DAV Department of Wisconsin

Stand Up for Veterans Update
More Info

August 14, 2008

Presidential Hopefuls McCain, Obama Address DAV Convention

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) addressed a crowd of more than 4,000 at the Disabled American Veterans annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada this past weekend. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) provided taped remarks. Among the many topics discussed by the candidates was the need for sufficient, timely, and predictable funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and veterans health care. Here are links to videos of the remarks by McCain and Obama.

Media Coverage of the DAV Convention

There was media coverage that focused on the presidential candidates' participation at the DAV Convention. Here are two of the articles:

o "Senator McCain Promises Veterans Access to Better Health Care," Bloomberg
o "Disabled American Veterans: McCain appeals to veterans," Las Vegas Review-Journal

Leading Members of Congress Participate in DAV Convention

Also addressing the DAV convention were several leading members of Congress, including Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee; Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Tex.), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee; and Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.). These members spoke about the need to provide quality care and services to our wounded soldiers and their families.

Christian Science Monitor Profiles Plan for VA Funding Reform

"Veterans Groups Seek Dedicated Funding for Healthcare," highlights the movement by DAV and eight other leading veterans to provide VA health care funding a year in advance. The article notes that "such a move [the advance appropriation] would protect the VA from political wrangling that results in funding delays and that forces it to freeze hiring, curtail services, and extend waiting-room time to the point that some veterans simply go home."
About the Stand Up for Veterans Initiative
Stand Up for Veterans is an initiative of the Disabled American Veterans, an organization of 1.4 million disabled veterans who are focused on building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. The initiative seeks to find public policy solutions for all veterans, particularly those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, who have incurred devastating injuries and disabilities, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological wounds of war. Please visit www.standup4vets.org to learn more about this effort.

Stand up for veterans. They stood up for us.

August 4, 2008

FY '09 VA Appropriations Bill

Today, the House voted 409 to 4 to approve H.R. 6599, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2009, which contains the FY 2009 appropriation for the Department of Veterans Affairs and related agencies. The Administration, however, has threatened to veto other appropriations bills, arguing the funding levels in the VA bill exceed the President's budget by $2.9 billion and must be offset with cuts in other appropriations bills.
The Independent Budget (IB) veterans service organizations, which include AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, sent a letter on Thursday to Speaker Pelosi pointing out that the IB's own calculations had the President's budget request for the VA at $3 billion short of the actual and equitable needs of the nation's veterans. The letter went on to offer a briefing to the Administration or congressional leadership on the past several years of Administration underfunding of VA health care in its budget requests.

Sen. McCain to Speak at DAV Convention in Las Vegas

The 87th annual DAV National Convention will be held from August 9-12, 2008, at Bally's in Las Vegas, Nevada. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will address a crowd of 4,000 veterans on Saturday, August 9. Other prominent speakers include House Veterans' Affairs Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA), House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Administration Chairman Chet Edwards (D-TX), and Reps. Jon Porter (R-NV) and Shelley Berkley (D-NV).

About the Stand Up for Veterans Initiative

Stand Up for Veterans is an initiative of the Disabled American Veterans, an organization of 1.4 million disabled veterans who are focused on building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. The initiative seeks to find public policy solutions for all veterans, particularly those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, who have incurred devastating injuries and disabilities, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological wounds of war. Please visit www.standup4vets.org to learn more about this effort.

Stand up for veterans. They stood up for us.

DEPARTMENT LINKS NATIONAL LINKS GENERAL LINKS

LEGISLATION NATIONAL HQ WDVA