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WASHINGTON, D.C. Chairman Roe, Ranking Member Walz, and distinguished members of the Committee, on behalf of the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) and its Auxiliary, thank you for the opportunity to present the VFW’s thoughts on the pending Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. The VFW is the nation’s largest war veterans organizations, with more than 1,900 accredited representatives around the world, representing nearly 500,000 veterans in prosecuting their benefit claims before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). As such, this proposed legislation will have a tremendous impact not only on the members of the VFW, but on all the men and women we serve every day out of VA Regional Offices, military installations, as well as state and county offices.  First, I must clarify that the VFW supports the Committee’s effort to reform and modernize the VA claims and appeals process to better serve the needs of the veterans’ community. Over the years, the VA claims and appeals process has morphed into a bureaucratic leviathan that the average veteran cannot possibly understand. Moreover, for veterans who disagree with their assigned rating decision, they currently have no way to determine whether choosing to appeal is a reasonable course of action without seeking assistance from an accredited representative or legal counsel. Then, should a veteran choose to appeal their decision, exercising their due process rights can take up to five years. To the VFW, this does not seem like a veteran-centric, non-adversarial process. To the VFW, the goal of the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 is to once again build a veteran-centric process that is easy to navigate and protects a veteran’s rights every step of the way. Last year, the VFW was one of more than a dozen veterans’ community stakeholders convened to discuss the way forward in modernizing the VA claims and appeals processes. At the time, the acknowledgement was that the system was cumbersome and no longer satisfied the needs of veterans who rightfully expect timely and accurate rating decisions on the benefits they earned. The resultant product of these discussions is the framework included in this draft legislation, and the VFW is proud to support it. However, we have several questions and recommendations for this Committee to consider before advancing this legislation to ensure that any new claims and appeals framework satisfies the intent of Congress to build a veteran-centric system. In our testimony today, we will discuss the VFW’s perspective on the new claims and appeals framework –– preserving clear and unmistakable error protections; options to adjudicate legacy appeals; and VA reporting requirements.  New Claims and Appeals Framework Through this legislation, Congress will modify the options for veterans to pursue accurate rating decisions prior to filing a formal appeal, while simultaneously preserving their earliest possible effective date. This legislation also directs VA to improve its award notifications for veterans, outlining seven specific pieces of information each decision notice to a veteran shall include. Improved notification letters have been a top priority of the VFW and our partner organizations for years, and we are happy to see the Committee pursue this aggressively. To the VFW, inadequate notification letters have been a fundamental failure in the VA claims process for decades. In their current format, veterans have no reasonable way to understand how VA arrived at their benefit decision, meaning veterans have no way to reasonably conclude whether or not the decision is accurate and whether or not they need to pursue another avenue of recourse.  As accredited representatives, one of our top responsibilities is explaining rating decisions to veterans and deciphering which evidence was used to render a decision and how VA evaluated that evidence. Improved decision notices will put some of this power back into the veteran’s hands, ensuring they are well informed of their rating and how VA arrived at its conclusion. This sets the veteran up for success in navigating the process and has the potential to cut down on appeals where veterans simply may have misunderstood their rating decision.  Coupled with improved notifications, this legislation codifies three specific paths through which veterans can arrive at a fair and understandable rating decision, while preserving the earliest possible effective date. Two of these paths –– higher level review and supplemental claims readjudication –– offer recourse for the veteran without filing a formal appeal, offering the veteran and VA the opportunity to rectify discrepancies before the veteran formalizes an appeal.  Currently, when a veteran receives a rating decision, they must choose whether or not to formally file a notice of disagreement, kicking off a potentially years-long process to arrive at a new decision, sometimes when only small matters of evidence or interpretation of the law need to be addressed. By redesigning appeal options, the process remains non-adversarial as long as possible, and also encourages VA to produce quality rating decisions at the local level, instead of punting more complicated cases for the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) to review.  Critics have called these two new paths at the regional office an “erosion” of veterans’ due process rights. This is an inaccurate assessment that fails to acknowledge that the VA claims process is supposed to be veteran friendly and easily navigable by any veteran who seeks to access his or her earned benefits. Moreover, the new framework actually expands veterans’ due process rights by offering additional recourse at the local level, preserving routes to the BVA and the courts, and preserving a veteran’s right to seek legal counsel after an initial rating decision.  Though the VFW always encourages veterans to seek professional assistance from an accredited representative whenever possible, a perfect system would be one where veterans do not need professional assistance, and certainly do not need to retain a lawyer, simply to claim an earned benefit. The VFW believes this proposed framework –– if properly implemented –– moves veterans more closely to such a system.  To the VFW, the most critical new protection for veterans is the lane in which veterans can continually submit new and relevant evidence to VA within one year of a rating decision and receive a new rating decision on the evidence of record, preserving their original effective date. Coupled with improved notification letters, this option could be a game changer for veterans, resulting in more favorable decisions at the local level.  First, lowering the evidentiary threshold to receive a new rating decision to only new and relevant is an improvement for veterans. The old standard was new and material. While the VFW would prefer that VA only be required to consider new evidence, we support this change which would ease the evidentiary burden for veteran claimants, potentially resulting in more favorable decisions.  