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.

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 Discusses Veterans Issues With House Democrats

Yesterday VFW Legislative Director Ray Kelley joined leaders from many of the nation’s top veterans’ organizations at the U.S. Capitol for a roundtable discussion on military and veterans’ issues with House Democratic leadership.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., hosts the discussions each quarter to hear first-hand from veterans’ organizations about issues affecting service members, veterans and their loved ones. More than 30 organizations representing diverse interests across the military and veterans’ community were invited to join in the discussion on topics ranging from mental health care and surviving spouse benefits to Agent Orange exposure, the Post-9/11 GI Bill and federal budget constraints.

In his remarks, Kelley called attention to the recent VA Inspector General report on VA’s failure to deliver timely mental health care to veterans suffering from invisible wounds like post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Kelley recognized that VA planned to hire 1,900 additional staff in an effort to overcome shortfalls, but asked Democrats and fellow veterans’ advocates what more could be done to ensure that veterans who need care can receive it in a timely and efficient manner.

In response to Kelley’s comments, Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said he remains VA’s biggest advocate, but also its harshest critic. As a retired Army National Guard sergeant major and vocal advocate on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Walz said he and his fellow committee members will continue to hold VA accountable for their obligation to meet the mental health needs of the veterans’ community, and that if the agency needed more resources to accomplish its mission, his committee would continue to fight for them.

The VFW always welcomes dialogue over veterans’ issues with leaders on both sides of the aisle, which is why Kelley thanked each of the members in attendance for their attention to the issues facing the American veterans’ community. As the current conflicts draw down and Americans ask Congress to make difficult decisions on the national budget, your VFW will continue to advocate to continually improve and preserve the quality-of-life programs and benefits earned through the sacrifices of American military men and women. Check back regularly with this blog for updates.

(Images: Top: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, center, welcomes veterans' advocates and House Democratic leaders to the quarterly roundtable discussion on veterans' issues. Middle: VFW Legislative Director Ray Kelley discusses PTSD during yesterday's roundtable. Bottom: Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., shares his thoughts on PTSD treatment issues at yesterday's roundtable. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)