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 […]

Leaders of BVA regional groups and BVA members interested in attending the Association’s National Convention August 14-18, 2023, are encouraged to read the full 2023 Official Convention Letter released and posted to the BVA website three weeks ago.  The letter includes the official notice required by the National Bylaws, convention highlights, frequently asked questions, important deadlines, and links to additional information.   Special attention should now be given to two urgent deadlines included in the letter: […]

In keeping with a tradition of now several years, this Sunday on Father’s Day thousands of roses will be placed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site next to the renowned Wall. Each rose holds a personal message in honor of the fathers on The Wall, those who never had a chance to come home and become fathers, and those who later died after the Vietnam War ended.  Family, friends, and visitors are invited to take […]

Leaders of BVA regional groups and BVA members interested in attending the Association’s National Convention August 14-18, 2023, are encouraged to read the full 2023 Official Convention Letter released and posted to the BVA website several weeks ago. The letter includes the official notice required by the National Bylaws, convention highlights, frequently asked questions, important deadlines, and links to additional information. To access the letter, click here. Convention Coordinator Meredith Buono-Dagrossa continues to emphasize the […]

The BVA Women Veterans Group was created to serve, support, and promote camaraderie among blinded and now low vision women veterans through awareness and advocacy efforts affecting their health and welfare. The regularly scheduled general membership virtual meeting occurs on the fourth Thursday of each month via Zoom.  The next general meeting to which all women veterans are invited and urged to attend is scheduled for this Thursday, June 22, at 6:00pm Eastern Time. The […]

All past, present, and future dog handlers among BVA’s blind and low vision veterans are encouraged to join next week’s virtual meeting of the Association’s Dog Handlers Committee. The 4:00pm (Eastern Time) session on Tuesday, June 20, is open to all veterans with sight loss who are interested in topics and issues associated with guide dogs. Attendance at previous meetings is not required to join and participate in the session. After learning that some of […]

Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, June 21, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as the Weekly Wednesday Webinar welcomes Henry Johns, Chief Innovator and Founder of Digital FOV, LLC, and blinded veteran Chuck Smith. The pair will discuss Digital Crosshairs 1000SA, the company’s rifle scope clip-on device that assists individuals with a wide variety and range of disabilities. The revolutionary but simple device facilitates rifle scope usage by blind and low vision veterans, enabling them to […]

In this week’s BVA Happenings, Deputy Director of Government Relations Alek Libbin summarizes and points out the importance of the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living (COLA) Act of 2023, signed into law by President Joe Biden just two days ago on June 14.  The legislation increases the rates of disability compensation, clothing allowances, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children to account for increases in the cost of living by tying the annual inflation […]