Discussion of TCAVA dominated 107th Nat’l Convention

Here is what happened in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Discussion of the Taking Care of America’s Veterans Act was the hot topic at the 107th American Legion National Convention, held at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville.

“It fulfills the resolved clauses of 30 resolutions that were passed by the NEC or a convention,” then-National Commander Dan Wiley told the convention floor after a video explaining the American Legion’s position was shown.

Congressional Medal of Honor Society President Britt Slabinski, a retired Navy SEAL master chief, said the Medal of Honor Society stands with The American Legion on TCAVA.

It was an item of discussion among members, as they gathered at hotels and restaurants after hours. The National Executive Committee talked about protocols. But the most serious interaction happened at the Legislative Commission meeting on Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Galt House Hotel.

“There’s a lot of noise surrounding this,” Legislative Division Director Cole Lyle said when he took the podium. The very beginnings of the discussion started in 2009, when the VA first undertook a review of its disability rating schedule as a whole. Under the PAYGO rule of Congress, money committed to spending increases or tax cuts must be balanced out, or offset, by spending reductions or tax increases somewhere else.

“It gets harder and harder to pay for things,” Lyle said.

Exceptions can be made and often are for legislation such as defense or tax cuts, but for veterans legislation it has only been done twice in the last 20 years. Lyle himself has sleep apnea and tinnitus, the two conditions most potentially affected by TCAVA, and he admitted that he might be affected down the line if it passes — but it’s “worth it for a stronger VA that works for [veterans] and their families in the future.”

And he made the point that passage would not be the end of the line for components such as the Major Richard Star Act; Congress has enacted later legislation adjusting parts of previous legislation.

“We’ve asked for the perfect repeatedly,” he said in responding to a commission member’s question, and the hope is that that would happen in TCAVA’s case.

At the commission, American Legion legislative leaders estimated the act could touch 32 million people over time — current and future veterans and families. It does not take away sleep apnea or tinnitus benefits from veterans who are already service-connected. They described TCAVA as imperfect but no legislation is.

As a department publication, the Legionnaire is describing what happened on a national issue at a national convention and is not aiming to flesh out the full TCAVA debate. Visit military.com or stripes.com for all sides, or check out a veteran-produced podcast. If you hear or read “Section 108,” that is the part that resets ratings for apnea and tinnitus, and that’s where the crux of the debate lies.

 

New national commander elected

The convention elected a new national commander, John W. “Jay” Bowen of Post 209 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

His theme is BPOTS! It stands for “Be Part of the Solution!”

“When I was approached and asked to serve, or consider serving, as national commander, I was hesitant to do that,” Bowen said. “But I decided that I needed to live up to my theme and be there.”

Bowen is a retired Army warrant officer who served in the Persian Gulf War. He is a supporter of The American Legion’s Be the One suicide-prevention mission.

He has served as commander and other roles at the post, district and department, along with various national appointments. He first joined the Legion in his home state of Tennessee with Elvis Presley Post 249 in Bartlett before his career brought him to the Centennial State.

“I’ve always believed that it’s not the color of the cap. In fact, every color of cap that we wear today — with the exception of one — is temporary. The only permanent cap that we have in The American Legion in the blue cap. Because that’s where all the work gets done,” he said.

Bowen said his fundraising project will be the American Legion Veterans & Children Foundation. Bowen is slated to tour Minnesota in April.

National vice commanders were elected, too. They are:

• Hugh “Homer” Holmes of Post 18 in Mitchell, S.D.
• Michael W. Westergren of Post 91 in Beebe, Ark.
• Martha “Marti” Bigbie of Post 142 in Sun River, Utah.
• Roy E. Smith of Post 914 in Louisville, Ill.
• Frank J. Peters of Post 1365 in Staten Island, N.Y.

The new national president of the American Legion Auxiliary is Dr. Coral May Grout of Unit 193 in Winchendon, Mass. The new national commander of the Sons of The American Legion is Thomas “Thom” Skelley of Squadron 208 in Kerrville, Texas.

 

VA Secretary: ‘They earned it’

VA Secretary Doug Collins, a retired 25-year Air Force veteran, spoke about changing the work atmosphere at the VA to be veteran-centered.

“I’m not blessed with lots of talents, but I do have curiosity,” he said.

