Page 37 - Desert Oracle March 2020

WASHINGTON UPDATE

February 28, 2020 Volume 26, Number 4
Also, $360 million would go toward the operation of 156 national cemeteries and enhance the
National Cemetery Administration’s National Shrine and Veterans Legacy programs.

Finally, the request provides $1.8 billion in Major and Minor Construction for priority
infrastructure projects, seismic corrections, and cemetery expansions. Among the proposed list
of major projects are a new SCI/D Center with 30 (replacement) acute beds and 20 (new) long-
term-care beds in San Diego, California, as well as a new 30 bed Long-Term Care Center with
space for an additional future 30 beds in Dallas, Texas.

Unfortunately, the Administration’s budget proposal includes at least two more harmful
proposals. One would cut over $6.4 billion dollars in 10 years from veterans’ disability
compensation payments by rounding down cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Another would
make it harder for veterans to receive exams necessary to prove their claims in the future. PVA
and its IBVSO partners are opposing both of these proposals.

On February 27, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and the IBVSOs testified about VA’s budget
request before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. To review the written testimony and
view the hearing, please visit: https://veterans.house.gov/events/hearings/full-committee-
hearing-us-department-of-veterans-affairs-budget-request-for-fiscal-year-2021. PVA will
continue to work with appropriators to ensure enough funding is provided to meet the rising
demand by veterans for care at VA hospitals and clinics, and to ensure the VA MISSION Act is
fully and faithfully implemented.

U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION HOLDS FORUM ON ACCESSIBILITY AND SECURITY

On Thursday, February 20, Senior Associate Advocacy Director Lee Page attended the U.S.
Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) 2020 Elections Disability, Accessibility, and Security
Forum. Voting has already started for the 2020 elections, but addressing the growing concerns
regarding accessibility and security is an important, ongoing conversation. The 2020 Elections
Disability, Accessibility, and Security Forum brought together state and local election officials,
people with disabilities, disability advocates, and election security experts to discuss issues and
advance solutions. The collaborative workshops and EAC’s efforts aim to assist election officials
serving voters with disabilities in the 2020 elections and beyond. All four EAC commissioners
were in attendance and played a leading role in promoting collaboration between participants.

The goal of the workshops was to identify major challenges and opportunities with respect to
accessibility and security in election administration. Topics for workshop discussions included
the 2020 elections and voters with disabilities, ballot-marking devices, proven best practices in
voting accessibility, vote-by-mail, paper ballots, emerging voting technology for people with
disabilities, and polling place access.