CVO meeting minutes for September 17, 2025 on ZOOM from 7 PM to 9 PM.
September 17, 2025 Minutes
The Meeting was called to order at 1900 hours by Chair Larry Nazimek
Present: Larry Nazimek, Connie Edward (Recording Secretary), Francine O’Connor (Board Member), Mark Weiman, Joe Kewer (Webmaster)
Absent/Excused: Tanis Marquette, Willie Mack, Derrick Winding, Shannon Winding
Approval of Agenda: Approved. Not having a quorum, no binding decisions for the Coalition were made.
Discussions were held about
- Uncertainty if the Treasurer filed the 501c3 forms. Illinois Secretary Forms have due date and. Tanis lives in another state. CVO needs to be sure she is aware of the Illinois due dates so CVO does not lose the not for profit status.
- Co-pays and Means tests for VA health care is still plaguing some veterans. Not all veterans are affected equally. Although the onsite Means test was stopped, for co-pay purposes the VA uses the IRS and Social Security for veterans’ income information. To affected veterans that is a more accurate Means Test.
- Larry said Cong. Ramirez was contacted to help with HR 1644 that was introduced by Underwood.
- The Career Coaching that CVO had been approached to include on its website has been on hold because the persons who had designed the online version have not been in contact with CVO after they requested multiple CVO persons to manage it. Details of how that could be accomplished did not move forward. Since then the Department of Veterans Affairs have introduced procedures that was to make it mandatory for service personnel to sign up officially with the Department before leaving active duty. Much work has been accomplished since CVO started to assist veterans in reentering civilian life. While CVO listed some of those initiatives in its brochures of it purposes, some of those have been incorporated as Department of Veterans Affairs responsibilities. Presumptive benefits and Mandatory Funding for VA health care are among those. CVO did not always include discussions with veterans across the country as issues that affect every veteran in America. As CVO seemed to evolve as a local group rather than a coalition of organizations that would be stronger to get Congressional action on common issues that preexisting organizations may not have had the numbers of members influence Congress and maintain not- for- profit and nonpolitical without neglecting the purposes for which those veterans organizations existed. The organizations that do have a political representation in Washington also questioned the need for CVO in addition to them and at one point it seemed clear that there seemed to be veterans issues that may be identified a the local level and may never get to Congress. Still more work needs to be done in making clear the need for both PIC and PAC. A PAC is for Political Action. The I in PIC is for Information or Advocacy , which is appropriate for non-profits. Also, CVO is not a service organization. It is important that the CVO Board identify a way to reengage as many of the original CVO Member Organizations in keeping the momentum that initially existed to bring the Coalition together as vital to all veterans.
- Member Organizations: Representation from the original Veterans Organizations have fallen off and so have dues from those organizations. That must be addressed.
- Fund-raising. Discussion tabled.
- Announcements: Veterans for Unification to involve its members in the Equine Therapy offers.
Someone mentioned that there is a possibility that the gymnasium at Hines VAH s under threat of closure. More information is needed.
Adjournment: the meeting was adjourned at 2030 hours.
Next Meeting: October 15, 2025 3rd Wednesday of the month as usual
Respectfully submitted Col(ret) Constance Edwards