“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.)

“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.)

"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 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 Commander To Join in National Memorial Day Observances

This afternoon VFW Commander-in-Chief Richard L. DeNoyer will touch down in Washington, D.C., for Memorial Day weekend events.

Every year, VFW leaders converge on the Nation's Capitol for a series of events across the region to honor the brave American men and women who gave their lives on the battlefield to defend our great nation. This year, DeNoyer, VFW National Chief of Staff Walter Gansenberg, and VFW Washington staff are scheduled to participate in nearly a dozen events around Washington to honor America's fallen heroes.

The VFW national commander's weekend starts tonight, when he joins fellow Marines at the Eighth and I Marine Corps Barracks for the evening parade.

On Saturday, VFW National Veterans Service staff begin manning a tent near the Vietnam War Memorial so that visiting veterans can learn about their earned VA benefits and speak with trained VFW service officers on how to navigate the complex VA claims process. VFW staff will man the tent on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

On Sunday night, DeNoyer and other key VFW leaders will join members of Congress and their professional staff at the U.S. Capitol for the National Memorial Day Concert.

On Monday morning, DeNoyer will begin observing Memorial Day by joining the president and the first lady at the White House for a breakfast to honor America's Gold Star Families.

Afterwards, DeNoyer and other VFW officials will gather at Arlington National Cemetery for the 114th National Memorial Day Observance, immediately followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

The VFW national commander will close out Memorial Day alongside his fellow Vietnam veterans at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for the 30th Annual Memorial Day Wall Ceremony, which this year includes the National Commemoration of the Vietnam War's 50th Anniversary.

In addition to the national Memorial Day events hosted in Washington, VFW members and advocates will gather from coast to coast to honor the sacrifices of America's fallen war heroes. Next week we will bring you highlights from DeNoyer's Memorial Day observances, but we also want to share you stories on this blog. To learn how, click here, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

(Images: Top: VFW Commander-in-Chief Richard L. DeNoyer lays a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery during last fall's Veterans Day observances in Washington, D.C. Bottom: DeNoyer, center, visits with VFW National Veterans Service staff manning an informational booth near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial over Veterans Day weekend last fall. Photos by Joe Davis.)

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.)

House Veterans Affairs Committee Questions VA on Mental Health Care Delivery

On Tuesday, the VFW was on hand as the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing to discuss the findings of a recent VA Office of Inspector General report, highlighting serious concerns with access to mental health care within the VA system. At the request of Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., VA Secretary Eric Shinseki testified alongside Dr. Robert A. Petzel, VA undersecretary for health, and other distinguished members of the VA team.

To view an archived webcast of the hearing, click here. To view a full list of witnesses and to read their prepared remarks, click here.

The panelists defended VA efforts and practices against the recent damaging OIG report which found, among other things, that the measurements used by VA to calculate wait times for mental health appointments lack accuracy and reliability. The report explicitly said that the measurements offered “no real value” and should be replaced. OIG also found that nearly half of veterans seeking a mental health episode of care waited approximately 50 days -- a figure in stark contrast to the 14-day standard VA has regularly promoted.

Much of the hearing focused on VA’s recent announcement that the agency would hire 1,900 new mental health staff -- 1,600 clinicians and 300 support staff -- to help overcome shortfalls across the country that currently prevent veterans from receiving timely care.

Unfortunately, The VFW believes many questions remain unanswered. VA does not yet have a true staffing model to ensure the mental health contingent within VA is right-sized or properly distributed across the system. Because of that, many committee members and other witnesses questioned the effectiveness of VA’s response, and whether or not 1,900 is the optimal number of new hires. Questions of how VA would pay for the additional staff were also raised, and VA’s response that they would be taking the money out of the dollars allocated to the VISNs did not seem to satisfy many on the committee.