Key to the success of this lane is communication among VA, the veteran, and the veteran’s advocate where applicable. If a veteran receives a clear and understandable rating decision, but notices that certain evidence was not contained in the record, they now have an opportunity to formally submit this and receive a new, timely rating decision, instead of pursuing years of a formal, contentious appeal. Moreover, accredited veterans’ advocates now have a new tool to help resolve claims at the earliest possible time, ensuring that their clients receive every benefit they have earned.  To the VFW, this is the best possible outcome. According to VA’s own data, more veterans are seeking out our assistance every year to access their earned benefits. Last year, the VFW took on four new claimants for every claimant we lost.  While we like to tout that this is a testament to the professionalism of our staff, we also know that this kind of growth means that we need to help VA get it right the first time. Prolonging a veteran’s claim is bad all around. It puts unnecessary stress on the veteran and it makes VA look like an irresponsible steward of benefits. At a time when more veterans need access to benefits, the VFW supports offering more non-adversarial recourse at the local level to arrive at quality rating decisions. This is what our veteran clients expect, and this is why we support this new framework.  The VFW also supports the maintenance of two separate dockets at BVA to adjudicate new appeals, though we have persistent concerns about the timeliness of decisions in each docket and the potential disincentive for veterans to pursue an appeal with a hearing. That being said, the VFW supports docket flexibility so that BVA can properly manage its workload and provide veterans with timely decisions. However, in testimony earlier this year, VFW Commander-in-Chief Brian Duffy called for the simultaneous maintenance of five separate dockets at BVA to best reflect the legacy workload as well as the new system workload, including one docket for appeals with no new evidence and no hearing; one for appeals with new evidence but no hearing; and one for appeals with both new evidence and a hearing.  Next, in past discussions, some were concerned that a new framework would erode veterans’ due process rights and have a chilling effect on the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The VFW is happy to see that the Committee worked to address this concern in this legislation, articulating that effective dates of supplemental claims resulting from court decisions will be offered the same protections within one year of the court’s decision. The VFW believes that this is sufficient to retain oversight of BVA decisions and assuage concerns that veterans would be penalized for pursuing their claims through the court system only to lose their effective date.   When the Committee first started discussing the concept of appeals reform for the 115th Congress, the VFW and several of our partner Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) saw this as an opportunity to once again discuss potential conflicts that arose in the initial discussions in 2016. One significant conflict was the ability of veterans with appeals languishing in the legacy system to be able to opt into the new framework. In this legislation, we are pleased to see that the Committee addressed these concerns by articulating formal “off ramps” for legacy appeals to opt into the new system at critical decision points.  To the VFW, this is a benefit to affected veterans and to VA. First, veterans whose appeals have been mired in the old appeals system will have several opportunities to take advantage of new processes, such as submitting new and relevant evidence when their claims are remanded back to the Regional Office. This will allow veterans an opportunity to avoid another lengthy appeal process and allow VA to address the issues at the Regional Office in a timely manner. For VA, the VFW believes this will be a critical tool in helping to adjudicate the backlog of legacy appeals, resulting in more timely, favorable decisions for veterans.  The VFW understands that VA had some concerns about these off ramps and the strain on resources at the local level. The VFW does not share these concerns as VA has the responsibility to adjudicate its workload regardless of where the claim happens to be in the process. Moreover, this reinforces the VFW’s calls on Congress to properly resource Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and BVA to manage their workload. Without proper resources, any claims and appeals framework will fall prey to dangerous backlogs, resulting in unacceptable benefit delays for veterans.  Preserving Clear and Unmistakable Error Protections As with any systemic change, the VFW seeks to avoid unintended consequences. One of the most critical protections offered to veterans in the current claims and appeals framework is the ability to revise rating decisions in which VA has made a clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in its rating decision. While many times veterans must take a remedial claim action within a year of their rating decision to preserve an original effective date, decisions based on CUE can be revised back to the original effective date at any time.  In revisions to the discussion draft, section 5104(c) was added to allow veterans with decisions issued in the one year period prior to the effective date of the modernized appeal system to opt in to the system. This revision adds a section that creates a conflict of law, and we would like to address this now in the statutory language so there is no need for litigation. After the one year period to submit additional evidence or appeal a decision has passed, the decision becomes final and can only be revised in two ways: by submitting new and material evidence (new and relevant under the modernized appeals system); or by submitting a motion to revise a previous decision based on clear and unmistakable error. A motion to revise a previous decision based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE) is not a claim. It has its own authority under section 5109A of title 38 United States Code (USC) for motions filed with respect to a final decision by the agency of original jurisdiction and under section 7111 of title 38 USC for motions filed with respect to a final decision by the Board of Veterans Appeals.   The authority to revise a decision based on CUE is an important vehicle for redressing wrongs in the event that a veteran failed to prosecute his or her claim and the underlying decision was incorrect based on the law at the time of the decision. If a claimant is ill or unable to file a notice of disagreement within a year, the effective date of the claim is lost. In the event that the decision was so off base as to constitute clear and unmistakable error, it is against the interest of justice to disallow a revision of that decision, back to the date that it should have been granted.  Because section 5104(c) of title 38 USC states that the only way to revise a final decision is to file a supplemental claim under section 5108 of title 38 USC or regulations pursuant to this section, it vitiates the authority of section 5109A of title 38 USC and section 7111 of title 38 USC.   The VFW must have assurance from the Committee that nothing in these sections precludes a veteran from filing a request to revise a final rating decision containing a CUE, or filing a notice of disagreement or request for higher level review on such a request. Without this critical due process protection for veterans, the VFW believes that the entire framework for appeals reform fails.  