Veterans Day President’s Report

11/08/2017

Saturday November 11th 2017 is Veterans Day. It is a day that we deservingly acknowledge and honor the men and women that have served in our country’s military. Many of the issues facing veterans are the same ones facing working families, lack of good jobs, the lack of accessible health care and the increasingly uphill struggle of trying to make a better life for themselves and their families.

While wearing lapel pins, and putting magnetic red, white, and blue ribbons on your car are well intended gestures, I am asking you to do something more meaningful and more powerful. I want you to write or call your congressman and senators. Tell them to support the following pro-veteran bills;

H.R. 3459 “The VA Staffing and Vacancies Transparency Act of 2017”

H.R. 105 “The Protect Veterans from Financial Fraud Act”

H.R. 1725 “The Quicker Benefits Delivery Act”

H.R. 1329 “The Veterans Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment Act of 2017”

H.R. 1723 “Strengthening Veterans Health care Act 2017”

H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017

Tell them that it is completely unacceptable that the VA has been slow to the point of negligence in filling the more than 30,000 vacancies that they currently have, 92% of which are doctors, nurses, mental health counselors and other clinical professionals. Tell that the 2018 elections are a year away and you are watching.

To find your congressman go to www.house.gov and type in your zip code. To find your senator go to www.senate.gov and choose your state. All their contact information is there.

I know that most of us have never called or written our congressmen or senators, but these issues are too important to the men and women that served and sacrificed for this country. This is the type of real support our veterans need and deserve. Let’s show them we care by taking a few minutes out of our day to make this happen.

Local Lodge 1725 President Michael Jones