Thank you - The Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 becomes law.
Vietnam Veterans of America Legislative Update
December 23, 2016
The 114th Congress has recessed for the year.
On behalf of John Rowan, VVA National President and the
Board of Directors we would like to thank you for all of
your grassroots advocacy support over the past year. With
that said, on December 16, 2016, the President of the United
States provides VVA with a tremendous victory when he
signed into law H.R. 6416, the Jeff Miller and Richard
Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits
Improvement Act of 2016.
The new law in Subtitle C-Toxic Exposure, includes S.901
the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 an issue that
VVA has been working on for the past eight years.
Go to Congress.gov and type in H.R. 6416 to view the new law.
The bill would not have passed into law without your grassroots
support and VVA shares this victory with you. Have a safe and
wonderful holiday and VVA look forward to working with
you in the upcoming 115th Congress on legislative issues that
will enhance the lives of veterans and their families.
The Government Affairs Team Rick, Bernie, Sharon, Kris, Tom,
Carl, Jim, and Joe "Vietnam Veterans of America is the nation's
only congressionally chartered veterans' service organization
dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families.
VVA's founding principle is "Never again will one generation of
veterans abandon another."
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
Vietnam Veterans of America supports H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy
Vietnam Veterans Act introduced by Congressman David Valadao
(CA-21)
VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2017
Mokie Porter
mporter@vva.org
VVA Applauds Introduction of New Blue Water Vietnam Veterans Act
(Washington, DC) --"For over a decade, Vietnam Veterans of America
has sought legislation to restore presumptive Agent Orange exposure
status to
members of the Armed Forces who served in the territorial waters of
Vietnam," said John Rowan, VVA National President. "We applaud
Congressman David Valadao (CA-21) and the original cosponsors of
H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, and we will
work with them to pass this much-needed bill.
"We could not agree more with Congressman Dennis Ross (FL-15),
that 'there is absolutely no reason those veterans who served in the
waters off the coast of Vietnam and currently suffer from diseases
related to Agent Orange exposure should not qualify for current VA
care,' " Rowan said.
"Presumption of service connection exists for Vietnam veterans who
served in country, on land and inland waterways. Enactment of H.R.
299 will bring a modicum of justice to several thousand Navy
personnel who have been denied service connection by the VA since
2002. They no longer will have to prove direct exposure to Agent
Orange, and they will receive expedited consideration for VA
benefits if they are afflicted with any of the health conditions
associated with exposure to this defoliant,"
Rowan said.
"VVA fully endorses the sentiments expressed by
Congressman Tim Walz (MN-1): 'When Congress allowed the Agent
Orange Act of 1991 to expire, the need for this legislation became
absolutely critical. Our nation must exhaust every effort to identify,
prevent, and heal the injuries, illnesses, and wounds our military
service personnel received during their service.' "
Dr. David Shulkin sworn in today as the new Secretary of Veterans
Affairs
Vietnam Veterans of America
February 14, 2017
As reported by CQ Roll Call today, Vice President Mike Pence swore in
David Shulkin as the new secretary of the Department of Veterans affairs
Tuesday afternoon, following Shulkin's unanimous confirmation vote in
the Senate Monday night.
The top four veterans' program authorizers in Congress attended
Shulkin's swearing-in ceremony: Senate Veterans' Affairs Chairman
Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and the committee's top Democrat Sen. Jon Tester
of Montana, as well as House Veterans' Affairs Chairman Phil Roe, R-
Tenn., and the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota.
"I know President Trump and I have full faith that you will honor this service,"
Pence said, shortly before administering the oath of office.
Shulkin was President Donald Trump's first nominee to receive a 100-0 vote
on confirmation, which Pence noted. Shulkin was the first non-veteran the
Senate has confirmed to lead the VA since the top job became a Cabinet-level
position in 1989.
The show of broad support for Shulkin provided a rare moment for lawmakers
to come together during a deeply partisan confirmation process for most of
Trump's Cabinet. Shulkin previously was appointed to the top role at the
Veterans Health Administration by President Barack Obama in 2015 and was
confirmed to that post by the full Senate on a voice vote.
VVA 432 all rights reserved 2017
VVA present annual Legislative Priorities and Policy Agenda before
the 115th Congress
Vietnam Veterans of America
March 6, 2017
On Thursday, March 9, 2017, VVA National President
John Rowan will testify before a joint session of the
House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees,
regarding our Legislative Priorities and Policy
Initiatives for the 115
th
Congress. PVA, AUSN,
AMVETS, NCOA, GSW, NASDVA, WWP and
NGAUS will also be testifying.
The public hearing begins at 10:00 am in room G-50
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
The hearing will also be broadcast live at
https://www.veterans.senate.gov/
Click on the link below to view members of the Senate
Veterans Affairs Committee
https://www.veterans.senate.gov/about/members
Click on the link below to view members of the House
Veterans Affairs Committee
https://veterans.house.gov/about/membership
New VA Complaint Hotline Open for Business
On June 1, 2017, President Trump’s promised White House VA Veterans’ Complaint Hotline went live. The hotline is intended to provide veterans with an avenue to report problems with and
complaints about the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
.
VA
Secretary David Shulkin said that the initial soft launch of the hotline will only have live operators to take some of the calls at first, with a
pledge to provide continuous 24/7 live coverage by August 15, 2017.
All calls made to the hotline will be confidential. However, depending on the issues involved, some may need to be referred to the appropriate
department immediately and some information may
need to be shared with those departments in order for specific complaints to be addressed.
If you have an issue or a complaint about any
VAMC
,
CBOC
,
Vet Center
,
Regional Office
or other
VA
facility and want to report the issue to the White House, you may call the new hotline Monday -
Friday, from 8:00 a.m .to 5:00 p.m. EST at
1-855-948-2311
.
ADDRESS
Vietnam Veterans
of America
Chapter 432
P.O. Box 10363
Phoenix, Arizona
85064
CONTACT
Mail:
Lilsarge@mindspring.com
Phone: 602-264-4320
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