VFW Action Corps Weekly
VA Budget Shortfall Action Alert: Recently, VA announced a budget shortfall that may delay the timely delivery of benefits to people nationwide. Veterans, family members, and caregivers have earned VA benefits through service, and we are frustrated to hear certain ones may not be adequately funded through the end of the fiscal year. This is not a problem caused by Congress, but our elected officials in Washington, D.C., have the responsibility to ensure these benefits are paid on time to those who have earned them. Each year VA has been provided with the resources it requested for veterans’ care and benefits, and our legislators must ensure that happens this time as well. Congress must pass a supplemental funding bill by Sept. 20 to make sure veterans, survivors, and caregivers receive next months’ benefit payments without interruption. Congress must also hold VA accountable to prevent issues like this from happening in the future. However, this accountability can happen AFTER Congress provides supplemental funding, so veterans, survivors, and caregivers do not go without or face financial difficulties due to inadequate government funding. Take action.
Congress Congratulates VFW on 125th Anniversary: In a show of support for the 125th anniversary of the VFW, fellow VFW members Reps. Derrick Van Orden and Chris Deluzio, and Marine veteran and House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost have introduced a concurrent resolution recognizing Sept. 29, 2024, as "Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Day.” For more than a century, the VFW has advocated on behalf of veterans to ensure they have timely access to their earned benefits, and has served veteran communities here and around the world. Read the resolution and learn more about the legacy of the VFW.
VFW Fall Legislative Conference: The VFW National Legislative Committee members met with senators, representatives, and staffers in Washington, D.C., to discuss the VFW’s legislative priorities. Specific focus was on providing health care and benefits for veterans, caregivers, and survivors; ensuring the continuous review of new presumptive conditions related to toxic exposures; exploring alternative treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions; and continuing to promote legislation to penalize predatory claim companies known as Claim Sharks. The VFW will continue to advocate for these issues to assist service members, veterans, and their families.