VVA President John Rowan to Senate Leadership: Hold a Floor Vote for S. 2921 Now

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VVA President John Rowan to Senate Leadership: Hold a Floor Vote for S. 2921 Now

#1 Postby boardman » Sat Jun 11, 2016 10:06 am

VVA President John Rowan to Senate Leadership: Hold a Floor Vote for S. 2921 Now

(Washington, D.C.)–“The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has done its job,” said John Rowan, National President of Vietnam Veterans of America, “and now it is time for Senate leadership to hold a floor vote on S. 2921, the Veterans First Act, which VVA fully endorses.

“This legislation embraces S. 901, the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2016, which is, for us, the most important piece of veterans’ legislation since the Agent Orange Act was enacted in 1991,” Rowan said. “It will help ensure that the offspring of all veterans from all eras, who have been exposed to toxic substances while serving our nation in uniform, will benefit from peer-reviewed, epidemiological research into illnesses associated with a parent’s military service.”

S. 2921 will also extend caregiver benefits to catastrophically injured veterans who served prior to 9/11, and it will grant the necessary leasing authority so that development of the West LA Veterans Affairs Campus can proceed apace in providing housing and other services for homeless veterans, men and women who, for decades, have needed these services.

“Vietnam Veterans of America fully supports S. 2921,” Rowan said. “And we will do our utmost to ensure that the bill is enacted into black-letter law.”
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Chairman of Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs Urges Colleagues to Support S.2921, the Veterans First Act

#2 Postby boardman » Tue Jun 14, 2016 9:13 am

Chairman of Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs Urges Colleagues to Support S.2921, the Veterans First Act

United States Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs

Majority News

Isakson Urges Colleagues to Support Veterans First Act In Wake of Justice Dept. Refusal to Defend Law Holding VA Executives Accountable

Says bipartisan legislation 'once and for all ends the hide-and-go-seek that takes place in the VA'
Thursday, June 9, 2016

WASHINGTON -- In the wake of the Justice Department's refusal to defend current law against a constitutional challenge by a convicted felon at the center of the Phoenix VA wait-time scandal, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, today called on his Senate colleagues to support his bipartisan legislation to strengthen accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Isakson's Veterans First Act, which passed the Senate VA Committee unanimously, makes it easier for the VA secretary to remove employees at all levels of the department and would have avoided the constitutional challenge by the convicted Phoenix VA executive who is seeking her job back after being fired over the horrendous scandal in which veterans died while on waiting lists to see doctors.

Isakson delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

"Last week the Attorney General of the United States of America sent a letter to Kevin McCarthy, the majority leader of the United States House of Representatives, to inform Mr. McCarthy and all of us that she would not defend the administration on the constitutional challenge to the firing of Sharon Helman, the former director of the Phoenix VA Health Care System -- a firing that took place because employees under her supervision had manipulated books and overseen the manipulation of appointments to the point where as many as 40 veterans waiting in line to get their first appointment died before they were ever seen by the VA.

"She was convicted by a court of law for taking illegal gratuities in her position as director of the hospital. She filed a constitutional challenge to whether or not the administration had the ability to fire her constitutionally. And Loretta Lynch has said she's not going to defend the United States of America or the law that we passed called the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act, which calls for the firing of employees by the secretary of VA for cause.

"Today in Phoenix it was announced that the VA is firing three more employees of the VA hospital, yet in the shadow of that, Loretta Lynch is telling America she is not going to defend the country on carrying out laws that we passed in this body and the president of the United States signed.

"There is a solution to this problem, Mr. President. It's called the Veterans First Act -- written originally by 15 members of the Senate, all members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, and has been signed and cosponsored by 43 members of the Senate -- that once and for all ends the hide-and-go-seek that takes place in the VA. It takes the VA out from under the Merit Systems Protection Board for all senior executive leadership. In other words, the over 400 senior executives in the VA now protected by the Merit Systems Protection Board no longer would be protected by that board but instead would be subject to the secretary's firing or the secretary's hiring and any appeal for action taken by the secretary will be to the secretary, not to the Merit Systems Protection Board.

"The American people and the brave veterans who have fought and sacrificed for this country deserve the right to know that if they are injured by the VA or if the VA is not carrying out what it's supposed to do for them, that we will take action and we will be effective.

"I resent the fact that the attorney general of the United States of America has chosen not to defend a constitutional challenge to the bill which this Congress passed and our president signed to give authority to the secretary, Bob McDonald, and who ever would follow him as secretary of the VA.

"But that's not the only thing in the Veterans First Act. For the first time ever, we're going to give caregiver benefits to Vietnam-era veterans who today can't get the same benefits that post-9/11 veterans get. That's been wrong and we're fixing that.

"We're dealing with the opioid problem that started in Tomah hospital in Wisconsin and correcting that and putting in good standards for the use of opiates and the prescription of them in therapies to get people off opiate addiction.

