Organizational Structure of Veteran's Affairs Offices
The organizational structure of each U.S. state for day-to-day operations varies with respect to veterans affairs. The most common structure is a cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs or an independent Department of Veterans Affairs Agency with direct links to the Governor’s office.
Eight states have a combined Military/Veterans Affairs Department, or place the Division of Veterans Affairs under the Military Department. Five states have rather unique methods of organizing their agencies dealing with veterans affairs. Delaware places their veterans affairs office within the Department of State; Massachusetts places their Veteran Service Office within the Department of Health and Services; Missouri places their Veterans Commission with the state Department of Safety; Rhode Island places their Veterans Affairs Office within the Department of Human Services; and South Carolina places the Division of Veterans Affairs within the Office of Executive Policy and Programs.
Five states have maintained old organizational structures of using boards/commissions as the overall deciding authority for determining policy of veterans affairs issues. Within the boards/commissions are separate staff that process veterans’ issues
Currently, the following structures exist with respect to how veterans affairs/veterans services offices are organized:
- With Executive Agency (31)
- Within or under Military Department (8)
- Combined with or under different departments other than the Military Department (6)
- Boards/Commissions of Veterans Affairs (5)
Organizational Structure of Emergency Management Offices
After viewing all individual states and U.S. territories as to how their respective Office of Emergency Management/Preparedness (OEM) is organized, one can draw the conclusion that no two states are precisely the same. However, the list below gives an approximation as to the general organization of how the various states and territories structure Emergency Management.
Several States have OEM organized under a Department of Public Safety. However, at least 7 of those states have Divisions of combined Homeland Security and Emergency Management (Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Vermont, and West Virginia). Michigan has a combined Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security organized under their state Department of State Police. Thus, the most dominant pattern or OEM organization is some combination of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The second most dominant pattern is that the state OEM is organized under the state Adjutant General's Office.
- Office of the Governor, Direct Cabinet, or independent agency with direct ties to the Governor's Office (8)
- Military Department/Adjutant General (17)
- Combined Homeland Security or under Homeland Security (11)
- Public Safety/Protection/Security (15)
- State Police (1)
- Multi-tiered structure (1)