AMVETS, Paws With A Cause Take to Capitol Hill

This morning, AMVETS and partner non-profit Paws With A Cause took to Capitol Hill, advocating for assistance dogs for wounded veterans.

AMVETS Luis Montalvan, an Iraq veteran who now attends graduate school at Columbia University, and Kevin Stone, an Army Ranger who is now a medal-winning U.S. Paralympian, brought their service dogs, Tuesday and Mambo, around the halls of the U.S. Capitol and the Congressional office buildings for the first of a two-day education and advocacy blitz.

Montalvan and Stone credit their assistance dogs with helping them to not only lead normal lives, but to excel in areas where they otherwise may have not. Both veterans credit their dogs with providing critical day-to-day task support and emotional support, allowing each of them to focus on living their lives to the fullest.

In today's meetings, Stone coined the phrase "Motivational Prosthetics of Freedom," when discussing assistance dogs. Like any other prosthetic limb or device, Stone says assistance dogs fill the gap left by whatever disability a veteran may be experiencing, such as the tasks Stone was limited to accomplishing while confined to a wheelchair.

AMVETS Deputy National Legislative Director Christina Roof and Paws With A Cause National Marketing Manager Deb Davis joined the veterans, helping to explain shortfalls in current policy toward assistance dogs and pushing to close loopholes and improve access for veterans who could benefit from new programs.

The major points driving AMVETS' and Paws With A Cause's work over the next couple of days are:

- Statues and policies must be clear to veterans and implemented throughout the VA system with a clear point of contact. The current language found in Title 38 of the U.S. Code is too vague, failing to identify what VA's actual responsibilities should be.

-When drafting responsible assistance dog placement and training legislation for veterans, a standard must be established based on proven assistance dog industry standards and practices exemplified by Assistance Dogs International, or ADI, and the International Guide Dog Federation, or IGDF. The bills currently before Congress are too vague and misuse certain industry terms interchangeably, such as guide dog, service dog, therapy dog, and assistance dog, making policy nearly impossible to properly implement.

-Decisive action must be taken in the short term, since thousands of veterans could potentially benefit from any new program, and AMVETS and Paws With A Cause are happy to work with legislators to make this happen. Though VA may have concerns over cost, the return on investment from veterans who take advantage of assistance dogs would have far-reaching effects as veterans re-enter the work force and live up to their full potential.

Today, AMVETS and Paws With A Cause met with Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), House Veteran Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-Calif.), staff from the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and key staff from the House VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

CNN also followed AMVETS and Paws With A Cause later in the day, taking the time to speak with Hagan on the issue for a potential story on Montalvan, Stone and veterans' assistance dogs. American Veteran Online will keep you posted on details.

Tomorrow, AMVETS and Paws With A Cause will meet with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), the architects of pending legislation, Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) and Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.), Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), and key council for other relevant committees.

Check back tomorrow with American Veteran for more updates.

(Photos: Top: Kevin Stone speaks with Sen. Kay Hagan, while a CNN photojournalist composes his shot. Bottom: Luis Montalvan rewards Tuesday for his good behavior on Speaker Pelosi's balcony on the U.S. Capitol. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

Live from Capitol Hill: AMVETS Joins House Speaker Pelosi and Other Top Military Advocates for Roundtable

This afternoon, AMVETS joined many of the nation's other top military and veterans' organizations for a roundtable discussion with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic Congressional leaders.

Among the topics of discussion were hot-button issues like Dependence and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offsets for military widows who also collect Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments, persistent implementation and inequity issues with the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, transition issues, and military mental health.

AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof took the opportunity to explain AMVETS' legislative agenda for FY2010, which will be available to the public on Veterans Day.

Some participants took the opportunity to voice their continued concerns over the Obama Administration's plans for Afghanistan and the potential impact on warfighters and military families .

Participants in the discussion also took the time to thank the Congressional panel for their proactive roles in recent significant victories for the military and veterans' communities such as the signing of VA advance appropriations for health care and the recent passage of a bill that will allow military spouses to keep their residency regardless of mandatory military moves. AMVETS was one of the few veterans' organizations to speak out in support of the military spouses residency bill.

Many significant Congressional leaders were on hand for the roundtable, including Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), VA Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman and AMVETS Silver Helmet recipient Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas), Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), and chairman of the new military families caucus Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.).

Though the roundtable was largely ceremonial, it provided a critical opportunity for many organizations to voice their concerns directly to key decision-makers.

To read AMVETS' official statement from today's roundtable, Click Here.

