There's a feud within the veterans community, and it's starting to get ugly

A controversial veterans advocacy group is gaining clout in Congress but appears to be losing credibility with fellow veterans lobbyists.

The group is called Concerned Veterans for America, and its ties to conservative causes and funders have drawn criticism since its founding five years ago. For the most part, CVA's leaders have managed to balance those attacks by establishing public working relationships with several major veterans organizations.

But in recent weeks, even those arrangements have deteriorated.

The most recent divorce came in June, when the American Legion, whose leaders just a few months ago were working closely with CVA on efforts to reform the Veterans Affairs Department, sent a letter to lawmakers in which they characterized CVA's leaders as politically motivated “mouthpieces whose focus is to leverage the military veterans community to achieve selfish gains.”
The letter does not specifically name CVA, but American Legion officials have named and targeted the group in recent media interviews.

The spat comes just weeks after CVA leaders fought with another advocacy group, Paralyzed Veterans of America, over similar objections to CVA's health care reform recommendations. Both groups accused the other of lying to advance their political goals over the wishes of veterans.

CVA has sparred with Disabled Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars in recent months, too.

CVA's leaders continue to advise a number of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and recently convinced Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., to push forward their legislative proposal to separate all VA medical facilities into a new nonprofit entity and expand veterans’ access to private health care.

The group has said shepherding that legislation through Congress this year is its top priority. It remains to be seen whether that can be accomplished over the objections of most major veterans groups during an election year.
Later this week, the VA’s Commission on Care is expected to release its final recommendations on health care reform, a move that’s likely to amplify the fight even more. The report is intended to serve as a foundation for congressional deliberations, but early drafts have lead both sides to accuse the other of pushing unrealistic and unhelpful proposals.

Few pieces of veterans reform legislation have advanced in Congress this year, and even fewer have moved significantly in recent years without support from the largest veterans groups like the American Legion and VFW.

Dan Caldwell, CVA’s vice president for political and legislative action, dismissed the recent disagreements as inconsequential politics.

“We have made an effort to work with veteran service organizations and frequently met with them to discuss our VA reform proposals,” he said. “Unfortunately, some of these organizations are not acting in good faith and are blatantly misrepresenting our work and the work of others who share our views on reforming and fixing the VA.”

CVA's opponents have labeled its efforts an overt attempt to privatize veterans medical care. Supporters characterize it as expanding veterans’ choice and access, distancing themselves from the toxic label of “privatization.”

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has discussed some aspects of the CVA model on the campaign trail, while Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has blasted the idea as harmful to veterans.
Officials from the American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America and other major veterans organizations have stepped up their opposition since McMorris Rodgers backed the proposal last month.

Louis Celli Jr., the Legion's legislative director, called CVA “a fringe group” and said the letter to Congress was designed to “make sure lawmakers do not forget who has the best interests of veterans at hand, and who has veterans as members in their districts.”

Caldwell says CVA's reform plans are supported by numerous veterans, just not the majority of those lobbying in Washington.

“Special interests in Washington who benefit from the status quo at the VA are going to fight any type of real reform proposal,” he said. “We would love to have as much support as possible for our vision of reform, but with broad-based grassroots support, it doesn’t matter too much if the [veterans support organizations] support us or not.”

The legislative fight may be moot, however. Separate, similarly ambitious reform bills backed by congressional leaders is stalled in the Senate, and House leaders have already advanced a number of veterans bills that face long odds of becoming law before the end of the shortened legislative session this year.

But the internal fight gripping the veterans community could linger beyond that. Caldwell said his group is still willing to work with any organization committed to reforming VA, but said he believes the acrimony hurts the other veterans advocates more than CVA.