Collins said he looked into why the VA was getting bad press, had backlogs and struggled to make changes.

“People who never served or even saw a base tell me veterans are victims,” he said. “That’s horse manure. They earned every bit of it.”

That drew applause from the convention delegates. He said the VA had turned into a bureaucracy and now has changed back to putting veterans first.

“We owe you for what you gave to us,” Collins added.

He said community care is up 16 percent, with 3.6 million community care visits this past year.

When he first arrived at the VA, the VA staff couldn’t tell him how many employees the VA had. He said there are 460,000 employees, more than the active-duty Army. The media, Collins said, claimed a cut of 30,000 was too many. The result was the VA got its house in order number-wise, and it empowers local directors to make decisions.

The claim the VA is denying more people than ever is untrue, he said. Roughly six out of every 10 are approved.  He said the VA under his watch is outpacing any previous administration for processing disability claims.

The backlog was around 145 days. They have it down to 75 days and the goal is 30 days — “which is unheard of,” Collins said.

“I’ll be honest with you. Not everyone is 100 percent — don’t let the trolls tell you our system is broken,” he said.

He said the VA is not turning people away, but there are people who make false claims.

“They like it broken, so they can scare people, because that’s the only tool they have left.”

When naysayers talk about the VA in terms that are unreal, it affects young men and women transitioning out of the military, Collins said.

“Six out of 10 veterans who die by suicide never had contact with the VA,” he said.

Collins brought up reducing SSRIs without quitting cold turkey, researching psychedelics with clinical trials and evaluating testosterone therapy.

President Donald Trump appeared via a video recording, saying his administration has taken more veterans off the streets than any other in the past 20 years. He spoke about the VA loan program being modified to avoid kicking out veterans for a late payment. He praised Collins’ work to give veterans choices for health care.

The president spoke of a 92 percent approval rating among veterans. (Polls say he probably is getting that figure from among conservative-leaning veterans, not all veterans. Among all veterans, various polls say it is around 61 percent.)

 

Donations

The Minnesota American Legion Riders presented a check for $25,000 from the National Mission Ride held this summer in Moorhead. The ride raised funds for the American Legion Veterans & Children’s Fund, usually called VCF.

Bayport Post 491 presented a check for $10,000 to VCF, too.

Bloomington Post 550 was honored by Past National Commander Denise Rohan and the 1919 Society at the Gold Level for its donations to American Legion VCF. It has given $8,000 since the inception of the 1919 Society in 2023.

There’s no doubt Bayport will be on the 1919 Society screen next year, too.

 

Inspirational speakers and DPAA

Ret. Air Force Lt. Col. Waldo Waldman spoke of passion being greater than fear, and how despite being afraid of heights he became a fighter pilot.

He told the volunteers of The American Legion: “Be a commander, not a demander” and encouraged members to take leaps of faith.

Medal of Honor recipient Donald “Doc” Ballard, who smothered a grenade that failed to explode in Vietnam in 1968, is a retired colonel of the Kansas National Guard. He encouraged use of The American Legion’s ham radio club to reach out to isolated veterans. He felt the medical community needs to encourage communication over medication in the effort to prevent suicides.

A Legionnaire himself, he said God is a key part of The American Legion.

“If we take him out of this organization, I’m sorry what it’s going to turn into,” Ballard said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear honored two Kentucky servicemembers who died in March in the Middle East as part of Operation Epic Fury. One was Space Force Staff Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, who died when Iran attacked Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The other was Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, who died when two KC-135 Stratotankers collided in western Iraq and her aircraft crashed. The other landed.

Beshear quoted the Bible: “There is no greater love than a man who lays down his life for his friends.”

Terry Prince, president of the National Association of State Directors of Veteran Affairs, said states are the second-largest provider of veteran services.

He said states don’t want to make veterans have to be experts in bureaucracy to receive benefits.

“The American Legion is an expert at creating a network of veterans around the world,” he said, extending his gratitude from every state.

Britt Slabinski of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society said 250 years “is a long time for an idea to survive.”

He added: “Great civilizations that seemed permanent fell from within.”

Discipline shifts to comfort among the populace. Responsibilities get passed to others.

“Every generation inherits this republic for a short time,” Slabinski said. He noted it takes honor, courage, conviction and compassion to preserve it.