"We're cleaning up the mental health access situation to improve mental health access for all of our veterans.

"We're giving the type of discipline to the leaders of the VA to see to it our hospitals are run like they should be, our the veterans get the services they deserve and our veterans who have returned home after fighting for us have the best quality health care and the most responsive health care system we can possibly give.

"I urge the president of the Senate, the other members of the Senate, to join with me when our bill comes to the floor and pass the Veterans First Act which brings about real accountability in the VA, real choice for the veterans, real care for our Vietnam veterans, real address the opioid problem, and first and foremost, a comprehensive reform of the VA that hasn't taken place in decades."

Background:

Last week, the Justice Department announced that it would not defend part of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, called the Veterans Choice Act for short, against a constitutional challenge from Sharon Helman, the former director of the Phoenix VA Health Care system who was fired in the wake of the wait-time scandal.

Helman sued for her job back, saying the Veterans Choice Act is unconstitutional, partly because it does not allow executives to appeal to the full Merit Systems Protection Board, only to an administrative judge at the board. The Justice Department agreed with this claim, arguing that current law violates the Appointments Clause of the Constitution because the administrative judges are not presidentially appointed whereas members of the Board are.

Isakson's Veterans First Act removes the Merit Systems Protection Board from the appeal process for senior executives altogether, avoiding this constitutionality challenge.

###

The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress.

Isakson is a veteran himself -- having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 -- and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson's home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.
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Re: VVA President John Rowan to Senate Leadership: Hold a Floor Vote for S. 2921 Now

#3 Postby boardman » Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:27 am

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Message from John Rowan, VVA National President

June 22, 2016
5th Call-in Day on the Hill

On behalf of Vietnam Veterans of America Board of Directors, we are requesting that on June 22, at 9:00 am, you call your Senators to ask for their support in bringing S. 2921, the Veterans First Act, to the Senate floor for a vote and passage.

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has done its job as I stated in my June 9 press release supporting the bill, and NOW it is time for Senate leadership to hold a floor vote on S. 2921, the Veterans First Act.

It is all about the one-minute phone call. Let your politicians know that you are watching and that you care.

Passage and enactment of S.2921 will begin to address the legacy of toxic exposures on the innocent victims and enhance benefits and services to those who answered our nation’s call in defense of our Constitution-- our Nation’s Veterans.

This is one of our last battles­Losing is not an option.

Make the call on June 22, 2016
John Rowan
National President/CEO
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Senate floor vote expected on S.2921, the Veterans First Act

#4 Postby boardman » Wed Jun 29, 2016 8:41 am

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Senate floor vote expected on S.2921, the Veterans First Act

VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA - LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

June 28, 2016

Senate Veterans Affairs Chairman and colleagues speaks out on the need to pass S.2921, The Veterans First Act

Congrats, as a direct results of your calls and tweets on the hill June 22, 2016, U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, John Boozman, R-Ark., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in the afternoon session held the Senate floor for forty-five minutes discussing the importance of passing the Veterans First Act on Wednesday, June 22, 2016. http://www.veterans.senate.gov/newsroom ... first-act_

Click hear to watch the Senators remarks

Senator Isakson expects to bring S.2921, to the floor of the Senate before the July 4 break. We need to keep up the momentum, VVA urges you to take action now! Go to our Legislative Action site at http://capwiz.com/vva/home/ , enter your Zip Code, and send the prepared letter requesting your U.S. Senators contact the Senate Majority and Minority leadership supporting a floor vote and passage of .2921, the Veterans First Act.

U.S. Senate debates on the floor H.R. 2577 Mil-Con VA 2017 funding bill

Today June 28, 2016 at 2:15 pm the U.S. Senate Debates Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Spending Bill conference report for H.R. 2577, the combined Transportation and Housing Spending bill with the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Spending bill, which includes Zika virus funding. Watch live at -
http://www.c-span.org/video/?411915-2/u ... nding-bill

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing

Vietnam Veterans of America testifies before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on June 29, 2016 at 2:30 pm. The hearing is open to the public; will be held in in room 418 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. http://www.veterans.senate.gov/hearings ... on06292016
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"The Big 6" United Behind Veterans First Act

#5 Postby boardman » Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:31 am

"The Big 6" United Behind Veterans First Act

(Washington, D.C.)--The Veterans Service Organizations who are most often called before Congress for testimony on the state of Veterans Affairs, known in D.C. as "The Big 6," are joining together to call on the Senate to vote on the Veterans First Act. While each has been engaged separately in traditional methods of calling for votes--such as letter-writing and email campaigns-- they're maximizing the power of social media to expand their outreach and get more veterans engaged.

