I hope all of you had happy holidays and a great beginning to a new year. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for our troops serving far from home as well as our veterans living all alone in their homes or in a nursing facility.
Last week in Part 17 we talked about the Legion launching the national “I Am Not A Number” campaign to identify and document the delays veterans face in obtaining medical care from the Veterans Administration. In September 2004, the American Legion lobbying led to more progress in elimination of the Disabled Veterans Tax with passage of PL 108-375 that eliminated the 10-year phase-in for 100% service-connected retirees, allowing them to immediately begin receiving both the retired pay and VA disability payments.
On September 19, 2004, the Legion launched a national program, the Blue Star Salute, where American Legion posts across the country hold public events to recognize troops, their families and local businesses on Armed Forces Day.
In May 2005, the American Legion lobbying was successful to remove VA funding for legislation which had admin-istration proposed increases in VA Prescription co-payments and institution of user fee for Priority Group 8 veterans using VA health facilities.
In October 2007, the Legion adopted the American Legion Riders as a national program for The American Legion. The first Legion Riders chapter was established by the American Legion Post 396 in Garden City, Michigan, in 1993. Today there are more than 110,000 riders from over 2,000 posts nationwide and in three foreign countries.
Some of their duties are to participate in local charity events, help in raising money for VA hospital facilities through various special rides, riding to honor fallen military men and women and to protect the sanctity of their funerals, and escorting military units to departure airfields for combat tours overseas and welcoming them home upon their return.
Many Legion Riders are also members of the Patriot Guard Riders, who also ride to protect the safety and sanctity of military funerals. Many posts conduct an annual nationwide Legacy Run in direct support of American Legion Scholarship programs of Operation Comfort Warriors, supporting our wounded service members across the nation.
Next week we will learn about President George W. Bush signing into effect a next-generation GI Bill for our veterans in 2008. Then in 2009, President Obama signs into law a Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act that sets up funding for the VA one year in advance.
