As one of the four pillars upon which the Legion was founded, the Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation (VA&R) Commission actively advocates for, and exercises independent oversight over, hundreds of benefits, programs and opportunities that aim to compensate and care for U.S. military veterans and their dependents.
VA&R provides direct assistance to veterans and their families in a variety of ways, including representation on disability claims and appeals, health-care advocacy, military-discharge reviews and upgrades, deployment health and environmental exposures, and memorial benefits. Additionally, the VA&R staff maintains an active voice in congressional deliberations regarding veterans’ issues, and has a well-established and respected working relationship with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that includes regular participation in major VA advisory committees. A yearly Department Service Officer (DSO) School is held for Legion DSOs, who come from around the country to learn how to better assist veterans with their claims and appeals. The commission continues to lobby and fight, to ensure that VA will indeed be capable of fulfilling its mission to “care for him who shall have borne the battle, and his widow and his orphan.”
View their 2012 report.
