As we close out a busy and productive year at the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), our Government Relations Team has secured a legislative victory pertaining to a longstanding issue that has plagued our military health care system for generations—ocular trauma care and care for vision loss due to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). A section in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22), Section 721, mandates the establishment of no fewer than […]

Thanksgiving Greetings, Blinded Veterans Association Members and Friends! Like many of you, I have often felt overwhelmed by the challenges and hardships that have confronted us the past two years during this unprecedented worldwide pandemic. As a way of lifting that burden somewhat, I find myself reflecting on the things in life for which I personally feel profound gratitude, especially as we approach the holiday season and this week as we gather around our tables […]

On this Veterans Day, we honor and remember the men and women who have worn the uniform of our great nation, Americans who at critical moments stepped forward and swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution and laws against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Veterans Day is a vitally significant day. It is a day to speak up for those who put their lives on the line for their fellow Americans – a […]

BVA member, U.S. Coast Guard veteran, and law enforcement veteran Dave Barrett of Haymarket, Virginia (Mid-Atlantic Regional Group) was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) in 2015. His grandfather had RP, so the diagnosis was not a total surprise to him. Even so, Dave has faced all of the same challenges as he adjusts to vision loss. Dave continues to work at his federal government civilian day job with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the […]

Today, World Sight Day 2021, please consider helping the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) urge members of Congress to join the Congressional Vision Caucus (CVC). The CVC is a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of Representatives and Senators who recognize the need to strengthen policies around vision and eye health services. Over the years, the membership of the Caucus has dwindled, leaving the vision and eye community with fewer champions on vision and eye health. With more than […]

The nonprofit Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), founded in 1945, is the only congressionally chartered Veterans Service Organization exclusively dedicated to serving America’s blinded and visually impaired veterans. BVA has yet again contacted members of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs’ handling of the website accessibility reporting requirements set forth in Public Law No. 116-213 (12/04/2020). The mandated report, which was due August 31, was to identify websites, files, and applications […]

Do you have what it takes to be a Blinded Veterans Association Ambassador?  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Blind Rehabilitations Service (BRS) has identified more than 120,000 blinded veterans and 1.2 million veterans with low vision. A large percentage of these veterans either do not know about BRS or they incorrectly assume that they are not eligible for assistance because their vision loss is not service connected.  BVA Ambassadors will soon be the key […]

The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) invites all of its constituent groups—members, their families, the organization’s financial supporters, and other friends—to take action and support its efforts toward recognition as a top-rated Great Nonprofit. Positive stories, experiences, or other comments about the Association from its stakeholders will result in increased visibility both nationally and in local communities as BVA seeks out veterans with vision loss who could benefit from its services, resources, and camaraderie. GreatNonprofits, the […]

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The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) is among a coalition of 12 leading Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) who are demanding Congressional action on the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2021 (H.R. 2192). The VSOs are joined by individual victims of the toxic water contamination at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina between August 1953 and December 1987, according to a press release issued yesterday by the Camp Lejeune Justice Group. If passed, the legislation would provide any affected […]