The FReeper Foxhole Profiles AmVets (American Veterans)

What We Do
Veterans Service

A nationwide cadre of AMVETS national service officers (NSOs) offers information, counseling and claims service to all honorably discharged veterans and their dependents concerning disability compensation, hospitalization, rehabilitation, pension, education, employment, and other benefits. Accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs, AMVETS NSOs are trained in all aspects of veterans' benefits and are knowledgeable about changes in VA regulations, entitlements, policies and procedures. Each NSO will personally develop and manage claims to ensure his or her clients receive the maximum benefits to which they are legally entitled. Our national service officers also provide representation at VA hearings if appeals are warranted. The assistance we provide is free of charge, and you are not required to be an AMVETS member to receive it.

Legislative Action

AMVETS is a staunch advocate of providing America’s veterans with the benefits and services they’ve earned through honorable military service. To ensure that veterans obtain these entitlements, our legislative efforts are aimed at helping to identify and implement the solutions necessary to secure their availability. In so doing, we work closely with Congress and the administration on the full range of veterans’ issues, urging passage of measures in accordance with AMVETS’ legislative goals. We actively follow all veterans’ legislation on Capitol Hill and play a key role in its enactment through correspondence and testimony, member alerts and coalitions such as The Independent Budget and the Citizens Flag Alliance.

Quality-of-Life Programs

High school students gather at Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge, Pa., for annual Youth Leadership Seminar, cosponsored by AMVETS and AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary.
Service to country does not end on discharge as AMVETS members in more than 1,400 posts across the country provide a wealth of community service that enhances the quality of life for their families, their neighbors and other American citizens. Through programs tested and executed at the local level — where our members play a particularly effective role as community organizers and coordinators — countless hours are devoted to a variety of services that are making a difference in people’s lives. In addition, AMVETS coordinates and administers a number of programs on the national level as well as endorses and promotes other worthwhile community activities.

AMVETS 2003 Legislative Goals & Objectives

National Defense and Foreign Relations

Despite unparalleled military strength and great economic and political influence, the United States faces new challenges in defending itself and the American way of life. To meet these challenges, our nation must maintain a national defense that can meet any need and defeat any foe. This requires the proper resources and, as such, AMVETS encourages our military and foreign policy leadership to ensure that the brave and dedicated men and women who serve in our Armed Forces are provided with the best possible training, equipment and technology.

Therefore, AMVETS calls for actions that will-

provide adequate funding for the defense of our nation at home and abroad;
allow our forces to train without adverse interference of environmental regulations;
improve the quality of life, including pay and housing, for our fighting men and women;
defeat the threat of terrorism aimed at exploiting America's free and open society and weakening the strength of freedom-loving nations;
ensure appropriate control at our nation's borders and reestablish sensible immigration policies;
oppose entering into any treaty that would place America's servicemembers under the jurisdiction of an International Court; and
maintain strong U.S. military aid and assistance to the Republic of Korea and continue strong relationships and exchanges with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Healthcare

VA healthcare has become the system of choice for many veterans and the primary resource for care of veterans with service-connected injuries. In addition to various inpatient programs and related treatments for veterans, the system maintains a variety of highly specialized and, often costly, services for treatment of blind veterans and those suffering from spinal-cord injuries. It is the first backup to the Department of Defense in times of armed conflict and a high tech provider of specialized services-many of which are needed because of the traumas of combat. The system is also a key element of VA research and development, which AMVETS strongly supports because of its contributions to veterans' healthcare and the public good.

AMVETS believes it is essential that adequate funding be provided VA's health-care system. We remain insistent about funding the needs of the system, serving veterans, and the recruitment and retention of vital health-care professionals, especially registered nurses. Despite a decrease in the overall number of veterans in this country, reliance on VA services continues to increase. VA estimates it will see an additional 1.2 million patients over the next year, bringing the number of veterans served up to 4.9 million-a 31 percent increase over last year. Years of flat-lined budgets, however, have led to rationing of care through reduced services, lengthy delays in appointments, higher co-payments and, in some cases, veterans being turned away from treatment.

