Disabled American Veterans (DAV)

ESTABLISHED: 1920
EMPLOYEES: 630
MEMBERS: 1.1 million
PAC: None

Contact Information:
ADDRESS: PO Box 14301 Cincinnati, OH 45250
PHONE: (606) 441-7300
FAX: (606) 442-2088
URL: http://www.dav.org
E-MAIL: ahdav@one.net
NATIONAL COMMANDER: Andrew A. Kistler

WHAT IS ITS MISSION?

According to the organization, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is "made up exclusively of men and women disabled in our nation's defense." Further, the DAV "is dedicated to one, single purpose: building better lives for all our nation's disabled veterans and their families." Soldiers who return from war often bear its scars for the rest of their lives. For example, many DAV members lost an arm or a leg while serving in the Korean War, some suffer the lingering effects of exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange used in Vietnam, and some were deafened by explosions in World War II.

"Treaties are signed and the battles of nations end," says the DAV Web site, "but the personal battles of those disabled in war only begin when the guns fall silent. These men and women must struggle to regain health, reshape lives shattered by disability, learn new trades or professions, and rejoin the civilian world. At each step, they need help to help themselves. For three quarters of a century now, that aid has come from the Disabled American Veterans, a nonprofit organization of more than one million veterans disabled during time of war or armed conflict." The DAV assists veterans with benefits claims, represents veteran concerns to the government, and strives for equal employment opportunities for its members.

HOW IS IT STRUCTURED?

DAV is led by its National Executive Committee (NEC), composed of a national commander, the immediate past national commander, national senior vice commander, four national junior vice commanders, and a representative from each of 21 geographical districts. The national commander is assisted by a national judge advocate and a national chaplain, both of whom are elected annually, and a national adjutant who is appointed and acts as the chief executive officer of the DAV. Together these supporting officers form a small advisory board for the national commander, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the DAV.

DAV membership is open to any honorably discharged veteran who was injured in the line of duty, either during war, or conditions similar to war. In 1998 just over one million such veterans, from every major U.S. military conflict from World War I on, were DAV members. This membership is divided into 21 geographical districts across the United States. Each district elects a representative to serve a two-year term on the NEC.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS

The DAV works on both a national and local level to meet the needs of its members. On the national level, the DAV strives to protect and expand the laws and programs that have been enacted over the years to help disabled veterans. At the local level, the DAV helps its members make sense of these benefits, and provides other services to improve their quality of life.

The DAV's legislative staff, made up of combat-disabled vets, monitors national policy initiatives as they relate to disabled veterans. They lobby for increased government funds dedicated to veterans' medical and disability compensation. They also seek to protect present laws and benefits, a necessity according to the organization's Web site because "the understanding of the American public and their elected representatives for the problems of disabled veterans fades as the memory of war grows weaker. . . . The pressure to cut federal spending is intense, and the temptation to economize at the expense of needed veterans' programs is more than many politicians can resist. Under such circumstances, a man or woman injured in wartime hostility can be injured again by peacetime apathy." The DAV's legislative staff also works closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in efforts to improve claims processes and delivery of care to low-income veterans.

The DAV's National Service Officers (NSOs), themselves disabled vets, advise and counsel veterans in regard to the benefits and options available to them. They counsel current members of the armed forces on potential benefits, often visiting patients at military hospitals; help secure medical or disability benefits for injured veterans; and seek out homeless vets to assure they receive the benefits owed them. They also help veterans obtain medical treatment at VA hospitals, occasionally coming to a veteran's aid when the VA requires a formal hearing to determine if the vet truly deserves benefits. In such cases the NSOs organize medical evidence, draft statements, and sometimes deliver testimony on behalf of the veteran. The DAV also retains national appeals officers who represent veterans appealing their judgments. In 1996 the NSOs helped 239,487 veterans receive __BODY__.8 billion worth of benefits. The services of the NSOs are available through 69 offices and open to all disabled veterans, not only DAV members.

