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Anesthesiologist based in Wooster, Ohio
Eric DeHorta, an Anesthesiologist based in Wooster, Ohio, began his medical studies by completing an Associate of Science degree in Respiratory Therapy Sciences at Miami Dade College in Miami, Florida, in 1976. Eric DeHorta continued to attend Miami Dade College, and in 1980, he graduated with a second Associate degree, this time an Associate of Arts Pre Medical Certificate. Eric DeHorta pursued medical studies at Universidad Central del Este, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. He earned his MD in 1985. From there, Eric DeHorta returned to the United States and attended Florida International University in Miami. In 1990, he graduated with a degree in Biological Studies. Eric DeHorta began his residency at Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania, as a Resident Physician in the Department of Internal Medicine from 1990 to 1991. Eric DeHorta’s next residency took him to Cleveland, Ohio, and University Hospitals, where, for the next three years, he worked in the Department of Anesthesiology, which eventually became his area of specialization. In 1994, Eric DeHorta became a Fellow of Critical Care Medicine when he received specialized training in cardiac anesthesia, and he also joined the staff at Wooster Community Hospital. Now Staff Anesthesiologist for Inpatient and Outpatient Services, Eric DeHorta also serves as Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology. While at Wooster Community Hospital, Eric DeHorta also volunteered as a Medical Director at the Viola Startzman Free Clinic in Wooster, Ohio, from 1996 to 1999.
Eric DeHorta
Eric DeHorta's Publications
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The History of Veterans’ Pensions in the United States
February, 2011
by Eric DeHorta
Since the earliest colonial days, American veterans have been eligible for pension services like those offered today by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. At that time, most veterans received pensions for injuries taken during Native American uprisings. Plymouth Colony enacted the first North American pension laws. During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress devised the idea of pensions for veterans to encourage enlistments and discourage desertion. At the time, veterans received half-pay for life if they suffered a grievous injury during military service. However, the structure of the government at that time did not allow for the collection of money from states to pay veterans; as such, each state met the challenge with differing degrees of success. According to state records, approximately 3,000 veterans drew pensions during this time, while others received state and federal land grants if they served throughout the war.
After the United States Constitution was ratified in 1788, the government began offering a real pension plan for veterans. Overseen by the Secretary of War, the Bureau of Pensions administered the veterans pension plan. By 1812, United States veterans and their dependents and survivors received pensions from the federal government. In 1818, a new veterans law ensured that any former soldier in need would receive a small pension for life. Before that time, only disabled veterans qualified for pensions. The new law increased the cost of pensions paid to veterans each year to $1.4 million from $120,000.
Prior to the Civil War, the United States government provided pensions for only about 80,0000 veterans. After the war, that number skyrocketed to more than 2 million Union Army veterans. However, Confederate soldiers did not receive pension benefits until 1958, when Congress pardoned them for their act of treason in fighting against the United States and extended a pension to the sole living veteran from the Confederate military.
Medical care for veterans first emerged with the advent of the United States Naval Home in Philadelphia. Additional veterans hospitals, including St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, opened in the decade prior to the Civil War. Veterans’ hospitals originating after the war traced their roots back to Lincoln’s concern that the Civil War had produced many displaced and injured soldiers who might find themselves homeless without government assistance. As a result, many facilities were established to rehabilitate injured soldiers and provide shelter for those who might have lost farms or homes during their service. Today, veterans’ hospitals, such as the facility in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, provide state-of-the-art medical care to those who served the United States.
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