“Your work with DAV is so important to the VA, and you, the members, are essential to bridging the gap between the veteran and their local community,” said O’Rourke. “Whether you’re one of thousands of DAV drivers who transport veterans to their appointments or one of the hundreds of veteran service officers who fight daily for your fellow brothers or sisters, your continued commitment to the mission of DAV stands as true today as it has for nearly a century.” Citing “historic and transformative improvements” at the VA, O’Rourke then touted a new health record system designed to seamlessly share health records between the Department of Defense and the VA, saying it will “bring transparency to veterans and caregivers and enable the veteran to be in the driver’s seat for their health care.” He also noted that the department’s appeals modernization, mandated by the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, is on track to be completed by February 2019, due in part to the success of the Rapid Appeals Modernization Program (RAMP). “While RAMP is beginning to deliver results, we know there are opportunities to continuously improve,” he said. “We ask for your continued help in this effort.” O’Rourke stated that more than 40,000 appeals had gone through RAMP by the time of his remarks, with over $30 million in retroactive benefits being paid in an average of 80 days. Dr. Phil Roe (center), chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, speaks with National Legislative Director Joy Ilem (right) and then-acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Peter O’Rourke (left) during DAV’s Service and Legislative Seminar, which was moderated by Ilem and National Service Director Jim Marszalek. “RAMP is making tremendous strides in helping cut down the appeals backlog,” said National Service Director Jim Marszalek. “DAV will continue advocating for it and other appeals modernization efforts until the backlog is eliminated. And even when that happens, we’ll do everything in our power to keep it that way.” Following the joint opening session—which included the national adjutant’s annual report and presentation of the 2018 Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year award to Army veteran and military sexual trauma survivor Callie Rios— O’Rourke joined Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Dr. Phil Roe for DAV’s Service and Legislative Seminar, moderated by Marszalek and National Legislative Director Joy Ilem. “The service and legislative forum presents our members with important information from legislators, policymakers and other top government officials, while allowing the panelists to convey their messages in a more relaxed atmosphere,” said Ilem. The event was kicked off by a welcome video from Sens. Johnny Isakson and Jon Tester, the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, in which they thanked DAV for its efforts in getting the VA MISSION Act signed but also implored members to help ensure the new law is properly implemented. The forum focused on numerous topics, including the VA MISSION Act, which Roe called one of the 10 DAV MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2018