Veterans Affairs Council

The Veterans Affairs Council (VAC; Chinese: 國軍退除役官兵輔導委員會; pinyin: Guójūn Tuìchúyì Guānbīng Fǔdǎo Wěiyuánhuì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kok-kun Thè-tû-ia̍h Koaⁿ-peng Hù-tō Úi-oân-hōe) is a branch of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) with "responsibilities to assist in education assistance, employment assistance, medical care, home care and other general services" for retired servicemen and women from the Republic of China Armed Forces. VAC is a National Member of World Veterans Federation.[1][2]

Veterans Affairs Council
國軍退除役官兵輔導委員會
Guójūn Tuìchúyì Guānbīng Fǔdǎo Wěiyuánhuì (Mandarin)
Koet-kiûn Thui-chhù-yi̍t Kôn-pîn Phú-thô Vî-yèn-fi (Hakka)
Agency overview
Formed1 November 1954 (as Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen)
1 November 2013 (as VAC)
JurisdictionRepublic of China (Taiwan)
HeadquartersXinyi, Taipei
Ministers responsible
Parent agencyExecutive Yuan
Websitewww.vac.gov.tw

The incumbent minister is Feng Shih-kuan, a retired Republic of China Air Force general who took office on 5 August 2019.

History

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Front gate of the Veterans Affairs Council building

VAC was founded as cabinet-level organization on 1 November 1954 as Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen (VACRS; Chinese: 國軍退除役官兵就業輔導委員會; pinyin: Guójūn Tuìchúyì Guānbīng Jiùyè Fǔdǎo Wěiyuánhuì). It changed name to Veterans Affairs Commission in 1966 and to Veterans Affairs Council on 1 November 2013.[3][4]

Missions and functions

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  • Ensuring the Vitality of the Armed Forces
  • Securing Social Stability and Prosperity
  • Maximizing Human Resources
  • Supporting National Reconstruction
  • Developing Substantive Diplomacy

Organizational structures

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  • Department of Planning
  • Department of Veterans Service and Assistance
  • Department of Homecare and Nursing Care
  • Department of Education and Employment Assistance
  • Department of Healthcare and Medical Care
  • Department of Business Management
  • Department of Retirement Payment
  • Department of Administrative Management
  • Department of Personnel
  • Department of Civil Service Ethics
  • Department of Accounting
  • Department of Statistics and Information
  • Legal Affairs Committee

Hospitals and Veterans Homes

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VAC operates hospitals and retirement homes, including:

Associated Enterprises

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Cingjing Farm

Under its charter to provide employment assistance to Taiwan (ROC) military veterans, the Veterans Affairs Commission operates a number of for profit enterprises in Taiwan that employ veterans. Some of the related businesses include:

  • Shin-Shin Bus Company (欣欣客運)
  • Danan Bus Company (大南汽車)
  • Wuling Farm
  • Fushoushan Farm
  • Cingjing Farm
  • RSEA Engineering (榮民工程公司) – As on 1 July 1998 no longer associated with the Veterans Affairs Commission.

List of VAC Ministers

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Political parties:   Kuomintang   Democratic Progressive Party   Non-partisan/ unknown

For ministers who retired from the Armed Forces to serve, the Service column denotes their military branch before retirement.

Name Term of Office Days Party Service branch Cabinet
Minister of the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen
1 Yen Chia-kan (嚴家淦) 1 November 1954 24 April 1956 541 Kuomintang Civilian Yu Hung-chun
2 Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) 25 April 1956 30 June 1964 2989 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Yu Hung-chun
Chen Cheng II
Yen Chia-kan
Minister of the Veterans Affairs Commission (since 1966)
1 Chao Tsu-yu (趙聚鈺) 1 July 1964 7 June 1981 6185 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army Yen Chia-kan
Chiang Ching-kuo
Sun Yun-suan
2 Cheng Wei-yuan (鄭為元) 18 June 1981 28 April 1987 2141 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Sun Yun-suan
Yu Kuo-hua
3 Chang Kuo-ying (張國英) 29 April 1987 17 November 1987 203 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Yu Kuo-hua
4 Hsu Li-nung (許歷農) 18 November 1987 26 February 1993 1928 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Yu Kuo-hua
Lee Huan
Hau Pei-tsun
5 Chou Shih-pin (周世斌) 27 February 1993 14 December 1994 656 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army Lieutenant General Lien Chan
6 Yang Ting-yun (楊亭雲) 15 December 1994 31 January 1999 1509 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Lien Chan
Vincent Siew
7 Lee Cheng-lin (李楨林) 1 February 1999 19 May 2000 474 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Vincent Siew
8 Yang Te-chih (楊德智) 20 May 2000 5 February 2003 992 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Tang Fei
Chang Chun-hsiung I
Yu Shyi-kun
9 Teng Tsu-lin (鄧祖琳) 6 February 2003 19 May 2004 469 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Yu Shyi-kun
10 Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) 20 May 2004 31 January 2007 987 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Yu Shyi-kun
Frank Hsieh
Su Tseng-chang I
11 Hu Chen-pu (胡鎮埔) 1 February 2007 19 May 2008 474 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Su Tseng-chang I
Chang Chun-hsiung II
12 Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) 20 May 2008 9 September 2009 478 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Liu Chao-shiuan
13 Tseng Jing-ling (曾金陵) 10 September 2009 31 July 2013 1421 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Wu Den-yih
Sean Chen
Jiang Yi-huah
Minister of the Veterans Affairs Council (since 1 November 2013)
1 Tung Hsiang-lung (董翔龍) 1 August 2013 19 May 2016 1023 Kuomintang   Republic of China Navy Admiral Jiang Yi-huah
Mao Chi-kuo
Chang San-cheng
2 Lee Hsiang-chou (李翔宙) 20 May 2016 25 February 2018 647 Kuomintang   Republic of China Army General Lin Chuan
William Lai
3 Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) 26 February 2018 25 July 2019 515 Independent   Republic of China Army General William Lai
Su Tseng-chang II
Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) 26 July 2019 4 August 2019 10 Democratic Progressive Party Civilian Su Tseng-chang II
4 Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) 5 August 2019 20 May 2024 1750 Independent   Republic of China Air Force General Su Tseng-chang II
Chen Chien-jen
5 Yen Teh-fa (嚴德發) 20 May 2024 Incumbent 185 Independent   Republic of China Army General Cho Jung-tai

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Veterans Affairs Council ROC – World Veterans Federation".
  2. ^ "各國退伍軍人組織". 15 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Our History, Missions and Functions". Veterans Affairs Commission.
  4. ^ "Veterans Affairs Council, R.O.C.: Our History, Missions and Functions". vac.gov.tw. 2014-05-07. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
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