“When an American veteran is in need of help, there ought to be a hand there,” he said. “Accept the hand when you need it.”

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Director Kelly McKeague thanked the Legion for its support and said last year a record 231 Americans came home.

There still are 5,300 missing in North Korea.

“Sadly, the last time we spoke to [N.K.] was 7 1/2 years ago,” he said.

 

Cannabis and other reports

Commander Wiley described meeting with Trump in the Oval Office to reschedule cannabis so that medical research can be performed. It had been categorized with cocaine and fentanyl.

Wiley said The American Legion is responsible for garnering more than $29 billion in disability benefits for veterans in the past year.

The American Legion Child Well-being Foundation awarded nine grants this year, totaling $851,542, he said.

He praised Legion members who are doing the mission at their posts, districts and departments and not the bashing. “Credit belongs to the man in the arena.”

There was a tragedy on the 2026 Legacy Run. American Legion Riders member Michael Haas, a member of Post 128 in Sterling, Kan., died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash on Day 3 of the ride. He had been part of the road guard, and the Riders finished the mission in his honor.

Legacy Run total contributions were announced as $1,011,564.

The ride began in Lincoln, Neb., and went through Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana before arriving in Louisville.

 

Legion awards

The national champion of the National Oratorical Contest is Juliet Hetzel, sponsored by Post 209 in Colorado Spring. She wins a $25,000 scholarship, but said she didn’t compete for a scholarship.

Her entry was “The Role of Religion in the Constitution.” She said other contestants discouraged her from her topic, but she pressed on because of her faith.

The champion in the sporter category for Junior Shooting Sports is Alexandra Orr of Poquoson, Va., and the champion in the precision category is Maggie Palfrey of Indiana, Pa.

The Boys Nation president is Sawyer Ray of Fayetteville, Ark, High School.

The American Legion Spirit of Service Awards were given to Army Spc. Jenna L. McIntosh, Navy Petty Off. Brianna M. Cruz, Marine Sgt. Jessi N. Stegall, Coast Guard Technician 3rd Class Zachary T. Epps, Army National Guard Sgt. Thomas J. Rowley, Air Force Sr. Airman Julissa R. Martinez and Space Force Spc. Jonathan C. Ingram.

The recipient of the Philip Onderdonk Religious Liberty Award was the Rev. Chris Avell of Bryan, Ohio.

Avell founded Dad’s Place, “a church that loves like family.” It is open 24 hours a day to help anyone in need.

The town sought to shut it down by demanding costly code requirements. The First Liberty Institute got involved and discovered the town didn’t require the code upgrades for hotels, other churches, the senior center or its own buildings. First Liberty and Dad’s Place sued.

In January 2025, the town even brought criminal charges against Avell for refusing to lock the church in single-digit temperatures, which was some fire-code violation.

“Before, I took freedom for granted. Now, I will never take freedom for granted again,” Avell said.

National Employer of the Year was Black Hills Energy of South Dakota.

The Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialist of the Year was Yanta Haynes of Loganville, Ga.

Department of Minnesota Historian Sandy Gessler received second place among department entries in the 2025 National History Contest & Showcase Overview. (The 2026 winners are announced on the back page of this issue.)

 

Membership awards

Minnesota Delegation Chairman Linda Dvorak graced the stage for her department having 100 percent turn-in. She stood with Sy Fix, Frank Grittner and Joe Bares for their efforts in making it happen.

Departments in Arizona, Philippines and Wyoming took home many of the membership awards. (Smaller departments typically fare better in the big contests.)

Recruiter of the Year was Martha Bigbie of Post 142 in St. George, Utah.

The Department of Michigan took home the Gen. John J. Pershing Award for having the greatest percentage of post achieving 100 percent or more of their membership goals. The Department of Minnesota won this prize in 2025.

Minnesota was the second-place winner of the Big Twelve Competition in Category II, a membership competition among Midwest states.

Minnesota members were named in the Gold, Silver and Bronze Brigade winners flashed on the main screen. They were Ashley Venburg and Greg Weiss of Forest Lake Post 225, Craig Hartman of Golden Valley Post 523, Kenneth Ringeisen of Fairmont Post 36, Joe Bares of Jordan Post 3, Ron Moore of Stewartville Post 164 and John Thurk of Waconia Post 150.