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“Finish Strong:” Highlights from Connecticut Delegation Meetings

VFW National Legislative Committee members Bob Hunter from Connecticut and Christian Kulikoski from Massachusetts met with Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., as part of last week’s Capitol Hill visits, telling the 112th Congress to “Finish Strong For Veterans.”

Hunter and Kulikoski spent the day highlighting the VFW's priorities and outstanding issues to members of the Connecticut congressional delegation. Kulikoski, who also serves as a Massachusetts VFW Department Service Officer, was well-versed in health care and benefits delivery, and highlighted the hot-button issues such as stopping DoD efforts to increase TRICARE fees and copays, ensuring the successful implementation of the Veterans Benefit Management System, or VBMS, and providing more resources to deliver educational benefits.

Hunter, who serves as the VFW Legislative Chairman for Connecticut, punctuated the issues by highlighting DoD's reallocation of nearly three billion dollars over the past three years from TRICARE to fund other DoD programs. He also encouraged his members on Congress to seriously consider giving VA the tools to continuously improve their business processes, while dealing with the disability claims backlog. Both committee members discussed the alarming 18-percent rise in veteran suicides over the past year, and all members of the Connecticut delegation agreed more effort must be directed to curbing the losses of our comrades when they return home.

Hunter also discussed VFW’s progress locally, seeking to shut down predatory non-profit organizations claiming to serve veterans. The VFW in Connecticut learned that one such organization was doing little more than raising money for their benefit, while only disbursing meager amounts of aide to veterans in need.

Blumenthal, who is working closely with the VFW Department of Connecticut to spearhead this fight, let Hunter know that VA has begun to aggressively reassess those organizations listed as “trusted entities” providing additional help and services to veterans. He went on to say that the organization in question has since been removed from VA's list of trusted organizations.

Last week, VFW advocates were out in force on Capitol Hill, meeting with nearly every Congressional office, highlighting VFW’s outstanding issues for the 112th Congress. To learn more about the VFW’s priorities from last week’s legislative visits, click here, and check back regularly for highlights of how our advocates told Congress to “Finish Strong For Veterans.”

(Image: Top: VFW Legislative Committee members Bob Hunter, left, and Christian Kulikoski, right, meet with Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., during last week's legislative conference. Bottom: Hunter and his wife, Lynn, meet with Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. Photos courtesy of Bob Hunter.)

VFW Joins House Democrats for Veterans Roundtable

*UPDATE: The Office of Management and Budget announced this afternoon that all VA accounts and military personnel accounts would be exempt from budget sequestration. 

Yesterday the VFW joined House Democratic leadership and some of the nation’s other leading veterans’ advocates for a roundtable discussion on veterans’ issues. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has routinely hosted quarterly roundtables with the veterans’ community for the last few years, offering veterans’ advocates an opportunity to candidly discuss ways in which Congress could work to better serve our veterans.

 VFW Deputy Director Ryan Gallucci joined in the discussion, expressing the VFW’s frustration over looming sequestration cuts to the defense budget and administrative accounts for Veterans Affairs. Gallucci pointed out that while the Obama Administration had clarified that VA health care accounts were exempt from sequestration, experts had indicated that VA’s administrative accounts could be subject to cuts.

The veterans’ community has asked for clarification from Congress and the Administration as to what kinds of administrative accounts could be affected, pointing out that the timely delivery of other VA benefits, like disability compensation or the G.I. Bill, could be affected if the administrators of those benefits are forced to scale back their operations.

House Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., tackled the issue by explaining that the Administration was scheduled to deliver their analysis of how sequestration would affect each agency, but that he and his fellow committee members were still searching for ways to avoid the looming 2013 deadline when across-the-board cuts would have to take place.

Other issues raised during the roundtable were the absence of advance appropriations in the VA budget continuing resolution currently before Congress, daunting unemployment numbers among Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans, and the persistent lack of mental health resources for veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of war.

Your VFW advocates have been working hard all week, asking the 112th Congress to “Finish Strong For Veterans.” In addition to the Democratic roundtable, VFW participated in a Republican veterans affairs roundtable on Tuesday, and members of the VFW National Legislative Committee hit the halls of Congress all week, pushing for solutions to issue related to the VA budget, employment and education, health care, and benefits delivery.

As Congress wraps up business leading into the election, check back regularly for updates.

“Finish Strong:” Florida VFW Discusses Sequestration During Hill Visits

Over the last two days, VFW National Legislative Committee members from Florida met with their congressional delegation to discussing VFW’s outstanding legislative issues, and asking the 112th Congress to “Finish Strong For Veterans.” Here are some highlights from their visits:

VFW Department of Florida Past Commanders Mike White and Bob Shepard, and National Legislative Committee Chairman Lee F. Kichen discussed sequestration on the national defense budget with Rep. Allen West, R-Fla. West shared the VFW’s concerns about the impact of force reductions, cuts to quality-of-life programs, and how they would affect military personnel and their families. The Florida Legislative Team agreed that the Army would not be robust enough to effectively challenge future adversaries, if deep defense cuts were allowed to take effect.

The VFW Florida Legislative Team also discussed the implications of sequestration budget cuts on active duty service members and their families with Drew Wyatt Shoemaker, legislative assistant to Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla.

Shepard and Kichen then discussed the VFW's goal to extend tax credits for businesses to employ veterans with Jeff Fatora, military legislative associate for Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. VFW advocates have been storming the halls of Congress over the last two days as part of the VFW’s fall legislative conference.

The conference draws to a close tomorrow, at which time VFW advocates will have met with every Congressional office on Capitol Hill. To learn more about the VFW’s priorities for our fall legislative visits, click here, and check back regularly for updates, as our advocates tell Congress to “Finish Strong For Veterans.”

