The Blinded Veterans Association’s National Board of Directors has appointed Lea Rowe as the new National Executive Director. She has most recently served in the dual role of Interim National Executive Director for the past four months and the National Legislative Director since January 2025. The appointment is effective immediately. Lea brings 21 years of experience in nonprofit management to the position of Executive Director, including her tenure as Head of Client Services at Lighthouse […]

Many BVA members may still be unaware of the VA Office of Patient Advocacy (OPA), officially established approximately nine years ago on July 17, 2017. The Office was created to provide veteran-centered advocacy services and to help resolve healthcare complaints that could not be addressed at the point of service. Patient Advocates (PAs) serve as liaisons between veterans and VHA care—whether the care is outpatient, inpatient, or long-term care. Their charge is to ensure that the […]

Attendees at BVA’s Book Club Interest Group virtual meeting this past Wednesday finalized their two-month reading and review of John Grisham’s The Appeal. For the upcoming month, culminating with the next meeting on February 25, the group has decided to read The Tenant by Freida McFadden. The book can be accessed using the National Library Service’s Talking Books Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) Identifier DB 129429. Total average reading time for The Tenant is estimated […]

Seven members of the Richmond Chapter of BVA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Group joined forces with the American Council of the Blind of Virginia (ACBVA) on January 22 at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. The purpose of the pre-planned event was to actively, and in person, voice support at the state level for a variety of bills that could affect blind and low vision veterans who reside in the “Commonwealth” (State) of Virginia. Members of the […]

“A Life at Sea and Still Moving Forward: Jim Rush’s Navy Service, Blind Rehab, and 99 Years of Perspective” is the subject of the newest episode of BVA’s monthly podcast Visions of BVA. The program will go live this Sunday, February 1, at 3:00am Eastern Time. In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Visions of BVA, host Steve Baskis sits with Jim Rush, a 99-year-old U.S. Navy veteran whose life spans World War II, the […]

Cheri Owen, Air Force veteran, President of the Southern California Regional Group, and a blind student in the California State University system (Long Beach campus) in the field of Studio Arts, has been awarded the Dale M. Schoettler Scholarship for Visually Impaired Students. Schoettler was a successful business professional who lost his sight during the last year of his life. Through his financial support stemming from a desire to give visually impaired students a helping […]

Mid-Atlantic Regional Group member Craig Fitzpatrick has published Finding the Puck: Leadership Lessons from My Journey Through Blind Hockey. The hard-cover title of this part inspirational memoir, part leadership parable, will be released on February 3. A Kindle edition will also be available. Both can now be purchased by pre-order. The book traces Craig’s experience of losing his eyesight but then finding himself once again at age 37 when he improbably laced up a pair […]

Description of the Scholarship Award The Sue Cantrell Scholarship Program awards financial assistance to spouses, children, and grandchildren of BVA members to assist them with their higher education tuition. Four $2,500 scholarships will be awarded in 2026-27. Eligibility and Qualifications Applicants must be accepted to an accredited institution of higher education or business, secretarial, or vocational training school. The Cantrell Scholarships are awarded based on merit through an application process evaluated by a committee. The […]

To better support outside organizations working with at-risk veterans, VA launched the Mission Daybreak grand challenge in 2022 to award $20 million to groups pursuing innovative solutions to the veteran suicide crisis. According to Dr. Amanda Lienau, Director of Data and Analytics Innovation for VA, the challenge evolved out of the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) Task Force, created by the Trump Administration in 2019 to take […]

The American Medical Association has recognized seven VA health care facilities for their work to reduce physician burnout, VA announced earlier this week. They are: The Boston Health Care System, the Central Virginia VA Health Care System, the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, the Phoenix VA Health Care System, the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, and the Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System. AMA’s Joy in […]