As promised last week, I will provide the “Readers Digest” (remember those) version of the National VFW’s legislative priorities. They are to: (1) fully fund veteran programs by authorizing the VA to receive reimbursement from TRICARE and Medicare (since we paid into those, they should pay the VA for the services we get in lieu of using those funds), never reduce veterans benefits to pay another (if you are less than 50% disabled and military retired, they take your disability compensation out of your retirement pay! for example); (2) timely access to earned benefits by cracking down on uncredited “claim sharks,” continue to study the effects of exposure to toxic environments and provide appropriate benefits, Increase benefits for survivors, ensure earned VA benefits never are reduced, improve accuracy of disability compensation for MST claims; (3) insure veterans succeed after leaving the service by improving education benefits, ensure parity of VA and DOD education programs with other federal programs, expand small business, hiring preference, tax incentives, and entrepreneurship resources for veterans and military spouses, increase housing vouchers for homeless veterans, eliminate red tape preventing effective use of education and employment benefits; (4) ensure timely access to healthcare without increasing cost shares by eliminating service member and veteran suicide, reform dysfunctional community care program, strengthen care for mental health and TBI, research the efficacy of plant-based alternative therapies for PTSD, adequate staffing and funding of Vet Centers, enhance services for women and underserved veterans, preserve the integrity of TRICARE, implement VA and DOD health IT systems, expand nursing home and long term care eligibility and options; (5) maintain quality, comprehensive benefits and retirement packages by enhancing quality of life programs so service members can focus on the mission, ensure equity benefits for Reserves, end the military retirement pay and VA disability compensation offset, enroll transitioning service members into VA benefits, eliminate sexual assault and harassment in the military, increase base pay comparable with the private sector, eliminate food insecurity in the military; and (6) fully support the all-volunteer force, protect our nation’s citizens, and defend American interests around the world by ensure all missing servicemembers remains are recovered, support our allies in Ukraine, Israel, Korea, and Taiwan, ensure all service members who served in harm’s way, to include foreign nationals, translators, and allies receive the recognition, care, and benefits they may have earned.

Last week I provided the American Legion priorities and now you have the VFW priorities. I venture to say that all veterans would support most all, if not all of these priorities. All service organizations are our lobbyists in D.C. Our dues fund their efforts. And, from personal knowledge, the National Service Organizations do work together to accomplish their annual goals. You may not have the time or the inclination to be active in your Legion or VFW but you support our brothers and sisters of service by being members. If you aren’t now, consider it.

Remember, be proactive my communicating your support of these issues with our delegation.