(Images: Top: The Florida Legislative Team meets with Rep. Allen West to discuss sequestration. Bottom: The team also met with staff for Rep. Tom Rooney to discuss concerns over potential defense cuts. Photos courtesy of Lee F. Kichen.)

VFW Veterans’ Education Bill Passes House

Yesterday afternoon the House passed H.R. 4057, a bill designed to improve consumer protections for student-veterans who seek to utilize their Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits.

VFW leaders applauded the passage of the bill and will call on the Senate to take up its education package during this week’s fall legislative conference, where VFW advocates are asking Congress to “Finish Strong For Veterans.”

H.R. 4057 was amended while in committee to include several other VFW-supported provisions to improve veterans’ benefits such as the bill that the VFW and the American Legion worked together to draft and amend, the HIRE at HOME Act (H.R. 4115), introduced by Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, which ensures that states consider military training for professional licenses in a variety of technical fields.

The committee also added language from other bills ensuring safe housing standards for homeless veterans, limiting bonuses for VA employees, and commissioning an Open Air Burn Pit exposure registry with VA.

H.R. 4057 was inspired by VFW action earlier this year, when VFW authored a letter signed by a broad coalition of veterans' advocates and education experts, calling for improved consumer information and consumer protections for veterans. To learn more about the bill, click here.

The bill’s author, Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., spoke on the House floor, touting the merits of his bill, which made it to the floor with overwhelming bipartisan support through the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

House Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Member Bob Filner, D-Calif., a cosponsor of the bill, also discussed the merits of the bill’s other provisions, like ensuring VA keeps track of health care conditions for veterans exposed to toxins resulting from open air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Your VFW will continue to advocate for the Senate to pass a comprehensive education package before the end of the current Congress. Check back regularly with this blog for updates.

VFW Joins House VA Committee Republican Roundtable

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., hosted a roundtable discussion this morning with Republican committee leadership and leading veterans’ advocates in the committee’s chambers of the Cannon House Office Building. VFW Deputy Legislative Director Ryan Gallucci was on hand to discuss a series of persistent veterans’ issues like mental health care, employment, and looming budget concerns.

Miller decided to host the roundtable as a way to evaluate progress over the 112th Congress, identify shortfalls in meeting the needs of veterans, and candidly discussing potential new ideas to ensure veterans receive the care and benefits to which they are entitled.

The morning’s discussion took place just as the VFW National Legislative Committee converged on Washington, asking Congress to “Finish Strong For Veterans,” by enacting meaningful legislation, providing oversight, and applying pressure on federal agencies to better serve the veterans’ community. This week, VFW advocates will visit every Congressional office discuss VFW’s outstanding issues for the 112th Congress relating to benefits delivery, health care, budget concerns, and education and employment. To learn more about these issues, click here.

Gallucci reiterated the VFW’s “Finish Strong For Veterans” message, encouraging Congress to pass bills like the H.R. 4057 to improve consumer information for student-veterans; provide oversight to ensure the military’s new transition assistance program, or TAP, provides relevant resources to transitioning service members; ensure VA can meet its mental health staffing requirements; and apply pressure to VA and the Administration to define “administrative accounts” potentially affected by mandatory sequestration budget cuts.

Chairman Miller also took the opportunity to candidly discuss a controversial proposal from Republican leaders designed to help veterans receive timely mental health care from TRICARE providers, paid for by VA. The idea comes on the heels of ongoing military and veteran suicide concerns, and reports that VA cannot meet the demand to deliver mental health care in a timely manner.

Veterans’ advocates expressed concern about how the proposal could not only increase care costs for VA, but could create more bureaucratic problems for veterans seeking care outside the VA system.

Gallucci explained that many times veterans cannot receive timely mental health care from VA because they never actively enrolled in the VA health care system before reaching out for help. If veterans sought out emergency care from TRICARE providers on the economy, Gallucci explained that they could be left with a hefty bill for services, and face additional bureaucratic hurdles when they seek reimbursement from VA.

Chairman Miller explained that the concept was designed to ensure veterans who need mental health care can find somewhere to go as a stop-gap measure, and ensured the veterans’ community that his committee would flesh out exactly how such a system could efficiently deliver care.

Other discussion topics this morning included alternative treatments for traumatic brain injury like hypobaric oxygen therapy, persistent processing delays for Post-9/11 G.I. Bill recipients, the effectiveness of peer-to-peer counseling for mental health issues, and empowering employers to find potential veteran employees.

(Image: VFW Deputy Legislative Director Ryan Gallucci discusses VFW's call for Congress to "Finish Strong For Veterans" in the 112th Congress. Photo courtesy of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.)

"Finish Strong:" VFW Leaders Converge on Washington to Advocate for Veterans

This morning the VFW kicked off its fall legislative conference, telling the 112th Congress to “Finish Strong For Veterans.”

VFW National Legislative Director Ray Kelley briefed all 70 members of the VFW’s National Legislative Committee this morning at the Hilton Crystal City in Arlington, Va., outlining the VFW’s expectations for Congress and outstanding issues from the last two years.

Armed with the VFW’s “Finish Strong For Veterans” brochure, explaining each outstanding issue, VFW National Legislative Committee members are now scheduled to meet with every Congressional and Senate office over the next three days, calling on Congress to act before the end of the current term.

To learn more about the fall conference and VFW’s outstanding legislative issues, click here.

The VFW Capitol Hill blog will follow legislative committee members around to their meetings, posting photos and highlights as they are available. Check back regularly over the next three days for updates.

(Image: VFW National Legislative Director Ray Kelley briefs VFW National Legislative Committee members as this week's conference kicked off. Photo by Bob Hunter.)

