Each year, DAV members gather at the organization’s national convention to help determine its legislative goals. These targeted issue areas serve as guideposts for DAV’s legislative team members in Washington, D.C., who advocate for laws that will improve the lives of veterans and their families, caregivers and survivors.

“DAV’s stance on legislative issues is determined by the adoption of resolutions each year at our national convention. With a united, engaged voice, we protect veterans benefits and fight to ensure the promise is kept,” said DAV National Legislative Director Joy Ilem.

Several DAV resolutions originate with professional staff and are further developed by our interim committees before being considered for adoption by convention committees. But for DAV members, this process starts at the local chapter level before moving on to the state department level and then the national level, where resolutions are voted on during the annual convention. Adopted resolutions make up DAV’s annual legislative program and allow the organization to endorse critical veteran-related federal legislation.

In 2024, DAV members submitted hundreds of resolutions that shaped the year’s advocacy agenda and legislative program.

This partial list of key resolutions adopted in 2024 will focus DAV advocacy efforts until the 2025 DAV and Auxiliary National Convention in Las Vegas. To see the full list of resolutions, visit dav.org/about-dav/legislation/dav-resolutions.

Disability compensation and other benefits

  • Support legislation to provide service connection for disabling conditions resulting from toxic and environmental exposures.
  • Support legislation to improve and reform Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.
  • Support legislation to remove the prohibition against concurrent receipt of military retired pay and veterans disability compensation for all veterans.
  • Support legislation that prohibits Special Separation Benefit payments from being withheld from Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation payments.
  • Oppose reduction, taxation or elimination of veterans benefits.
  • Support legislation for studies and establishing presumptive diseases related to PFAS exposure.
  • Support legislation to provide studies, health care and benefits resulting from toxic exposures at Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan.
  • Support legislation to increase disability compensation.
  • Support oversight of VA practices in evaluating disability claims for residuals of military sexual trauma.
  • Support legislation that would exempt the benefits paid to wartime-service-connected disabled veterans from the “PAYGO/CUTGO” provisions of the Budget Enforcement Act.
  • Increase the grant and specially adaptive equipment rates for automobiles and other conveyances for eligible disabled veterans.
  • Support legislation to ensure that total disability based on Individual Unemployability remains available for all veterans in need regardless of age or receipt of any other earned federal benefits.
  • Support legislation to improve the VA Fiduciary Program.
  • Increase the VA Home Improvement and Structural Alterations Grant.
  • Support an increase in the VA burial allowance for service-connected disabled veterans, and provide automatic annual adjustments.

Medical and health care services

  • Improve and enhance resources for VA mental health programs and suicide prevention.
  • Enhance medical services and benefits for women veterans.
  • Support equity in access to services and benefits for racial and ethnic minority service-connected disabled veterans.
  • Provide comprehensive dental care to all service-connected disabled veterans within the VA health care system.
  • Enhance long-term services and supports for service-connected disabled veterans.
  • Support legislation to improve and provide comprehensive services for caregivers of severely wounded, injured and ill veterans of all eras.
  • Strengthen and protect the VA health care system.
  • Ensure a safe, secure and effective electronic health record for veterans that allows the VA to fulfill core missions of patient care, research and training.
  • Support effective recruitment, retention and development of the VA health care system workforce.
  • Ensure veterans have quality and timely access to health care from the Veterans Health Administration and Veterans Community Care Program providers.
  • Support VA research into the medical efficacy of cannabis for treatment of service-connected disabled veterans.
  • Support humane, consistent pain management programs in the veterans health care system.
  • Support VA medical and prosthetic research programs.
  • Support legislation to eliminate or reduce VA and Department of Defense health care copayments for service-connected disabled veterans.
  • Support legislation directing the VA to research and make available effective psychedelic compounds for treating mental health conditions and traumatic brain injury.

General issues

  • Support sufficient, timely and predictable funding for all VA programs, benefits and services.
  • Support licensure and certification of active-duty service personnel.
  • Provide adequate funding and permanency for veterans employment and/or training programs.
  • Protect veterans from employment discrimination when receiving health care for service-connected conditions.
  • Support renewed prisoner-of-war/missing-in-action discussions.
  • Support legislation to strengthen and protect Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.
  • Support legislation to create, improve and reform federal programs for service-disabled veteran entrepreneurship.
  • Support the continued growth of Veterans Treatment Courts for justice-involved veterans.
  • Support veterans’ preference in public employment.
  • Support adequate air travel accommodations for disabled veterans.
  • Provide scam and fraud protection for veterans and their families, caregivers and survivors.
  • Support legislation to regulate the VA’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated tools in medical and benefit settings while requiring adequate oversight and transparency in the use and outcomes of AI implementation.