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⌵ 2013 POLICY PRIORITIES ⌵

  • The VA Backlog
    End the VA Disability Claims Backlog
    Disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are designed to fill the gaps in loss of earnings potential and quality of life caused by injuries sustained during military service - but hundreds of thousands of vets are waiting an unacceptably long amount of time for their claims to be processed. And despite major investment from VA, the problem is growing - not getting better. It's time to start taking care of our own. As a country, we must keep the promise we made to the millions of veterans who have served and sacrificed to defend our nation.
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    End the VA backlog. Stop the madness.
    Posted by IAVA Staff on March 12 2013

    A shocking report just came out about the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability benefits backlog. It says that delays for new vets to receive disability compensation from the VA are much longer than originally reported, which is saying a lot. (If you’ve had a loved one file a claim, you know what I mean.)We must end this backlog now. Sign a petition to call for action with IAVA.

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    Take Action

    • Sign IAVA's petition & ask Congress to sign
    • Ask Congress to support the Putting Veterans Funding First Act of 2013 (HR 813)
    • Share your VA disability benefits story with IAVA

  • Suicide & Mental Health
    Expand Access to Mental Health Care for Veterans
    Providing quality care for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan requires an innovative approach that addresses both the physical and mental health of a veteran. We must continue to expand efforts to connect more veterans to mental health resources, beginning by recommitting ourselves to erase the stigma that prevents many veterans from seeking mental health care. We must also ensure that service members are thoroughly evaluated for injuries and properly diagnosed so that, as veterans, they are eligible to receive the care they need for the complex injuries, whether physical or mental, that they have sustained during their service.
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    Covering suicide in our community
    Posted by IAVA Staff on March 25 2013

    The U.S. Army has released the suicide numbers for February 2013.There were a total of 24 potential suicides in February 2013: 11 potential suicides among active duty soldiers and 13 potential suicides among the Reserve and Guard components. Overall, there were 10 fewer potential suicides in February 2013 than there were in January 2013.The number of suicides in the military and veteran community is unacceptable.

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    Take Action

    • Ask Congress to support the Servicemember Mental Health Review Act of 2013 (HR 975/S 628)
    • Share your story with IAVA about seeking mental health treatment

  • Education
    Eliminate Barriers to Veterans' Educational Opportunities
    Following the passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008 and the upgrades to that legislation in 2010, some students who are enrolled in public colleges or universities outside of their state of residence still face significant challenges in financing their education. For example, a service member who is stationed in a certain state for years, buys a home in that state, begins raising a family in that state, pays taxes to that state, and transitions from active duty to civilian life in that state can still be denied the opportunity to attend college in that state as an in-state resident. More improvements to the Post-9/11 GI Bill in order to better support veteran students and ensure they receive the benefits they have earned.
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    Senators Step Up To Challenge Cuts to Tuition Assistance
    Posted by Tom Tarantino on March 19 2013

    UPDATE 3/19/13: In response to the failure of their amendment to reach the Senate floor, Senators Inhofe and Hagan have boldly decided to continue pushing forward with a stand-alone bill to restore funding for the Tuition Assistance program for service members. The new Senate bill should be introduced today.

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    Take Action

    • Ask Congress to Support the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act of 2013 (HR 357/S 257)
    • Share your story with IAVA about using your GI Bill benefits
  • Employment
    Fighting Veteran Unemployment and Underemployment
    In 2012, the average unemployment rate for new veterans was 9.9 percent, almost two points higher than the national average of 8.1 percent, but significantly lower than the average of 12.1 percent new vets face in 2011. While we have made progress in the fight against veteran unemployment, the fight is far from over. The systemic challenges that lead to veteran unemployment - including both cultural and legal barriers to employment - remain unsolved. We must ensure that service members who are preparing to transition back into civilian life are equipped with the proper knowledge and tools to make that transition successful.
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    Jobs report tells two stories about veteran unemployment
    Posted by Maura McCarthy on January 4 2013

    Thanks to national efforts to fight veteran unemployment, we’ve made a dent in lowering the veteran unemployment rate. Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released data showing that the annual average unemployment rate for post-9/11 vets decreased from 12.1 percent in 2011 to 9.9 percent in 2012—the lowest it’s been since 2008.

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    Take Action

    • Ask Congress to support the Servicemembers' Choice in Transition Act of 2013 (HR 631)
    • Share your post-service or post-college employment search story with IAVA.

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In This Section

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Hot Issues

Have you been stop-lossed?

Last summer, Congress passed legislation to compensate servicemembers who were stop-lossed after September 11, 2001. IAVA had been fighting for this provision for over a year, and now those payments have finally become available.

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