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Issue Priorities

Giving Veterans Health Care Choice and Holding the VA Accountable

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is failing at its core mission of delivering timely and quality health care and benefits to veterans.

 

Despite a massive budget increase and over one hundred thousand new employees the VA still has enormous wait lists totaling hundreds of thousands of people who go without care for months or years – leading to dozens and possibly hundreds of unnecessary veteran deaths on the VA’s watch.

 

In light of this, Concerned Veterans for America has made reforming and fixing the VA a top priority.

OUR SOLUTION IS TWO FOLD
1.
Give veterans a choice in their healthcare by putting them, not VA bureaucrats, in charge.

We convened the bipartisan Fixing Veterans Health Care Taskforce which proposed a series of policy proposals, collectively titled the Veterans Independence Act, that would put Veteran’s at the center of the VA health care system.

2.
Streamline the process to fire demote and punish VA employees who perform poorly or are guilty of misconduct.

The inability to quickly fire even the worst VA employee is a major impediment to eliminating the VA’s toxic culture. Despite VA Secretary receiving the power to fire senior executives in 2014 it has not been aggressively used and more pressure must applied to see the changes our veteran’s need.

Reforming the Department of Defense

Exploding personnel costs and a wasteful weapons acquisition process have many worried that the Department of Defense’s (DoD) spending practices are compromising the success of our warfighters.

 

Because of examples like this:
  • $44 billion on failed weapons development programs (2001 – 2011)
  • Hundreds of billions on weapons program cost over-runs.
  • A budget that spends more on personnel & retirees than it does on new equipment or training.
CVA supports:
  • Reforms that streamline and fix the Pentagon’s acquisition process to ensure that our warfighters get the equipment and weapons they need to be successful in combat.
  • Recommendations of the Military Compensation Retirement Modernization Committee (MCRMC) to reduce personnel cost while expanding retirement benefits to more personnel, preserving the 20-year retirement benefit, and providing service members and their families more health care choice and flexibility.

Reducing Our Out of Control Debt and Spending

Our nation’s out-of-control deficit spending and growing debt threatens not only our economy, but also our nation’s ability to fund and maintain a strong and effective military.

 

Many respected military leaders like Admiral Mike Mullen and General James Mattis agree that our growing national debt is the greatest long-term national security threat facing our country.

 

CVA believes that we must reform our unsustainable entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, etc.) and pass budgets with a path to balance in order to begin to get our national debt under control.

Increasing Civic and Political Participation Among Veterans

Veterans have the potential to constitute a powerful force if they make their voices heard in the policy process—and ultimately vote on Election Day.

That's why we support
1.
Mobilizing veterans to civic action.

With over 20 million veterans and over 60 million americans in military families we have the numbers and respect of our fellow citizens to make a difference.

For too long, veterans have been given short shrift when compared to Washington’s special interests, but unlike special interests veterans don’t want a handout or a special exemption in a law—they want to ensure that the freedom and prosperity they served to defend is preserved and perpetuated.

2.
Mobilizing veterans to civic action.

Tens of thousands of our service men and women still do not receive their ballots in time – or at all – in order to vote in an election.

We advocate for stronger laws to ensure that our active duty military personnel are able to exercise their right to vote.