Staying True to Our Founding Principle

BY PETE PETERSON, CHAIR

When a Blue Water Navy veteran finally receives benefits that were denied for decades, or when a Gulf War veteran gets recognition for toxic exposure injuries, it’s rarely by accident. It’s the result of sustained advocacy, strategic relationships, and relentless pressure on decision-makers who hold veterans’ futures in their hands. That’s the work of VVA’s Government Affairs Department.

In 2025, our Government Affairs Department tracked more than 50 pieces of legislation and actively supported dozens of bills addressing health care, disability compensation, survivor benefits, housing, mental health, and toxic exposure. We conducted more than 160 face-to-face meetings with congressional staff and mobilized thousands of grassroots messages from veterans across the country.

This work requires constant monitoring, sustained engagement, and regular communication with congressional offices—a daily commitment to keeping veterans’ issues front and center. But the real measure of our work isn’t in meetings attended, it’s in the doors we’ve opened and the ground we’ve gained for veterans and their families.

VVA’s advocacy reaches beyond Capitol Hill. Throughout 2025, we strengthened working relationships with Congress, the VA, the Department of Defense, and the White House. When senior administration leaders need insights on veterans’ issues, VVA is increasingly the organization they call. When congressional committees hold hearings on veterans’ issues, we are asked to testify.

We engage early in the legislative process; we bring facts and veterans’ voices to the table; and we work across party lines. After the Convention in August, we introduced VVA’s new President, Tom Burke, to members of Congress, their staffs, and administration officials.

The result: VVA has become a trusted voice on the issues that matter most to those who served.

One of our most persistent priorities remains removing the arbitrary 12-nautical-mile boundary that denies benefits to Blue Water Navy Vietnam War veterans. These sailors served offshore during the war and were exposed to Agent Orange through contaminated water systems and aerial spraying. Yet, many have been denied the health care their shipmates closer to shore receive. VVA continues to push Congress to eliminate this unjust distinction and ensure all who were exposed receive the benefits they’ve earned.

We also remain unwavering in our demand for full accountability for MIAs. This sacred obligation transcends politics and time—every service member deserves to be accounted for, and every family deserves answers.

VVA has established itself as the leading voice for Gulf War veterans facing the consequences of chemical and toxic exposures. Throughout 2025, we engaged in high-level meetings with senior leadership from the DoD, the VA, and the White House, pushing for policy changes that address the unique health challenges these veterans face.

VVA sent letters to the VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration’s senior leadership that addressed the implementation of the new ICD-10 diagnostic code for Gulf War Illness, which officially began on October 1, 2025. We’re also leading efforts to expand research into how toxic substance exposure affects not just veterans, but their families and descendants.

Veteran suicide and homelessness demand immediate, sustained action. In 2025, Government Affairs intensified its focus on these challenges, working to deepen congressional understanding and support for expanded mental health care, crisis intervention, and housing stability programs.

We’ve backed practical solutions such as the development of housing facilities at the West Los Angeles VA Campus: projects that move veterans from streets into stable, supportive environments.

All of this work is strengthened by VVA’s grassroots network. In 2025, members across the country sent thousands of messages to House and Senate offices. This combination of insider advocacy and grassroots power gives VVA a reach that few organizations can match. In 2026, we’re working to expand that participation.

As we enter the new year, I implore each state council, local chapter, and every VVA member to renew their commitment to engaging their elected officials. I cannot stress the importance of this engagement enough in carrying out our legislative and policy goals.

VVA was founded by Vietnam War veterans, but our mission has always been bigger than one generation. We advocate for all veterans because the responsibility to care for those who served doesn’t expire. That principle guides everything we do.

The Government Affairs Department is not here to blend in or play it safe. We’re here to win for veterans and their families, to hold government accountable, and to lead with purpose.

Our voice is growing stronger each year, guided by VVA’s Founding Principle: “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”

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