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 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.

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.

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.

WATCH: VFW Testifies on Protecting Student-Veterans

UPDATE: The archived webcast from Wednesday's hearing is now available. to view the webcast, click here. VFW testimony starts at the 15-minute mark. To read VFW's prepared remarks in full, click here. 

The VFW testified on Wednesday at a House VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity hearing on the implementation of the recent executive order to better protect student-veterans. The hearing took place at 2 p.m. in the committee's chambers, room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building.

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

The executive order, entitled “Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses and Other Family Members,” comes after VFW legislative efforts called on the House, Senate and White House to improve consumer protections for veterans who seek to use their earned GI Bill benefits. VFW Commander-in-Chief Richard L. DeNoyer applauded the executive order in an official statement two weeks ago.

“The VFW has worked very hard to get these protections created, and the president’s executive order will go far to crack down on the predatory recruiting practices and poor performance of all schools who participate in the Post-9/11 GI Bill, but our fight isn’t over,” he said.

Over the past eight months, reports from the Senate and GAO have indicated that student-veterans may be victimized by schools that fail to deliver on their educational promises, creating a perception in Washington that military and veterans’ education dollars are being wasted, because student-veterans are not receiving the education they were promised.

“Veterans make responsible life and death decisions on the battlefield every day, but reports indicate that they aren’t making the same quality decisions about the schools they choose to attend on the G.I. Bill,” said VFW Deputy Legislative Director Ryan Gallucci, who is scheduled to testify on behalf of the VFW. “The difference is preparation and information. We prepare our battlefield leaders to make these tough choices and we provide them with quality, accurate information. We fail to prepare our student-veterans for the life-changing decisions they’re about to make, and the information we make available is incomplete, inaccurate and sometimes downright misleading.”

At the hearing, Gallucci discussed why the VFW believes the executive order will serve as an important first step in ensuring student-veterans have all the information they need to make a responsible educational choice, and have proper recourse should they become victims of fraud, waste or abuse.

In January and February, the VFW worked to build consensus among veterans’ advocates and higher education, calling for improved consumer protections. Today, both the House and Senate have introduced bills to improve the landscape for student-veterans. The VFW believes the president’s executive order should serve as the impetus for Congress to quickly move legislation, ensuring consumer protections are written into law.

In his prepared remarks, Gallucci goes on to say that executive action is limited to current law and available resources, which is why the VFW believes legislative solutions remain the best option.

(Image: Screen grab from Wednesday's webcast of the House VA Subcommittee hearing on the president's recent G.I. Bill executive order.)

VFW Takes the Hill: An Advocate's Point of View by Army Veteran George Creighton

Our next advocate's submission leading up to the 2012 VFW National Legislative Conference comes from Department of Maryland's National Legislative Committee member and Vietnam Army veteran George C. Creighton. Be on the look-out for more stories from VFW advocates coming to Washington tomorrow to meet with leaders in Congress leading up to VFW Commander-in-Chief Richard L. DeNoyer’s testimony before a special joint session of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees on March 7:

When I returned home after two combat tours in Vietnam as an infantry officer, I felt disillusioned by what had become of my country. After my first tour, which ended in 1967, I was greeted by my family at McGuire [Air Force Base] in New Jersey. After my second tour, ending in 1969, I entered the [United States] in California. I avoided the negative sentiments of the American people towards Vietnam veterans by taking the red-eye flight from San Francisco to Baltimore in civilian clothes. For years after returning, I remained aloof of veteran affairs and activities; even did not attend the prestigious Officers of the First Infantry Division annual banquet.