Legacy Appeals Since the first discussions on appeals reform with VA, the VFW has been very clear that any changes to the system must be coupled with aggressive initiatives to adjudicate legacy appeals in a timely manner through both legislative authority and proper resourcing. The VFW had asked for off ramps to allow veterans with legacy appeals to opt into the new process, and we thank the Committee for including these off-ramps in this legislation.  In the 114th Congress, the VFW also supported an initiative to create a fully developed appeals process for veterans in the legacy system. Through fully developed appeals, veterans and their accredited advocates would have an opportunity to submit all relevant evidence and a statement of the argument at the time in which they file a notice of disagreement. The Committee included this in the legislation as a potential option for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to exercise in helping to more quickly adjudicate legacy appeals.  The VFW supports the intent of this position, but we question its value as written pertaining to legacy appeals already included in the appeals backlog. In its current form, it seems that a potential fully developed appeals process would only appeal to new appellants after enactment. This would likely only serve as a stop-gap for any appellants who file within the first six months of enactment of the legislation. The VFW would recommend amending the election criteria to allow for veterans with legacy appeals to elect into a proposed fully developed appeals process at any point after enactment.  Finally, the VFW must stress the importance of properly resourcing BVA and VBA to adjudicate the legacy appeals backlog and the potential influx of supplemental claims and higher level review requests at the VA Regional Office. My predecessor in VFW National Veterans Service, Jerry Manar, used to say that VA liked to play Whack-a-Mole with its pending workload. When initial claims were backlogged, they concentrated resources on initial claims. This has since set off a chain reaction that has resulted in a backlog of appeals and other claim actions at the Regional Office level. Every time there is a crisis, VA has the habit of reallocating its resources to address the latest crisis. This only leads to other crises. VA must be properly resourced to manage its workload if we expect this new framework to succeed.  Planning and Reporting Requirements The VFW supports the inclusion of a 90-day report to Congress on VA’s plans to address legacy appeals, implement its new system, and process claims in the new system in a timely manner. While this planning report may seem extensive, the VFW is very interested in the feedback that VA can provide on its plans to ensure that the new framework is designed to succeed.  One of the most critical points that the VFW supports in the planning proposal is the requirement for VA to report on required resourcing and staffing levels to accomplish its new mission. The VFW is also interested in VA’s estimates on total work load, processing times, and its communication plan to properly inform veterans of changes and criteria to take advantage of new options. The VFW also supports semiannual reports on implementation.  The VFW understands the need for extensive reporting requirements and we agree with the Committee on many of the data points included in the legislation. However, we question the practicality of insisting that VA report on all 22 data points on a monthly basis. The VFW instead recommends that the Committee articulate the timeline on which VA would need to periodically report each data point. For example, the VFW believes that the data points included in Section 5, A through G are standard data points that VA should already be tracking and should be able to report out on a monthly basis.  Next, data points H through K and U deal with supplemental actions on remanded decisions. Understanding the VA workflow, this may not be practical to report on a monthly basis, but instead on a quarterly basis to better analyze data and identify trends.  Finally, data points L through V (omitting U) seem to be long term metrics that would be impractical to track on a monthly basis and would likely only be useful in identifying annual or semi-annual trends. For example, data point M is likely only to yield data once a significant number of veterans have submitted new and relevant evidence in supplemental claims to preserve their effective date over a span of several years.  The VFW was also happy to see that the Committee is asking for extensive reporting from VA on legacy appeals. The VFW supports many of these data points, and has had similar questions about the appeals process over the years –– particularly the disaggregated time that VA waits for a claimant to take action and the time a claimant waits for VA to take action. We believe that this report will help to better understand the pitfalls that led to the appeals backlog and help avoid them in the new framework.  A modernized appeals system must be responsive to future needs of veterans. Veterans benefits date from the beginning of the United States, and our citizens and government have stepped up to care for veterans as the nature of war and society has changed. Judicial review of veterans benefits decisions has been in place for almost thirty years, and a decision this past week by the Federal Circuit in Monk v. Shulkin recognized that veterans have a right to aggregate their appeals into class actions. While this decision does not directly affect the modernized appeals framework, it will also help to eliminate the "hamster wheel" appeals process, and will affect regulations handling new procedural directives from the courts. Congress must maintain close oversight over the timely handling of appeals for veterans who have been waiting the longest. At the same time, the modernized appeals system also needs the oversight of Congress to continually improve the process. We believe the changes proposed in the legislation being considered today would go a long way in forming a more veteran-centric process. But appeals do not exist in a vacuum, and the feedback we receive must drive improvements to the processes used by VA and stakeholders to obtain fair, accurate decisions at the earliest point possible, and improve the quality of life for veterans and their families. The VFW is encouraged by the legislation you are considering today and strongly supports effforts to reform the claims and appeals system to build a more veteran-centric appeals process. For years, we have been stuck in the same place, afraid to take action out of fear we will make the wrong decision. The problem is that if we stay put, the situation will never improve. That is unacceptable for the veterans who deserve timely access to their earned benefits. The VFW believes it is time to improve this process. We encourage the Committee to include the VFW’s recommendations when marking up this legislation, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Committee to advance these critical reforms.  Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I will be happy to answer any questions you or the Committee members may have.

