From protecting veteran benefits to advancing health care and programs that support disabled veterans, DAV benefits protection team leaders (BPTL) are essential in our advocacy efforts. BPTLs are voluntary members who assist with coordinating and supporting DAV’s grassroots efforts; legislative and critical policy goals; and resolution development at the local chapter and department levels.

Other ways BPTLs help advance critical legislative goals in their communities are by developing relationships with their elected representatives and helping us increase the number of supporters that belong to DAV CAN (Commander’s Action Network). These leaders help us advance DAV’s message amongst other members, congressional officials and their staffs. They advocate for veteran issues at the state and local levels, too.

One of the principal responsibilities of chapter and department BPTLs is to help schedule and coordinate congressional meetings for DAV members coming to Washington, D.C., for our annual mid-winter conference or back at their elected official’s local office if they cannot attend the conference in D.C.

During these meetings, our BPTLs provide lawmakers with copies of our 2025 Vision for Veterans, Critical Policy Goals for the 119th Congress, Independent Budget and our report Women Veterans: The Journey to Mental Wellness. These documents act as a decision-making guide for lawmakers and remind them of their role in keeping our promise to America’s veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.

For decades, DAV and its members have led the way in advocating for legislation to address the effects of toxic exposure on service members. From the Agent Orange Act of 1991 to the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, DAV continues to fight for reforming how our government handles service-related toxic exposures in a timely, equitable manner.

On Sept, 17, 2024, DAV and MOAA (Military Officers Association of America) released its groundbreaking report, Ending the Wait for Toxic-Exposed Veterans. The report shows that, on average, toxic-exposed veterans have to wait over 34 years to access the full range of health care and benefits they earned and urgently need.

In October, our national legislative staff briefed all our BPTLs on this critical report to help them prepare them for upcoming meetings with elected officials, educate their fellow members about the report findings and next steps in our advocacy campaign. If you could not attend the briefing and are interested in learning more about the report, the webinar is available online at https://www.dav.org/about-dav/legislation/legislative-webinars/.

It is always important to note, protecting veteran benefits starts with you, and our BPTLs play an instrumental role in empowering veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors to participate in the advocacy process and ensure their voices are heard.