When the victory of Desert Storm occurred, my wife and I visited a seriously wounded friend of my nephew in Walter Reed hospital. I saw the great effort that was required to help our soldiers and decided I needed to get involved. At the local level, I went through the chairs to become post commander of Bowie, [Md.,] Memorial Post 8065, and then went on to become commander of Maryland VFW District 17. At the same time, my regular work was in the pharmaceutical industry as a salesman and lobbyist in Washington, D.C. My eyes were opened again when my friend, VFW Department of Maryland Past Commander Ray Shipley, started a VFW program to meet and greet [troops] going to and from Iraq at the Baltimore airport. Once again I saw quite clearly the need to help our veterans. With no end in sight to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and with my lobbying experience through my professional career, I realized that I could get things done on Capitol Hill. I was appointed to represent Maryland on the VFW National Legislative Committee. I was fortunate to receive excellent support from the Maryland congressional delegation. I continue to serve on that committee.

As a result of my work and the help of many Maryland VFW members and other service organizations, I became chairman of the Joint Veterans Committee of Maryland. My work with all the veteran service organizations in Maryland to protect and improve entitlements to veterans culminated in 2008 with my honor of the appointment as Maryland's Veteran of the Year. At the same time, I continued my work on the VFW National Legislative Committee.

In addition to mobilizing support for the VFW goals in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, I was able to get many bills through the Maryland General Assembly which assured adequate resources for VA benefits and compensation, and assured a better quality of life for veterans. Some of that legislation included ensuring that the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home received adequate funding; the POW/MIA flag be flown at all Maryland highway rest stops; and that funerals of our veterans not be disturbed by protesters. Other legislation I worked hard for established an increase of the tax exemption on military retired pay from $2,500 to $5,000 and provided benefits for disabled and war wounded veterans in areas not covered by the federal benefits program. All these successes were supported by Maryland Governors Robert Ehrlich and Martin O'Malley, and by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. My wife, Laudine, and I had the honor of meeting President Obama when he visited the VFW Washington offices in 2007 when he was senator from Illinois and was serving on the Senate Veterans [Affairs] Committee.

I continue to support veterans issues and legislative efforts in the Maryland General Assembly, and the agenda of the VFW National Legislative Committee. My motto is “Leave no veteran behind.”

George C. Creighton is a former Army infantry officer who served two tours in Vietnam. Today, Creighton represents the VFW Department of Maryland on the VFW National Legislative Committee. In 2008, he was honored by the state of Maryland as its Veteran of the Year.

(Images: Top: George C. Creighton, right, stands behind then-Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich, signing veterans' legislation into law. Bottom: Creighton, right, meets with then-Sen. Barack Obama at the VFW Washington office in 2007. Photos courtesy of George C. Creighton.)

VFW Builds Coalition to Support Student-Veteran Success

VFW staff in Washington have been busy over the last month, building a robust coalition, pushing for student-veteran success in higher education. The coalition, comprised of 10 organizations vested in supporting student-veterans, recently sent a series of letters to leaders in the House, Senate, and the Obama Administration, calling for improved consumer education for potential student-veterans and a streamlined method of recourse for veterans who feel they were victims of fraud, waste or abuse while using their benefits.

The VFW first scored a major victory for student-veterans in 2008, pushing for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which now offers unprecedented educational opportunities to veterans of the current conflicts and the dependents of career service members. Unfortunately, recent reports indicate that some of today’s newest student-veterans may lose their benefits by enrolling in schools that fail to confer relevant educational credentials.

While some continue to point fingers at certain sectors of higher education, the VFW has chosen to look at the root causes of the problem – a potentially uninformed consumer inundated with bad information and no process for recovery. Over the last few months, the VFW has learned that enough quality information is available for veterans to make informed decisions about how to best use their education benefits, and both the Department of Education and VA have already taken steps to collect more. Unfortunately, most of this information never reaches student-veterans. Plus, if veterans feel they have been victims of fraud, waste or abuse, conflicts are resolved on an ad-hoc basis, with little knowledge or interaction from VA.

Under Chapter 36 of the G.I. Bill, VA is obligated to make educational and vocational counseling available to service members, potential student-veterans, and dependents eligible for any chapter of the G.I. Bill. Unfortunately, very few student-veterans are aware that this benefit exists, and even fewer choose to take advantage of it. In its current form, veterans must first discover that such counseling is available, fill out the requisite paperwork, mail it to their nearest VA regional office and wait for a response. This labor-intensive “opt-in” process resulted in only 6,400 veterans receiving counseling in 2011, compared to more than 800,000 veterans utilizing G.I. Bill benefits.