(Photo: AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof looks on as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivers her opening remarks at this afternoon's roundtable. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)

AMVETS National Commander Visits With Leaders on Capitol Hill

For the last two days, AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin has been meeting with leaders in the Senate and House committees on Veterans Affairs on Capitol Hill. Yesterday, Miskulin met with Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-N.C.), hand-delivering a copy of AMVETS' 2010 legislative agenda to each senator.

Today, following a quick meeting with Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Member Steve Buyer (R-Indiana), Miskulin delivered remarks during a special memorandum signing in the Cannon House Office Building between VA and U.S. Paralympics, codifying a new partnership to assist wounded veterans in achieving their athletic aspirations.

Miskulin thanked VA and U.S. Paralympics for the new partnership, stressing the need for such a program to call attention to the positive rehabilitative tools available to our wounded troops.

U.S. Paralympian wounded warriors were on hand alongside VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, VA Assistant Secretary for Pubic and Intergovernmental Affairs Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Paralympic officials, members of Congress, and veterans' organizations including AMVETS.

Though today's meetings were cut short to participate in the announcement, Miskulin plans to once again meet with Buyer and House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-Calif.) in the coming weeks to discuss AMVETS' legislative agenda in greater detail.

Tomorrow afternoon, Miskulin will be at the White House where President Obama plans to sign advance appropriations for VA health care into law. For AMVETS and the Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform, tomorrow's signing will mark the culmination of 13 years of work to overhaul the VA funding mechanism, assuing sufficient, timely and predictable funding for the VA.

Check back tomorrow afternoon with American Veteran Online for updates from the White House.

(Photo: AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin alongside Sen. Daniel Akaka during yesterday's visit to Capitol Hill, outlining AMVETS' legislative agenda for 2010. Photo courtesy of Sen. Akaka. Members of Congress, VA officials, and veterans' organization leaders, including Miskulin, stand for a photo with the signatories of the agreement, Norman Bellingham of U.S. Paralympics, Secretary Shinseki, and Paralympic veteran Scott Winkler. Photo by Emerson Sanders courtesy of VA.)

AMVETS' letter to Congress on health care reform

Last night, President Obama addressed Congress on his proposals for health care reform. In the wake of the speech, AMVETS leaders remain skeptical of the current bill, H.R. 3200, and its potential impact on the veterans' community.

To read AMVETS' press release about last night's speech, Click Here.

This morning, AMVETS National Legislative Director Ray Kelley sent a letter to House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-Calif.) asking Congress to amend the bill to reflect the best interests of the veterans' community, ensuring that all veterans who rely on the VA will be considered to have adequate health coverage and that veterans and their dependents still have access to the exchange option to sufficiently satisfy their health care needs without penalty.

A copy of the letter is included here:

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will continue to follow Post-9/11 G.I. Bill implementation and potential issues for student-veterans around the country. We will also be on hand as Congress reconvenes, with committees set to address critical veterans' issues like advance appropriations for VA health care.

This morning, AMVETS National Executive Director Jim King met with Patrick Dunne, VA's benefits chief and a retired Navy rear admiral, to discuss the new G.I. Bill. AMVETS continues to look for answers on how many veterans have been paid and how VA plans to handle the backlog of claims, while veterans potentially face financial hardships.

This afternoon, King will also meet with House Committee on Veterans Affairs Chairman Bob Filner (D-Calif.) and leaders from the nation's other top veterans' organizations to discuss advance appropriations.

American Veteran is also on hand on the National Mall in Washington this morning, where Indiana AMVETS Post No. 99 is hosting an Honor Flight for Indiana WWII veterans. Post 99 raised $200,000 to finance the third annual Honor Flight, which brings local WWII veterans to the nation's capitol to see the National WWII Memorial and other historic sites around the city.

The deadline for the print edition of American Veteran magazine is quickly approaching, which means we need all Keeping Posted content as soon as possible. If you have any compelling story ideas for the print edition or American Veteran Online, please let us know.

View the Video from Yesterday's VA Budget Hearing

To view the testimony of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, AMVETS Legislative Director Ray Kelley and the Independent Budget partners before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, click here.

During the hearing, committee chairman Robert Filner (D-Calif.) applauded the work of the IB partners, as the committee discusses the FY2010 VA budget. Members of the House committee, including ranking member Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), asked each of the IB partners pointed questions about their budget proposals and ways in which Congress could improve services for veterans.

On Thursday, AMVETS National Commander John Chad Hapner will testify before a special joint session of both the House and Senate committees on veterans' affairs to outline AMVETS' legislative agenda for 2009. Check in with American Veteran Online for up-to-the-minute coverage of the day's hearing.

(Photo: Thumbnail image of yesterday's hearing before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs to discuss the FY2010 VA budget.)