Veterans at 100 VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) across the country are now able to use the new Veteran Appointment Request (VAR) App to request or schedule certain appointments online. VAR is a web application that is also accessible via smartphones, tablets and desktops. Nearly 40 additional VAMCs have started using VAR in the past month, and more are coming online every few weeks. Visit the VA App Store to see where VAR is available. What does this mean for you? If you are a Veteran who receives VA health care, where the VAR App is live, you will be able to: View or Cancel existing clinic appointments Make requests for help scheduling primary care and mental health appointments at facilities where you receive care Self-schedule primary care appointments with your assigned primary care provider VAR is going to make scheduling appointments easier and more accessible for Veterans. Here is everything you need to know before you access the app. What is VAR?  VAR is a web-based app that works on any compatible web browser, whether on your desktop or mobile device. How do you use VAR? To use VAR, visit the VA App Store. The link also includes a user manual, quick start guide and answers to frequently asked questions to assist you with how to use the app on your mobile phone or desktop computer. What's required to use VAR? You must have a DS Logon Level 2 - Premium account to use VAR. If you need help getting an account, please call the VA Mobile Solutions Help Desk at 1-877-470-5947 or visit the DS Logon "My Access Center" website. What else can VAR help you do? You can use VAR to view all of your upcoming appointments any time of day. You can also cancel most currently scheduled appointments, including all appointments made through the app. VAR only allows new appointment requests at this time. To make changes to a primary care or mental health appointment, you should first cancel the existing appointment, and then use the VAR App to either schedule or request a new one. Any updated information in your schedule will appear both in the VAR App and in My HealtheVet . When will VAR be available to me? Over the next few months, VAR will be made available to many more Veterans who receive VA health care. Go to the VA App Store to see if VAR is currently available at your VAMC. Read More

According to a 2014 report on “Removing Barriers to Mental Health Services for Veterans” from the American Public Health Association (APHA), rates of trauma and mental illness are disproportionately high among American veterans. For a variety of reasons, including mental health challenges, veterans are at risk of family instability, elevated rates of homelessness and joblessness. The APHA report stated that "the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have the longest sustained U.S. military operations since the Vietnam era, sending more than 2.2 million troops into battle and resulting in more than 6,600 deaths and 48,000 injuries. Studies indicate that 56 percent to 87 percent of servicemembers experiencing psychological distress after deployment report that they did not receive psychological help. Barriers to care after civilian reentry further disadvantage this already vulnerable population. Although lack of education and limited transferable skills from military to civilian life are significant causes of these problems, physical and mental health problems are also factors." The report also identified that "veterans have disproportionate rates of mental illness, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse disorders, depression, anxiety and military sexual trauma. Nearly 50 percent of combat veterans from Iraq report that they have suffered from PTSD, and close to 40 percent of those same veterans report problem alcohol use." “I’m actually a survivor of two suicide attempts. Both times I was still in uniform,” said David Donaldson, a combat veteran who served two tours in Iraq as an infantryman in the U.S. Army National Guard. “I knew just being in uniform you have a 30 percent higher chance, even if you didn’t deploy, of completing suicide. It’s just that much higher because of stress and everything else that you’re a part of.” After returning from his first deployment, Donaldson was diagnosed with PTSD and struggled to maintain employment as he bounced from one job to another. The Florida native relocated to Arizona, hoping to start life anew. “I was homeless and had been homeless for about six months,” he said. “Then I found out that there was a deployment at the time. I volunteered for a second tour. That was the only thing that saved me – it gave me a place to stay and it gave me a job to do. I had some pay coming in.” Unfortunately, Donaldson endured a traumatic brain injury due to an improvised explosive device. As a result, he had to receive two and a half years of rehabilitative speech therapy upon returning home. Still unable to hold a job as he struggled with PTSD, Donaldson tried his luck again and moved to Alabama. But things unfortunately got worse after a visit to the VA left him devastated – Donaldson was rated at 90 percent disabled and learned that he could no longer serve in the military. Donaldson, overwhelmed with all that he had been through, began to self-medicate with hallucinogens and alcohol. “I was drinking pretty heavily and was just slipping,” he said. “I decided (to change my ways after I overdosed and ended up) in the ER. My wife gave me an ultimatum at the time, saying ‘it’s either us or that’ (as) we already had a daughter. So I wanted to make a switch and started reaching out to (and volunteering for) different programs.” Donaldson eventually found his calling back to Arizona where he currently works as a peer support specialist for the Phoenix VA Health Care System. He, along with fellow combat veteran James Loehr, have been trained to help others with mental health and/or co-occurring conditions, as well as identify and achieve specific life and recovery goals. “When you’re in recovery yourself, it’s so easy to slip if you’re not taking care of yourself,” said Donaldson. “That’s when I started really learning the essence of peer support and finding out it’s not just about helping someone. You’ve also been in those shoes and you’ve tried figuring it out for yourself, and now you’re trying to do it for other people as a peer.” Like Donaldson, Loehr, an Iraq combat veteran who joined the military in 1997, experienced homelessness having lived out of his car and couch-surfed for about eight months. He was also diagnosed with PTSD and struggled to find employment as he readjusted to civilian life. “I was just frustrated because I did everything right by society’s standards – I’m a decorated hero with a degree, with an extensive leadership background and all these things. But I couldn’t get in anywhere,” Loehr said. “It was really, really hard. My symptoms were getting worse and I started drinking for three reasons – to try to deal with my anger issues and adjustment issues, as well as try to get the memories of what took place (during my tour in Iraq) out of my head. And also to just sleep because I couldn’t sleep. I was spiraling out of control. I would drink (until I blacked out) and months would past. I wouldn’t know what month it was. It was just really bad.” VA peer support specialists help veterans navigate the VA system and they serve as role models by sharing their personal recovery stories as a way of showing that recovery from mental illness is possible. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs website, "VA values peer specialists as a unique source of knowledge and strength that other mental health practitioners can’t provide. One of their strengths is being able to advocate for themselves and the veterans they work with to achieve a level of respect and acceptance of themselves as a person who has a mental health condition." “I found myself homeless and by that time, my tour money was running out,” said Loehr. “I got more and more pissed off so I decided to ghost myself and took to the streets. (But then) a Vietnam veteran named Bob found me and he just started asking me lots of questions and told me, ‘It gets better with time. Society doesn’t understand.’ He was essentially peer supporting me before I knew what peer support was.” Loehr eventually went to the VA for help and received treatment for his PTSD diagnosis. Thanks to divine intervention and a newfound faith in God, Loehr said things finally started looking up. “Since war and everything, I just kind of let go of my faith practices,” he said. “I started going to church … and met the pastor. The pastor and his wife allowed me to live in their home for a couple of months while I found work. Finally, things were starting to go my way as I was seeking treatment to understand what was going on. It was awesome. (I didn’t know it at the time), but Bob and a lot of the other Vietnam veterans were a support group (who) were with The American Legion.” After completing his PTSD treatment in California, Loehr was eager to switch career fields and do more to help veterans. He also felt it was time to reintegrate with his family. Loehr relocated to Missouri where he joined St. Charles Legion Post 312 and became good buddies with the post commander and members who were looking to start an American Legion Riders chapter. “They changed my life. They saved me,” said Loehr. “They were supportive and encouraged me to work for the VA. So I did and then the VA approached me as a volunteer.” Once again, divine intervention would have it. Loehr was introduced to the VA’s new peer support specialist program and later hired as one of the first paid specialists upon its launch in 2012. Loehr said peer support specialists are people who are able to talk about their issues candidly and offer helpful tools that they use to manage their lives, to help others. “The biggest thing that I was gifted by becoming a peer support is now I have purpose in my life again,” he said. “I’m essentially just a battle buddy for the veteran in front of me and I want to help them overcome their barriers and figure out their next steps in their recovery. I have a big group of veterans that I provided services for and a few of them are now peer support specialists themselves.” Having only worked for the Phoenix VA since May 2016, Loehr is already helping veterans live life to the fullest. Part of Loehr’s remarkable success involves a story about a Vietnam-era veteran, whom Loehr helped "bring back from the dead" after the man endured 37 years of being homeless with no known identification or living relatives. After an unsuccessful attempt to try and get an ID card from the motor vehicle department, Loehr went to a Social Security office where he learned shocking news about the 72-year-old man. “The supervisor came out and was like, ‘Look, this Social Security number is for a deceased person. He was reported deceased in 1970,’” said Loehr. “So, I had to get creative. I contacted the National Military Personnel Records Archive Center and asked them to physically pull his fingerprint record from when he enlisted into the military. Two months after I made the call and talked to one of the lead investigators there they were able to obtain his physical fingerprint record. Social Security was finally able to overturn his record and reestablish the veteran as living, and we were able to get him an ID and enrolled in the VA. We’re still battling it out with the Social Security department to get him his back pay for all the disability payments.” Loehr said the veteran now lives in an apartment and will be receiving his monthly Social Security payments. “That’s how I got first runner-up for Social Work Service Employee of the Year this year,” he said. “Anyone that lives on this earth is recovering from something that happened to them. It’s how we go about that recovery that really sets the tone of our character and who we are.” For Donaldson, the essence of being a peer support specialist is being able to make an authentic connection with veterans. His greatest joy is being able to help veterans get from point A to point B, whether that entails advocating for higher level of care, find safe housing or ensuring that veterans get the services they deserve and fought to have. “It is because of this job and helping other veterans, as a vet myself, that I’m able to continue on,” said Donaldson. Donaldson hopes to continue empowering others to make positive changes by showing that recovery from PTSD is possible. “When you’re able to reach out after somebody has experienced combat or maybe was on the street for 10-plus years and is finally able to get those services, that’s true victory,” said the married father of two. “Taking somebody out of that darkness and saying, ‘Hey, you can do this,’ and you get them on track, then all of a sudden, they’re out there doing the same thing for somebody else, and it replicates and it spreads in the veteran community. That’s the victory – that’s the most pleasure that I get.” “(Donaldson and Loehr) are a huge help,” said Army veteran Michael Leon, who is the assistant chief of social work for the Phoenix VA Health Care System. “It’s very hard for the average person who’s never been there, who’s not in recovery or may have no military experience, to go out there and connect to these veterans. We can’t survive without our peers out there in the community.”   By Johnathon Clinkscales

Lawmakers have been busy early in the first session of the 115th Congress, introducing almost 200 bills to help veterans. Lawmakers' increased focus on veterans continues an upward trend since 2001.   Anyone keeping up with what's going on in the VA will tell you it has been a bumpy ride for the department since 9/11. Fast forward to 2014, when news of hidden wait lists at the Phoenix, Ariz., VA medical center broke in the media.  Reports surrounding the Phoenix scandal, coupled with rising veteran suicide rates, investigations of VA employee misconduct, claims appeal backlogs, and other issues continue to plague the VA. The department remains in the crosshairs of the administration and Congress, both aiming to fix and reform the agency.   “The good news is all this attention has brought to light the very issues we veterans and veterans service organizations have been talking about for decades,” says MOAA's Director of Government Relations for VA Health Care Cmdr. René Campos, USN (Ret).   “It gives us an opportunity to make real and lasting change, perhaps more so today than at any other time in history,” Campos says. Lawmakers have enthusiastically pushed out veteran-centric legislation in recent years.  While not all bills become law, the sheer activity on Capitol Hill indicates a very engaged Congress and administration. It shows elected officials are working hard on behalf of veterans to address their issues.   MOAA anticipates this flurry of activity will continue through the remainder of this year. There is much more work ahead to reform and modernize the VA, as outlined in reports from the Government Accountability Office, the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission, and the VA's Commission on Care.    Though the work will not be easy, our troops and veterans and their families deserve our full attention to get meaningful legislation passed.     As one lawmaker recently stated, “We must do everything we can to help - as careful protectors of our national treasure, veterans should have what they need when they need it. It is up to us [Congress] to find the money to do so.”   It is up to MOAA and our members to help Congress in this important mission. Stay tuned for more information on how you can help in MOAA's important advocacy efforts.   