Shinseki admitted that VA had much to do to resolve this problem, and made clear his belief that the problem could get worse in coming years as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan draw to a close and more service members seek VA care. Dr. Petzel offered that VA needed to do more fee-basis mental health authorizations, and more mental health contracting with private providers, especially in rural areas. VA also discussed a new and ongoing peer counselor program in which VA is currently training 400 veterans to become peer counselors. Tele-mental health and the future deployment of an integrated electronic health record were also mentioned as facets of VA’s plan to address the need to provide more mental health treatment for our veterans.

In the midst of all these efforts, committee members and veterans’ advocates did not seem satisfied. As your voice on Capitol Hill, your VFW will continue to keep VA’s feet to the fire to improve the delivery of mental health care for our veterans. Check back regularly for updates.

ICYMI: VFW Testifies on Veterans Health Bills

In Case You Missed It:  On Monday night, VFW Legislative Associate Shane Barker appeared before the House Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee to discuss pending legislation to improve veterans’ health care. To view an archived webcast of the hearing, click here.

In his remarks, which can be read here, Barker expressed VFW’s support for bills that would create accountability within Department of Defense and VA for the Federal Recovery Coordination, or FRC, program (H.R. 3016); improve access to VA and DoD informational databases for Vet Centers (H.R. 3245); ensure caregivers for service members suffering severe illnesses also have access to VA caregiver program benefits (H.R. 3279); codify safety standards for homeless veterans’ transitional housing (H.R. 4079); and establish a burn pit registry for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans possibly exposed to toxins from open-air burn pits overseas (H.R. 3337).

Barker expressed VFW’s support for the concept behind one bill, H.R. 1460, which would automatically enroll service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with VA healthcare. However, Barker said that the VFW was concerned that veterans who do not deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan, but suffer service-connected injuries, would not be given the same priority for VA health care as their deployed counterparts. The VFW asked for the bill to be amended to include mandatory enrollment for non-deployed service members that satisfy the VA’s enrollment requirements.

The VFW opposed H.R. 3723, a bill that would overhaul VA’s fee basis system by insisting that VA enter into contracts with private health care providers. The VFW is concerned that VA could not successfully execute the types of contracts necessary to properly anticipate and successfully deliver the kinds of acute care needed by veterans that must utilize the fee-basis system. Barker also went on to say that the VFW was concerned that new business practices could encourage veterans to leave the VA health network entirely, threatening the viability of the VA health care system. The VFW suggested that VA instead focus on implementation of the Patient Aligned Care Team, or PACT, model and the Patient Centered Community Care, or PCCC, program to improve care delivery for current beneficiaries and veterans who need to utilize fee-basis care.

To view a full list of witnesses from Monday’s hearing and to read their prepared remarks on each of the bills, click here.

Your VFW will continue to work closely with the subcommittee as these bills move through Congress, ensuring all of our concerns are addressed before a subcommittee mark-up. To voice your opinion on these bills directly to your representatives in Congress, click on the VFW Action Corps page here, and as always, check back regularly with this blog for updates.

VFW Joins Labor to Observe Redesigned TAP Program

Last week the VFW had the opportunity to sit in on the Department of Labor's latest iteration of the redesigned transition assistance program, or TAP. DOL Veterans Employment and Training Service, or VETS, is in the process of reworking the curriculum for its two-and-a-half day employment workshop in an effort to ensure that transitioning service members have all the resources necessary to pursue a meaningful civilian career after military service.

"Observing the latest iteration of the TAP redesign process was a critical step in offering insight into how the program is delivered," said VFW Deputy Legislative Director Ryan Gallucci, who sat in on last week's TAP workshop at Fort Belvoir, Va. "VFW members expect us to have our fingers on the pulse of the veterans' community, offering this kind of insight to veterans' policy decision-makers, which is why the VFW is happy that VETS chose to include stakeholders within the veterans' community to not only observe the program, but to offer our unique perspective on how we believe the program should proceed."

The VFW will now offer its feedback on the program, as VETS continues to polish its latest product, slated for a complete roll-out this fall.

