DAV’s Legislative Priorities
To help educate legislators, candidates and agencies, we have outlined below a range of issues facing veterans that need to be addressed.
If you have any questions for DAV’s legislative team, please contact us at (202) 554-3501 or LegislativePublic@davmail.org.
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Veterans Health Care Reform
For more than a decade, the VA health care system has been under-resourced and unable to provide timely access to all enrolled veterans seeking medical services.
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Comprehensive Caregiver Support
Currently, VA only provides comprehensive benefits to caregivers of veterans severely disabled on or after September 11, 2001. DAV urges Congress to correct this inequity by making VA support benefits and services available to caregivers of veterans from all eras.
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Women Veterans
Significantly increasing numbers of women veterans coming to VA for care has created a challenge for the Department to provide consistent, comprehensive, quality health care services to women veterans at all VA facilities.
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Fully Developed Appeals Process
Veterans and their dependents have a right to have their benefit claims decided as quickly as possible, and DAV continues to work with the VA to improve the accuracy, timeliness and accountability within the Veterans Benefits Administration.
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Eliminating Offsets for Veterans and Survivors
DAV is working tirelessly to end the unfair policy of offsetting payments of Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or any other federal benefits by the amount of VA compensation.
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Licensure and Certification of Active Duty Military Personnel
Military occupational training should be recognized as fulfilling certification and licensure requirements of civilian equivalents.
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VA Mental Health Care
Despite increased staffing levels and spending, VA continues to struggle to meet demand and provide timely mental health services for all veterans.
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Suicide Prevention
Suicides among active duty members of the Army hit a record high in July 2011. Suicide is a special concern in the veteran population—especially among war veterans and veterans recently separated from military service.
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Expand and Strengthen Service-Member Transition and the Employment and Economic Opportunities for Veterans
Earning a living after military service is a top priority for veterans, and DAV links them with job training and job assistance programs.
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Critical Infrastructure
VA attempts to maintain these structures in a workable state, but the average age of a VA building in use today is over 60 years, and some are more than 100 years old.
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Rebalancing Long Term Supports and Services
In the coming decade, a projected 1 million veterans 85 and older will most likely require long-term supports and services. DAV urges the VA to make a sustained commitment to request and allocate sufficient resources to meet their needs.
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VA Health Information Technology
VA has recently made a decision to adopt DOD’s platform that will allow the Department to develop the architecture necessary to support its health IT needs.
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Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability
A VA determination of a Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability is not the same nor is it similar to Federal Unemployment Insurance; it is a disability compensation benefit.