The American Legion’s Forty-eighth Annual Washington Conference was held from March 30th through April 2nd. Member of The American Legion Family traveled from across the nation to lobbying on behalf of Veterans' issues and issues pertinent to The American Legion Family. Approximately 1,000 Legion family members gathered at The American Legion’s 48th Washington Conference

On Sunday, March 30th, the National Commander of The American Legion Raymond P. Giehll, Jr. (IN) along with representatives of numerous Detachments visited the various National Veterans' memorials around Washington, DC. These memorials included The World War II Memorial, The Korean War Memorial, The Vietnam War Memorial, and The Tomb of The Unknowns. Memorial Wreaths were presented at these memorials in honor of all those who defended our great nation. Detachment Commander Duane Alexander presented a memorial wreath at the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy and visited the grave of Robert Kennedy. A memorial wreath was placed at The Tomb of The Unknowns by National Commander Raymond P. Giehll, Jr., his wife Debbie, Detachment of Indiana Commander Duane Alexander, and National Legislative Commission Chairman George B. Evans. All those in attendance also visited the Tomb Guards' Quarters for an educational question & answer session.

Monday, March 31st, the members of the Sons of The American Legion attended various National American Legion Commission meetings, among those was the Legislative Commission.

The big day was Tuesday, April 1st, as Sons of The American Legion National Commander Raymond P. Giehll, along with representatives of the various Detachments present attended the “Commander’s Call.” During this rally The American Legion heard from distinguished guests including Speaker of The House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader John Boehner, VA Secretary James Peake, Sen. Richard Burr, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and Rep.Chet Edwards. The purpose of this rally was to prepare the members for their trip to Capitol Hill.

Speaker Pelosi was presented with a recognition award from National American Legion Commander Marty Conatser for her work in securing an additional $11.8 billion for the VA budget. House Minority Leader Boehner made the case for victory in Iraq. Representative Edwards who was honored by The American Legion by receiving the Distinguished Public Service Award for his work in the appropriations process. American Legion recognition awards also went to Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Robert Byrd and Rep.David Obey for their roles in the fiscal 2008 VA budget.

Following the Commander’s Call, hundreds of Legion family members, including the representatives from the Detachments who gathered together in Washington walked the halls of the U.S. Capitol, meeting with their senators and representatives to discuss issues ranging from the Flag Protection Amendment to the VA budget.

Veterans' Health Care Access Veterans in seven additional states will have easier access to world-class health care under a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plan to open 14 new outpatient clinics in 2008. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake announced that the VA will establish new clinics in Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Washington.

“VA is dedicated to providing the best in health care to the men and women who have served this nation in uniform,” Peake said. “These new clinics will bring that care closer to veterans who have earned it through their service.”

Locations for the new clinics are:
· Arkansas - Phillips County
· Illinois - Coles County
· Indiana - Scott County
· Kentucky - Carroll County, Christian County and Graves County
· Oklahoma - Stillwater
· Tennessee - Bolivar, Campbell County, Dyer County, Roane County, Sevier County and Warren County
· Washington - Lewis County

The new clinics are scheduled to activate in 2008. The exact locations of the new facilities, along with their opening dates and the health care services they will provide, have to be determined. VA has previously approved 50 additional clinics that will begin providing services in 2008 for a total of 64 new clinics throughout the country this year.

With 153 hospitals and more than 700 community-based clinics, VA has the nation’s largest integrated health care system. The Department’s health care budget of over $36 billion this year will provide care to about 5.5 million veterans.

Many of the new clinics were designated as priorities under VA’s Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) plan. CARES, completed in 2004, is intended to ensure that VA uses its resources as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Veterans' Health Care On Jan. 17, The American Legion testified before the House Veterans' Affairs Health Subcommittee to address various legislation affecting veterans' health care. The measures addressed:
· A pilot program to provide treatment for traumatic brain injury in rural areas, as well as creation of another pilot program to provide mental-health vouchers to veterans living 30 miles or more from a VA medical facility, to be used as payment in full for mental-health services at a private, VA-approved facility;
· A plan to reimburse veterans receiving non-VA emergency-room treatment until they are transferred to VA medical facilities;
· Improving VA treatment and services to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance-abuse disorders; and
· Expanding and improving VA health-care services available to women veterans, especially those serving in the global war on terrorism.