With so much at stake for these future leaders, the coalition has asked for an overhaul to VA’s educational counseling procedures, mandating VA to actively contact veterans eligible for such counseling, asking those who wish to waive the benefit to “opt-out.” On the back end, the coalition has asked that VA leverage its resources to create a formal complaint process to address student-veteran issues, allowing VA and other agencies responsible for student-veteran programs to take action.

In addition to the VFW, the coalition includes some of the nation’s leading veterans’ advocates, including the American Legion, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and Student Veterans of America; as well as a diverse group of advocates in non-profit and for-profit education including American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers, American Council of Education, Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, National Association for College Admission Counseling, National Association of State Approving Agencies, and the University of Phoenix.

The VFW believes that by ensuring veterans understand their benefits and can take action when a school breaks the rules, student-veterans will be able to use their G.I. Bill effectively, molding the next generation of American leaders, as we intended. Check back regularly with this blog for updates.

(Image: Coalition letter recently sent to House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Ranking Member Bob Filner, D-Calif., asking for improved consumer education and recourse for student-veterans.)

VFW Applauds Presidential Jobs Initiatives for Vets

The VFW joined President Barack Obama at Fire Station No. 5 in Arlington, Va., where the president announced the administration’s latest employment initiatives for veterans. First responders, veterans and veterans’ advocates from across the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area joined the president alongside VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar for the announcement.

The president’s latest initiatives include new incentives to hire veterans as first responders in communities across the country, establishing a new Veterans’ Jobs Corps to help build, restore and maintain the nation’s infrastructure, and offering extensive entrepreneurship workshops for potential small business owners.

The president’s initiatives come with a price tag, which will be reflected in the administration’s budget proposal later this month. However, the administration hopes to demonstrate to Congress that offering viable career opportunities to America’s veterans in critical industries will be worth the investment. The VFW applauded the announcement, which could help develop a new generation of leaders for our nation.

“There is no initiative too bold when it comes to helping veterans get jobs, especially with the new generation of post-9/11 warriors now reentering society in numbers not seen since the Vietnam War,” said VFW Commander-in-Chief Richard L. DeNoyer. “Our nation and her public and private employer partners must do everything possible to not only ensure their smooth transition, but to enlist their extraordinary talents to help serve and protect our nation and communities, and to help restore our economy to greatness.”

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said in a statement that he was skeptical of temporary programs, but that he looks forward to learning more about the president’s initiatives.

“Veterans deserve nothing less than to have the opportunity to gain meaningful employment and to be first in line for any existing jobs program,” Miller said.

The VFW has considered veterans’ employment one of its top priorities for the last few years. In December, the VFW scored a major victory when the VOW to Hire Heroes Act passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and the president quickly signed it into law. However, VFW advocates continue to work with leaders in Washington to improve employment prospects for veterans, as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan draw to a close.

Today’s announcement coincided with the release of new unemployment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which demonstrated that unemployment among Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans finally dipped below 10 percent. Unfortunately, unemployment among veterans of the current conflicts continues to outpace civilian unemployment.

Arlington Fire Station No. 5, located only three blocks from the Pentagon, is known for its brave firefighters and paramedics who first responded to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Arlington Fire Department Lt. Jacob Johnson, a Marine Corps veteran of the war in Iraq, introduced the president and spoke about the importance of first-responder jobs for veterans like him.

(Images: Top: President Barack Obama announces the administration’s latest employment initiatives for veterans at Fire Station No. 5 in Arlington, Va. Bottom: Arlington Fire Department Lt. Jacob Johnson, a Marine Corps veteran, greets President Obama on stage prior to the announcement of the administration’s new veterans’ employment initiatives. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)