Employment

National unemployment figures for veterans and for the disabled are higher than the national average, therefore disabled veterans have a high rate of unemployment, well above the national average. The DAV works with the president's Committee on Employment of Persons with Disabilities, the Department of Labor, and the Office of Personnel Management to provide employment opportunities for disabled veterans. The NSOs help veterans with federal government placement assistance and they assist disabled veterans, who feel they have been discriminated against, file claims.

PROGRAMS

Through its programs, the DAV meets the many special needs of its members and of veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces in general. A variety of DAV activities are carried out through its National Voluntary Service Program. DAV members and volunteers in the Transportation Network operate at VA hospitals around the country, transporting disabled veterans to and from medical appointments. Volunteers also help care for disabled veterans within VA hospitals, clinics, and treatment centers.

The DAV helps soldiers who are not members through its Transition Assistance Program (TAP). As part of this program, the NSOs visit military bases around the country, talking to men and women who will be leaving military service and helping prepare them for life outside of the armed forces. The DAV opened offices specifically for this purpose in the areas around Norfolk, Virginia, and San Diego, California, where there are numerous military installations.

BUDGET INFORMATION

The DAV had total revenues of $125 million in 1996. Of these revenues, $105 million came from contributions and donations. The remaining $20 million included $8 million in membership dues, and $12 million from DAV financial investments.

The DAV spent $108 million in 1996. The DAV's greatest expenses were the National Service program and the organization's fund-raising efforts, costing the DAV approximately $30 million each. The organization spent $17.5 million on its volunteer programs. The DAV spent $13 million to public relations efforts meant to raise public consciousness of the DAV and the problems of disabled veterans. Membership services cost the DAV $4.4 million and administrative costs were another $4 million. Appropriations for DAV relief programs and memorials amounted to $4 million. DAV publications and other communications cost $2.5 million. The DAV spent $580,000 on legislative efforts. The DAV allocated $200,000 to its National Employment Program in 1996.

HISTORY

When the 4.7 million U.S. soldiers who served in World War I (1914–18) returned home, many of them formed small, local organizations to share the process of civilian life readjustment. These organizations provided a way for veterans to help other veterans overcome the emotional and physical scars of the war. These groups also provided more tangible assistance, such as understanding the government's system of benefits. As the groups grew in size, the veterans became aware that government agencies were more responsive to the requests of veteran groups than to the requests of individual veterans.

On September 25, 1920, a coalition of local groups, made up of some 300,000 Americans wounded in World War I, united as the Disabled Veterans of the World War (DAVWW). They named Robert Marx their first national commander and immediately organized into a national body with the structure the organization retains today. Shortly after the DAVWW's formation, 1920 Democratic presidential nominee James Cox invited National Commander Marx to join him in a whistle-stop campaign across the country. Marx seized the opportunity to recruit more disabled veterans groups for his coalition. Due to Marx's efforts, the DAVWW quickly gained national attention. It held its first national meeting in Detroit, Michigan, on June 27, 1921.

The DAVWW's initial goal was to force the government to create one agency for all veteran services. At the time, veterans had to file separate claims with different organizations and branches of the government to receive the benefits that were available to them. It was a confusing, frustrating, and overly bureaucratic process for veterans seeking benefits. The DAVWW and other veteran service organizations (VSOs), such as the American Legion, pressed the federal government for action. The government responded by creating the Veterans Bureau, the forerunner of today's VA. In its first full year of operation, the DAVWW assisted 7,000 claims with different government agencies.

The DAVWW Women's Auxiliary was created at the DAVWW's second national convention in San Francisco, California in 1922. The Women's Auxiliary was open to the female relatives of disabled veterans, as these family members also carried much of the disabled veterans burden.

The Great Depression of the late 1920s and 1930s had an incredible effect on the DAVWW. Disabled veterans faced with economic hardships joined the DAVWW in great numbers. They felt the DAVWW could obtain economic relief for them more effectively than they could on their own. In 1928, before the Great Depression began, the DAVWW's membership was 23,700, but by 1932 it had almost doubled to 41,000.