Veterans educational issues. Legislation dealing with veterans' education-related programs. Among the subjects discussed at the hearing were: Elimination of the 10-year delimiting period for veterans to use their Montgomery GI Bill educational benefits, and allowing all reserve component members to use their GI Bill benefits for up to 10 years after separation, or completion of a service contract;
· Indexing all GI Bill benefits to the average cost of a college education, and reviewing the educational cost index for annual adjustments;
· Adjusting reimbursement rates for MGIB-Select Reserve program participants for time spent on federal or state activation, and normal service for no more than 36 months;
· Terminating the current military payroll contribution of $1,200 required for enrollment in the program;
· Transferring benefits from veterans to their immediate family members at the veteran's request; and
· Creating the option for veterans to request accelerated payment of all monthly educational benefits, upon meeting eligibility criteria for GI Bill payments.

Veterans Disability Benefits Commission review. The findings of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission with respect to the current disability compensation system were reported. Overall, The American Legion urged caution in examining the current disability compensation system before any changes are made, especially with servicemembers still in harm's way.

VA Claims Processing. On Jan. 29, the House VA Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee conducted a hearing on the use of artificial intelligence to improve VA's claim-processing system. The American Legion commented that while innovative ideas should be examined, they are not "magic bullets" that instantly solve the claims-processing backlog. Inadequate funding, insufficient staffing, too little training, inadequate quality assurance and premature adjudication of claims - among other factors - must be adequately dealt with before any real improvement from use of artificial intelligence can be realized.

Fiscal 2009 Budget Views and Estimates. The American Legion presented a statement on Jan. 30 to the Senate Budget Committee, giving views and estimates of the Fiscal 2009 federal budget for programs that concern our organization. This testimony took place before the release of the president's fiscal 2009 budget request. They include illegal immigration, drug trafficking, the national school lunch program, veterans education benefits, Veterans Employment and Training Service, the State Department and foreign aid programs, national defense and homeland security, and VA.

Fiscal 2009 VA Budget On Feb. 7 and 13, The American Legion testified before the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees on the fiscal 2009 budget request for VA. While recognizing the modest increase in VA funding above the current year's funding totals, The American Legion also stated that many areas of the president's proposal were lacking. This was especially true in VA medical care and claims-processing accounts. In addition, the major construction account was deemed insufficiently funded to meet the need for new VA facilities. With the global war on terrorism still ongoing, more former servicemembers than ever will use VA programs and facilities. The American Legion will continue to monitor the budget process.

Expiring VA Programs. American Legion spokesmen appeared before the House VA Economic Opportunity Subcommittee on Feb. 13 to discuss VA programs set to expire this year. Among them were two demonstration projects dealing with adjustable rate mortgages. Also addressed were provisions of law dealing with GI Bill benefits to veterans receiving on-the-job training (OJT). On Jan. 1, OJT benefits for certain veterans were reduced by 10 percent. The American Legion urged that legislation be enacted to restore OJT benefits to their former levels.

Backlog of VA Claims Processing. On Feb. 14, American Legion representatives met with the House VA Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee to discuss the backlog of disability claim applications pending at VA. As of Feb. 2, more than 650,000 claims were pending adjudication by VA; the average number of days needed to complete a claim is now 182.5. The American Legion ascribed much of the problem to VA's lack of training for new claims adjudicators, a lack of proficiency for claims adjudicators generally, and an emphasis on productivity over completeness of claims processing to meet a certain performance goal.

Revising VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities. The American Legion testified on Feb. 26 before the House VA Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee on updating VA's current Rating Schedule.

The Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission made a variety of recommendations to change the schedule. While supporting the need to update the Rating Schedule, The American Legion offered comments on some of those recommendations, urging overall caution when considering any changes or modifications to the schedule.

Fiscal 2009 VA Construction Authorization. On Feb. 27, American Legion spokesmen appeared before the House VA Health Subcommittee to comment on the president's fiscal 2009 budget request for VA construction. In 2004, former VA Secretary Anthony Principi recommended that the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) program should be funded $1 billion per year, for five years, in order to modernize VA's medical infrastructure and to enhance veterans' access to care. However, only $2.83 billion for CARES projects have been appropriated from 2004 to 2007. Out of 10 previously planned major construction projects, four have not been funded. The American Legion stated, "... the demand for VA health care is increasing, while failure to improve the infrastructure causes unsafe conditions for veterans, as well as VA staff."

