Vietnam Veterans Of America Inc

TO SUPPORT A FULL RANGE OF ISSUES AFFECTING VIETNAM VETERANS, AS WELL AS, ALL VETERANS. VVA IS THE ONLY CONGRESSIONALLY CHARTERED ORGANIZATION EXCLUSIVELY DEDICATED TO VIETNAM-ERA VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

2021 WAS THE YEAR OF TOXIC EXPOSURE FOR VVA. VVAS PRESIDENT TESTIFIED BEFORE THE JOINT HOUSE AND SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ON MARCH 4, 2021, IN A VIRTUAL SESSION. IN ADDITION, BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEES IDENTIFIED TOXIC EXPOSURE AS THEIR HIGHEST PRIORITY. VVA HAS BEEN WORKING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ON LEGISLATION THAT WOULD CREATE REGISTRIES OF VETERANS EXPOSED TO TOXIC EXPOSURE. IT HAS CALLED ON CONGRESS TO ENACT THE TOXIC WOUNDS REGISTRIES ACT OF 2021, WHICH WOULD DIRECT THE VA SECRETARY TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE TO REVIEW THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE AND RECOMMEND FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF TOXIC EXPOSURES FUNDED BY THE VA. TOXIC WOUNDS REGISTRIES WOULD ALSO ENABLE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH BY LINKING, IN ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS, A VETERANS MILITARY HISTORY BY ENCODING THEIR LOCATION AND TIME OF SERVICE. VA TECHS WOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE APPROPRIATE REGISTRY TO LOCATE OTHERS WITH WHOM THEY SERVED.IN MAY 2021, THE VVA VETERAN CREATED TWO NEW ONLINE SERIES: THE OUTLET AND DISPATCHES. THE OUTLET, WHICH HAS A DIFFERENT GUEST FOR EACH EPISODE, ADDRESSES TIMELY ISSUES SUCH AS VETERANS AND CORONAVIRUS, PROVIDING ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS RAISED BY VVA MEMBERS. DISPATCHES, HOSTED BY VVA VETERAN ARTS EDITOR MARC LEEPSON, FEATURES INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE IN THE ARTS WHO FOCUS ON THE VIETNAM WAR AND ITS VETERANS. VVA OFFICERS MET AT SILVER SPRING, MD, HEADQUARTERS IN MAY 2021, AND WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES AT THE WALL IN PERSON. VVAS NATIONAL OFFICERS PROUDLY PRESENTED VVAS WREATH AT THE WALL. VVA WAS GRATIFIED TO SEE THEIR HARD WORK JUSTIFIED WHEN NEW VA SECRETARY DENIS MCDONOUGH IMMEDIATELY IMPLEMENTED PROVISIONS OF THE WILLIAM M. THORNBERRY NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021 BY ADDING BLADDER CANCER, HYPOTHYROIDISM, AND PARKINSONISM TO THE LIST OF CONDITIONS PRESUMPTIVELY SERVICE-CONNECTED TO AO. VVAS MEMBERSHIP ONCE AGAIN HIT RECORD LEVELS IN 2021, TOPPING AT 88,000 ON JUNE 1, 2021. MEMBERSHIP AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CHAIR COMMENTED: VVA MEMBERSHIP WILL CONTINUE TO GROW. WERE STILL A VIABLE ORGANIZATION. IF WE SURVIVED 2020 AS AN ORGANIZATIONAND GREAT KUDOS TO THE LEADERSHIP FOR DOING THATWE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SURVIVE UNTIL THE LAST PERSON TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS. WERE GOING TO BE VIABLE FOR A LONG TIME. VVA STAFF AND COMMITTEES BEGAN TO REVIEW TWO IMPORTANT NEW PIECES OF THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION: A SENATE BILL CALLED THE COMPREHENSIVE AND OVERDUE SUPPORT FOR TROOPS (COST) ACT OF 2021, AND A HOUSE BILL CALLED THE HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT (PACT) OF 2021. BOTH BILLS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE, WITH 13 PRESUMPTIVES IN THE SENATE BILL AND 23 IN THE HOUSE. EACH HAS LANGUAGE REGARDING AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE IN THAILAND, GUAM, AMERICAN SAMOA, LAOS, AND CAMBODIA. MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR VVA MEMBERS, BOTH BILLS ADD AO PRESUMPTIONS FOR HYPERTENSION AND MGUS (MONOCLONAL GAMMOPATHY OF UNDETERMINED SIGNIFICANCE). VVA WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON AND MONITOR THESE BILLS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS TOWARD BECOMING LEGISLATION. ON OCTOBER 19, 2021, VVA REAFFIRMED ITS UNWAVERING SUPPORT OF VET CENTERS, AND APPLAUDED NEWLY PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO EXPAND VET CENTER ACCESS TO UNDERSERVED VETERANS. A BIPARTISAN COALITION OF HOUSE MEMBERS INTRODUCED THE VET CENTERS FOR MENTAL HEALTH ACT, H.R.5543, WHICH CALLS FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE VET CENTER PROGRAM TO AREAS WHERE VETERANS ARE WITHOUT ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND OTHER CRITICAL SERVICES NEEDED FOR THEIR TRANSITION HOME. TODAY, OVER 300,000 VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS, AND FAMILIES RECEIVE COUNSELING AT VAS 300 VET CENTERS AND 80 MOBILE VET CENTERS. VVA APPLAUDS THE INTENT OF THIS LEGISLATION TO ENSURE ACCESS TO ALL VETERANS IN NEED OF MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING AND ENCOURAGES THE FURTHER EXPANSION OF THIS PROGRAM IN THOSE AREAS WHERE THERE IS NONE. BETWEEN JAN-DEC 2021, VVA FILED 10,773 CLAIMS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND SUBMITTED 1,660 REQUESTS FOR HIGHER-LEVEL REVIEW. DURING THIS PERIOD, THE BOARD OF VETERANS APPEALS REPORTED ISSUING 920 DECISIONS ON APPEALS REPRESENTED BY VVA WITH 34% GRANTED, 41% REMANDED, AND 15% DENIED. ALSO, DURING THIS PERIOD, CLAIMANTS REPRESENTED BY VVA RECEIVED A TOTAL OF $69,040,791.68, IN RETROACTIVE PAYMENTS. BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER 2021, VVA REPRESENTED 101,355 CLAIMANTS BEFORE THE AGENCY WHO RECEIVE A TOTAL OF $126,644,980.37 EACH MONTH.