As the leading voice for the post-9/11 veteran community, IAVA continues to facilitate change and create awareness about issues and topics impacting our community. Below are highlights from the last three months:

IAVA LEADING THE WAY

(IAVA Facebook Live) The Importance of the Veteran Vote

September 18, 2020: IAVA and partner groups discussed the importance of voting and working the polls, and answered live questions from the audience…Watch here.

(IAVA Testimony) IAVA Testifies Before the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committees 

IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler delivered verbal testimony to SVAC on the Senate-passed Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act to combat veteran suicide…Watch here.

IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler submitted written testimony to HVAC on the Senate-passed Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act to combat veteran suicide…Read more.

(IAVA Press Release)IAVA’s Proposal to Credential Medically Trained Vets Introduced into Congress

August 25, 2020: “There are hundreds of thousands of veterans with critical medical knowledge and experience,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA…Read more.

(IAVA Press Release) IAVA Calls for Assurance that Veteran Suicide Bill Will Be Law Before Year’s End

August 27, 2020: “There has been plenty of talk but not nearly enough action to address the worsening crisis of veteran suicide and we are literally at a crossroads,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA…Read more.

(IAVA Press Release) IAVA Celebrates Passage of Deborah Sampson Act by Senate Committee

August 5, 2020: “Unanimous support of the Deborah Sampson Act marks a sea change since we began this campaign more than three years ago. Hundreds of IAVA members have Stormed the Hill and asked Congress to act…” stated Tom Porter, EVP of Government Affairs…Read more.

(IAVA Press Release) IAVA Announces Senate Passage of Landmark Suicide Prevention Legislation

August 6, 2020: Key provisions of this legislation include the creation of a community grant program to enhance VA outreach in the community to help identify isolated veterans and provide mental health services…Read more.

(IAVA Press Release) IAVA Celebrates Committee Passage of VA Motto Update

July 30, 2020: “Every veteran should feel welcome at the VA in an environment that celebrates the service of America’s female veterans as much as their male counterparts. This is a critical first step and much more work needs to be done,” said Tom Porter IAVA’s EVP of Government Affairs…Read more.

(IAVA Press Release) IAVA Celebrates Committee Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Provide Rapid Job Retraining to Vets

July 30, 2020: This will be the most impactful benefit for our generation of veterans. “We strongly encourage Congress to include this important legislation in the coming emergency COVID package and get veterans back to work,” Tom Porter IAVA’s EVP of Government Affairs…Read more.

(IAVA Press Release) An Important Step by the White House to Combat Suicide

July 1, 2020: IAVA breaks down the “President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) Task Force”…Read more. 

IAVA IN THE NEWS:

(Stars and Stripes) House Approves Bill Ordering VA to Change Gender-Exclusive Motto

September 22, 2020: Advocates, such as Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, have pushed for a gender-neutral version of the motto since 2017. The VA initially rejected the proposal…Read more.

(Marine Corps Times) New Coalition Urges States to Get Their Absentee Ballots in Time to Troops, Families, Overseas Voters

September 2, 2020: A new non-partisan coalition of 15 organizations including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is urging elected officials to send absentee ballots to uniformed and overseas voters…Read more.

(Beaver County Times) Lamb’s Bill Would Get Vets with Medical Experience into the Fight Against COVID-19

August 28, 2020: “Veterans who gained critical medical skills in the military are an under-tapped source,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA…Read more.

(USA Today) Military Veterans: Nation Must Act Now to Ensure Fair Elections in November

August 19, 2020: Real leadership means doubling down on the importance of having a free and fair election…Read more.

(Military Times) IAVA and the Leadership Conference on the US Postal Service

August 20, 2020: Right now, we are sounding alarms because our democracy is on fire…Read more.

(Fox Memphis) Telehealth Services for Vets Ramped up During Pandemic

August 21, 2020: “I think the telehealth access is a big success story coming out of the pandemic,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA…Read more.