Mental Health Treatment for Veterans' Families. The American Legion presented testimony before the House VA Health Subcommittee Feb. 28 to discuss its views on mental-health treatment for families of veterans. A 2005 DoD survey indicated that 74 percent of active-duty personnel cope with stress by talking with a friend or family member. This survey, which includes Guard and reserve personnel, suggests that a servicemember's family is just as involved in mental-health treatment as the servicemember. VA's Vet Centers are already available to help veterans of the global war on terrorism and their families in addressing service-related psychological problems.

Pass S.2248 Surveillance Law Now . Put America’s National Security Ahead of Frivolous Lawsuits! Congress should put America’s national security ahead of frivolous lawsuits, American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser said today. The head of the nation’s largest veterans organization sent a letter to members of the House of Representatives, urging them to pass an important intelligence-gathering law immediately. “Since this war began, the Congress has done an exemplary job of ensuring that the nation’s fighting men and women are the best-trained and best-equipped military ever in American history,” National Commander Conatser wrote. “Today, The American Legion asks you to continue this precedent by equipping the intelligence assets with the necessary tools needed to provide these dedicated troops the very best information available by timely enactment of S.2248, The Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act (FISA).”

The bill had bipartisan support in the Senate but is stuck in the House because leaders there do not believe telecommunications companies should be protected from lawsuits that arise from cooperating with surveillance requests.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-West Va., the Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, also supports the bill. “Unfortunately, much of the debate over this bill has focused on liability protection for telecommunication carriers, instead of the new civil liberties protections and oversight mechanisms that have been included,” Rockefeller said in statement posted on his Senate web site. “We should not hold the carriers hostage to years of litigation for stepping forward when the country asked for help and providing assistance they believed to be legal and necessary. The fact is, if we lose cooperation from these or other private companies, our national security will suffer.” Conatser pointed out to Representatives that the National Intelligence Estimate noted that the United States will face a persistent and evolving threat over the next three years, with the main threat coming from Islamic terrorist groups and cells.

“It defies all common sense to give lawsuits a higher priority than national security,” Conatser said. “The American people expect Congress to protect America, not the lawsuit lobby. This surveillance is aimed at terrorists who want to kill innocent Americans. The government is not interested in phone calls that you make to Aunt Sally.”

The American Legion needs you to contact your two Senators and Representative. Ask them to put America’s security first before lawsuits by enacting S.2248, the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act (FISA). Encourage your Post leadership and other Legionnaires to voice their support, as well.

Call toll free to the Capitol Switchboard: 1-877-851-6437, 1-800-828-0498, or 1-800-614-2803. Ask for the office you would like to speak to. You can also request that one office transfer you to the next office. Most staff members are happy to do so.

Pass S. 22 “Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act”. College prices have increased substantially over the last 20 years. The average cost of tuition, fees, room and board at a four-year public institution have increased by 278 percent. The Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, S. 22, would closely resemble the educational benefits provided to veterans returning from World War II by reinstating the GI Bill to its original intent.

If enacted, S. 22 would amend Title 38 of the United States Code to modernize veterans’ educational benefits by aligning them with the highest in-state cost of tuition per state. Additionally, it would provide a stipend for housing, books, supplies and other educational expenses. This veterans’ educational benefits package would increase each year to match the rising costs of college. The bill will account for the frequent mobilizations of the National Guard and Reserves by implementing a mechanism that will allow for benefits to be earned on a cumulative basis. S. 22 would allow all veterans, who have earned education benefits, to use them after service, completion of a service contract or other measures.

Benefits should remain commensurate with sacrifice and service; S. 22 is designed to update the GI Bill. Recently separated veterans are seeking higher education, using their Montgomery GI Bill educational benefits, with an emphasis on reentering the civilian workforce. S. 22 would afford veterans the opportunity to select the college of their choice. Veterans need adequate educational benefits, which meets their career objectives.

Please contact both of your Senators today. Let them know that it is critical that they support S. 22 as a bill to establish a program of educational assistance for members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served after September 11, 2001. Remind them that the ongoing cost of war is the price of freedom.