COMMENTARY From the NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR JOY J. ILEM T Building on our momentum hanks to everyone who made it to the 97th annual DAV and DAV Auxiliary National Convention in Reno, Nev. With a number of crucial veterans issues being front and center on Capitol Hill this year, it was great to see so many of our members enthusiastically preparing to take our legislative agenda back to their home states and communities. During the 115th Congress, we’ve been working closely with lawmakers, the administration and fellow veterans service organizations to ensure the collective voice of our more than 1 million members is heard. We have had a banner year with passage of the VA MISSION Act. It addressed many of our legislative priorities for the year, including provisions to improve VA health care services and access to care, expansion of comprehensive caregiver benefits and a plan for modernization of VA health care facilities. Despite this incredible success, one outstanding issue remains: improving services for our nation’s women veterans. One of our top priorities is to ensure women veterans have equal access to high-quality, timely health care and specialized services. While several bills concerning women veterans have been passed during this Congress, comprehen-sive legislation remains pending on Capitol Hill. It’s time to finally give women veterans’ issues the attention they desperately need. To support this goal, I’m excited to announce a follow-on report to our groundbreaking women veterans report Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home. Our new 2018 report, Women Veterans: The Journey Ahead, takes off from our first publication’s focus on transition issues impacting women veterans following wartime service and includes post-deployment mental health, housing and employment issues, family reintegration challenges and dealing with wartime injuries. In our new report, we also examine the range of federal programs offered to address the needs of a diverse population of women veterans— from all eras, backgrounds and military experiences. The new report will be released Sept. 12 and will be available at dav.org/ womenveterans. We will be calling on all of you—our hardworking and passionate members—to take up the key findings with your elected officials. I know I can count on our grassroots advocates, and especially our Benefits Protection Team leaders and members, to lead the way. One person’s decision to take action can—and does—help create real change. If you haven’t already, get involved with your local Benefits Protection Team and help share our message with your elected officials back home. Stay updated and active on critical veterans issues and legislative matters in Washington, D.C., through DAV CAN—the Commanders Action Network. This tool helps educate and activate our members and supporters when needed, and leverages our influence with Congress. Your voice helps make our network stronger and more effective, so sign up today at davcan.org. 24 DAV MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2018
Issue Articles
Building on our momentum
Joy J. Ilem
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