On Veterans Day, the gratitude of a nation turns to those who have served and sacrificed for our country. Through the years, many organizations have been founded to enhance the lives of veterans, and actively work to serve those who have served. These organizations serve Veterans every day of the year.

Veterans Affairs, the most widely known organization for Veterans was founded in 1930, with an origin extending back as far as 150 years ago. Through the years, this government run organization has continued to build upon its ‘Noble Dream to Honor Our Patriots’.

Although there are many challenges still facing the VA today, it is important to recognize the ways the organization has helped, and continues to help Veterans. Here are 10 ways the VA has enhanced the lives of Veterans:

1) Reduced waiting times – VA has dramatically reduced waiting times for patient access to doctors. Since the program started in 1999, average system-wide waiting times for appointments have declined sharply. For example, national waiting times for the next available appointment dropped by 53 percent, from 60 days to 28 days.

2) Access to records – VA’s online personal health record, My HealtheVet, provides America’s Veterans access to personal, secure, up to date health information. Launched in 2003, it now has more than 740,000 registered users; 72 percent are VA patients. Registrants can request VA prescription refills online and receive personalized reminders and tips on how to stay well. More than 6.5 million refills have been requested since 2005. The refills are delivered to Veterans’ homes in 5 to 10 business days.

3) Reducing the Backlog – The claims backlog has been reduced from peak of 611,000 in March 2013 to 140,703 in 2015, a 77% reduction in 26 months. Claim-level accuracy has also greatly increased from 83% in 2011 to 91% in 2015. To put the volume in perspective, VA completed 1.32 million claims in fiscal year 2014. Veterans are waiting, an average of 156 days less for a claim decision compared to March 2013.

4) Healthcare Training – VA trains 120,000 healthcare professionals a year, more than any other system in the United States. An estimated 70% of all U.S. doctors have trained with VA. In a time of doctor shortages, the VA does a great deal to increase access to quality healthcare.

5) Housing – The VA currently guarantees 2 million home loans. On top of this, the VA has maintained the lowest foreclosure rate (1.4%) in the industry for 25 of the last 8 years when compared to all other types of home loans.

6) Attracting and keeping doctors – VA has increased salaries for physicians and dentists to reduce the pay gap with the private sector and to make VA an employer of choice. Since April 2014, VA has increased staffing by 1,086 Physicians, 2,724 Nurses, and 4,671 other critical occupations. Turnover of about 9% continues to compare favorably to private sector healthcare turnover of 18%.

7) Leading with Telehealth – VA is a national leader in Telehealth services. At the end of 2014, 12.7 percent of all Veterans enrolled for VA care received Telehealth based care. This includes over 2 million Telehealth visits, servicing more than 700,000 Veterans remotely.

8) Enhancing Female Veterans Care – VA has enhanced provision of care to female Veterans by developing Designated Women’s Health Providers (DWHP) at every site where women access VA. To this end, VA has trained over 2,000 providers in women’s health to ensure that every woman Veteran has the opportunity to receive her primary care from a DWHP.

9) Ending Homelessness – In 2014 alone, VA provided services to more than 260,000 homeless or at-risk Veterans in VHA’s homeless programs. Not all Veterans required an intensive homeless program intervention, but for those that did, over 72,000 Veterans were either placed in permanent housing or prevented from becoming homeless.

10) Going Digital – Under VA’s technology initiatives, one major achievement has been its transition from a paper-intensive process to a fully electronic processing system. The VA previously processed 5,000 tons of paper per year; now it is processing 94 percent of the disability claims inventory electronically, greatly reducing its environmental impact.

Alongside Veterans Affairs, there are many other organizations assisting Veterans in innumerable ways. Here are another 10 incredible organizations to be aware of that support our Veterans.

1) Veterans Support Organization – providing gifts, and much-needed items such as wheelchairs, clothing, to veterans since 2001. VSO runs an employment program to enable veterans to pay their bills and build confidence to work in civilian jobs. More than 1000 veterans and non-veterans have participated in our work program over the years.

2) Paralyzed Veterans of America – For more than 68 years, Paralyzed Veterans has been supporting seriously injured and paralyzed Veterans in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

3) Any Soldier – Founded in 2003, Any Solider sending gifts and care packages to soldiers currently in service across the world.

4) TAPS – The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) offers compassionate care to all those grieving the death of a loved one serving in our Armed Forces. Since 1994, TAPS has provided comfort through a national peer support network and connection to grief resources, all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones.

5) The Battle Continues – An organization founded by Veterans for Veterans, dedicated to supporting the medical needs of Veterans after serving. The organization is focused on mental health, PTSD, and managing health issues related to military service.

6) Coming Home Project – A non-profit organization founded in 2006 devoted to providing expert, compassionate care, support, education, and stress management tools for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, service members, their families, and their care providers.

7) Snowball Express – Since 2006, the mission of Snowball Express has been to provide hope and happy memories to the children of military fallen heroes who have died while on active duty since 9/11. Bringing children together from all over the world for a four-day experience filled with fun activities, like sporting events, dances, amusement parks and more.

8) National Military Family Association – An organization focused on enhancing the lives of Veterans and their families. Through programs such as Spouse Sponsorship, and Operation Purple Camps, the organization brings together the families of those serving in the military.

9) Green Beret Foundation – provides direct financial assistance to over 500 Green Berets, and their families as they navigate the challenges of their new lives, and have given 90% of every dollar raised back to the Green Beret community.

10) Military with PTSD – Since 2010, they have been helping educate veterans, caretakers, and civilians about the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the veterans, in the family, and on the community as a whole.

All of these organizations do incredible work to enhance and heal the lives of those who have served our country. In 2015, care for our Veterans continues, just as the Veterans continue to serve and protect our freedom. Thank you for your service.