VFW at the DNC: Vets' Tribute and Final Thoughts

President Obama accepting his party's nomination for a second term capped off the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte last night.

Your VFW was encouraged to see that the Democrats focused on our military service members and veterans every day of the convention, culminating with an arena-wide tribute to the troops that included some 20,000 attendees waving signs with the simple message, "Thank You."

In stark contrast to what the VFW witnessed at last week's RNC in Tampa, many of the DNC speakers took the opportunity to thank those who serve, to include the president in his acceptance speech.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry went so far as to criticize Republican candidate Mitt Romney for failing to mention veterans or service members in his acceptance speech, calling the oversight "unacceptable" in a time of war.

The VFW was happy to see the DNC focus so much on thanking veterans, and highlighting initiatives to improve benefits. Unfortunately, many of the week's speakers failed to outline any specific plans to address issues like unemployment, suicide or the disability claims backlog.

The VFW believes that despite certain improvements in recent years, much work remains to ensure our service members can transition successfully into civilian life, and that we can provide the timely care and benefits our veterans have earned.

After attending both the RNC and DNC over the past two weeks, the VFW has reached the following conclusions:

• The DNC succeeded in thanking America's heroes, whereas the RNC missed a major opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with the men and women who protect our nation.

• Both Democrats and Republicans have a lot of work to do to make the case for how they intend to better serve our veterans, service members and their loved ones over the next four years.

Your VFW will continue to push both the Romney and Obama campaigns to outline how they plan to serve our veterans, if elected. Check back for updates as the candidates hit the campaign trail.

(Images: Top: Attendees at the DNC say "Thank You" to our veterans. Bottom: President Obama and his family greet the DNC after accepting the party's nomination. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

VFW at the DNC: Veterans' Council Meeting and Secretary Shinseki

Yesterday the Democratic National Committee hosted a Veterans and Military Families Council meeting at the Charlotte Convention Center as part of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Your VFW was on hand to listen to speakers about the party's platform to better serve veterans, service members and their loved ones.

The council, chaired by retired Army Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, brought together leaders in the Democratic party like Dr. Jill Biden, co-founder of the "Joining Forces" program; Beau Biden, Delaware Attorney General and National Guardsman; Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and Sen. Daniel Inoue, World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, to discuss how the current administration and the Democratic party hope to address the ongoing concerns of the veterans' community, like education and employment.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki also made an appearance at the council meeting before addressing delegates on the convention floor last night. In his remarks before the convention, Shinseki touted the successes of the Obama Administration expanding access to VA healthcare for 800,000 veterans and improving access to mental health care for veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of war.

While the VFW appreciates the DNC's focus on veterans' issues over the last two days, we noticed that most of the discussion centered on past successes. We were hoping to hear more about how the party plans to address persistent issues moving forward, such as veterans' unemployment, suicide, military downsizing, and the daunting VA disability claims backlog.

Last night, President Obama was officially nominated as the party's presidential candidate by President Bill Clinton, who touted the president's record of pragmatic leadership. Tonight, the president will officially accept the nomination and your VFW will be on hand at the Time Warner Arena in Charlotte.

Your VFW will be looking for the president to discuss veterans' issues and his plans to address the ongoing concerns of our nation's heroes; particularly while we are at war. Check back tomorrow for highlights and check in on Monday, as we compare our experiences at both the RNC and the DNC over the last two weeks.

(Image: Dr. Jill Biden addresses the Veterans and Military Families Council yesterday at the DNC. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)

VFW at DNC: Opening Night Dems Focus on Veterans

Last night, VFW legislative advocates made their way into Charlotte for the first night of the Democratic National Convention. Though most of the evening's discussions focused on social issues, the Democrats also took the time to focus on issues critical to military families and veterans.

The night kicked off with the introduction of Marine Corps Iraq veteran Nate Davis discussing how the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill allowed him to pursue a quality education after leaving the military. Next, noteworthy veterans' advocate and wounded warrior Tammy Duckworth, who is currently running for Congress in Illinois, took to the stage to make the case for how the current administration has made caring for veterans and military families a priority.

The theme of honoring America's military families and veterans continued on during the night, when Blue Star Mother Elaine Brye introduced First Lady Michelle Obama, whose program "Joining Forces" has made a difference in the lives of thousands of military families, like Brye's.

While the first lady made an impassioned speech as to why she believes her husband deserves four more years in the White House, Mrs. Obama also took the time to discuss why family values are so important to her and how she sought to make the lives of military families easier, as their loved ones continue to sacrifice for our nation overseas.

The VFW was happy to see the DNC focus on veterans' issues early on in the convention. This afternoon, VFW will join in a Veterans and Military Families Caucus as part of the convention in an effort to ensure Democrats understand the issues critical to the military and veterans' communities.

The VFW hopes this dialogue on veterans and military quality-of-life continues throughout the convention, and that the president takes the time to outline his plans to care for our nation's heroes when he formally accepts his party's nomination Thursday night. Check back for updates.

(Images: Top: First Lady Michelle Obama greets the delegates before making her speech before the DNC last night. Bottom: Tammy Duckworth explains how she believes the Obama administration has made an effort to serve veterans. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

VFW at the RNC: Final Thoughts as Romney Accepts Nomination

The 2012 Republican National Convention drew to a close last night with a star-studded lineup, including legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood. An impressive lineup of American Olympians both past and present, ranging from figure skater Scott Hamilton to skeet shooter Kim Rhode, also made an impression on the audience.

Many of the speakers worked to highlight the character and success of the man of the hour, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. The excitement and anticipation reached a crescendo with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s lead-in remarks that highlighted his family story of hard work and achievement.