The VFW has long worked with VETS to ensure service members and veterans have access to the viable civilian careers through a wide array of services offered by VETS like TAP, or career one-stops in each state where Disabled Veterans Outreach Program specialists, or DVOPS, and local veterans employment representatives, or LVERS, serve as direct conduits for veterans in the community to connect with employers in their area.

Over the last few years, modernizing and mandating TAP participation have been top legislative priorities for the VFW. Last year, the VFW succeeded in mandating TAP for transitioning service members through the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, ensuring those who leave the military have a baseline of information with which they can make a successful transition. Now, the VFW is focusing on extending access to TAP resources for veterans who have since separated from the military, pushing for the TAP Modernization Act of 2012, a piece of legislation that would create a pilot program for states to offer TAP resources in places where veteran unemployment is highest.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Fla., introduced the bill, H.R. 4051, and the VFW offered its support during a recent hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. To read the bill, click here. To read VFW's testimony, click here.

Veterans' employment opportunities remain a top priority for the VFW in light of daunting veterans' unemployment numbers over the last few years. Though recent numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate the situation is improving, the VFW will remain vigilant to ensure that veterans receive the kinds of career opportunities they have earned. Check back regularly with this blog for updates.

Field Report: New Mexico VFW Hosts Congressional Town Hall

Members of Congress are home in their districts this week, and VFW advocates have taken the opportunity to meet directly with their leaders on veterans’ issues.

On Tuesday, March 13, VFW Post 7686 in Alamogordo, N.M., hosted a veterans’ town hall forum where post members and area veterans had an opportunity to meet with Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., and State Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-Alamogordo, to candidly discuss a variety of veterans’ issues like VA benefits-delivery and health care.

VFW National Legislative Committee Vice-Chairman B.J. Lawrence, who helped to organize the event, was able to utilize the forum as a follow-up visit with Pearce, after meeting with him on Capitol Hill during last week’s VFW National Legislative Conference.

Pearce reiterated that he was opposed to any cuts to our nation’s active duty military and would continue to support legislation in favor of both the military and veterans.

The congressman also co-hosted a veterans’ job fair on Tuesday in Alamogordo, where employers were prepared to offer approximately 3,000 jobs to veterans. Veterans from the area and from neighboring states came out to participate in the event.

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.

(Images: Top: Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., fields questions from veterans during the recent veterans’ town hall meeting at VFW Post 7686 in Alamogordo, N.M. Bottom: VFW National Legislative Committee Vice-Chairman B.J. Lawrence and Congressman Pearce commended U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Priscilla Chavez for her service in Iraq during the recent veterans’ town hall at VFW Post 7686. Chavez currently serves in the 49th Maintenance Squadron at Hollman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Story and photos courtesy of B.J. Lawrence.)

WATCH: VFW Testifies on Veterans' Jobs, Education and Cemetery Issues

Just a day after the 2012 VFW Legislative Conference came to a close, the VFW Washington office was still at it. VFW Deputy Legislative Director Ryan Gallucci testified before the House VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity this morning. Gallucci discussed bills on veterans' jobs and education, several of which VFW played a major role in drafting, like H.R. 4057, which will improve consumer education for potential student-veterans and H.R. 3670, which will close a loophole in Transportation Security Administration policy that exempts the agency from USERRA.

Military Times discussed VFW's testimony in a story late yesterday afternoon, which you can read here.

Yesterday afternoon, Legislative Director Ray Kelley also testified before the House VA Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. The hearing followed up on a recent National Cemetery Administration, or NCA, audit that discovered mismarked graves in VA cemeteries. Kelley asked the committee to review VA performance measures for NCA and to close gaps in funding so that veterans and their families have burial options and cemeteries remain protected and pristine.

Click here to watch a webcast of Gallucci's hearing.

Read Gallucci's testimony here, and learn more about the hearing here.

Click here to watch a webcast of Kelley's hearing.

Read Kelley's testimony here, and learn more about the hearing here.

