LZ:DC: Highlights from Congressional Silver Helmet

Last week, AMVETS presented Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., with the 2011 Congressional Silver Helmet Award during a reception in the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill.

To learn more about Dr. Roe's award in AMVETS' official announcement, Click Here.

Video of the award presentation can be viewed below. It is also available on the AMVETS National YouTube page.



Roe, who also served in the U.S. Army as a surgeon, was honored for his sustained commitment to caring for American service members, veterans and their loved ones, which has spanned his careers as both a soldier and a statesman.

Here are photo highlights from last week's Silver Helmet presentation.

(Image: AMVETS family members gather in the Cannon Caucus Room to honor 2011 Congressional Silver Helmet Award recipient, Rep. Phil Roe, on March 17.)


(Image: AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop reads the Silver Helmet citation for Dr. Roe during last week's reception, while AMVETS Acting Legislative Director Christina Roof, AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Dee Kreiling and AMVETS National Executive Director Jim King applaud.)

(Image: Dr. Roe accepts the Silver Helmet Award from Cmdr. Hotop, while Kreiling and King look on.)





(Image: Dr. Roe explains what the Silver Helmet Award means to him during the reception.)





(Top Image: AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Dee Kreiling, AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop, and AMVETS Past National Commander Bill Kilgore pose for a photo alongside 2011 Congressional Silver Helmet Award recipient Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., during last week's reception honoring the Congressman in the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill. All photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

LZ:DC: AMVETS to Introduce Service Dog Bill, Tesify Before the House, Honor Congressional Leadership

This afternoon, AMVETS will once again be out in force on Capitol Hill when AMVETS Acting Legislative Director Christina Roof appears alongside Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, AMVETS members Sue Downes and Kevin Stone, and other Congressional leaders to introduce the Veterans Equal Treatment of Service Dogs Act, or VETS Dogs Act, a critical piece of legislation that will permanently close a loophole in VA policy that has created hurdles to care for disabled veterans.

Carter and AMVETS will officially announce the bill during a press conference at the House Triangle, outside the U.S. Capitol Building at 3 p.m.

Both Downes and Stone are veterans utilize service dogs as VA-sanctioned prosthetic devices for physical injuries, but both have experienced barriers to care at VA facilities. Though VA issued a directive recently to ensure veterans and their service dogs will not be turned away, AMVETS and Congressional leaders continue to push for a policy change that will offer permanent equality in access.

Downes, a double amputee who was severely wounded in Afghanistan, was the first female combat veteran from the current conflicts to receive a service dog. Downes earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for her service and today she is a mother of two.

Stone, a former Army infantry light fighter who was injured in a training accident, is now a U.S. Paralympic medalist in archery who represented Team USA in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.

Downes and her service dog, Lila, and Stone and his service dog, Mambo, will be available to explain what the legislation means for veterans and share some of their personal, inspiring experiences.

This afternoon, AMVETS National Communications Director Jay Agg will also appear before the House VA Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs to discuss the proposed 2012 budget for VA's National Cemetery Administration, or NCA, and the Veterans Benefits Administration, or VBA.

The hearing will come to order at 1 p.m. in the House Veterans Affairs Committee chambers, Cannon 334. To view live video of the hearing, Click Here.

Agg will appear alongside Independent Budget partner Disabled American Veterans and VA officials, including VA Acting Under Secretary of Veterans Benefits Mike Walcoff. Agg's testimony will focus heavily on the mission of NCA, but will also touch on issues facing VBA, such as the ongoing claims backlog.

To view a full list of witnesses and to read their prepared remarks, Click Here.

Sons of AMVETS from around the country will also continue their visits with legislators, armed with the AMVETS Legislative Priorities for 2011, and AMVETS Department of Ohio will commence its annual visits with the Ohio Congressional delegation.

Finally, tonight, AMVETS will honor Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., with the 2011 Congressional Silver Helmet Award during a special reception in the Cannon Caucus Room at 5:30 p.m. Roe, a former Army doctor and current member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, was chosen for the award for his sustained commitment to American veterans, which spans both his career as an Army surgeon and his current role as a veterans' advocate in Congress.

All events are open to the public and all members of the AMVETS family in Washington for LZ:DC are invited to attend. American Veteran will also be on hand throughout the day, bringing continuing coverage of AMVETS LZ:DC. Check back regularly for updates from the LZ.

(Image: Kevin Stone meets with Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, during visits to Capitol Hill last March when AMVETS and partner non-profit Paws With A Cause educated legislators on the benefits of service dogs for disabled veterans. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)

Live from Capitol Hill: AMVETS Discusses Tinnitus with House Caucus

Yesterday afternoon, AMVETS National Legislative Director Ray Kelley will take part in the House Invisibile Wounds Caucus roundtable discussion on tinnitus, a common invisible wound of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan most commonly associated with ringing in the ears.

Many veterans who have served in the conflict suffer from the condition which results from continued exposure to loud noises and stress such as explosions and gun shots. Today, tinnitus is the most common service-connected condition for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the roundtable, hosted by Reps. Harry Teague (D-N.M.) and Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), experts pointed out the common misconception that tinnitus is an inner ear condition, but it is in fact a neurological condition that can be exacerbated by conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder.

Kelley, who personally has dealt with the condition, described his experiences with tinnitus and expressed frustration that though it is his lowest-rated service-connected condition, it is the only one for which he has no viable treatment option.

"There's no cure," Kelley said. "Tinnitus is my lowest rating, yet it is something that I have no relief from and no strategies to deal with."

Today, VA spends more on service-connected compensation for tinnitus than it invests in research on treating the condition. Kelley and the other veterans advocates who participated in the roundtable called on Congress and VA to increase the funding for cutting-edge research on the condition in an effort to develop a viable treatment option.

The caucus plans to continue to the discussion on tinnitus and American Veteran will continue to follow the issue as it develops. Check back regularly for updates.