VFW Priority Goals 2012 - Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

VFW 2012 Priority Goals

Download VFW's Priority Goals

VA Healthcare
- Insist Congress provide sufficient funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs so it continues providing the highest quality care to wounded, ill and injured veterans.
- Ensure Congress provides sufficient funding for VA research into the identification, prevention and treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and other wounds to the mind, exploring alternative treatment options.
- Urge Congress to keep women’s issues at the forefront of legislation to continually improve availability and access to VA programs, services and specialists.
- Oppose all efforts to eliminate or reduce presumptive service-connected conditions for wounded, ill and injured veterans, as well as to defeat any proposal that would lock out or increase fees on VA Priority Group 7 and 8 veterans.
- Provide adequate funding to maintain current building structures and continue to reduce the backlog of critical infrastructure gaps.
Suicide & Homelessness
- Address the national crisis where 18 veterans commit suicide every day by ensuring that Congress properly fund DOD and VA awareness and support programs.
- Push Congress to properly oversee and fund homeless programs by increasing per diem rates, providing education and career training opportunities and making available substance abuse and mental health services.
- Ensure available permanent housing solutions for all homeless veterans—especially female veterans with children
VA Compensation & Benefits
- Urge Congress to use its funding and oversight authority to require the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) to reduce the claims backlog while improving the overall quality of ratings decisions.
- Call on Congress to require VA to install an IT infrastructure that will help transform VA into a 21st century agency. A timely, accurate claim should be what every veteran, service member and eligible family member receives.
Seamless Transition
- Demand the creation of one integrated electronic medical and service record that will follow service members from the time they raise their right hands to the time they are buried in a VA cemetery.
- Urge Congress and the Administration to improve Transition Assistance Programs to help new veterans successfully transition into civilian life.

Check out late-breaking legislative issues: VFW on the Hill blog.

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