2014 Executive Committee

Posted on January 29, 2014 by CVO Webmaster

The Coalition of Veterans Organizations held their membership meeting on January 18 at the Montford Point Marine Association, and among the items on the agenda was the 2014 Elections to the CVO Executive Committee. Read more [...]

Illinois Warrior Summit 2012

Posted on August 2, 2012 by CVO Webmaster

The US Department of Veterans Affairs, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Edward Hines VA Hospital, James Lovell Federal Health Care Center and Illinois Supporting All Veterans Equally (ISAVE) will be hosting the Illinois Warrior Summit and 5th Annual Welcome Home Celebration for 4,000 military, veterans and families on Thursday, August 9th, 2012 from 10a-3p at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Forum – (725 W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago). Read more [...]

CVO and the VA Budget for 2013 by Bruce E. Parry, CVO Chair

Posted on June 13, 2012 by CVO Webmaster

The Obama Administration Budget proposed for 2013 for the VA is $140.3 billion. $76.3 billion is for mandatory benefits such as disability compensation and pensions. The remaining $64 billion is for discretionary spending, primarily for medical care.* The discretionary spending amount represents a 4.5% increase from the current year. This is more than $4 billion less than the major veterans organizations call for in The Independent Budget. Read more [...]

Full federal funding of VA health care – including mental health care for all veterans without further payment.

Posted on May 8, 2012 by CVO Webmaster

Mandatory VA Healthcare Funding: Currently, VA healthcare is funded through a process that requires Congressional debate every year. This means that the VA healthcare budget is a political football tossed back and forth year after year. Over the last five years, a movement has grown to make VA healthcare funding what is called an “entitlement.” In Congressional jargon, an entitlement is something that is automatically funded unless Congress takes action, the exact opposite of what happens now. Instead of being an annual political football, VA healthcare would be funded by a formula. Read more [...]

Ending veteran homelessness

Posted on May 7, 2012 by CVO Webmaster

Amend the Per Diem Grant to allocate funding to each state annually to care for their homeless Veterans: Currently each year grant proposals from all over the nation are submitted for approval. Only a small number of states are awarded funds. This process fails to meet the needs of more than half the nation’s homeless Veterans. Read more [...]

Equality of women’s benefits and healthcare

Posted on May 7, 2012 by CVO Webmaster

1. Methods to outreach to women veterans are ineffective without public advertisement. Congress must create legislation that allows the VA to conduct public outreach to the underserved women veterans. • Thousands of women nationwide are unaware of their VA status. Due to limited healthcareenrollment of women veterans; gender specific healthcare services i.e. mammograms are out sourced to private facilities. 2. VA must do more to provide women veterans with preventive heath care education and increase services for awareness and care for reproductive concerns. 3. VA must do more prevention care for older women veterans. Read more [...]