With this in mind, AMVETS seeks actions that will-

fully fund and maintain the integrity of VA benefit and entitlement programs;
establish an integrated healthcare delivery network to care for America's veterans;
enhance specialized treatment and rehabilitative services for blinded veterans, veterans with spinal cord injuries, mental illness and related other special needs;
provide a full continuum on care, to include nursing home services for all veterans; ensure VA pays its fair share of the cost of caring for veterans residing in state veterans homes programs;
modernize the VA healthcare system and create additional accessible community-based outreach clinics;
ensure and secure appropriate facilities and resources for the diagnosis and treatment of women veterans at all VA hospitals and clinics; and
continue to provide care on a presumptive basis for Persian Gulf veterans.

Employment

AMVETS, in concert with our fellow veterans service organizations, is committed to ensuring full access to employment opportunities for our nation's veterans. It is important that programs and policies at the federal level continue to help veterans to establish private businesses by providing them with technical, financial and procurement assistance, thus allowing more of them to become part of the American work force.

AMVETS will remain vigilant in supporting the delivery of federally funded programs that ensure priority employment and training services for veterans. We believe the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is a quality program and key component in the assimilation of veterans into the work force and, as such, should be established at every DoD installation.

Therefore, AMVETS seeks actions that will-

ensure that all employment and training programs require veterans preference, give priority of service to veterans, and strengthen general oversight and compliance provision currently in effect;
ensure adequate funding for DVOP and LVER programs and see that sufficient staff is available to provide adequate services to veterans;
support efforts to strengthen the Veterans Employment and Training Service and insist that it remain within the Department of Labor;
strengthen TAP and improve servicemembers' access to its programs; and
provide sufficient funding to the National Veterans' Training Institute to ensure training of personnel to assist veterans in finding employment in an ever-changing environment.

Veterans Benefits

AMVETS recognizes that the human costs of war cannot be ignored by an honorable nation and that veterans' benefits are as much a cost of war as are the more tangible tools of conflict. We view veterans' benefits as legitimate compensation, paid on behalf of a grateful nation, to the men and women who were injured in their service to country.

Our nation provides benefits and services to its veterans and eligible dependents through a variety of specially designed programs. The core benefit administered by VA is compensation to veterans disabled as a result of service in the Armed Forces. In general, these benefits are intended to compensate for service-connected disabilities or to serve as a safety net for totally disabled, nonservice-connected wartime veterans.
AMVETS is very concerned about the growing backlog of disability claims that leaves many veterans without a decision or outcome on their requests for compensation, thereby suffering delay in earned benefits.

In addition to these concerns, AMVETS seeks actions that will-

give the highest priority to the service-connected needs of veterans;
ensure that service-connected compensation and death benefits are generous;
allow concurrent receipt of full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation;
index the Montgomery GI Education Bill to the average cost of a college education;
increase the VA burial and plot allowance to a level reflecting the inflationary impact of the years it has been held stagnate;
require at least one open national or state cemetery in every state; and
provide timely cost of living adjustments to all VA beneficiaries and military retirees in an amount at least equal to the Consumer Price Index.

Flag Protection

AMVETS supports the right of the American people to protect their flag from desecration. We seek to overturn a 1989 Supreme Court decision that allows the U.S. flag to be burned, torn, trampled, or otherwise physically desecrated under the guise of free speech. Since the Court's 5 to 4 decision, the only way the American people can reclaim their right to protect Old Glory is through a constitutional amendment. Such an amendment, which AMVETS strongly supports, provides that "Congress shall have the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States."

Flag amendment legislation passed the House of Representatives by the required 2/3 majority in July 2001. The Senate, however, did not act on the measure. AMVETS calls on members of the 108th Congress to seek constitutional protection against desecration of the flag of the United States.