The DAVWW began a highly successful Idento-tag fund-raising campaign in 1941. Idento-tags were small replicas of license plates sold by DAVWW chapters. In the first year of the program, Idento-tags raised $800,000 for the DAVWW. Sale of these tags continued for more than 30 years.

The DAVWW changed its name to Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in January 1941. Less than a year later, the United States entered World War II (1939–45). The DAV reacted quickly to U.S. involvement in World War II, calling for updates to government policies on the now increasing number of veterans. The DAV also trained 354 new NSOs to meet the demands of newly discharged veterans. Over 670,000 U.S. soldiers were wounded in World War II, and the membership of the DAV swelled to 105,000. During and after the war, the DAV lobbied Congress for legislation and funds for disabled veterans. Between 1943 and the start of the Korean War (1950–53), Congress enacted 500 laws that affected veterans benefits and services. Among the most famous of these was the GI Bill, which provided soldiers returning home after the end of World War II with college educations and low-interest homes loans.

In 1960 DAV member John F. Kennedy was elected president. President Kennedy, wounded in World War II, was a champion of the disabled. He formed the Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped, a national program designed to eliminate employment barriers imposed on the disabled. President Kennedy's successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, was also vigilant in support of the disabled and veterans. In 1966 President Johnson signed the Veterans Readjustment Act. The act extended federal medical and service benefits for veterans to include those who served in the Vietnam War (1959–75). This was significant because the United States never officially declared war with Vietnam. However, soldiers who returned from the fighting in Vietnam needed and demanded the same financial and medical benefits accorded veterans of other U.S. conflicts. The Veterans Readjustment Act granted Vietnam veterans those benefits.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the DAV once again saw its membership rise, as large numbers of disabled veterans returned from Vietnam, with membership reaching 300,000 in 1973. It is believed that 15 percent of Vietnam veterans suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but this disorder was little understood in the 1970s. The DAV initiated one of the first research projects that examined the effects of this condition, one of extreme emotional distress brought about by exposure to intense situations, such as war or kidnapping.

The 1970s and 1980s saw the DAV struggling to defend cuts to veterans benefits, as the economy performed poorly, and the Vietnam War dropped out of the nation's immediate memory. The DAV did not forgot, however, and on Memorial Day, 1983, the DAV opened its DAV Vietnam Veterans National Memorial in New Mexico. In 1985 the DAV's membership passed 1 million for the first time. The membership of the DAV rose again in the early 1990s to approximately 1.1 million, as soldiers returned home from the Persian Gulf War (1991). In the late 1990s, DAV coordinated with the efforts of other veterans groups in attempting to have a portion of the federal budget surplus devoted to the VA.

CURRENT POLITICAL ISSUES

The DAV's political activities are very limited in their focus, as the organization does not wish to become overly involved in partisan issues. In fact, the DAV insists it is not a political organization, stating in its membership literature that "[i]ts members reflect all shades of American political opinion. They count on the DAV to advocate their needs as disabled veterans, and the DAV concentrates its attention and resources on this single, nonpartisan concern. Unlike some other veterans' groups, the DAV has no political action committee and does not endorse candidates for political office." However, the DAV does work with government on issues that affect disabled veterans.

Generally, the DAV seeks to protect and increase medical and disability-related benefits. To this end it opposes attempts to eliminate, tax, use means-testing for, or otherwise reduce VA-disability compensation. The DAV also opposes any efforts to include VA hospitals in a national health insurance plan. Likewise DAV supports cost-of-living increases for disability benefits and the extension of disability compensation to all soldiers who have radiogenic diseases. Additionally the DAV wants to expand the VA's responsibility to include residential care for home-bound veterans.

The DAV's education- and employment-related goals include retention of affirmative action practices in federal hiring, financial support for VA job training, and placement programs. The DAV has also pushed for legislation that would require the government to provide headstones for deceased veterans, and for the establishment of national military cemeteries in every state.