McKeon Receives VFW Congressional Award

The VFW selected House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) to receive its 2012 VFW Congressional Award for his outstanding service to the nation’s military and to a strong and secure America.

“The chairman fights to strengthen our military and to invest in a force that can meet and beat any threat,” said VFW National Commander Richard L. DeNoyer. “He also led efforts to keep terrorist detainees off of U.S. soil, increased missile defense funding, restored the tradition of keeping nondefense social issues out of the defense bill, and is a leading voice to keep the military intact in this budget-cutting era. Our military and veterans’ communities of past and present have no better friend in Congress than Chairman McKeon.”

The Tuesday afternoon award presentation is part of the VFW’s annual legislative conference that sees almost 300 VFW members visit their elected officials to discuss issues important to the veterans, service members and their families. Topmost this year is to protect the Department of Veterans Affairs budget from mandatory cuts if sequestration occurs, and to defeat the Defense Department’s negative quality of life proposals that would restrict military pay, substantially increase Tricare costs on military dependents and retirees, and overhaul a military retirement system into something more suitable for civilian companies.

“There is no military personnel issue more sacrosanct than pay and benefits,” said DeNoyer, a retired Marine and Vietnam combat veteran.

“A secure America needs a strong military, which is one of many reasons why Chairman McKeon was selected for this year’s award,” he said. “Messing with military pay and benefits is a clear signal to the troops and their families that the budget is more important than people. That money-first mindset is going to seriously hurt recruiting and retention, and potentially end the all-volunteer force.”

These and other important issues will be addressed in detail Wednesday when DeNoyer testifies before a joint hearing of the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees. Other high-interest topics range from military transition and employment assistance programs to education, the proper care and treatment of wounded warriors, women veterans, the 1.7 million VA claims workload, and combating veteran suicides and homelessness, among others.

Check www.vfw.org/vfwlivestream early Wednesday afternoon to watch the delayed stream of the testimony. The testimony will also be available for viewing on-demand later Wednesday.

VFW Takes the Hill: An Advocate's Point of View by Army Veteran Phil Patterson

Our next advocate's submission leading up to the 2012 VFW National Legislative Conference comes from Department of Michigan's Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Committee chairman and Iraq war Army veteran Phil Patterson. 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:

I feel coming to Washington is one way that I can carry on the messages for those who cannot be here to express their concerns themselves. I am here to help promote the ideals of our organization by visiting our legislators on Capitol Hill; to explain to them the needs of our active military veterans such as housing, family care, education and medical [care] just to name a few.

I need to be here to stress the importance of the VA’s budget; we need to explain the importance of our funding and why we cannot afford to have it reduced. We are training our [veterans service organizations] and their service officers; educating them and now we are being told that our budget is being cut once again. We need this funding to keep going, to keep providing our veterans with the services that they deserve. Without proper funding this will only cause our service officers who we have invested in and trained to turn elsewhere for better paying jobs.

I would like to ask why it is that veterans have to fight to keep everything that we have been told that will be an entitlement, or to fight so hard for what we need? We have fought for this country and now we come home to battle with our own administration for what we have earned and are now trying to keep.

As a Desert Storm and [Operation Iraqi Freedom III] veteran, this is why I came to Washington. After all, if we do not help ourselves then who will? This is why we “Honor the dead by helping the living.”

Phil Patterson is a retired Army master sergeant as a vehicle maintenance supervisor in both Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. Since leaving the military, Patterson continues to serve his fellow veterans as a life member of David A. Huhn VFW Post 12082 in Ionia, Mich. He has served as his post commander and captain and earned an Outstanding Community Service award for his post. Patterson is joining the VFW in Washington as a national co-chairman of the VFW Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Committee.


(Images: Top: Phil Patterson as a Post All-American Commander in 2011. Bottom: Patterson, left, working on a vehicle in Al Taqaddum, Iraq in 2005. Photos courtesy of Phil Patterson.)

