In this week’s BVA Happenings, BVA Deputy Director of Government Relations Alek Libbin comments on the challenges of finding employment with the federal government. He also offers a few tips for those who may be interested in applying soon. The search for a new job and then landing one is hard. Getting a job in the federal government is even harder. In 2021, more than 17 million job applications were submitted through USAjobs.gov. Of that, […]

In preparation for the fast-approaching 78th National Convention, BVA held the third of four scheduled summer Town Hall virtual sessions this past Tuesday, introducing and discussing proposed bylaw amendments. The fourth and final interactive Town Hall in the series will mirror the first one, with a focus on anticipated business meeting agenda topics and a more advanced review of convention activities. Previous sessions have surpassed expectations for attendance and have sparked renewed interest for several […]

Leaders of BVA regional groups and BVA members planning to attend the Association’s National Convention August 14-18, 2023, should refer to the full 2023 Official Convention Letter released and posted to the BVA website in early June. The letter includes the fast-approaching convention deadlines for making final plans to attend, holding meetings, and submitting important documents. It also includes the convention’s official notice required by the National Bylaws, highlights of the five days in St. […]

Independence Day is a holiday that I look forward to more than any other. I love the outdoor summer reunions with family and friends, the parades, the barbecues, and many of the other traditions associated with the Fourth of July that have been part of my life from a very young age. To me, Independence Day and all that it means is a gift perhaps even more significant than the gifts of other holidays and […]

BVA members and their families are invited to attend in person the 75th anniversary commemoration of the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, Building 113. The event, scheduled for Thursday, July 20, 11:00am-2:00pm, will feature an open house, tours, distinguished guests, and light refreshments.  The opening of the Hines facility on July 4, 1948, was as much a milestone in BVA’s early history as it was for VA. The organization’s […]

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) has again launched for public use online its Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) awareness Toolkit. Contributing to the 2023 materials developed by DHA were its Behavioral Health Clinical Management Team and Psychological Health Center of Excellence.   Although the timing coincides with PTSD Awareness Day and the launch of a corresponding campaign this Tuesday, June 27, the toolkit is intended to support PTSD awareness year-round. The graphics, videos, social media copy, and […]

Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, June 28, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as the Weekly Wednesday Webinar highlights the importance of the goals around which VA Blind Rehabilitation Service (BRS) determines its prosthetic training and issuance requests. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound. Knowing how to convey a SMART goal increases the likelihood of a successful conclusion to a request. It is the key to the acquisition of a solution that will […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to make important strides when it comes to designing accessible digital products, demonstrated in presentations at last week’s 2023 digital.gov Government UX Summit in which user feedback and testing were deemed to be paramount in delivering improvements, a belief BVA has supported for many years and further voiced publicly this week by Chief of Staff Tim Hornik.  During a session of the conference titled “Accessibility Research in Action: […]

BVA this week expressed support for the bipartisan Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act, a new proposal to use community grants to pair service dogs with struggling veterans with the hope that the companionship will solve a multitude of transition difficulties. The bill was introduced by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).  “The tremendous benefits and transformative effects service dogs provide to veterans experiencing visual impairments, as well as those diagnosed with other […]

In preparation for the fast-approaching 78th National Convention, BVA held the second of four scheduled summer Town Hall virtual sessions this past Tuesday, introducing and discussing two proposed bylaw amendments. The third interactive Town Hall in the series, also dedicated to the bylaws, will occur this Tuesday, June 27, with the same 2:00pm Eastern Time start. The upcoming session will introduce at least one additional proposed bylaw and invite discussion and an opportunity to ask […]