Issue Briefs
DAV’s Legislative Priorities
To help educate legislators, candidates and agencies, we have outlined below a range of issues facing veterans that need to be addressed.
If you have any questions for DAV’s legislative team, please contact us at (202) 554-3501 or [email protected].
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Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water
The 30-day requirement must be eliminated as this restriction negatively impacts veterans and is not based on any science.
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Caregiver
Congress must hold VA accountable to fully and faithfully implement the improvements and expansion of PCAFC mandated by the MISSION Act to all severely injured veterans.
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Electronic Health Record Modernization
VA must continue modernizing its information systems to make them more interoperable with other care systems and aid in the exchange of information between VA, its Community Care Network and with veterans, which is critical to successfully developing an integrated health care network.
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Eliminate Longevity Military Retired Pay and VA Compensation Offsets
DAV urges Congress to enact legislation to repeal the inequitable offset between rightfully earned longevity military retired pay and VA disability compensation for all veterans.
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K2 Exposure
Congress by statute, or VA by regulation, needs to recognize the toxic exposures at K2 and concede exposure to all of the identified toxins.
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Meeting Veterans Needs for Long Term Supports and Services
VA should make a sustained commitment to request and allocate sufficient resources for successful LTSS rebalancing, and to adopt appropriate incentives to motivate the rebalancing of VA LTSS.
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Mental Health Services and Suicide Prevention
Congress should require mandatory suicide prevention training for all VA clinical staff and its community care partners to ensure proper screening, intervention counseling (for lethal means safety and substance-use disorders), and treatment for veterans in mental health crises.
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Minority Veterans
VA must investigate methods for increasing diversity among its staff.
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PFAS Contaminated Water on Military Bases
Congress must establish and maintain a registry for eligible individuals who may have been exposed to PFAS to ascertain and monitor the health effects of the exposure of members of the Armed Forces.
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Strengthening Veterans Health Care
VA must remain the primary provider and coordinator of care for veterans who rely upon it to efficiently and effectively support veterans care.
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Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability
Congress must act to ensure that TDIU remains available for all veterans regardless of age or receipt of any other earned federal benefits.
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Toxic Exposures at Fort McClellan
Congress must immediately enact legislation to authorize scientific studies of the environmental and toxic exposures at Fort McClellan and to establish a registry specific to those service members who served on Fort McClellan.
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Women Veterans
We urge Congress to enact legislation that is in line with the 45 key recommendations made in DAV’s most recent women veterans report, Women Veterans: The Journey Ahead to ensure all federal programs are meeting the needs of women veterans, and equal in effectiveness and health outcomes when compared to the services provided to male veterans.