Thanks to Our Readers, VFW Blog Sets Traffic Record

In February -- the shortest month of the year -- the VFW Capitol Hill blog shattered its monthly traffic record with more than 11,000 visitors reading stories and posting comments. The staff of the VFW Washington office wants to thank our readers and supporters for joining the conversation.

We hope you have enjoyed receiving timely and accurate information directly from our office about our day-to-day work here in Washington, and we sincerely appreciate the kind of feedback we've received. Your feedback has helped to inform our decision-making on issues like proposed changes to military benefits and retirement compensation, veterans' health care, and unemployment.

Since Kansas City gave us our own blog, we've seen traffic continue to grow precipitously each month. We know the best is yet to come, which is why we hope you will continue to read and share our stories, and submit stories of your own. After all, members of Congress only listen to us because of the work the VFW does in their home districts.

This month, we received several submissions from advocates coming to Washington for the 2012 VFW Legislative Conference, which you can read on the blog now. We love receiving these kinds of personal stories, and we hope to host more content like this moving forward.

If you have stories or photos of your own veterans' advocacy work you would like us to consider, send them in an email to vfwac@vfw.org. If you want to know the kinds of information we're looking for, we will soon offer an easy "After Action Report" worksheet on the VFW in DC homepage where you simply have to fill in the blanks, and we'll take care of the rest. Once it's live, we'll also post it on this blog.

The voice of our 2 million members truly resonates in Washington. This is why veterans' employment legislation was the only American jobs bill signed into law last year. This is why Congressmen flood the hopper with bills on veterans' issues each election cycle. Let's show them what the VFW is capable of.

In the coming months, we plan to introduce some new interactive features on the blog, like interactive live webchats on veterans' issues and quick videos explaining bills critical to the VFW.

Thank you, again, for making our blog a success. Keep reading and we'll keep working to ensure veterans' issues are a top priority in Washington.

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.)

Watch Live: VFW to Testify Before House and Senate

*Update: Archived webcasts of Wednesday's hearings are now available. To view Joe Davis' testimony on Stolen Valor, click here. To view Ray Kelley's testimony on the 2013 VA budget, click here. 

The VFW will testify at two hearings this morning. VFW Legislative Director Ray Kelley will testify before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee alongside the Independent Budget partners to discuss the fiscal year 2013 VA budget. VFW Public Affairs Director Joe Davis will testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations to discuss Stolen Valor and military record-keeping.

Kelley’s hearing will take place in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building. Davis’ hearing will take place in room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Both hearings commence at 10 a.m. Live video from Kelley’s hearing will be available on the committee’s home page by clicking here, and Davis’ hearing can be viewed live by clicking here.

Stolen Valor:

The VFW has been a vocal proponent of preserving Stolen Valor legislation, the law that prohibits the false display of military awards and decorations that is currently under review by the Supreme Court. During his remarks, Davis will not only discuss why preserving Stolen Valor laws are critical to the veterans’ community, but also how the Department of Defense must also play a role in ensuring that military records are accurate and properly maintained. Testifying alongside Davis will be award and decorations experts from the military services, National Personnel Records Center Director Scott Levins, and Military Times Hall of Valor curator Doug Sterner. Sterner, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, is considered the nation’s most prominent expert on military award record-keeping and maintains the most accurate database of valor awards for U.S. military personnel.

Subcommittee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, decided to call the hearing after his own experiences in his district where constituents had made false claims of military awards.

VA Budget:

Similar to last week’s hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Kelley will focus his remarks on potential shortfalls in construction and infrastructure investment in the VA’s 2013 budget proposal.

The Independent Budget is a roadmap drafted by some of the nation’s leading veterans’ advocates, which Congress has used for more than a quarter century to help determine how to best fund VA. The Independent Budget partner organizations include AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the VFW. The document also has the support of more than 50 other veterans’ organizations which have endorsed the Independent Budget recommendations. To learn more about the Independent Budget and to read this year’s specific budget proposal, click here.

Your VFW will bring you highlights and updates from both of today’s hearings. Check back later for updates.

