Purpose: The purpose of the Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Committee is to promote programs and services that assist and enhance the lives of veterans and their families, ensuring restoration and/or transition to normally functioning lives.
Key Program Statements:
- Support rehabilitation and healing of veterans through arts, crafts, and hobbies.
- Support veteran caregivers, family members and survivors.
- Enroll Auxiliary members as VA Voluntary Service (VAVS) volunteers at VA health care facilities.
- Help The American Legion, State Department of Veterans Affairs and Chamber of Commerce promote job fairs for veterans and their families.
- There isn’t a VA hospital close to your community? Find opportunities for Auxiliary members to serve veterans in your area such as serving the homeless.
The Auxiliary’s Veteran’s Affairs and Rehabilitation program provides service and financial assistance to veterans and their families. Auxiliary members are interested in restoring the veteran and his family to normal function – physically, mentally, socially and vocationally. Members provide emotional support and cheerful companionship while attending to the hospitalized, handicapped and homebound veterans’ physical comforts. In a single year, veterans’ programs utilized the services of more than 100,000 hospital field and home service volunteers who donated millions of dollars and millions of hours to assist veterans. The Auxiliary’s gift shops and holiday parties have become an essential part of the VA program. The Poppy program provides therapy and a means of earning money for handicapped and hospitalized veterans and their families. Members work with legislators and congressmen to pass legislation to increase government benefits and assistance for veterans. Essential equipment and supplies are purchased by caring members to upgrade and facilitate the level of care provided in veterans’ facilities. Members furnish job assistance, transportation, food, clothing and medicine to thousands of needy, handicapped and homeless veterans. The Auxiliary plays a necessary and important role in the life of America’s veterans.