The VFW's National Veterans Service (NVS) is your liaison to the Department of Veterans Affairs in the nations capital. NVS offers the following resources:
Certified Department Service Officer Network - Highly trained professionals throughout the country will identify the benefits that pertain to you. They will provide you with free expert advice regarding your case. They will provide information for further development of entitlement programs. They will file for benefits from all levels of eligibility. Finally, if necessary, they will advocate on your behalf through the appellate process to the Board of Veterans Appeals and, if need be, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
Tactical Assessment Center: - A 24-hour help-line (1-800- VFW-1899) for veterans with questions and concerns about VA entitlements.
Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) Programs - Introduced in 2001, VFW's BDD provides claims assistance to separating armed forces personnel at seven designated military installations throughout the country.
Your Voice on Capitol Hill
The VFW's National Legislative Service (NLS) monitors all legislation affecting veterans. It alerts VFW members to key veterans legislation under consideration and actively lobbies Congress and the Administration on veterans issues. It often assists congressional staff in preparing veterans legislation .
NLS not only works for the advancement of legislation beneficial to veterans, but also is responsible for defeating proposed bills detrimental to the nation's veterans.
The VFW supports veterans legislation that will:
• Improve health care
• Enhance benefits
• Strengthen America's national defense
• Provide a better quality of life for today's service members
Action Corps - To continue our success, stay informed and sign up for the VFW Washington Weekly e-mail newsletter. The Washington Weekly is the best way to know what is going on in the nation's capital that affects veterans and the active-duty military and reserve forces.
Get involved, know the issues and make sure your voice is heard.
National Security & Foreign Affairs
The VFW's National Security and Foreign Affairs section keeps members abreast of current events relating to defense and foreign policy:
• A Collective Voice: Speaks out on behalf of veterans with valuable military experiences.
• Spreading the News: Disseminates foreign policy and defense updates from a veteran's perspective through various channels.
• POW/MIA: Works for a full accounting of U.S.POWs/MIAs from all wars.
National security goals are based on resolutions adopted by delegates at national convention. Goals are aggressively promoted before Congress and policymakers at all governmental levels.
National Veterans Employment
Here are two ways the VFW assists veterans seeking jobs:
• National Veterans Employment Assistance Service: Works to ensure veterans preference in federal and other government hiring.
• VetJobs.com: This free service allows veterans and their spouses to post resumes and search for available jobs online. To date, more than 80,000 veterans and their spouses have posted resumes on the Web site, and approximately 30,000 of them have been placed in jobs.
Military Assistance
The Military Assistance Program (MAP) is another way the VFW assists members of the active-duty military, National Guard and Reserves, as well as their families.
Through MAP, local VFW Posts adopt military units and sponsor events such as welcome home ceremonies and family day activities. Sponsorship can be provided in a variety of ways, such as offering the use of a VFW Post building, setting up a water station at a "fun run" or providing food at a military family picnic.
MAP also can help financially through its Unmet Needs and Emergency Financial Assistance programs. Funded by Vermont American Power Tools, Unmet Needs may assist families of deployed or recently returned service members with up to $1,500 in grants. Emergency Financial Assistance is funded by donations and may assist when a family's circumstances does not qualify for Unmet Needs. Both applications use the same form and are submitted online at www.unmetneeds.com .
MAP also offers Operation Uplink, which connects service members and hospitalized veterans to their loved ones by providing free, pre-paid phone cards. These cards are fully funded by donations and can be requested online at www.operationuplink.org. Both service members and family members can request cards, but requests are limited to one card per person every 60 days.
Working With America's Youth
VFW members invest thousands of hours in America's young people to ensure they know u.s. history, understand its values and appreciate the freedoms they enjoy. Here are a few examples:
Voice of Democracy Audio Essay Contest: Each year, more than 80,000 high school students write and record essays in this 60-year-old contest. At the local level, they compete for more than $2.2 million in scholarships and incentives provided by VFW Posts and Departments. The contest culminates with 54 Department winners, each of whom receives a college scholarship, competing for the national first-place award-a $30,000 college scholarship.
Patriot's Pen Essay Competition: More than 110,000 junior high and middle school students write a patriotic essay to compete for more than $1 million-including $10,000 for the first-place winner-in u.s. Savings Bonds.
Scouting, JROTC & Cadet Programs: VFW members annually identify and reward outstanding young achievers through the Scout of the Year Award, Eagle Scout citations, JROTC drill competitions at the national convention, and medals and citations for cadets, such as those in the Civil Air Patrol and Naval Sea Cadet program.
Veterans in the Classroom: During the school year, thousands of VFW members speak to students of all ages about their military service, the values of teamwork, their love of country, and their pride in the history of veterans and the VFW. Members also promote the Voice of Democracy and Patriot's Pen contests during their visits.
Recognition: For those 18 and younger, the VFW presents Life Saving Awards throughout the year.
Enhancing Your Community
VFW Posts and their members are committed to serving and improving the communities in which they live and work.
An Army of Volunteers: Last year, VFW and Ladies Auxiliary members performed more than 23 million volunteer hours in their communities, VA hospitals and nursing homes.
Buddy Poppy Program: Since 1922, the VFW has distributed millions of Buddy Poppies to raise money to help needy veterans, their dependents and the VFW National Home for Children. Also, funds are expended for memorial and educational efforts.
Making Connections: Each year, VFW members team up with like-minded local organizations to serve young people, those with special needs, the environment and many other issues to improve their communities and strengthen America.
Disaster Relief: The VFW has been responding to natural disasters since 1927. The VFW National Headquarters contributed more than $1 million to victims of the hurricanes in 2005.
Recognizing & Rememberlng
Two of the VFW's core values are remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice and honoring those who serve our nation daily. A few of the ways the VFW does this are:
Recognition Ceremonies: VFW Posts sponsor Veterans Day and Memorial Day activities and provide military funeral details. They also sponsor welcome- home events for troops returning from overseas.
Memorial Support: The VFW is credited with some of the largest contributions to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Women's Memorial Project and Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as the Liberty Memorial, the nation's World War I monument, in Kansas City, Mo .