Though Romney’s articulate and passionate remarks largely focused on the economy and his vision for solving the problems leading to lingering unemployment, he also spoke on a broad range of other topics, including national defense, pending budget cuts to the Pentagon, and foreign policy.

However, one point that the VFW noticed was lacking in his remarks was much mention of our reliance on the brave men and women who wear the uniform to execute those policy decisions; and the moral obligation our nation has to honor their service and to care for those who have borne the battle.

Looking back on the convention, we cannot recall a single mention of a specific policy relating to veterans. It’s clear that we have a lot of work to do – regardless of who may be elected to the White House – to advance the needs and interests of those who have served our nation. We hope we can count on you to join in this noble and important work.

Your VFW will now head to Charlotte, N.C., for the Democratic National Convention. Check back next week for daily updates, as we seek to hold our leaders accountable for the needs of our nation’s heroes.

(Image: Mitt and Ann Romney, alongside Paul and Janna Ryan, wave to the crowd as the 2012 Republican National Convention draws to a close in Tampa. Photo by Ray Kelley.)

VFW Applauds White House Efforts to Stop Military Suicide

The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., the nation’s largest organization of combat veterans, applauded the president’s signing of an executive order this morning designed to curb military and veteran suicide and improve the delivery of mental health resources to our nation’s heroes.

“Today, more American service members die by their own hands than at the hands of our enemies, which is why the VFW is proud to see our commander-in-chief taking action to address this national crisis,” said VFW National Commander John E. Hamilton. “Long, repeat deployments through more than a decade of war have taken an immeasurable toll on our nation’s newest generation of heroes. We have an obligation to care for these brave men and women when they return from the front lines, and we think this executive order will be a critical step in fulfilling that obligation.”

The executive order, “Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members and Military Families,” which President Obama announced during a visit to Fort Bliss in Texas, includes nearly a dozen specific initiatives designed to improve mental health resources and intervention tools.

Among the initiatives included in the executive order, VA and its partner agencies are directed to increase the capacity of the veteran crisis line, 1-800-273-8255; leverage training initiatives to hire 800 peer-to-peer counselors and 1,600 mental health professionals by June 2013; ensure veterans in crisis receive care within 24 hours; develop a National Research Action Plan across federal agencies to improve early intervention for those suffering from invisible wounds; and create an Interagency Task Force reporting directly to the White House on strategies to improve outreach and intervention for veterans, service members, and their families.

The VFW fully supports the president’s vision to prevent military suicides and improve mental health care delivery, but Hamilton also expressed concerns about potential funding shortfalls to accomplish the president’s goals.

“We hope that as VA and the Pentagon work with their partner agencies to deliver on these initiatives, that a comprehensive plan is in place to fund it without negatively affecting the continuum of care that our veterans rely on,” said Hamilton, who received three Purple Hearts for wounds sustained as a Marine Corps rifleman in Vietnam. “This morning the president pledged to help the brave military men and women who continue to suffer in silence, and the VFW stands ready to assist the Administration in delivering on this pledge.”

To read the executive order, click here.

VFW at the RNC: Defense Issues Take Center Stage Wednesday

The Amputee Veterans of America Support Team set the tone for day two of the Republican National Convention when they took center stage Wednesday to present our nation’s colors with Ayla Brown, daughter of National Guardsman and Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, singing the Star-Spangled Banner.

Jeanine McDonnell, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and daughter of Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, spoke as one of the 212,000 service women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade. Her central message: “We need leaders who don’t play chicken with our nation’s defense.”

She was not alone in referencing the military and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Many of the speakers last night, including Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, made foreign policy and our military and veterans’ communities the cornerstone of their remarks.

McCain struck hard at President Obama for his handling of the situation in Libya and Syria, and for the pending cuts to the Department of Defense that the senator claimed were substituting military strategy with a political timetable.

Rice connected with the crowd early in her speech by recognizing we are “fortunate to have men and women who volunteer – they volunteer to defend us on the front lines of freedom,” and urged everyone to remember that “we owe them our eternal gratitude.” She also spoke of the challenges the previous administration faced as well as the ongoing sacrifices of those who continue to serve on our behalf.

These comments came on the heels of Mitt Romney’s remarks yesterday afternoon at the American Legion national convention, where he pledged to not increase fees on TRICARE; however, back here in Tampa, the remarks of his vice presidential running-mate, Paul Ryan, were noticeably devoid of words about our military or our veterans.

Though Ryan did publicly thank veterans in the context of sacrifices made by the “founding generation,” our leaders must also be attuned to the needs of those serving today, who are living with physical and emotional scars from more recent conflicts in our nation’s history.

Last night’s speakers were all a prologue for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who speaks tonight to officially accepting his party’s nomination. Will he deliver for veterans, service members and their families? Stay tuned.

(Image: Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and his family wave to the crowd last night during the Republican National Convention. Photo by Shane Barker.)

VFW at the RNC: Tuesday Highlights

Last night, VFW Legislative Director Ray Kelley and Senior Legislative Associate Shane Barker were on hand for the first night of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. The theme of the evening was “We Built It,” which provided an opportunity to highlight the importance of entrepreneurship and to showcase the differences between the parties on the role of government in job-creation and the economy.

Many of the speakers featured last evening were small business owners from across the country or rising stars within the Republican Party, such as Mia Love from Utah and Ted Cruz from Texas.

The evening’s marquee speakers, Ann Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, are well known and admired among the ranks, and they didn’t fail to deliver for the crowd.

Mitt Romney, who earlier in the day officially secured the Republican nomination, made a brief cameo, stepping on stage to personally congratulate his wife, thanking her for her remarks. She electrified and prepped the audience for Christie with her words, which focused from several aspects on her view that the Romneys “don’t have a storybook marriage… but a real marriage.” The boldest statement of the evening from Ann Romney was that her husband “Will not fail.” Ann Romney was the ideal message bearer of this conviction, and with those words she deftly moved the crowd to a roaring applause.

