Bridgette Sorrell

Last year, volunteers drove DAV Transportation Network vehicles more than 9.2 million miles to get veterans to their Department of Veterans Affairs medical appointments.

Driving the equivalent of 19 trips to the moon and back not only showcases the incredible dedication of our volunteers but also means it may be time to replace some of the vehicles in our fleet.

The DAV National Service Foundation will soon open the annual application cycle for departments and chapters to order new vehicles for their area. To make sure you don’t miss the opportunity or hit any application roadblocks, here’s some information you’ll need to get a head start.

The application cycle will open during the last quarter of the year. The exact timing depends on when DAV receives vehicle and pricing information from Ford Motor Co. Once that’s in place, Voluntary Services will send a memo providing the details, deadlines and request instructions.

Requesting vehicles is an online process.

Department leaders who are first-time users of the online portal must select “Request Password” and use the email address on their membership record to get credentials.

Department leaders must apply on behalf of their chapters but can request collaborators through the “Invitations” tab inside the application. Chapter leaders can’t open or start their own vehicle request applications.

Collaborators will get an email with a registration link to access and edit vehicle applications. They won’t be able to submit finished requests, though. This allows department leaders to control access while delegating the responsibility of filling out the form to chapter leaders.

Departments must use one application for all vehicle requests under their purview. Don’t submit an application until you have all your department and chapter requests completed.

DAV National Headquarters must approve the previous year’s department and chapter annual financial reports (AFR). If a department or chapter is not required to file under provisions of the National Bylaws, it must upload its previous year’s AFR into the application.

The Foundation needs AFRs for all chapters requesting financial assistance, even if the chapter doesn’t meet the threshold of needing review and approval from DAV’s National Membership Department.

Departments applying on behalf of chapters requiring financial assistance must also upload their departmental AFR.

This vehicle request webinar walks through the application process.

If you have any questions, contact the National Service Foundation at [email protected] or 877-426-2838, option 6, press 2.