National Site Newsletter

As of August 6, 2020

Hello,

I hope you and yours are holding up in this unprecedented time of COVID-19. I’m sure most of us figured this mess would be over by now, but here we still sit.

As we figure out how to maneuver through this mess with opinions and regulations flying around like an angry hornets’ nest let’s remember to be kind to each other. A thank you to that waitperson, mail carrier, medical professional or anyone else who has worked through time could make that person’s day.

I have missed traveling to posts and AMVETS events and can hardly wait to be back out there. I look forward to us being together again and getting back to normal, whatever that may look like in the near future.

Please stay well, take care of each other and virtual hugs to everyone.

Lowe’s & AMVETS Kickstart Military Careers in Skilled Trades & Technology

AMVETS Creates PREVENTS Roadmap Breakdown 3-Part Series

AMVETS’ PTSD Awareness Day Fireside Chat

American Veterans Organization Cancels Convention

Time for Congress to Get Back to Work on Mental Health and Suicide

Amid Nationwide Unemployment Spike, AMVETS Partners with Military Hire

AMVETS and TruGenomix Partner to Tackle Rise in Women Veterans Suicides

Veteran robbed, then stranded

Before he left, one of the families at the AMVETS invited Allen over for dinner. Before he departed, the post raised about $300 for Allen for food and other expenses during his trip back. AMVETS Post 17 Commander confirmed Allen made it home safely.

AMVETS Post 12 serves as major sponsor for ‘Feed Winder’ event

For the past five years, AMVETS Post 12 (Winder, GA) serves as one of the major financial sponsors for the “Feed Winder” food drive. July 23, with 17 members of the post were on hand to assist in the food distribution.

AMVETS Post 54 supports community with pair of donation s

Members of AMVETS Post 54 (Bryan, OH) are “coming back with a vengeance for the county and the community,” as the post presented a $5,000 check to the Fraternal Order of Police and another to Sarah’s Friends Tuesday.

AMVETS Post 89 donates to Nature Coast Young Marines

Recently, Harry M. Bailey AMVETS Post 89 (Crystal River, FL) presented a check to the Nature Coast Young Marines to show appreciation for what they’ve done for #veterans and their community.

The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, S.785

This bill would allow for quicker hiring of mental health professionals by VA, expanding new veterans’ access to VA health care, and bolster funding for mental health care in rural and underserved regions. This would also complement the efforts being made by the the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) task force, as they attempt to gather research and curb the veteran suicide epidemic.

The Charitable Equity for Veterans Act, H.R.1715

As you know, we have been working with Congress to create legislation that would solve our organization’s tax issues. The Charitable Equity for Veterans Act of 2019 was the solution we came up with to allow local AMVETS posts to accept tax-deductible charitable donations.

Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act of 2020

The bill would effectively force VA to provide disability benefits to veterans with hypertension, hypothyroidism, Parkinson’s-like symptoms and bladder cancer connected to Agent Orange exposure during military service.

You Are Not Forgotten Act, H.R.3025

Introduced ahead of Memorial Day, the You Are Not Forgotten Act, H.R. 3025, represents a bipartisan effort by AMVETS and its partners in Congress to help ensure lawmakers remember the more than 82,000 service members our nation sent to war, but has yet to bring home.

Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act, S. 1906

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants for a period of three years to eligible entities for the provision of suicide prevention services to veterans and their families. Under the bill, eligible entities include tribally designated housing entities, community-based organizations, and other private entities that meet certain requirements.

Leave No Veteran Behind Act, H.R. 4154

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to seek to contact covered veterans to encourage them to receive comprehensive physical, mental health, eye, and audiological examinations. A covered veteran is a veteran who is enrolled in the VA health care system and has not received health care furnished or paid for by the VA in the past two years.

The Nimitz Report (VIDEOS):

Capitol Hill: 5 Facts for Vets & our Military!
Will President Trump’s Task Force End Veteran Suicide?
Trump Vs Biden: Veterans Mental Health platforms for 2020 Election

For more information about AMVETS’ legislative priorities, click here.

AMVETS’ Podcasts

AVP: Suicide Prevention Bills & Lisa Wilken

On this AVP, we talk about two suicide prevention bills supported by AMVETS that were recently marked up in Congress (S. 785 | S. 3235)and discuss the story of a disabled veteran who was robbed while on a bus traveling home and how AMVETS was able to help rectify the situation: sanduskyregister.com/news/268541/ve…then-stranded/.

We also speak with AMVETS’ National Women’s Committee Chair Lisa Wilken about legislation and events happening in Indiana.

WATT: Denetra Hampton, former U.S. Naval Nurses Corps Officer

On this ‘Who’s at the Table?’, AMVETS Chief Medical Executive Cherissa Jackson hosts former U.S. Naval Nurses Corps Officer Denetra Hampton at the table.