Christie energized the crowd by speaking about responsible government, making hard choices, and the need to agree with leaders in the Democratic Party without forfeiting conservative principles.

Noticeably absent from last night’s speeches was any substantive talk about the policies that affect our nation’s military and our veterans. With vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan speaking tonight, and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney speaking tomorrow, the VFW fully hopes and expects concrete ideas and policy positions on these important issues to be front and center.

Check back tomorrow for more VFW highlights from the Republican National Convention.

(Image: The floor of the Republican National Convention when Mitt Romney officially secured the Republican nomination for president. Photo by Ray Kelley.)

VFW Hears From Marine Commandant

The VFW Washington Office attended a luncheon yesterday afternoon at the National Press Club to hear Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos speak on a number of issues important to the Corps. Leading the list was the continuing success of combat operations in Afghanistan and the transfer of responsibilities over to Afghan national security forces, as well as the ongoing concern over recent "green on blue" attacks.

To view C-SPAN’s coverage of the luncheon in its entirety, click here.

Twelve American service members have been killed by members of the Afghan National Army in the last month alone. Amos said that on a recent trip to Afghanistan, he spoke about the incidents with his field commanders and his Afghan military counterparts.

Both American and Afghan commanders acknowledged to Amos that as the ranks of the Afghan National Army grew, so did incidents of “green on blue” attacks. However, the Marine commanders responsible for those serving alongside Afghan troops reassured Amos that despite the incidents, they continued to have confidence in the capabilities of their fledgling Afghan allies.

Following his remarks, Amos fielded questions from the audience on a variety of military quality-of-life and force readiness issues ranging from fiscal responsibility and budget constraints on the Marines Corps, to women serving in combat, suicide, and sexual assault.

When asked about potential across-the-board cuts to the Defense budget, Amos said he believed the Marine Corps would be hit disproportionately hard, considering the size of the force and the value it delivers to the U.S. military. Amos also said that the greatest challenge for the Corps moving forward would be ensuring the force remains balanced through a period of fiscal austerity.

When discussing women serving in combat roles, Amos clarified that the Marine Corps’ plans to integrate certain military occupations, but unit leaders must set the conditions allowing women to meet the Marine Corps standards, and that any planned integration demanded facts; rather than “hyperbole, intuition and instinct.”

Amos also took the time to address the issue of military suicide, pointing out that Marine Corps initiatives implemented by non-commissioned officers at the ground level had a positive impact, but more work needed to be done.

Amos is the 35th Commandant of Marines and the first aviator to hold the post. He commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003-2004, and served as Assistant Commandant prior to becoming Commandant in October 2010.

(Image: Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos speaks at the National Press Club during yesterday's luncheon. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)

VFW Touches Down in Tampa for GOP Convention

VFW legislative staff landed safely in Tampa, Fla., yesterday to carry the voice of 22 million veterans and 2.3 million service members to the 2012 Republication National Convention. VFW National Legislative Director Ray Kelley and VFW Senior Legislative Associate Shane Barker will be on hand all week, listening to keynote speakers and speaking directly with GOP leadership on issues concerning veterans, service members and their families.

These issues include improving military and VA mental and behavioral health treatment options; streamlining VA’s benefits delivery system to ensure swift and accurate claims-processing; fostering service member success after service through education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities; and preserving military and veterans’ benefits programs during a time of budget constraints. To learn about each of these issues in detail, and to read VFW’s proposed solutions, click here.

Your VFW will also be on hand next week in Charlotte, N.C., for the Democratic National Convention, continuing the long-standing VFW tradition of ensuring candidates for the highest office in the land fully understand the needs and concerns of our nation’s diverse veterans’ and military communities.

Once the conventions conclude, VFW’s work will not stop, as delegates from the VFW National Legislative Committee will report to Capitol Hill to meet with every House and Senate office, pushing Congress to “Finish Strong For Veterans” by passing comprehensive veterans’ legislation before the end of the 112th Congress.

VFW advocates participating in both the Republican and Democratic national conventions will file regular reports on this blog, bringing you up-to-date information on how each party plans to meet the needs of all generations of our nation’s veterans. Check back regularly over the next two weeks for updates from Tampa and Charlotte.

VFW Joins Roundtable Discussion on Education

The VFW joined education industry experts, congressional staffers and veterans’ advocates from Student Veterans of America for a roundtable discussion on veterans’ education as part of the American Legion’s national convention in Indianapolis this week.

VFW Deputy Legislative Director Ryan Gallucci was invited to participate in the roundtable discussion, alongside many signatories from a January letter to House and Senate leadership and the Obama Administration. Participants sought to identify issues faced by student-veterans pursuing an education with the Post-9/11 GI Bill in an effort to build consensus on how to improve educational decision-making for today’s veterans. Congressional offices sent staff to Indianapolis specifically to listen to the discussion.

The roundtable comes in the wake of a report from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions that implied some schools were more interested in the guaranteed tuition aspect of enrolling GI Bill recipients than on the student-veteran’s academic career.

After analyzing the Senate report and reaching out to academia, VA officials and student-veterans, the VFW determined that what the report exposed was more the lack of information than any wrongdoing. Student-veterans were not receiving information prior to enrolling to help them make proper academic decisions based on career goals. And once enrolled, there was little information about alternatives should they become dissatisfied with their school or academic choice. In other words, they felt locked in once a choice was made, which might account for part of the dropout rate.

In his remarks, Gallucci focused on improving delivery of academic counseling resources VA is already supposed to offer to potential student-veterans, improving information flow to separating service members through the military’s transition assistance program, or TAP, and revisiting the role of State Approving Agencies, or SAAs, who serve as boots-on-the-ground to approve G.I. Bill education programs in each state.

