The Fate of VVA's Veteran Service Officer Program

BY JOHN H. RILING III

No generation of veterans before the Vietnam War faced the level of scrutiny, neglect, and abuse that Vietnam War veterans endured. Because of our struggle, and because we refused to accept that treatment in silence, no generation that followed has had to face what we did. By the grace of God, and through our continued efforts, we remain committed to this principle: “Never again means never again.”

President Tom Burke captured VVA’s purpose in this statement at the April Board meeting. That reason alone would be enough for VVA to continue. But it is not the only reason for VVA to remain VVA.

The message from the membership was clear: keep our name, keep the organization alive, and move beyond the proposed drop-dead date. Tom Burke’s Mission 75 proposal does that while also opening our doors to all veterans. It gives VVA a future that goes beyond our lifetimes.

VVA will continue to lobby Congress so that we can keep fighting for all veterans. Our Government Affairs Department has always had a presence on Capitol Hill, and the current GA team has exceeded all of our expectations. The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs have made it a priority to listen to VVA.

In the past, this team was focused mainly on the federal level. But under the leadership of James McCormick, Government Affairs is also helping VVA State Councils address problems at the state level. Just as important, his team listens to our veteran leadership across the organization.

If VVA went out of business, our Veteran Service Officer program would end, too. That would be catastrophic. It would end the work our Service Officers do for all veterans and leave almost 5,000 active claims without representation.

That includes the powers of attorney VVA now holds. Veterans, surviving spouses, and dependents would have to find new representation for their dealings with the VA, and many would have to start over. We all know how long that takes.

Without VVA accreditation with the VA, all of our VSOs, both paid and volunteer, would lose their positions. County VSOs could no longer help those claimants either. Would other veterans service organizations be able to pick up where our VSOs left off? Maybe, but not all of them could. They already have a ton of work.

The VVA National Veterans Benefits Program helps not only our national VSOs, but also our field VSOs and County VSOs across the nation. It is the best it has ever been. As a membership, we cannot fail those we represent.

VVA Forever.

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