"We've recognized that Congress is starting to respond to pressure from social media, so we are doing the best we can to optimize the impact each of our members has by enlisting them to assist in less traditional ways. While Twitter may not be used by most Vietnam veterans on a regular basis, our kids and our grandkids use it. Our families will be helped most by the Toxic Exposure Research provisions within the Veterans First Act, and we are glad to bring them into the fold so they can help us let the Senate know that we all deserve a vote.”--John Rowan, National President, Vietnam Veterans of America

“The VFW strongly supports passage of the Veterans First Act because it rightfully eliminates arbitrary eligibility requirements to ensure family caregivers of veterans from all eras receive the recognition and support they deserve. It requires the VA to research the association between toxic exposures and adverse health effects among the descendants of exposed veterans, and it makes urgently needed improvements to the choice program, which would ensure veterans who receive care from private sector doctors are not erroneously billed for that care.”--Robert E. Wallace, VFW Executive Director.

“The provision within the Veterans First Act that allows for the expansion of the Family Caregiver Program is a top priority for Paralyzed Veterans of America members. Caregivers are life-sustaining for veterans with a spinal cord or disease. They are the most critical component of our rehabilitation and eventual recovery, and their well-being directly impacts the quality of care provided to veterans. Caregivers for veterans of all wartimes should be provided with adequate benefits and resources, yet caregivers of pre-9/11 are made to bear the responsibility­and the toll it takes on their own personal and professional lives­alone. We urge the prompt passage of this legislation so that this inequity will finally be addressed.”-- Sherman Gillums, Jr, Paralyzed Veterans of America Executive Director

“The American Legion stands with our sister Veteran Service Organizations to support the Veterans First Act. This bipartisan legislation has one third of the senate as cosponsors and will ensure that veterans have access to a Department of Veterans Affairs that maintains accountability, organized leadership, and parity of services for all generations of caregivers.”--Verna Davis, Executive Director, The American Legion

“DAV strongly supports Senate passage of the Veterans First Act, which would extend comprehensive caregiver support to veterans of all eras. The legislation would also increase veterans' options for long-term care through medical foster homes; enhance VA's efforts to recruit and retain the best and brightest medical professionals; reform claims and appeals processing by creating a fully developed appeals pilot program; and make dozens of other positive changes to improve the lives of the men and women who served. DAV looks forward to working together with leaders in both chambers of Congress, the VA, and other key stakeholders to enact comprehensive legislation to help keep the promise to all eras of America's veterans.”--Garry J. Augustine, Executive Director, Disabled American Veterans

The AMVETS family is in full support of the Veterans First Act. Eliminating arbitrary eligibility requirements is crucial to ensuring family caregivers of veterans from all eras receive the support they deserve and need. We support the mandate on VA to research the association between toxic exposures and health effects among exposed veterans’ offspring.”--Joe Chenelly, Executive Director, AMVETS

The Big 6 Veteran Service Organizations are asking their members, families, and supporters to join them during this campaign by using the hashtag #Vote4Vets1st in our Twitter Storm. The Veterans First Act is a bipartisan effort to improve accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs, provide critical benefits to veterans in need, and improve existing programs. The veterans’ community deserves a vote on the Senate floor before Congress is dismissed for summer recess. In order for the Department of Veterans Affairs to fulfill Lincoln’s promise “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan,” they must prioritize veterans over politics and pass the Veterans First Act.
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Contact your Senator NOW in support of S. 2921 the Veterans First Act

#6 Postby boardman » Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:06 am

Contact your Senator NOW in support of S. 2921 the Veterans First Act

Take Action! (http://capwiz.com/vva/issues/alert/?ale ... 1265331186)

VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA LEGISLATIVE ALERT

July 12, 2016

Your grassroots advocacy is working - And we need your Help Again!

The legislative language of S. 901, the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015, introduced by Senators Jerry Moran (KS) and Richard Blumenthal (CT), has been included in S. 2921, the Veterans First Act, under Title II, Subtitle I, “Research and Toxic Exposure. ” S. 2921 was introduced by Senators Johnny Isakson (GA), Chairman, and Richard Blumenthal (CT), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. VVA supports this legislation.

The bill has 44 cosponsors

On May 12, S. 2921 was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar, under General Orders Calendar No. 467, for a floor vote. However, if this bill does not move, our chances of getting the Toxic Exposure Research Act and other veterans issues in the bill -- such as expanding Caregivers benefits to Vietnam Veterans and providing leasing authority for the West LA Veterans Affairs Campus to provide housing for homeless veterans -- enacted into law in this, the second session of the 114th Congress, is less than hopeful.

We need your support to move this bill to the Senate floor for a vote and passage.

VVA urges you to Take Action NOW by entering your zip code and send the prepared letter requesting your U. S. Senators contact Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada asking that S. 2921, the Veterans First Act, be moved to the floor of the Senate for vote and passage before the scheduled summer recess.

Passage of the Toxic Exposure Research Act into law is one of our most important efforts in ensuring that future military service generations learn from our experience, and that our offspring receive the respect and consideration for the sacrifices and pain that they endure from illnesses associated with a parent's exposure to toxic substances during service in the United States military.

Please, follow up on your letter with a call or visit to their state office.
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