Letters to the Editor: We Are Halfway There!
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
We’re halfway there! Last week, The American Legion won another important victory for veterans when the House of Representatives passed the VA Mission Act of 2018. It could not have happened without your support.
But our work is not done. This week, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on this important legislation that will impact the lives of thousands of veterans and their families. Once again, we need to be heard!
If passed, the VA MISSION Act of 2018 (S. 2372) would do several things to help veterans, including:
- Streamlining all of the community care programs, including the Veterans Choice Program, into one common sense program.
- Expanding the VA’s caregivers program to all war eras of veterans, not just the post-9/11 generation, which is critical. This program should be available to all war eras and the veterans who proudly served our great nation.
- Providing $5.2 billion to the Department of Veterans Affairs to appropriately fund the Veterans Choice Program through the next year while the community care programs are being modified and streamlined. This means the VA will not have to continuously ask Congress for more money, which will allow veterans to receive the immediate care they need and where they need it.
Supporting these issues has long been a goal of The American Legion, and this is the time to get it done. From streamlining the multiple ways and programs a veteran can obtain care in the community into one simple program, to opening the caregiver program to all veterans of any war era, to ensuring the VA has the funding necessary to provide the best care anywhere, the VA MISSION Act of 2018 is a great step forward for veterans.
Please call your senators and let them know that The American Legion supports S. 2372, the VA MISSION Act of 2018, and encourage them to pass this veteran-centric bill as soon as possible.
There is some opposition to this legislation so your quick action can make the difference. Call now and tell your senator to support the VA Mission Act of 2018. You can find your senators listed here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm. Since the vote is expected very soon, phone calls are the most effective way of communicating at this time. I recommend calling the congressional switchboard and asking for your senators by name. The number is (202) 224-3121.
Together we can this done for military veterans and their families.
Family First!
Denise H. Rohan
National Commander