Gallucci said that the VFW consistently hears from student-veterans who do not understand their benefits and have hit dead ends searching for reliable answers. Many point out that VA hotlines are ineffective and resources on the web are confusing. Gallucci drew on his own experiences navigating the G.I. Bill, explaining how student-veterans may not be receiving the best education for them because they are not armed with the right information.

Over the last year, the VFW has testified on this issue on multiple occasions, and successfully pushed for an executive order to improve information delivery to student-veterans. VFW has also helped to introduce legislation in both the House and Senate that would further improve consumer information and consumer protections for student-veterans.

From the roundtable, participants agreed that student-veteran advocates needed to refocus the discussion on improving consumer information for student-veterans, rather than maligning certain sectors of higher education – a phenomenon major media outlets have taken up since the Senate released its report in late July.

This fall, your VFW plans to push Congress to move on this legislation; particularly during the VFW’s fall legislative conference in September, when VFW advocates are scheduled to meet with every House and Senate office. Check back regularly with this blog for updates.

President Signs USERRA Protections for TSA Employees into Law

The president signed H.R. 3670 into law recently to force the Transportation Security Administration to comply with the Uniformed Servicemembers Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, or USERRA. The VFW, which called attention to the problem and helped to introduce the legislation, applauded the bill’s signing.

“This new law not only offers piece-of-mind to service members already employed by TSA, but it also ensures that TSA can be an attractive employer to potential workers who possess the kinds of skills TSA needs to fulfill their mission," said VFW Executive Director Bob Wallace. "We thank the president, as well as leaders in the House and Senate, for continuing to make the well-being of our service members and veterans a priority."

Congress established TSA in the wake of 9/11 to strengthen security for American air travelers. In an effort to quickly mobilize the new agency and its thousands of employees, Congress designated transportation security officers, or TSOs, as a special class of employee considered vital to national security, and therefore exempt from certain labor laws like USERRA. However, the agency remained exempt from complying with USERRA more than 10 years later.

In an effort to offer reasonable protections to members of the National Guard and Reserve who may seek employment with TSA, VFW worked diligently with the offices of Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., over the past year to introduce and pass legislation that would finally close this loophole.

The VFW testified in support of H.R. 3670 before the House VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity in March, and VFW legislative associate Daniel Elkins, who currently serves in the National Guard, spearheaded efforts to find cosponsors for the bill, ultimately pushing the legislation across the goal line.

To read the official White House announcement of the bill signing, click here.

To read the official notice of the new law, P.L. 112-171, click here.

At a time when Americans criticize Congress for stalling on legislation, VFW advocacy efforts have resulted in dozens of new provisions becoming law, including the "VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011,", a comprehensive veterans' jobs bill, and the "Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012," an omnibus veterans' benefits package that finally resolved the years-old debate on how to care for service members and military families exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune.

But your VFW is not done. When Congress returns from the August recess, we will continue to push for more pending veterans' reforms, which we will highlight on this blog in the coming weeks. Check back regularly for updates.

Field Report: VFW Leaders On Hand for Hearing to Discuss Orlando VA Hospital

This week the House Veterans Affairs Committee hosted a field hearing at the University of Central Florida to discuss the lack of progress on a new VA Medical Center in Orlando.

VFW Past Department Commander David Harris was on hand to hear witnesses from the VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management, and hospital contractor Brasfield and Gorrie, testify on persistent delays in the project.

Harris described the hearing as a “circular firing squad” between the project’s architects, construction management, and the VA project manager, who all blamed each other for the project delays.

Construction on the new facility started in October 2008 and was scheduled for delivery this October; however, numerous change orders to the contract, design issues, and other delays have pushed the opening to late 2013 at the earliest, and possibly into 2014.

“My single interest is the expeditious completion of this facility for the veterans of Central Florida who have been waiting over a decade for this medical center,” said Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla. “It is clear from today’s hearing both VA and the contractor still have quite a long way to go to come together and figure out how to work together, which is what needs to happen. But I am cautiously hopeful that will become the goal moving forward, as it should have been all along.”

Despite the finger-pointing, both VA and Brasfield and Gorrie officials promised to continue working toward consensus on how to move the project toward completion of the new medical hub for central Florida’s veterans.

Local VFW officials will continue to monitor progress on the new VA medical center, holding public officials accountable for its completion.

To view an archived webcast of the hearing and to read the prepared statements of each witness, click here.

Members of both the House and Senate are in their home districts throughout the month of August, tending to constituent affairs. VFW advocates are once again taking this opportunity to meet directly with their elected leaders on veterans’ issues, and we are looking to share those stories on this blog.

To submit your Field Reports for consideration on the VFW’s Capitol Hill blog, simply fill out our online form here, or send photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org. Information for this story was provided by VFW National Legislative Committee member Lee Kichen.

Post Reports That Pentagon Fudged TRICARE Numbers

The Washington Post reported this week that the Department of Defense has requested nearly $3 billion over the last three years be moved from funds dedicated to TRICARE into weapons programs and other accounts unrelated to healthcare, despite assurances from Pentagon officials that healthcare costs were "eating the U.S. military alive."

According to a report on the FY2013 Defense Appropriations Act provided by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, the Pentagon reprogrammed $1.36 billion dollars from TRICARE in fiscal year 2011, $772 million in fiscal year 2010, and requested an additional $708 million to reprogram from this year's budget.

This reprogramming has been happening at a time that the VFW has worked tirelessly to prevent the Pentagon from arbitrarily raising TRICARE copayments, adding and expanding fees, and tying increases to medical inflation; while retiree health costs are rising at an average rate of 2.6 percent.

