and dining for Veterans and their families.
Veterans Canteen Service was operating in 124 VA hospitals by the end of the 1948 fiscal year, following the mission of providing reasonably priced merchandise and services essential to the comfort, health, and well-being of America’s Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare. Now, VCS is a self-sustaining service embedded in nearly 200 VA medical centers and clinics, providing retail, café, coffee, vending, retail optical and many other customer-facing services. As an integral part of the VA community, VCS is also a benefit for the caregivers, family members, volunteers, visitors, and VA employees who all strive to improve the Veteran experience. The 3,000 dedicated VCS employees deliver this benefit to Veterans in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