VFW Takes the Hill: An Advocate's Point of View by Navy veteran Bob Hunter

Our second advocate submission leading up to the 2012 VFW National Legislative Conference comes from Department of Connecticut Legislative Chairman and Navy veteran Bob Hunter. Be on the look-out for more stories from VFW advocates who will be coming to Washington on March 3 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 joined the VFW in 2006 I had no idea what role I might take by joining; I only knew I wanted to serve. I looked back on my time in service and thought I could have made more of my experience than I did, and becoming active in the VFW helped me to do more for my fellow veterans.

I came home in good shape compared to some of my comrades who came home profoundly injured, or had even laid down their last great measure of devotion in their country's service. In that regard, I felt I had to do more. When I got out I saw vets who had no concept of the benefits they had earned or how to file a claim with the VA to receive them. There were vets who needed help and they weren’t getting it.

For me it was a learning process, but I wanted to be involved. By dumb luck, I was seated alongside [VFW Executive Director] Bob Wallace and [VFW Adjutant General Allen] “Gunner” Kent at our state convention. I learned in a very brief period of time everything that the Washington office does. They inspired me to continue helping. I thought, “I like that. That’s the root of what we do at the VFW.”

I have been attending the [VFW] legislative conference since 2008. It was my first year as commander of VFW Post 9086 in Torrington, [Conn.,] and I wanted to learn as much as I could about the work the VFW accomplishes every day in our nation's capitol. Moreover, I wanted to bring back word to my post about the VFW’s work, and why our role in supporting those efforts is so important.

Not long after my first conference I met a few comrades who sensed my interest in developing my advocacy skills, and I was immediately taken under their collective wing. Each year I attend the conference I learn and contribute more toward furthering the goals that ensure our brothers and sisters are looked after by the country they took an oath to defend.

In many ways, my service in the VFW is a perpetuation of the oath I took when I enlisted. I've learned the work is continuous, that many hands make for light work, and no effort is too small as long as it helps the VFW remain a leader in their comrade veterans' advocacy.

Bob Hunter served as an electronics technician in the U.S. Navy from 1980-1984. During his time in service, Hunter earned his eligibility to join the VFW as part of the multinational Lebanon Peacekeeping Force aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. During his deployments, Hunter's unit responded to the barracks bombing in Beirut and repeated aggression from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Today Hunter serves as the legislative chairman for the VFW Department of Connecticut. Hunter's VFW post, Post No. 9086 in Torrington, Conn., helps to finance his trip to Washington each year to participate in the legislative conference on behalf of Connecticut's veterans.

(Images: Top: Navy veteran Bob Hunter during the 2008 Pratt & Whitney Veterans Day Celebration in Connecticut. Bottom: Hunter on the signal bridge of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower while underway in 1984. Photos courtesy of Bob Hunter.)

VFW Takes the Hill: An Advocate’s Point of View from Navy veteran Jim Ellars

In two weeks VFW leaders from around the country and around the world will converge on Washington, D.C., to meet with every Congressional office ahead of VFW Commander-in-Chief Richard L. DeNoyer’s testimony before a special joint session of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees. In advance of the conference, which will bring in advocates from the VFW’s legislative, women veterans, and Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans committees, the VFW Washington office has asked some of our advocates to explain why the annual Capitol Hill visits are important and why they chose to become involved in veterans advocacy. Be on the look-out for more personal stories like this leading up to the convention. Below is our first submission from Department of Arizona Legislative Officer and Navy veteran Jim Ellars:

We all made a difference, being in the military and having spent a part of our lives “answering the call,” and while we all still want to make a difference, nowadays we just don't always know how to pull it off. I found a way, and I believe you would like to join in. I became a veterans advocate. How? Pretty simple, really. I showed up and spoke up. It was that simple, and certainly not hard for a military man or woman to do.