"The VFW is adamant that the Pentagon must not be allowed to pull this bait-and-switch on Congress and TRICARE beneficiaries," said VFW Executive Director Bob Wallace. "Instead, the Pentagon must improve its budget and management controls so Congress can have an accurate view of the fiscal situation within TRICARE and the entire Military Health System before shifting responsibility to those who choose to wear the uniform to pay for their own health care."

Your VFW has been one of the few veterans' organizations in Washington fighting to prevent any increases in military health care premiums, encouraging Washington bureaucrats to do the hard work of generating a more cost-effective military, without jeopardizing the welfare of military families and breaking faith with military retirees.

VFW advocacy efforts earlier this year successfully fought off TRICARE fee increases, and in light of this recent report, the VFW intends only to ratchet up the pressure.

To make your voice heard on TRICARE fees, click here, and check back regularly with this blog for updates.

To read the full Senate report, click here. Details on health care reprogramming can be found on p. 228. 

President Signs Veterans' Benefits and Camp Lejeune Health Care Bill

The White House announced yesterday that the president had signed into law H.R. 1627, the "Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act."

The comprehensive veterans' benefit bill includes more than 54 provisions designed to improve and streamline veterans' benefit programs, and also extends VA healthcare benefits to veterans and military families exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune between Jan. 1, 1957, and Dec. 31, 1987. The Camp Lejeune healthcare provision finally resolves a years-long dispute over how to best care for victims of toxic exposure at the North Carolina installation.

VFW advocates, who worked diligently to advance the bill, called the veterans' omnibus benefits package a major victory for the veterans' community.

To read more about H.R. 1627, the VFW's work to advance the bill through Congress, and ways to become involved in the legislative process, click here.

Leaders in the House and Senate agreed on language for the omnibus bill in late June, including language from dozens of stand-alone veterans' bills introduced in the first session of the 112th Congress. The Senate passed its version of the bill on July 18, and the House sent the final version of the bill to the president for his signature last week.

Among the bill's key VFW-supported provisions are enhancements to VA's ability to deliver telehealth consultations to remote-located veterans, expanding services for victims of traumatic brain injury, protecting veterans against sexual assault at VA facilities, and reauthorizing and expanding certain homeless veterans' programs.

H.R. 1627 is the latest veterans' bill signed into law on the heels of VFW action, but more work remains for VFW advocates once Congress reconvenes in Washington after Labor Day. Check back for updates.

(Image: President Barack Obama signs the “Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012,” in the Oval Office on Aug. 6, 2012. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.)

House Discusses Veteran Contracting in VA

This week the House VA subcommittees on Economic Opportunity and Oversight & Investigations hosted a joint hearing on VA's contracting procedures with veteran-owned small businesses. The subcommittees sought to address concerns raised in a recent Government Accountability Office, or GAO, report on potential ongoing fraud within the approval process for contractors and inconsistencies in standards for VA's Center for Veterans Enterprise, or CVE, when approving veteran entrepreneurs to do business with the government.

To view the archived webcast of the hearing, click here.

To see a full list of witnesses and to read their prepared remarks, click here.

CVE is the office within VA responsible for vetting veteran-owned small businesses, or VOSBs, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, or SDVOSBs, who wish to secure VA contracts. Once approved by CVE, businesses can then bid on projects set aside for veterans.

Unfortunately, VA is the only agency within the federal government that currently administers a strict policy of vetting veteran business owners prior to awarding contracts. According to the recent GAO report, which you can read here, he Small Business Administration continues to rely on a self-certification system, creating the potential for fraudulent businesses to secure veteran set-aside contracts.

However, the veterans' community has started to raise concerns over the efficiency of CVE's business processes, which were revised in 2010 and have potentially locked thousands of legitimate businesses out of contracts with VA, while only serving to catch minimal fraudulent acts.

During the hearing, Thomas Leney, executive director of VA's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Businesses, sought to explain how VA interpreted the changes to the approval policy in 2010, and explained that 59 fraudulent businesses had been caught as a result. However, Leney went on to explain that up to 60 percent of businesses that applied with CVE were initially rejected for failing to comply with strict ownership and control criteria outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations.

Leaders from both subcommittees balked at these numbers and sought clarification from Leney on how CVE determined whether businesses were eligible.

Rick Weidman, who testified on behalf of the Veterans Entrepreneurship Task Force, or VET-Force, presented his concerns on the current state of CVE and recommended specific steps to simply the process for veteran applicants.

In his remarks, Weidman encouraged CVE to first split the process into two phases: CVE would first validate veterans' status for applicants, then validate ownership and control of the business in a transparent manner. To read Weidman's full recommendations, click here.

Your VFW has also consistently advocated to improve CVE businesses processes in an effort to strike the balance between detecting fraud and offering veterans timely access to government set-aside contracts.

The VFW will continue to work diligently alongside our partners in the veterans' community to call for improved business processes within CVE, ensuring veteran entrepreneurs can do business with the federal government. Check back regularly for updates.

Senate Passes USERRA Protections for TSA Employees; Bill Awaits President's Signature

This week the Senate hotlined the final version of H.R. 3670, a bill which will force the Transportation Security Administration, to comply with the Uniformed Servicemembers Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, or USERRA. The VFW played a lead role in mustering support for the common sense legislation in both the House and Senate, and applauded its final passage.

“Once we learned that a loophole exempted TSA from complying with service members’ employment rights, our advocates worked hard to fix it to protect the employment rights of Guard and Reservists who work for the agency " said VFW Executive Director Bob Wallace. “The bill passed by the Senate today not only offers piece-of-mind to the service members working for TSA, but it also ensures that TSA will be an attractive employer to potential workers with the unique skills they need to fulfill their mission. We applaud Senator Joe Lieberman, Congressman Tim Walz, and the more than 60 bipartisan cosponsors in both the House and Senate for standing up for the rights of our citizen-soldiers, and we urge the president to quickly sign this responsible piece of legislation into law.”

