Paralyzed Veterans of America

“PVA HAS 15,600 MEMBERS.”

“Pva has 33 chapters and the members in each chapter elect the board member from the chapter. One chapter is under national monitoring and has no voting board member. Officers are elected by the board at the annual meeting held in may. Each board member has one vote. Officers do not have a vote.”

“The form 990 is completed by the outside tax accountants at grf, cpas of bethesda, md. A draft copy of the return was e-mailed to all board members and officers. After the review and corrections, a final copy of the return was e-mailed to the board members and officers. The return is signed by the cfo and by grf.”

“At pva's first board of director's meeting each year board members are required to sign a statement that they have read and agree to abide by the pva conflict of interest policy before they are certified as directors. Furthermore, if they have a conflict they must report it. If a board member becomes aware of a conflict on another member's behalf, they have been instructed to point out the conflict to the board chair for appropriate investigation. At the appropriate time, the board, having been informed of the potential conflict of interest, may question the director concerning the identified special interest. After the board determines it has all of the necessary information, the board will then conduct debate on the issue as needed and vote to determine whether the circumstances described amount to a conflict of interest of sufficient degree to bar the director from debate and vote on the particular matter affected by the special interest. The director identified as having a potential conflict of interest shall not participate in the debate or vote of the board on the existence of a conflict and may be excluded during such debate or vote by vote of a majority of the board. A majority vote of the board is required to bar the member. The minutes of the meeting of the board shall reflect the disclosure of the potential conflict of interest, the board's decision regarding the conflict, and the presence or absence of the interested director during the debate on the issue of whether a conflict exists and during any action by the board following the vote regarding the existence of a conflict.”

“With regard to compensation, pva had a third party review salaries for all employees in the organization. The survey was updated by the same third party in 2019 and reviewed by the pva executive director and the pva director of human resource management to ensure compliance with pva's internal policy for compensation. The executive director and director of human resource management approve all salary changes. The executive director (ed) is the top financial official of the paralyzed veterans of america. The pva board of directors sets the compensation for the ed. The pva board has access to the third party salary survey done for pva (updated in january 2024 for the ed position) plus other published surveys.”

“Pva posts all of its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and audited financial statements on its website, www.pva.org. Pva also provides paper copies upon written request.”

“Paralyzed veterans of america (pva) was founded by a group of world war ii veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders in 1946. Following decades of dedicated advocacy and service for other similarly situated veterans, pva was formally incorporated through a charter granted by the congress of the united states on august 11, 1971. Paralyzed veterans of america (paralyzed veterans) is the only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated solely to the benefit and representation of veterans with spinal cord injury or disease. For over 75 years, we have ensured that veterans receive the benefits earned through their service to our nation; monitored their care in va spinal cord injury units; and funded research and education in the search for a cure and improved care for individuals with paralysis. As a partner for life, paralyzed veterans also develops training and career services, works to ensure accessibility in public buildings and spaces, provides health and rehabilitation opportunities through sports and recreation and advocates for veterans and all people with disabilities. With more than 70 offices and 33 chapters, paralyzed veterans services veterans, their families, and their caregivers in all 50 states, the district of columbia and puerto rico. Paralyzed veterans works to positively change lives and build brighter futures for our nation's veterans with disabilities and their families through our broad range of services and expertise. Whether it's fighting for quality of health care and decent benefits for all who served, providing opportunities to get back into life through adaptive sports, helping veterans with disabilities get good jobs and careers, advancing a barrier-free america, educating clinicians about spinal cord injury, or investing in a cure for paralysis, paralyzed veterans leads the way in empowering people with disabilities with everything they need to live full and productive lives. Our history in 1946, paralyzed veterans was founded by a group of seriously injured american heroes from the "greatest generation" of world war ii. They created a non-profit organization to meet the challenges that they faced back in the 1940s - from a medical community not ready to treat them to an environment with many barriers for people who use wheelchairs. This includes leading the charge for the landmark americans with disabilities act (1990), making our nation more accessible, and for the ada amendments (2008). For more than seven decades, paralyzed veterans' national office and our 33 chapters across the nation have been making america a better place for all veterans and people with disabilities.”