In addition earlier honors by veterans' groups--including the Silver Helmet Award from AMVETS and the the Legislator of the Year Award from the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO)--Tim Walz was one of only 20 members of congress to receive an A+ on the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Report Card. The IAVA blog notes:
Exceptional leaders on veterans’ issues were few and far between in the 111th Congress, with only 20 legislators out of a possible 535 earning an A+. This is an 87 percent decline from the 2008 Congressional Report Card, when over 150 members earned an A+. This year, too many elected officials completely failed to take action or show leadership on the key issues facing new veterans, as 154 Members, regrettably earned Ds or Fs.
Here is the IAVA legislative agenda that was used to score members of Congress :
| Combat Veterans’ Unemployment | H.R. 1879 (PASSED) |
| Cut the Claims Backlog in Half | H.R. 3082 (PASSED), H.R. 4121 (Stuck in committee) |
| Eliminate Combat Stress Stigma | Amend to H.R. 4872 (FAILED) |
| End the Passive VA System | No significant legislation |
| Ensure Thorough, Professional, and Confidential Screening for Invisible Injuries | H.R. 2647 (PASSED) |
| Eradicate Homelessness Among Veterans | H.R. 403 (PASSED), Amend to H.R. 3082 (PASSED) H.R. 4810 (PASSED) |
| Full and Advance-Funding for VA Health Care | H.R. 1016 (PASSED), H.R. 3288 (PASSED), S. 423 (PASSED), Amend to H Con Res 85 (FAILED), Amend to S Con Res 13 (FAILED), S Con Res 13 (PASSED), H.R. 5822 (PASSED) |
| Improve Health Care for Female Veterans | S.1963 (PASSED), H.R. 1211(PASSED) |
| Major priorities held over from 110th Congress finished in the 111th. | H.R. 2346 (PASSED), H.R. 1293 (PASSED), H.R. 3949 (PASSED), H.R. 5136 (PASSED) |
| Modernize the VA Claims Processing System | HR. 5549 (PASSED) HR. 5928 (Stuck in committee) |
| Secure Jobs for Our Nation’s Heroes | H.R. 5120, H.R. 5400, S. 2334, S. 3398 (Stuck in committee) |
| Streamline and Simplify the Post-9/11 GI Bill | H.R.5933, S. 3447 (Stuck in committee) |
| Support Better Health Care for Female Veterans | S.1963 (PASSED) |
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