This has got to be the best job in the world. This month I started my second year as CFPVA’s Government and Community Relations Director. The past year has been good for everyone involved in veterans’ legislative issues. My predecessors did a wonderful job of raising our stature in the community and among its leaders.
The biggest accomplishment for the PVA advocacy folks at the National office
and the 34 chapters this year was the long-awaited and hard-fought enactment
of HR 1016, the ‘Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act,’
often called ‘VA advance appropriations.’ On Oct. 22, President
Obama fulfilled a repeated campaign promise to sign it into law if Congress
passed it. PVA’s Executive Director, Homer Townsend, sat nearby as the
president signed, showing PVA's role in its passage.
The new law, among other important changes, mandates Congress to settle much
of the VA’s healthcare budget a year ahead. This will help veterans’
healthcare from being adversely affected when Congress goes through its annual
ritual of late delivery for large parts of the federal budget.
For our part of the advance-appropriations fight, we made innovations to government
relations by including direct member contact and participation – we got
on the phone to folks urging them to contact their congresspersons. More than
100 members volunteered to call or e-mail their congresspersons in support of
VA advance appropriations. The grassroots activism worked. Representatives passed
the ‘Health Care Reform Act’ by a 409 to 1 vote. The Senate passed
it by unanimous consent.
We also called members this year about supporting HR 3407, the ‘Severely
Injured Veterans Benefit Improvement Act.’ This bill would dramatically
increase the benefits many PVA members receive, in addition to expanding benefits
to veterans with severe burns or brain injuries. Unfortunately, Congress is
nowhere near taking up the ‘Benefits Improvement Act.’ However,
more than 60 CFPVA members volunteered to contact targeted congresspersons to
urge their support for the bill. After those calls, 3 of the 10 targeted representatives
cosponsored the legislation, making Florida’s congressional delegation
the most supportive. While only 20 of the nation’s 435 representatives
have cosponsored the bill, 5 of the 25 from Florida have.
We also spent some time on improving protection of reserved parking for people
with disabilities. Sadly, while our parking-protection initiative has gotten
some attention from local governments, none have acted on our proposal to implement
what we call the Jacksonville Model.
Our research into improving protection of reserved parking for people with disabilities
turned up Jacksonville’s Disabled Parking Auxiliary Officer program, the
‘Parking Posse.’ The city takes advantage of two provisions in Florida
Statute 316. One authorizes trained volunteers to enforce parking laws. Another
allows part of the fines garnered from this to be used for public awareness
and assistance programs.
Many members of the Parking Posse are disabled-parking users. They don’t
have to just moan and cuss when they see illegal use; they can write the offenders
tickets.
We convinced the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities to adopt a recommendation
that more, if not all, cities and counties create programs similar to Jacksonville’s.
It’s without weight of law. Nevertheless, because it’s in the Commission’s
annual report, any number of local-government officials will see it. Perhaps
some may act on it.
In last year’s session of the Florida Legislature, the chapter strongly
supported HB 509, which handily passed and Governor Crist signed into law on
June 1. This mixed bill supported several things favorable to us. It amended
state statutes to waive building, license and permit fees for veterans with
total disabilities who modify their homes for medical reasons. The fee waiver
had long been Florida law for wheelchair using veterans. However, some veterans
had to wait until they were in wheelchairs before getting the license and permit
fee waivers. This change in state statutes makes it easier for veterans with
progressive conditions, such as M/S, to modify their homes before they need
permanent wheelchairs.
We will continue trying to get the Jacksonville Model implemented throughout
Central Florida this year. Additionally, we’ll continue using and expanding
direct member contact. This improves grassroots support for important national,
state and local legislation.
Patrick McCallister
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