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Thursday created an office at the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve accountability and protect whistleblowers, calling it a "bold step forward." Trump, who made improving veterans' care a prominent issue in his presidential campaign, said the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection will make clear "that we will never, ever tolerate substandard care for our great veterans." VA Secretary David Shulkin said the office will help identify "barriers" that make it difficult for the department to fire or reassign bad managers or employees. Another function of the office will be to help shield whistleblowers from retaliation. "With the creation of this office, we are sending a strong message: Those who fail our veterans will be held, for the first time, accountable," Trump said at the VA before signing an executive order to create the office. "And at the same time, we will reward and retain the many VA employees who do a fantastic job, of which we have many." The move follows Trump's signing last week of a bill that extends a VA program that allowed some veterans to seek medical care outside of the department's troubled health system. In 2014, as many as 40 veterans died as they spent months waiting for appointments at the VA medical center in Phoenix. Officials there were found to have manipulated appointment data and engaged in other schemes in attempt to cover up the backlog. Trump also joined veterans' groups in calling on the Senate to pass a pending accountability measure. The House has already passed a bill to make it make it easier for the VA to fire, suspend or demote employees for poor performance or bad conduct, but Senate continues to work on its version of the legislation. Shulkin said Trump's decision to create the office even before Congress sends him a bill speaks to his commitment to accountability at the VA. "He's asking through his executive order for VA to do everything that it can internally," Shulkin said Wednesday at a White House briefing. "But we know that that's not going to be enough to get done what I want to get done, which is to be able to, once we identify people that need to leave the organization, to get them out quickly. So I do need legislative help as well." The VA said it will have an executive director for the accountability office by mid-June. The director will help identify ways the VA secretary can discipline or terminate a VA manager or employee as well as reward top performers. The VA has often complained it can't discipline or remove employees due to a lengthy union grievance process. Shulkin also announced additional steps Thursday to improve VA care and to reduce waste, fraud and abuse at the department through a task force made up of private-sector and government groups. The VA also plans to partner with the Department of Health and Human Services to allow medical professionals from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to help provide care to veterans at VA facilities in underserved areas. Shulkin has said that his reform effort includes building a more "integrated" model of VA care that uses private doctors and doctors from other federal agencies. The VA will also exempt state-owned veteran nursing homes from federal requirements to remove red tape and offer veterans more services, Shulkin said. Meanwhile, veterans' groups want the Senate to act soon to send the accountability legislation to Trump for his signature. "The longer the Senate waits, the longer veterans will suffer," said Mark Lucas, executive director of Concerned Veterans for America. The new VA office will also investigate reports of retaliation against VA employees who expose illegal or unethical conduct, Shulkin said, adding that "we will take actions" if it is determined that an employee whistleblower has been subjected to retaliation for coming forward. No new hiring will be done for the office. Existing VA employees will be transferred there, despite department-wide employee shortages and a decision to leave thousands of VA positions unfilled. Shulkin said he didn't have dollar figures for how much the office would cost, but said it will require a "substantial commitment." The executive order is one of several Trump is signing this week as he seeks to score accomplishments before Saturday, his symbolic 100th day in office. --- BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE AND HOPE YENASSOCIATED PRESS

The American Legion Family has called upon Congress to designate May 26, 2017, as National Poppy Day to expand awareness and provide support everywhere for all who have served and sacrificed in the U.S. armed forces. “The American Legion is pleased to bring Poppy Day to the United States, joining countries around the world who use the symbolic flower to remember our fallen and support the living,” American Legion National Commander Charles E. Schmidt said. This year, the Boeing Company is premier sponsor to help The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of The American Legion and American Legion Riders increase public understanding of the poppy, its meaning and the ways in which it can be used to help veterans today and remember those who have served in the past. The American Legion Auxiliary has been conducting a Poppy Program for many years and their members’ raise over $6 million annually to provide support for veterans, military servicemembers and their families. “By wearing poppies on May 26, we honor every U.S. servicemember who has given his or her life in the name of liberty, freedom and democracy,” Schmidt wrote in the May issue of The American Legion Magazine. “At the same time, by wearing this simple red flower, we show our support for veterans of generations to come.” A new website at www.legion.org/poppyday offers multiple ways The American Legion Family can expand awareness locally and regionally. Included on the site are media tools, message points, sample proclamations for elected officials and easy access to the American Legion Emblem Sales “Poppy Shop,” which offers an assortment of affordable items including the new National Poppy Day pin, kits for making lapel poppies for distribution, fundraising containers, charms, scarves and more. Also through the website, National Poppy Day donors can make safe, secure contributions with their credit cards and dedicate their gifts to personally honor veterans now living or in memory of those who have passed. All donations directly support military veterans and families through American Legion programs. The site also provides, under the heading “Get Involved,” a new set of media tools and promotions that can be modified for local use, including press releases, sample social media posts and downloadable high-resolution graphics. The “History” section of the site has a full-color, downloadable poster featuring the poem “In Flanders Fields,” which led to the red poppy’s emergence as an international symbol of military sacrifice. American Legion Family members who plan poppy distributions and similar commemorations around May 26 and the week leading into Memorial Day are urged to use the hashtags #PoppyDay and #LegionFamily so activities can be shared on Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels. American Legion Riders participating in their annual Run to Thunder event in Washington, D.C., as well as chapters conducting local rides heading into Memorial Day weekend, are also planning to make the red poppy a visible symbol of sacrifice and encouraging the public to wear or otherwise display poppies to honor those who have served. The American Legion designated the red poppy as its official flower at the organization’s second national convention, Sept. 27, 1920. Since then, members of The American Legion Family have raised awareness in communities, inspired by the 1915 poem of Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D., who saw firsthand from the front lines of World War I the emergence of red poppies around the graves and in the battle zones where blood was shed to protect freedom and democracy. He put that image into words: In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. A video from the Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball in January 2017 features Korean War veteran, California Legionnaire and actor James McEachin onstage reciting the complete poem, which was written in May 1915 and published on Dec. 8 of that year.

