Legislative Agenda

Read IAVA's 2010 Legislative Agenda.
IAVA’s 2010 Legislative Agenda lays out a blueprint to successfully prepare the country for the surge of new veterans coming home. It includes the call to Cut the Red Tape, Build the Next Greatest Generation, Guarantee the Best Care Anywhere, Confront Hidden Injuries, and Smooth the Transition Home. Download a copy (PDF).

IAVA's 2010 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES:

The five IAVA 2010 Legislative Priorities are actions Congress must take this session to ensure that troops and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan receive the care and support they have earned.

• Modernize the VA Claims Processing System. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are receiving benefits under a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability system that was outdated years before most of them were born. The antiquated system, which focuses on quantity over quality, leads to frequent errors, countless bureaucratic red tape, and a lengthy wait for benefits. See recommendation 1.2.
• Streamline and Simplify the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The new GI Bill is the greatest investment in veterans and their families since World War II. However, a signifi cant number of veterans have been short-changed. Additionally, many veterans who have tried to use their benefi ts have been left waiting for checks, as they struggle to pay their living and scholastic expenses. See recommendation 2.1.
• Secure Jobs for Our Nation’s Heroes. In the last year, the unemployment rate of new veterans has nearly doubled, and employers are growing increasingly weary of hiring or reemploying National Guardsmen and Reservists who have been mobilized at unprecedented rates. Congress must help veterans find gainful employment by leveraging federal contracting rules, supporting veteran entrepreneurship and providing tax credits to employers who hire new veterans. See recommendation 2.2.
• Eliminate Combat Stress Stigma. More servicemembers were killed by their own hands last year than by combat in Iraq. One of the largest obstacles that servicemembers must overcome before seeking help is the heavy stigma associated with mental health injuries. IAVA recommends declaring war on this dangerous stigma by launching a well-funded, researched and integrated nationwide campaign to promote the use of the Department of Defense and VA services such as Vet Centers and the Suicide Prevention hotline. See recommendation 4.1.
• Support Better Health Care for Female Veterans. Women veterans have shown enormous dedication and courage in defending their country. But too often, they do not receive the same level of support, within the military and the VA, as their male counterparts. IAVA recommends bold steps to improve military and VA health care and benefi ts for women warriors, transitional services to reduce staggering rates of homelessness, and signifi cant expansion of resources to those coping with Military Sexual Trauma (MST). See recommendation 3.3.
  

How we created our 2010 Legislative Agenda: To develop our 2010 Legislative Recommendations and Priorities, we performed an extensive survey of our dynamic and highly-engaged membership of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans nationwide. Some of their comments and recommendations, in their own words, are highlighted in this year’s Agenda.