A Powerful Message to Congress

2011 June May THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS AND DAV AUXILIARY A Powerful Message to Congress Veterans’ Care Progress Threatened PAGE 3 Veterans Budget Outlook Uncertain PAGE 6 Mid-Winter Highlights, 2011 Right, DAV leaders spread out across Capitol Hill to present the organization’s legislative goals to their elected representatives in Congress. Bottom right, National Commander Wallace E. Tyson, presents a certificate of appreciation to Golden Corral National Events Manager Dolly Mercer for helpings raise more than $5 million in 10 years to support local DAV service initiatives. Bottom left, retiring National Service and Legislative Headquarters Executive Director David W. Gorman, left, accepts an award of appreciation from VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki for more than 40 years of service to disabled veterans and their families. Top left, a veteran visits Marilyn Algire, RN at the VA health fair during the Mid-Winter Conference in Washington, D.C. A Sacred Obligation WALLACE E. TYSON from the NATIONAL COMMANDER During the 2011 Mid-Winter Conference, National Commander Wallace E. Tyson delivered the DAV’s National Legislative Program to a joint session of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees. Commander Tyson called upon lawmakers to honor America’s sacred obligation to veterans and educate newly-elected committee members about the DAV’s mission of service and advocacy. Following are highlights of the Commander’s presentation which received enthusiastic applause and a standing ovation from the hundreds of DAV and Auxiliary members gathered for the event. n behalf of the more than 1.5 million meaningful, reasonable and responsible public Omembers of the Disabled American Vet- policy for service-disabled veterans. It has been erans and its Auxiliary, I am honored for this at the heart of who we are and what we do to opportunity to testify before the Senate and fulfill our sacred obligation to America’s brave House Veterans’ Affairs Committees. Please men and women who have served in our armed allow me to share a bit more about who we are, forces during times of war and conflict. what we do and how we can be of assistance to Each year, our corps of National Service members of these Committees, both in Wash- Officers, all of whom are wartime service- ington and back home in your states. disabled veterans, represent about 200,000 This great organization was formed because individuals in their claims for benefits from our country struggled with how to deal with the VA. Among all organizations representing the painful effects experienced by injured veterans, DAV helps by far the largest number and disabled individuals who returned home of veteran claimants annually. Our NSOs are following World War I. There was no single responsible for ensuring that disabled veterans government program like today’s Department and their families receive all of the benefits they of Veterans Affairs. Rather, there were several have earned through their service and sacrifice. different bureaus and agencies charged with Our highly trained and dedicated NSOs the responsibility for veterans, and coordina- provide free representation to any veteran or tion among them was almost nonexistent. As their dependents and survivors. In April 2005, a result, veterans suffered as they were unable a newspaper investigated the VA accreditation to obtain the benefits and services they had process and the veterans service organizations’ earned through their military service. training programs. The DAV was the only In the 91 years since the DAV was founded, organization that provided an extensive train- we have remained faithful to our sole mission ing and continuing education program, which of building better lives for our nation’s wartime qualifies for ten college credit hours. service-disabled veterans, their families and DAV also has a Transition Service Program survivors. Part of that mission is advocating for to provide benefits counseling and assistance (Continued on page 28) MAY/JUNE 2011 1 May/June 2011 CONTENTS Veterans Budget Outlook Uncertain National Commander Wallace PAGE 6 1 E. Tyson’s powerful message to Congress National Adjutant Arthur H. 3 Wilson sees potential threats to VA health care progress DAV 90th Convention New Orleans, LA PAGE 13 DAV’s service earns praise from disabled veteran’s 5 Our Cover: Wallace E. Tyson spouse National Com- National Commander mander, Wallace E. Tyson, delivers Austere atmosphere in testimony to the Arthur H. Wilson Washington makes veterans House and Senate National Adjutant & Publisher 6 Veterans’ Affairs budget outlook uncertain Committees. Daniel J. Clare National Director Veterans committees shuffled of Communications 9 after fall election David E. Autry Deputy National Director Report from 2011 Mid-Winter of Communications 10 Conference Thomas L. Wilborn Assistant National Director Membership Director urges of Communications 12 Chapters to be involved in their communities Rob Lewis Marketing & Special Events MAGAZINE • May/June 2011 Manager Contact Us: www.dav.org • Toll Free 877.426.2838 • New Orleans hosts DAV 90th 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076 Volume 53, Issue 3, DAV Magazine (ISSN 0885-6400) Editorial Joseph Chenelly 13 Convention Office: DAV Magazine, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301. Telephone (859) 441-7300 or toll free Assistant National Director (877) I AM A VET. Published and circulated bimonthly of Communications bulletin by the Disabled American Veterans, a Con- Columbia Trust marks 15 years gressionally-chartered, nonprofit organization, P.O. 15 of service support Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301. DAV Home James A. Chaney Page is www.dav.org. Available on recording for Production Manager the blind and those with physical handicaps that preclude reading printed material. The magazine is mailed free to DAV and Auxiliary members who are paid subscribers. Nonmembers may subscribe for $15.00 per year. Periodical postage paid at office of publication, Newport, KY 41071, and at additional offices. Printed in U.S.A. Change of Address: When notifying a change of address, send former as well as new address, including zip code, to: DAV Magazine, DAV National Headquarters, P.O. Box 145550, Cin- cinnati, OH 45250-5550. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DAV Magazine, DAV National Headquar- ters, P.O. Box 145550, Cincinnati, OH 45250-5550. Veterans’ Care Progress Threatened ARTHUR H. WILSON from the NATIONAL ADJUTANT Crucial reforms and policy changes that have enabled the Department of Veterans Affairs to be a leader in cost-effective, patient-centered health care could be threatened as deficit hawks in Congress look for ways to control federal spending. lthough no specific proposals have been medicine. As a result, veterans are more likely Amade public, options being discussed to receive recommended care than Americans on Capitol Hill include freezing funding for as a whole, according to researchers. VA medical services and limiting care to the The transformation of the VHA is clearly so-called core group of veterans. the most encouraging health policy story If such a rollback of veterans medical care of the past two decades. It has been highly were to happen, the results could be devastat- successful in containing costs, yet provides ing. It would turn back the clock to the bad excellent care. If other health care providers old days before the VA’s transformation from followed the VA’s example, it would be a ma- an acute care, limited access model to a mod- jor step toward improving the quality of care ern, integrated system that delivers a full range across the U.S. health care system. of top-quality medical and preventive care to a The VA’s success in improving quality, broader patient base. safety and value stems from reforms in the The DAV and the entire veterans com- mid-1990s that created a universal, inte- munity fought long and hard to reform the grated system. Because the system has nearly VA health care system decades ago. Thanks a lifetime relationship with its patients, it has to our efforts and the foresight of the depart- a greater incentive to invest in prevention and ment’s top leadership at the time, the Veterans more effective disease management. Therefore, Health Administration has evolved into the the VA isn’t just saving money for somebody largest integrated health system in the United else; it’s making the maximum use of its own States that is by all accounts one of the best- resources. That allows the VA to pursue qual- performing and most cost-effective elements ity systematically while still maintaining its in the American medical establishment. other capabilities. Patients treated in veterans hospitals receive Although the VA has slammed the door consistently better care across the board, on its tarnished reputation of the past, and including screening, diagnosis, treatment and delivers a high level of quality while managing follow-up, as compared to other systems. A to avoid much of the huge cost increases that major difference is in the area of preventive have plagued the rest of U.S. medicine, we have (Continued on page 27) MAY/JUNE 2011 3 More Bureaucracy for to write the Treasury Department and Disabled Vets my congressional representatives and make them aware of my displeasure. The Veterans Small Business Verifica- I hope you will join me. Jim Duffy, tion Act requires the VA to verify the Altamont, NY business status of a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Amputee Recalls (SDVOSB). This program is the VA’s Prosthetic Changes response to those who misrepresent their businesses as SDVOSBs. The Nice to read about the story you had number and types of documents re- in the March/April issue about “Viet- quired are excessive, expensive and nam Amputee Research.” As a DAV very tedious to produce. How about Life Member, I too am a Vietnam putting people in jail then publicizing combat veteran who became an it as a deterrent instead of generating amputee because of the war.

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