Case Study: The Persian Gulf War Syndrome

In the years that followed the Persian Gulf War, many veterans who had served there complained of health problems. Symptoms varied widely from one veteran to another, but included fatigue, skin rashes, depression, muscle and joint pain, headaches, loss of memory, and respiratory problems. By August of 1997, over 100,000 veterans had registered health complaints with the VA for what was being termed the Gulf War Syndrome, and the number of complaints continued to rise.

Despite the large number of complaints, throughout the early 1990s the Department of Defense (DoD) denied the existence of a Gulf War Syndrome. The DAV and other veterans organizations called for a thorough investigation of the veterans' claims. The DAV feared that exposure to toxic substances during the war, including chemical weapons, might be to blame. The DoD maintained that U.S. soldiers had never been exposed to chemical weapons during the conflict. In 1996, however, it was revealed that the demolition of an Iraqi weapons facility after the conclusion of the war might have released deadly chemical weapons and nerve gases.

The revelations about possible exposure to chemical weapons angered the DAV, and other veterans organizations. The DAV demanded that further investigations be made, outside of DoD control. The DAV claimed that the military had a poor record of informing veterans of the health risks they may have faced, and a history of covering up information that would reveal the military had unnecessarily risked the health of its soldiers.

The DAV was successful in persuading the Clinton administration to create a Gulf-illness review committee independent of the DoD in 1998. The Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf Veterans' Illnesses was created to oversee military investigations into the Gulf War Syndrome and included representatives of the veteran community. The committee found that the DoD's investigation of the illness up to that point had been superficial and unlikely to answer any questions, and pushed for more thorough investigations. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences began funding studies into the origins and possible treatments for the syndrome.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

More than 40 percent of DAV members are World War II veterans, all of whom are in their 70s or older. As these members move into old age, the DAV will face the difficulties of providing for their increasing needs, and ensuring that funding for the VA also keeps up with demand. This is complicated by the fact that, as the WW II soldiers begin to leave the organization, its membership and influence will decrease. DAV National Adjutant Arthur Wilson specifically addressed how these demographic trends might affect veterans. Wilson said in 1998, "Reduced numbers of veterans can only make it harder to defend veterans to make sure government gives them the justice and dignity they have earned and deserve." In response, the DAV has created the DAV Endowment Fund. The fund is meant to secure the DAV's services for future veterans who may lose money and political power as their numbers dwindle.

GROUP RESOURCES

The DAV maintains a Web site at http://www.dav.org with information on the DAV's activities and concerns, as well as contact information. On-line copies of DAV's press releases and speeches are also available. The DAV makes its annual report available to all inquiries; it contains comprehensive financial information and reports on the organization's yearly activities. Questions about the DAV may be directed to: Disabled American Veterans, 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, Kentucky 41706; or contact DAV by phone at (606) 441-7300.

GROUP PUBLICATIONS

The DAV publishes DAV Magazine bi-monthly. DAV Magazine is mailed free to DAV members, but nonmembers may subscribe to the magazine for $15 per year. For information, write to DAV Magazine, PO Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301; or call the DAV at (606) 441-7300, or (202) 554-3501 for TDD.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Amador, Ronald. "Disabled Vets." Los Angeles Times, 26 May 1997.

Autry, Dave. "White House Heeds DAV Call for Gulf Illness Probe." DAV Magazine, January/February 1998.

Crispell, Diane. "Mustering Out." American Demographics, November 1993.

Cuhane, Charles. "Veterans Groups Urge Expanded Eligibility for VA Care." American Medical News, 10 August 1992.

Dethlefsen, Merle and James Canfield. Transition from Military to Civilian Life, Harrisburg, Penn.: Stackpole Books, 1984

Fisher, Ernest. Guardians of the Republic: A History of the Noncommissioned Officers Corps of the United States Army, New York: Ballantine, 1994.

Hart, Max. "Chalk One Up for the DAV." Fund Raising Management, May 1990.

Snyder, Keith and Richard O'Dell. Veterans Benefits, New York: Harper Collins, 1994.

Waldrop, Judith. "27 Million Heroes." American Demographics, November 1993.