POW/MIA Affairs

AMVETS remains committed to pursuing the American POW/MIA issue until the fullest possible accounting of our missing service personnel has been achieved. We vow to stand behind our men and women in uniform and work to account for those who do not return. We will keep the lines of communication open between AMVETS National Headquarters and the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office.

AMVETS, therefore, seeks actions that will-

establish the status of Navy pilot Lt. Cmdr. Scott Speicher from the Gulf War-currently listed as MIA-as POW and demand that Iraq return all POWs of the Persian Gulf War;
demand a full accounting of Cold War-era POW/MIAs;
lead to free and open exchange of POW/MIA information among all nations concerned;
increase public awareness of POW/MIA issues, including the treatment of American POWs by Japan; and
enact economic sanctions against those governments that refuse to reveal the whereabouts or assist in the recovery of our POW/MIAs.

Homelessness

AMVETS has long recognized a clear need to pursue a more comprehensive and coordinated effort to address homelessness among veterans. According to the latest VA estimates, on any given night, more than 250,000 men and women who previously served in the Armed Forces spend their time on the streets of U.S. cities and rural towns with no place to call home.

Over the years, members of AMVETS have adopted a series of resolutions seeking adequate levels of federal, state and local funding to ensure that resources are in place to help prevent homelessness among veterans. As an organization, we have been and continue to be intricately involved in programs and initiatives across the country to aid homeless veterans.

We applaud enactment of legislation in the 107th Congress to establish as a national goal the elimination of chronic homeless in the next decade. Providing assistance to homeless veterans can play a major role in getting these men and women back on their feet and into the mainstream of community life.

With this in mind, AMVETS seeks actions that will-

fund programs to attack root causes of homelessness and respond to the needs of homeless veterans;
provide transitional housing to give homeless veterans, who want to win their lives back, an escape from the streets;
increase outreach programs that offer medical care and treatment to fill the serious gaps in services for these homeless men and women who have served our nation;
encourage a broad cooperation among the departments and agencies of our federal, state, and local governments, private and public sector organizations, community-based experts, and individuals to end homelessness and help veterans regain their lives; and
provide comprehensive medical care, mental and psychiatric assistance, vocational training and rehabilitation, employment and family counseling to transform homeless veterans into productive members of society.

Click on the Logo to visit the AmVets Site

'AMVETS stands as a powerful advocate of veterans' rights. We do this by working together to make a positive difference in each other's lives, whether by providing professional advice about government entitlements; volunteering time with the hospitalized; or actively pursuing veterans' issues on Capitol Hill. Our members have been building on this tradition of service since World War II — to the benefit of, not only their fellow veterans, but also the communities in which they live. On the pages that follow, I invite you to learn more about our organization and what we're doing to build for a better America.'

-- W.G. "Bill" Kilgore,
National Commander

Thanks, Doughty!

Hey Sam. I kind of thought that you might be here. I just can't seem to stay away. I should be in bed by now. It's going to be hard work watching those football games tomorrow.

Nice truck!

HI. It's a dirty job but some one has to do it.

DoughtyOne made it for us. I finally remembered to post it. It's hell getting old.

That's how I see it. Who are you looking to see win?

I don't follow collage games. So I have no stake in any of the games. Who you rooting for?

I told my Dad that once and he told me, "you don't know $hit".

LOL! My dad thinks not following any sport is blasphemy.

I don't pay to much attention to the collage games either. I like the 49"ers in the pro's. I've been a fan ever since I was old enough to know what a football is.

My Dad used to coach from right there in the living room. I agree with your Dad.

I like the Seahawks but I lost a lot if interest when the league went out on strike.

I think my dad would watch the tiddly wink championships if they televised it.

I'm gonna hit the sack. See you later today.

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From your presentation, Sam: Disabled Veteran Harold S. Russell

Sam, thanks for this great profile on AmVets! I didn't realize that they were such a diverse organization. It sounds like they have their hands in all of the right things for our vets and active duty men and women. I'm impressed! :)