Letter from our CEO

When I answered the call to be IAVA’s CEO two years ago, I hoped I could contribute to the incredible legacy of an organization that has long been a change maker for millions of America’s veterans. This year alone we have been fighting through a global pandemic, a national veteran suicide epidemic, underemployment, and many more challenges disproportionately impacting post-9/11 veterans.

Our work in DC this year has been second to none. We supported over 100 pieces of legislation, met with more than 300 elected officials and spearheaded lasting change for veterans and their families. We had major wins on topics from suicide prevention to burn pits and toxic exposures. We celebrated passage of our most important legislation to date, the Deborah Sampson Act. This win was the culmination of our four-year campaign to recognize and support women veterans.

In 2020 we rebranded and relaunched our Quick Reaction Force (formerly the Rapid Response Referral Program). The newly designed program has afforded us expanded capacity and, as a direct result of the change, we helped over 2,400 veterans directly. In 2020 we also launched a newly designed website on IAVA.org, a look that is fresh and vibrant like our community.

If 2020 has been any real indicator of our community character, we should all be proud of our resilience. Looking back at 2020, we have had a tough year, and I believe, together, through our resilience we have laid the foundation for many years of success ahead.

Onward in good health -Jeremy

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IAVA in DC

Since its founding in 2004, IAVA has remained the preeminent organization fighting, and winning, the most important battles in America on behalf of post-9/11 veterans and their families. 2020 was among our most impactful years ever.

Below we will highlight in more detail our success around women veterans and suicide prevention. However, we had incredible wins on all of our BIG 6 bipartisan issues that matter to veterans that must be celebrated.

• In October the Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act and Veterans Care Quality Transparency Act both passed into law.
• IAVA joined coalitions and advised members of congress on vital legislation designed to end the practice of and treat the victims of burn pits and other toxic exposures, the downstream benefits of which will be experienced for years to come.
• In March a bill passed ensuring a full housing allowance for GI Bill users who saw their allowances cut in half due to COVID forcing classes online.

BIG WINS IN THE FIGHT TO END VETERAN SUICIDE

Death by suicide is the single biggest threat facing the veteran community. In the United States we lose 132 citizens a day to suicide, of whom 20 are veterans. This means that 15% of the deaths by suicide are veterans, however only 1% of Americans have served in the military. Statistically, as a representation of population, we should be only losing 1.32 veterans a day (which is still far too many) but instead we are losing 20!

In 2020, we made some important headway with critical legislation to more effectively provide support and access to resources to reduce veteran suicide:

• Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, the most comprehensive veteran suicide bill to date was passed into law in October.
• National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which created a national 911 equivalent phone number for suicidal ideation that will roll out nationwide. The new number is 988 and was passed into law in October.
• Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act, which provides necessary tools and resources to VA Suicide Prevention Coordinators passed into law in October.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2021: BURN PITS AND TOXIC EXPOSURES MUST BE ADDRESSED

DEBORAH SAMPSON ACT

In 2017 IAVA launched #SHEWHOBORNETHEBATTLE, a campaign to recognize and support women veterans. IAVA was the first and for a long time, the only Veterans Service Organization demanding change in the quality of care of our women veterans. We told stories, wrote op-eds and we executed a grassroots campaign advocating for legislative changes that forced quality of care improvements for our nation’s women veterans. In December 2020, the Deborah Sampson Act, legislation conceived of and written by IAVA passed into law, and our nation’s veterans are better for it.

The VA motto was adopted in 1959, a quote taken from President Lincoln’s 1865 inaugural address in which he affirmed the government’s obligation to care for those injured and to provide for the families of those who perished on the battle field: “To Care For Him Who Shall Have Borne the Battle and For His Widow, and His Orphan”. The motto was outdated in 1959 and it is harmfully outdated today. As written, the quote does not reflect nor does it represent all of those who have served our country. Women have always been part of our military and, for far too long, have not received the recognition nor support they earned.

Changing the VA motto is more than a symbolic gesture – words have meaning. Changing the VA motto to one that reflects the diversity of veterans that the Department serves would send a powerful message that the VA is truly an open and a welcoming organization that will continually adapt to best support all who have borne the battle.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2021: THE VA’S OUTDATED MOTTO MUST BE CHANGED TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE

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