Join us May 6th and May 7th at the  Ponchatoula Area Recreation District 1 Gym in Ponchatoula, LA.  Finding the best deal at gun shows means shopping around.  This often means visiting every table.  Be prepared to spend a little time looking around.  Sometimes you may find something you want to buy right away, however, if you haven’t fully visited every table to make sure you’re there’s not something you desire more.  In addition, you may be upgrading from your current firearm and want to make sure you have received the best offer as part of the sale.  In fact, gun shows are the ideal place for trade-ins.  This is because you’ll have multiple interest in your trade-in (at shows) compared to one or two shops in your town. Shows do not mean that your price (for the gun) is lower then other places, but it does mean that you can negotiate between vendors! Most of the vendors let you touch the merchandise. Those who do not will usually have prominent signs stating not to do so, but will assist you with anything you want to see. If you’re looking for a specific gun, most vendors will have them grouped by manufacturer.  If a Glock 27 is on your shopping list, you will usually find them quickly if the vendor is carrying that model.  Not every firearm vendor has the same selection and pricing.  In fact, exhibitors can be pretty competitive.  If you are looking to buy something, consider first finding a vendor with the model you want.  They will be very happy to answer any questions you have about the firearm and let you handle it for comfort.  Each firearm has a price listed on a tag, but this is almost never the final price.  Asking them for their best offer can often take some off the price you see. Sometimes you can lower your cost a much as 15% off.  Some people will write the price down, or get the vendor to write the price down on one of their cards…and then keep looking.  There are usually other dealers selling the same weapon – and that’s where you begin negotiating. Once you have the best offer, some will match the price or throw in a cheaper accessory like an extra magazine. It’s worth it to go around with informed with prices and let the companies try to get your business. What should you bring to a gun show? Years ago you had to bring cash to a gun show. Now most vendors are able to take credit cards. And there’s usually an ATM machines close by. You do not have to have loads of cash on hand.  Also, consider making a list of what type of firearms your interested in. What kind of people go to gun shows?  People who attend are young and old, all colors and races…and they share the same interest in guns. These are mothers and fathers, businessmen and homemakers who have a common interest. And bring a friend! Most people agree that you’ll have a great time and learn more about firearms in the process. Join us May 6th & 7th at the Ponchatoula Area Recreation District; Ponchatoula Area Recreation District 1 For more information, visit Jean Lafitte Gun Shows by clicking here

MANASSAS, Virginia (AP) -- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday highlighted the need to help the children of military families transition into new schools as their parents are moving from one assignment to the next. DeVos visited Ashland Elementary School in Manassas, Virginia, to mark the Month of the Military Child. During a tour of the school she read a book to children about a mother who serves in the military. She donned a pair of toy bifocals like those invented by Benjamin Franklin and watched students refurbish a computer. During the election campaign, President Donald Trump criticized the Obama administration for neglecting U.S. veterans and vowed to improve their care and benefits. DeVos' visit to Ashland highlighted the administration's commitment to veterans. DeVos said military families need extra support when they relocate to a different city or country and their children must enroll in a new school. The school offers video chats with deployed parents, support groups and community resources. DeVos praised "the way in which this community has cared for these children who are so often transitioning from school to school and from locale to locale." School principal Andy Jacks said parents who are stationed overseas or away from their families need to be certain that their children are doing well in school. "While they are serving our country and protecting us, we have to be behind them, supporting them all the way so that they never worry about the education of their children," Jacks said. "Being away, especially parents that are being deployed, they are very concerned what's happening back there." Prince William County school officials said 35 percent of Ashland's student body is connected with the military. During a roundtable discussion at the school library, one mother at the school, Lt. Colonel Rojan Robotham, raised the issue of making child care available and affordable for families. Trump's administration has proposed major budget cuts that would eliminate several after-school programs targeting mostly low-income families, saying they have proven to be ineffective. The plan has prompted criticism from teacher unions and other groups. "It's very challenging to find quality before and after-care and care that works with a military schedule," Robotham told DeVos. "So I am hoping if not yourself or Ivanka Trump - somebody- takes it on and really solves it for us, 'cause it's a need." "I hear that," DeVos answered. "I hope to encourage her and others to advocate to not cut child care in general and increase more," Robotham told reporters after the meeting with DeVos. "I think it's great that she is hearing it from myself and other people 'cause oftentimes you have to hear it from more than one person and different parts of the community for people to take action." DeVos, who has made promoting charter and private schools options a key priority, received praise for her efforts from another parent at the school. Sr. Master Sgt. Sam Look said that enlisted and junior personnel may not always afford to settle in affluent neighborhoods with good public schools, so it is important to have school-choice options. "This school is a complete blessing, but not all schools that we have to go to as we transition from base to base are this good," Look said. "When we don't have choices, when you can't afford to put your kids in a better schools or live in better neighborhoods, that becomes problematic." But proponents of public schools worry that giving taxpayer money to charter and private schools will defund traditional public schools. Outside the school, DeVos was greeted by a small group of protesters holding signs, "We (love) public education" and "Vouchers only help the rich." Nearby, several other activists showed up to support her. ---- By MARIA DANILOVA Associated Press