In the aftermath of 9/11, Congress established TSA in an effort to strengthen security protocols for air travelers. In order to quickly stand up the new agency and its thousands of requisite employees, Congress gave TSA administrators broad authority to hire, fire and promote officers to meet the demand. As a result of this broad authority, transportation security officers, or TSOs, were included in a select category of federal employees considered vital to national security, and therefore exempt from labor laws like USERRA.

More than 10 years after the establishment of TSA, the agency remained exempt from complying with USERRA, and the VFW sought to finally close this loophole, offering reasonable protections to members of the National Guard and Reserve who may seek employment with TSA.

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., introduced H.R. 3670 in the House, and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., introduced the companion bill, S. 1990, in the Senate.

The VFW testified in support of H.R. 3670 before the House VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity in March, and VFW legislative associate Daniel Elkins, who currently serves in the National Guard, spearheaded efforts to find cosponsors for the bill, ultimately pushing the legislation across the goal line.

The bill now awaits the president's signature. Your VFW will continue to keep tabs on H.R. 3670 as it moves closer to becoming law. Check back regularly for updates.

Veterans' Benefits Bill Passes House; Awaits President's Signature

Last night the House passed a comprehensive veterans' benefits bill that now awaits the president's signature. VFW leaders applauded the bill's passage as a major victory for veterans.

"The VFW has waited nearly two years for a comprehensive veterans’ benefits bill to make it through Congress, and we commend legislators on both sides of the aisle for demonstrating their continued support to our nation's veterans," said VFW Executive Director Bob Wallace. "The issues addressed in this bill demanded critical attention and difficult decision-making from our legislators, which is why we applaud the leaders in both the House and Senate who refused to let these ideas die in committee."

The bill was packaged as H.R. 1627, the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act, and includes more than 54 provisions designed to improve or streamline veterans' benefit programs that have moved through the House and Senate over the last two years. The bill also offers VA healthcare to veterans, employees and military family members exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune between Jan. 1, 1957 and Dec. 31, 1987, finally resolving a years-long dispute over how to best care for victims of the exposure.

Language for the omnibus bill was agreed upon in late June by legislators in both the House and Senate. The Senate passed its version of the bill on Wednesday, July 18, shortly before the VFW convened for the 113th national convention in Reno.

Among the bill's key provisions supported by the VFW are enhancements to VA's ability to deliver telehealth consultations to remote-located veterans; expanding services for victims of traumatic brain injury, or TBI; protecting veterans against sexual assault at VA facilities; and reauthorizing and expanding certain homeless veterans' programs.

To read more about the bill and the VFW's work advancing the bill though the Senate and ways to become involved in the legislative process, click here.

As this blog explained two weeks ago, the omnibus bill also includes provisions designed to streamline disability claims processing by adapting VA's duty to assist veterans in obtaining private medical evidence to support their disability claims.

The VFW voiced concerns over these two provisions before the House VA Committee last year, offering specific recommendations on how to best implement changes. Though the original legislation contained suitable language, the final version reverted to language that the VFW believes could prevent some veterans from receiving the maximum disability benefits to which they may be entitled.

To read VFW's original testimony on proposed duty-to-assist changes, click here.

However, VFW advocates in Washington believed that the omnibus bill contained too many critical provisions to help veterans, and encouraged the House to pass it, despite minor concerns over duty-to-assist. Instead, the VFW has already reached out to key staff on Capitol Hill to ensure discrepancies in the duty-to-assist process will be addressed quickly in the next Congressional term.

Your VFW will continue to fight to preserve and improve veterans' benefits programs, and the VFW urges the president to sign the veterans' omnibus bill in short order. Check back regularly with this blog for updates.

Welcome to Reno! Come by and Say "Hi" to the VFW's D.C. Staff

This week, the VFW National Legislative Service will be wheels-up to Reno, Nevada for the 113th VFW National Convention at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center from July 21-25.

Your NLS staff will have a booth in the convention center from Saturday through Tuesday, where members and delegates can stop by to learn about our mission to improve and preserve military quality-of-live and veterans' benefits on Capitol Hill.

We will have a number of resources available, highlighting ways for members to get involved in veterans' advocacy, and as always, some free VFW swag.

We will also host a legislative workshop on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. If you're in Reno, check your convention schedule and join us to learn about our work. This year's workshop will focus on ways to help spread the word about veterans' issues in your community this election year.

If you stop by the booth we'll be happy to walk you through many of the online resources we have available to learn about the advocacy work of the VFW, our organizational priorities, and ways to get involved. Here's a quick list of just some of the resources available:

• Click here to visit the "VFW in DC" homepage 

• Click here to learn about VFW’s Legislative Priority Goals and Victories 

• Click here to register for the VFW Washington Weekly and become a member of the Action Corps

• Click here to read VFW’s past Congressional Testimony

• Click here to visit the Action Corps home page hosted through CapWiz 

• Click here to read and print the VFW’s “Veterans Vote” brochure 

• Click here to find the VFW Capitol Hill blog homepage

• Click here to submit a "Field Report" to the Capitol Hill blog

• Click here to follow the VFW Twitter "Quick Reaction Force" 

Blog postings will likely be on hiatus throughout the convention, as we work with VFW delegates to craft next year's legislative priorities and talk to members face-to-face about legislative advocacy.

To follow the proceedings of the VFW convention live, where President Barack Obama, Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and dozens of other distinguished guests are scheduled to speak, visit www.vfw.org.