Senator McCaskill Joins IAVA for Congressional Briefing Today on Capitol Hill

Washington, D.C. – Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest nonprofit group for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, will kick-off its fourth annual Storm the Hill advocacy week in Washington, D.C. with a Congressional briefing hosted by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and joined by Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO). The briefing will introduce IAVA’s 2009 Legislative Agenda and describe the landmark National Public Service Advertising (PSA) campaign created in partnership with the Ad Council. The briefing will take place on Monday, February 9th at 12:00 PM in Room SVC 212/210 in the Capitol Visitor Center and is OPEN to the media.
“Today’s briefing launches an extraordinary week for veterans who have traveled from across the country to meet with lawmakers and advocate for our newest generation of warriors,” said IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. “We are honored to have Senator McCaskill participating in the event. In Senator McCaskill, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families have found a strong advocate on everything from mental health care and substance abuse to the “Post-9/11 GI Bill” and the Wartime Contracting Commission.  She is keenly aware of the challenges facing this new generation of veterans and we look forward to working with her moving forward.”  

IAVA and dozens of veterans from all over the country participating in the Storm the Hill campaign will highlight critical legislative priorities for new veterans including prioritizing veterans in the stimulus package, ensuring better screening for invisible injuries such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), addressing the dramatic spike in reported Army suicide rates, and providing advanced funding for veterans’ health care.

Congressional offices will also have the opportunity to learn about the groundbreaking new campaign IAVA recently launched with the Ad Council focused on addressing the transitional challenges veterans face when returning home. The multi-faceted campaign features television, radio and print placements that direct veterans to the first online community exclusively for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The first ad produced for the campaign will be shown at the briefing. 

To see the full 2009 Legislative Agenda please visit: http://iava.org/iava-in-washington/legislative-agenda.

To track updates from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans meetings with legislators on Capitol Hill, visit http://www.stormthehill.org.

For more information on IAVA’s landmark national Ad Council campaign, visit http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/34661/.

To arrange an interview with IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff or IAVA Legislative Director Todd Bowers, contact Chrissy Stevens at (917) 836-1483 or Chrissy@iava.org.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the country's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has more than 125,000 veteran members and civilian supporters nationwide.  Its mission is to improve the lives of this country's newest generation of veterans and their families.