Newswise — Transgender people make up a small percentage of active-duty U.S. military personnel, but their experience in the service may yield long-term, positive effects on their mental health and quality of life. A study from the University of Washington finds that among transgender older adults, those who had served in the military reported fewer symptoms of depression and greater mental health-related quality of life. The findings were published in a February special supplement of The Gerontologist. The paper is part of a national, groundbreaking longitudinal study of LGBT older adults, known as “Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, Sexuality/Gender Study,” which focuses on how a range of demographic factors, life events and medical conditions are associated with health and quality of life. Estimated numbers of U.S. military personnel who are transgender vary widely, but range between one-tenth and three-quarters of 1 percent of the roughly 2 million active-duty and reserve forces. A study from UCLA estimates about 134,000 transgender veterans in the United States. The new paper, by researchers from the UW School of Social Work, explores how military service affects transgender people because previous data indicated that, among LGBT people over age 50, those who identified as transgender were more likely to be veterans than lesbians, gay men or bisexuals. Reports have indicated that transgender individuals serve in the military at higher rates than people in the general population. In the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey of 28,000 individuals, 15 percent said they had served, compared to about 9 percent of the U.S. population overall. And yet, little is known about how military service influences the well-being of transgender veterans later in life. Other studies have shown that transgender veterans suffer higher rates of depression than other veterans. UW researchers were somewhat surprised, then, to learn that the transgender veterans they surveyed tended to have better mental health than transgender people who hadn’t served, said lead author Charles Hoy-Ellis, a former UW doctoral student who is now an assistant professor at the University of Utah College of Social Work. The traditionally masculine culture of the U.S. military would seem to be a potentially difficult environment for someone who doesn’t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth, he said. But military service creates its own kind of identity, the authors said, because it presents often dangerous and traumatic challenges; overcoming those challenges builds resilience. And that’s where the identity as a transgender person enters the picture. “Many people develop an identity as a military person — that it’s not just something they did but something that they are,” said Hoy-Ellis. “If transgender people, who are among the most marginalized, can successfully navigate a military career, with so many of the dynamics around gender in the general population and in the military, then that experience can contribute to a type of identity cohesiveness.” The internalizing of negative stereotypes, such as those around sexual orientation, is considered a risk factor for poor mental health, added co-author Hyun-Jun Kim, a UW research scientist in the School of Social Work. Military service could be the opposite — a protective factor. “Often when people think of the transgender population, they focus on the risk factors, but it’s equally important to focus on the protective factors and nourish those resources. In this case, what aspects of military service contribute to being a protective factor?” Kim said. Researchers said they were somewhat limited by the size of their study sample: Out of the 2,450 people ages 50 to 100 who were surveyed for Aging with Pride, 183 identified as transgender. Of those nearly one-fourth, or 43, had served in the military. Of those who had served, 57 percent identified as female. People of color made up 29 percent of the transgender veterans in the study. But as awareness grows about gender-identity issues, there is opportunity to address support services for transgender veterans at the federal level and in the community, Hoy-Ellis said. “This is a population that has served the country very proudly, and it’s important that we recognize that service,” he said. “Learning what we can about transgender older adults with military service may help us develop and implement policies and programs for people who are serving today.” Other co-authors were Chengshi Shiu, Kathleen Sullivan, Allison Sturges and Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, all in the UW School of Social Work. Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. ###

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (AP) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has thanked American service members based in American Samoa, citing "challenging times" for the military in the Asia-Pacific. Completing a visit to the region and en route back to the United States, Pence addressed some 200 soldiers during a refueling stop in Pago Pago. He told the troops the Trump administration was seeking a large increase in military funding. During his stop, Pence also dedicated a sign that will greet visitors at a veterans clinic. He met with American Samoan officials and troops on his way to Hawaii at the end of his tour that included a visit to the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. The trip offered evidence that Pence has become one of President Donald Trump's chief emissaries on the world stage, patching up relations, reassuring allies still wondering what to expect from Trump and diving into international crises like North Korea. Meanwhile, it was revealed that the vice president was to shorten his visit to Hawaii ahead of a busy week for the administration in Washington. Pence's office said he would depart Hawaii on Monday afternoon after meeting with U.S. Pacific Command leaders and troops stationed in Honolulu. Plans for a Tuesday visit to the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor have been postponed, Pence's office said. Pence's trip to Asia was planned weeks ago. But it dropped him in South Korea just in time to deliver North Korea a stern warning from the U.S.: that "all options are on the table" when it comes to curbing the North's nuclear ambitions, and that the Trump administration will seek support from its allies to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. His foray into the DMZ and his meetings with South Korean and Japanese leaders allowed Pence to shape a key American foreign policy issue, presenting a new challenge for a politician whose prior foreign policy experience was limited to trips to the Middle East as a congressman and trade missions to Japan, China, Israel and Europe as Indiana's governor. Pence's early foreign travel schedule contrasts sharply with a mostly homebound Trump, who is not scheduled to travel overseas until late May for NATO meetings in Belgium and a gathering of the Group of Seven major industrial nations in Italy. Pence partly covered that ground when he visited Germany and Belgium in February. Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, had visited nine countries by late April 2009, his first three months in office, checking in with allies such as Canada, Britain and Germany. The last first-term president to wait until May to take his first foreign trip was Jimmy Carter in 1977. Enter Pence, whose still-evolving diplomatic playbook includes several components, all steeped in humility, personal ties and his religious faith. In some ways, Pence is the advance team: His earlier trip to Europe and his Asia trip that ends Tuesday are partly laying the foundation for journeys being planned for Trump. In other ways, Pence is the face of reassurance, offering in-person outreach to world leaders Trump has clashed with or who have doubted Trump's commitment to them at the start of his presidency. In meetings with his counterparts, Pence frequently passed along "greetings" from Trump and told his hosts how much America valued their alliance, language that's commonplace in diplomacy but understated compared to the more free-wheeling Trump. On Thursday, for example, Pence told Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo how "proud" he and Trump were to partner with him and spoke of their hopes of working together. --- Corrects America Samoa to American Samoa in introductory paragraph. -- By KEN THOMAS Associated Press