Our federal, state and local governments provide numerous opportunities for people to attend forums and meetings to voice concerns and offer assistance for a multitude of issues. Being like you and still wanting to make a difference, I attended one such meeting along with district members of the VFW. It turned out to be the first of many meetings I would attend, and over time I found that those meetings, peopled by others just like me, created that difference I was looking for. Happily, I saw changes came out of these meetings; changes to the very laws that affected the people at my post, the people on the [military] bases I visited, and to the families I saw at the commissary and exchange; every one of them. It was an enormous and powerful realization, so I stuck with it, and the next thing I knew, I was another veterans advocate. And the more I stuck with it, the more I saw positive changes being made.

“But, Jim, does advocacy really work?”

Over the past few years I've “stormed the Hill” with those same “others like me,” and along the way I got to know the people and the processes of [Capitol] Hill.

Back in November, the VFW National Legislative Office in [Washington] D.C. – an exceptionally dedicated group of people devoted to monitoring the complex legislative world of D.C. for our military, our veterans, and their families – alerted the members of the VFW to a harmful proposal being considered for pending legislation that adversely affected TRICARE fees. There was an immediate need for a grassroots effort from all veterans to vote the proposal down. Arizona has a large population of retired military personnel and a number of major military bases. As a VFW advocate, I immediately used my experience on the Hill and contacted key Senate staff that I had met in D.C., and also spoke to our department's leadership at a VFW Ladies Auxiliary training conference.

The department and Ladies Auxiliary members responded immediately by initiating a campaign to contact the Senate, particularly the proposal's sponsor, to demand the proposal be voted down. This action was repeated by all respective VFW advocates, the national [veterans service organizations], and many military/veteran associations. The sponsor listened. The proposal was withdrawn. This is just one example of VFW advocacy at work, one that is repeated all the time.

We're already a part of the world's most influential veterans organization that does great things for our military, our veterans, and their families. Take it to the next level: advocate for it! Go to www.vfw.org, click on VFW in DC and continue the mission!

Jim Ellars is a retired naval aircrewman who served on the USS Kitty Hawk and logged more than 4,000 hours on the flight line throughout his military career, earning his eligibility to join the VFW while deployed to Lebanon. Today Ellars is a member of the VFW National Legislative Committee and he continues to serve as the national legislative officer for the VFW Department of Arizona.

(Images: Top: VFW advocate Jim Ellars discusses the contentious TRICARE legislative issue at the VFW Department of Arizona Ladies Auxiliary training conference in November 2011. Bottom: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., meets with Blue Star mother Francis Playfoot and Ellars in Washington, D.C., during last year's VFW visits to Capitol Hill. Photos courtesy of Jim Ellars.)

Watch Live: House Subcommittee Discusses VA Fiduciaries

*Update 1:45 p.m.: The archived webcast is now available here. 
*Update 11:05 a.m.: The hearing has reconvened. Tune in live now. 
*Update 10:13 a.m.: The hearing is in recess for votes in the House. We will keep you posted once the hearing reconvenes. 

This morning the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will host a hearing on the VA’s fiduciary system, which has come under scrutiny in recent years over concerns for severely disabled veterans’ financial interests.

The hearing commences at 10:00 a.m. in the committee’s chambers, room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building. To view the live webcast of the hearing, click here.

VA assigns fiduciaries to oversee VA benefits paid to severely disabled and incapacitated veterans incapable of managing the funds. However, a 2010 report from the VA’s Office of the Inspector General indicated that loopholes persist in the program that keep VA from properly auditing fiduciary accountings and prohibit VA from balancing delinquent accounts.

The VFW most recently testified on these inequities during last spring’s legislative hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, calling for improvements to the program, and VFW advocates in Washington will be watching this morning’s proceedings closely in the House.

This morning’s panelists include Dave McLenachen, VA’s director of pension and fiduciary service, alongside fiduciaries who have been tasked to represent veterans’ financial interests. To view a full list of panelists, click here.

Prepared remarks for each panelist should be available later this week. VFW will keep you posted through this blog on this morning’s hearing. Check back for updates.