WASHINGTON – This week the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. announced its 2014 Legislative Priority Goals for the second session of the 113th Congress. Each year the VFW outlines its priority goals to maintain and improve quality of life and benefit programs for service members, veterans and their families. The 2014 priority goals are based on resolutions approved at this year’s 114th VFW National Convention in Louisville, Ky.
The new priority goals include advocating for advance funding for all Department of Veterans Affairs programs; protecting quality of life programs for military veterans, service members, retirees and their families; improving transition assistance programs for separating service members and veterans; and continued oversight and improvements to the VA disability claims system.
“For more than a century, veterans’ advocacy has been a cornerstone of the VFW’s service to our fellow veterans,” said VFW National Commander William A. Thien, “and our advocates will continue to fight in 2014 to help ensure veterans, service members and their families aren’t used to balance the federal government’s budget.”
Among the many VFW successes over the past year were critical improvements to VA’s consumer resources for student veterans, the creation of a new Stolen Valor Act and the reinstatement of military tuition assistance programs, but VFW advocates know there are still many challenges to overcome in the new year, such as efforts to change the military retirement system, reduce retiree and medically-retired pay, close stateside commissaries, and other threats to veteran and military quality of life programs and benefits.
In 2013 alone, VFW’s Action Corps generated tens of thousands of e-mails and phone calls to every congressional office, and their grassroots advocacy will required even more in 2014.
“VFW advocates must remain ever vigilant and continue to make sure their elected officials and the public never forgets the service and sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform and their families,” said Thien.
Download the VFW’s 2014 Legislative Priority Goals here. Sign up for the VFW Action Corps and Washington Weekly at http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm.