Issue Briefs
DAV’s Legislative Priorities
To help educate legislators, candidates and agencies, we have outlined below a range of issues facing veterans that need to be addressed.
If you have any questions for DAV’s legislative team, please contact us at (202) 554-3501 or [email protected].
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Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water
The 30-day requirement must be eliminated as this restriction negatively impacts veterans and is not based on any science.
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Caregiver
Congress must hold VA accountable to fully and faithfully implement the improvements and expansion of PCAFC mandated by the MISSION Act to all severely injured veterans.
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Electronic Health Record Modernization
VA must continue modernizing its information systems to make them more interoperable with other care systems and aid in the exchange of information between VA, its Community Care Network and with veterans, which is critical to successfully developing an integrated health care network.
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Eliminate Longevity Military Retired Pay and VA Compensation Offsets
DAV urges Congress to enact legislation to repeal the inequitable offset between rightfully earned longevity military retired pay and VA disability compensation for all veterans.
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Improve Survivor Benefits
DAV urges Congress to enact S. 414 and H.R. 1083.
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K2 Exposure
Congress by statute, or VA by regulation, needs to recognize the toxic exposures at K2 and concede exposure to all of the identified toxins.
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Licensure and Certification Active-Duty Military Personnel
Congress should continue strong oversight of DoD’s programs to better assist members of the armed forces in obtaining professional licensure and certification credentials.
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Meeting Veterans Needs for Long Term Supports and Services
VA should make a sustained commitment to request and allocate sufficient resources for successful LTSS rebalancing, and to adopt appropriate incentives to motivate the rebalancing of VA LTSS.
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Mental Health Services and Suicide Prevention
Congress should require mandatory suicide prevention training for all VA clinical staff and its community care partners to ensure proper screening, intervention counseling (for lethal means safety and substance-use disorders), and treatment for veterans in mental health crises.
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Minority Veterans
VA must investigate methods for increasing diversity among its staff.
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Opioid Medicine
VA should employ a stepped approach for managing pain using intermittently-prescribed opioids as a last resort for patients with acute and chronic pain who have never been prescribed opioids.
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PFAS Contaminated Water on Military Bases
Congress must establish and maintain a registry for eligible individuals who may have been exposed to PFAS to ascertain and monitor the health effects of the exposure of members of the Armed Forces.
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Strengthening Veterans Health Care
VA must remain the primary provider and coordinator of care for veterans who rely upon it to efficiently and effectively support veterans care.
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Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability
Congress must act to ensure that TDIU remains available for all veterans regardless of age or receipt of any other earned federal benefits.
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Toxic Exposures at Fort McClellan
In accordance with DAV Resolution No. 235, we urge Congress to establish a concession of exposure for all veterans who served at Fort McClellan.
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Women Veterans
We urge Congress to conduct oversight, hold hearings, and provide the necessary resources to correct identified deficiencies, gaps in services and improve programs and access to services to meet the unique needs of women veterans.