(Medium) So Many Americans Have Sacrificed for our Democratic Ideals. It’s Time to do our Part

August 13, 2020: Real leadership means doubling down on the importance of having a free and fair election, taking a data-based posture on how best to achieve that during a grave public health crisis, thoughtfully noting the challenges before us, and implementing the solutions we know can ensure election integrity…Read more.

(WebWire) Starbucks Unveils Plan to Support Partner and Customer Voter Engagement

August 28, 2020: “Our military literally fights for the protection of American democracy, and as veterans, we continue that fight out of uniform,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA…Read more.

(Restaurant Business) Starbucks Wants its Customers and Employees to Vote 

August 27, 2020: Starbucks is working with a handful of organizations on the effort, including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America…Read more.

(Military.com) VA Secretary Moves to Block Gender-Neutral Change to Motto

August 26, 2020: “Changing a few words in the motto would not be a disservice to Lincoln’s legacy,” said Tom Porter, Executive VP of IAVA…Read more.

(The Hill) It’s Time for VA to Consider a New Motto

August 12, 2020: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has made changing the VA’s motto one of its priorities, and earlier this month, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs passed a bill out of committee with bipartisan support that would replace VA’s motto with gender-neutral language…Read more.

(Florida Daily) Michael Waltz, Deb Haaland Call on Defense Department to Close Child Care Gaps for Military Families

August 10, 2020: Last week, U.S. Reps. Michael Waltz, R-FL and Deb Haaland, D-NM led the charge on Capitol Hill in calling on the Pentagon to close child care gaps for military families. A host of groups including the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America have backed the proposal. Read more.

(AP News) Nearly 1 in 4 VA Employees Report Sex Harassment, Audit Says

July 22, 2020: A study released by the VA last year found 1 in 4 women veterans using VA health care reported inappropriate comments by male veterans on VA grounds, raising concerns they may delay or miss their treatments. The VA also has rebuffed efforts by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America…Read more.

(Military.com) Full Senate to Take Up ‘Deborah Sampson’ Landmark Bill on Female Veterans’ Health

August 6, 2020: A landmark bill designed to improve women’s health services in the Department of Veterans Affairs took a step closer to becoming law. “The specific needs of women veterans are not being met,” IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler said after passage in the House…Read more.

(NPR) Trump Administration Clears For-Profit Colleges To Register Veterans Again

July 16, 2020: For the second time in two months the Trump administration has sided with the for-profit college industry over a key constituency: veterans. In May, the president vetoed a bipartisan bill promoting debt forgiveness for veterans who were defrauded by for-profit schools. Now, the Department of Veterans Affairs is allowing several repeat-offending schools access to GI Bill money.

(Daily Mail) ‘We are the faces of military sexual trauma and assault’: Women in the Army share their own stories of sexual harassment and assault saying #IAmVanessaGuillen after remains are found during the search for the missing soldier

July 7, 2020: Private First-Class Guillen, 20, has been missing for two months and was last seen at the Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Texas on April 22. She disappeared shortly after she told her family she was being sexually harassed by an unnamed sergeant and felt unsafe…Read more.

(Daily Mail) Green Beret, 34, described as the real ‘Captain America’ who served six tours in Afghanistan kills himself in front of his wife after landing job at Pentagon

July 11, 2020: Much of the effort will need congressional action, as well as cooperation from governors and local groups juggling priorities of public safety and health in a pandemic. Veterans’ groups and some lawmakers said Trump’s plan doesn’t go far enough. Jeremy Butler, the CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, applauded the effort but said he was disappointed by a lack of direct action to address root causes, such as fixing barriers to education and jobs, improving housing opportunities and expanding access to health care.

(Military Times) Coronavirus cases among Veterans Affairs patients tripled in June

July 1, 2020: The number of active coronavirus cases among Department of Veterans Affairs patients tripled in June, with more than 4,100 active cases at 138 medical sites spread across the country.

(Military Times) Russian bounties on American troops further strain Trump’s bond with veterans

July 1, 2020: Trump’s relationship with the nation’s military community has been frequently strained. But just four months before the November election, reports that he either ignored, or was unaware of, a Russian plot to kill U.S. troops could intensify the tension and create new political risks.