Last week we learned that in October 2012, the VA guaranteed its 20 millionth home loan. In August 2013 the American Legion family raised more than $1.1 million for Operation Comfort Warriors during the 2012-2013 fundraising year.
In 2014, in the midst of a VA waiting-list scandal that caused the death of many veterans waiting for care, the Legion called for resignations of several top officials, including the VA Secretary.
In August 2014 the American Legion announced that Legion family members and friends donated more than $4 million to Legion charities and programs. In July 2016, the American Legion Legacy Scholarship program was expanded to children of post-9/11 veterans who have a VA disability rating of 50% or greater.
This week we find that in June 2017, the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 was passed by Congress in conjunction with The American Legion. This legislation gave the VA Secretary the authority to terminate the employment of VA employees who do not hold the standard of the VA’s missions, to help our veterans.
Then on August 16, 2017, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 — also known as the “Forever GI Bill” because it removed time limits for veterans who wish to use it for college, was signed into law by President Donald J. Trump.
Harry W. Colmery was the American Legion past national commander who drafted the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act in 1944, which eventually became the original “GI Bill.” On August 23, 2017, President Donald J. Trump signed onstage the Veterans Appeals and Modernization Act of 2017 at the 99th American Legion National Convention. The measure offered three courses of action for veterans to appeal decisions on their disability claims in an effort to reduce the number of pending appeals — at this point more than 470,000 nationwide, and speed up the process. This is the first time in history a U.S. president has used an American Legion National Convention stage to sign a bill into law. Next week we will learn that the first woman was elected as the Legion’s National Commander and the Legion celebrated it’s 100th birthday. Please continue to pray for our veterans and our military, especially those in harm’s way in the Middle East and around the world.
