 Hey, how many people are here for the first time attending a midwinter conference? Please raise your hand. It's always good to see new faces and stuff. I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you here. You're among friends, you're among family, but welcome and thank you for taking the time out to come out here to attend this, and especially the legislative seminar today. So once again, a show of hands with people that are here the first time. Welcome, welcome. In fact, I have some gifts for the first three that would be able to come up here if you're able to walk or come up. I have some DAV Bolo ties, if you would, I'll put them over here, thank you. Those are available at the DAV store online at DAV.org. Well, good afternoon, I'm Leroy Acosta, DAV Assistant, National Legislative Director. At the 2015 National Convention in Denver, Colorado, DAV members adopted resolutions to confront numerous issues related to our mission of empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. These resolutions are published in DAV's 2016 National Legislative Program available at DAV.org. Our 2016 National Legislative Program is ambitious, it's reasonable, meaningful, and the product of careful, thoughtful deliberation. Our legislative agenda recommends responsible solutions to the real problems facing wounded, facing ill and injured veterans and their survivors. Like many of you, I'm a past state commander, I'm a past department commander, and I share your passion for the principle that this nation's first duty to veterans is a rehabilitation and the welfare of its wartime disabled. I'll discuss the topics that are listed here today, and when I conclude, you have the knowledge to make meaningful recommendations to the policymakers and to persuade others to take action to support DAV's mission. As we're seated here today, you're surrounded by some of the greatest, strongest grassroots advocates in the business. Everyone here, and those who may be watching online, are on the forefront of our activity. Our strength is reinforced by the power of the constant diligent efforts of our network of state-level departments and local chapters. Our DAV members fuel our momentum as we take action to motivate lawmakers to enact positive legislation for ill and injured wartime veterans and their families. Our grassroots activism can leverage technology to multiply our efforts online with the DAV commander's action network. That's why I remind you to make sure that you encourage others to take part in the DAV commander's action network, DAV CAN. Simply visit DAV.org, scroll over the words help DAV, and click on the word advocate. You'll find it. DAV CAN provides real-time information concerning issues pertinent to ill and injured veterans and their families. DAV CAN will alert you by an email when your action is needed on key issues. DAV CAN allows you to share your thoughts directly to your congressional representatives and lawmakers. In DAV CAN, make sure DAV's strong, insistent voice is heard in Washington, D.C. By the way, on your visit to Capitol Hill, please voice your concern and support for concurrent receipt. DAV urges Congress to enact HR 303 and S271 to repeal the inequitable offset between rightfully earned longevity military retired pay and VA disability compensation for all veterans, regardless of their VA rating percentage. A conversation about inequitable offsets wouldn't be complete unless we were to talk about SBP and DIC. As most of you don't, purchased SBP annuities are offset by the amount of any benefit payable under the VA DIC program. SBP is not a government gratuity, rather, it's a type of insurance benefit purchased out of pocket by military retirees for their survivors. Thousands of survivors of these military retirees are adversely affected by this unfair offset between SBP and DIC benefits. That's why DAV urges Congress to eliminate the inequitable offset between SBP and DIC in an Act HR 1594 and S979. I'm going to shift gears here and talk about something else that's near and dear to most of your hearts, and that's appeals reforms, was it? Appeal decisions take too long. DAV believes legislation should be enacted to improve the appeal process by launching the fully developed appeals pilot program, the FDA. However, we believe that any new approaches must be taken with extreme caution to carefully balance and protect the due process rights of veterans and to ensure accurate decisions. We even have a website dedicated to the FDA so that you can learn more information about it. While you're breaking out your pens and finding a pencil and something to write with so you can write this down immediately, I'll continue to talk about the appeals process. About 11% of all VA rating decisions are appealed. This trend continues and based on VBA's protection to produce over 1.4 million rating decisions annually, this sets a base of 150,000 appeals or more filed this year and even more in the future. Veterans should have additional choices and options to get their appeals to the board without having to wait years for the VBA to prepare and process their appeals. Some may ask, why is there an appeals backlog? Well, let me remind you back in 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs focused on a goal of zero claims pending more than 125 days with a 98% accuracy that was by the year 2015. With their emphasis placed on their goal, the number of appeals has grown into a tremendous appeals backlog. As of February this year, 440,000 appeals were pending, 360,000 within the jurisdiction of the VBA and the remainder within the jurisdiction of the board. If you don't know already, the average time to process an appeal from the time a veteran files a notice of disagreement to the time a decision is rendered is from two to five years and multiple remands can add years before an appeal decision is rendered. DAV, along with other key stakeholders, has worked with the VBA and the board to develop and propose the fully developed appeal pilot program, the FDA. The FDA will allow veterans to bypass several preparation and processing steps in exchange for the efficient streamlined process, FDA process to reduce the time for appeal decisions. Congress should pass legislation to authorize the FDA pilot program and bills that embody much of our proposals and support the FDA are listed here. I need to advise you that February 9, 2016, HR 677, the American Heroes Cola Act, was passed in the House. You need to also note that HR 677 also contains language that would round down the cost of living adjustments for VA beneficiaries over a nine-year period. We oppose this because it would decrease benefits for ill and injured veterans and their dependents. DAV continues to work with the House and Senate VA committees to support our recommendations. Just as we do with all legislation, that would support and benefit our membership. You note here HR 313 was signed by the President in November of 2015. This would benefit federal employees who were veterans, it would benefit them. Lastly, I'm going to finish by saying thank you for your efforts and I invite you to take advantage of technology and to optimize social media's ability to expand and multiply our advocacy efforts. It's important that we enhance DAV's engagement in our veteran communities. Why is that? Well, benefits for ill and injured veterans and their families have been scrutinized, dissected and attacked for years. We need lawmakers to act in our best interests, to maintain and enhance the benefits earned through honorable military service. To do away with veterans benefits, they can gain momentum. That's why now, more than ever, someone needs to stand up. That someone is a DAV. Together, our laser-focused activity helps DAV work to fulfill our promises to the men and women who served.