National Commander Message
Daniel Contreras, Commander
Advocacy starts with you
For over a century, DAV has led the way in advocating for the needs of our nation’s disabled veterans. From working to protect veterans benefits to advancing care and programs that ensure promises are kept to veterans and their families, caregivers and survivors, DAV continues to be a powerful voice for those who served.
On Page 14 of this magazine, you’ll read about DAV’s critical policy goals—but you may not realize that some these goals originate from all of you at the chapter and department levels. This grassroots approach makes our advocacy efforts unique, as it requires direct input from our members to help us keep driving positive change.
DAV’s legislative advocacy would not be possible without member engagement and participation in DAV’s annual resolution process. DAV resolutions are the first step in supporting our veterans and their families and identifying the most pressing issues they face.
A good number of DAV resolutions originate with our professional staff and are further developed by our interim committees before being considered for adoption by our convention committees. But for DAV members, this process starts at the local chapter level before moving on to the state department level and then the national level, where resolutions are voted on during the DAV national convention each year. Adopted resolutions make up DAV’s annual legislative program and allow the organization to endorse critical veteran-related federal legislation.
The resolution-making process provides a framework for advocacy throughout the year. Resolutions establish DAV’s official stance on specific issues, promote unity and direction among our members, hold us accountable for progress, generate public awareness of veterans’ issues, and empower DAV members by giving them a voice and platform.
If you are a DAV member and unfamiliar with how to create a resolution, we are here to support you. If you are attending our annual mid-winter conference in Washington, D.C., Feb. 23–26, I highly encourage you to attend the workshop on how to create a resolution. If you cannot attend in person, online training on the resolution process is available at dav.org/about-dav/legislation/legislative-webinars.
Besides being active in the resolution-making process, we must continue to show our strength in numbers so our elected officials understand our priorities and needs. Remember, the easiest way to stay informed about critical issues is through DAV CAN (Commander’s Action Network) at davcan.org. You don’t need to be a DAV member to be a part of DAV CAN, so please encourage anyone you know to join and lend a voice to our cause.
The future for veterans is not without its challenges, but together, we will accomplish amazing things for veterans and their families
If you want to find out more about the National Commander, you can find his biography here.