Disabled American Veterans

“Members or stockholders dav is a not-for-profit organization with members that have the right to participate in the organization's governance. They, or their delegates, elect four members of dav's board of directors.”

“Organization members please see form 990, part vi, section a, line 6.”

“Process of the review of form 990 following completion of form 990 by dav's tax preparer, it is reviewed by dav's accounting department staff and executive director. Once resulting revisions are made, the form is mailed to the board of directors for their review and questions. It is subsequently filed with the irs.”

“Organization's practice for monitoring compliance all members of the board of directors receive a copy of the conflict of interest policy immediately upon assuming office, or at a minimum, annually. The same process applies to key employees and department directors. Recipients acknowledge they have read the policy, identify any areas of conflict and return the signed disclosure form to the dav executive director. Responses are reviewed and identified. Conflicts are referred to the board of directors for discussion and approval as appropriate.”

“Compensation review process every four or five years dav hires an independent consulting firm to review compensation of dav national adjutant and ceo, executive directors, key employees, and other top management officials. In 2018, the consulting firm was buck consulting. This involves review of position responsibilities, accumulation of comparable data from other organizations and determination of appropriate compensation ranges for each. The ranges are reviewed and approved by independent memembers of the board of directors (board). Any subsequent changes in compensation, typically annual and within the established ranges, are also approved by the board. Non-employee members of dav's board receive an irs approved daily per diem when attending meetings or representing dav at various related events. This is primarily to cover meals and lodging.”

“Documents governing documents and the conflict of interest policy are available upon request. The dav annual report and most recent form 990 are available on dav's website (www.dav.org) and also upon request or public inspection at dav national headquarters. Form 1024 is available upon request.”

“Service program (cont) national service offices - in more than 100 offices throughout the united states and in puerto rico, we employ a corps of national benefits advocates, national service officers (nsos) and transition service officers (tsos) who counsel and represent veterans, their families and survivors with claims for benefits from the department of veterans affairs, department of defense and other government agencies. Service officers function as attorneys-in-fact, assisting veterans, their families and survivors in filing claims for va disability compensation, rehabilitation and education programs, pensions, death benefits, and employment and training programs. They provide free services, such as counseling and community outreach activities through the information seminar program, in order to educate and inform veterans on the benefits they have earned through service. They also advise veterans and active-duty military personnel in regards to the transition assistance program. Since being chartered by congress in 1932, they filed 11.8 million claims for benefits. Training - dav's national benefits advocates train throughout their careers to stay current with the changes in laws and regulations affecting veterans' benefits. The interactive training, research, advocacy and knowledge system, known as itrak, has made the institutional knowledge of dav's national service officer program accessible nationwide. This system revolutionizes how dav serves veterans, trains service officers, and researches and collaborates to represent veterans in their claims for benefits. This ongoing training ensures that all dav national service officers are at the forefront of veterans' advocacy and that the most rigorous professional standards are maintained. National service officers are educated professionals and skilled experts in developing and prosecuting veterans' claims through in-depth reviews of medical histories along with current laws and regulations. Additionally, they review rating board decisions and inform veterans and their families of the appeals process and of their appellate rights. Dav equips service officers with state-of-the-art computer resources to keep their cutting-edge advocacy skills up to date. The extensive preparation required for these crucial services begins with a 16-month, on-the-job training program. This interactive, self-directed training program provides the foundation for apprentices to become effective advocates. Apprentices are instructed and mentored by tenured supervisors. Dav is the only veterans service organization to have a training program certified for college credit by the american council on education in health law and ethics, healthcare systems, anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, medical terminology and introduction to public policy, topics in public administration, and administrative law. In addition to these training programs, supervisory staff and selected veteran advocates from field offices across the country receive specialized instruction in management and leadership development. Our goal is to continue producing the most highly trained representatives possible to best serve veterans and their families. National appeals office - the board of veterans' appeals (bva) is the highest appellate-level court within the va and is responsible for the final decision concerning veterans' benefits. More than 96% of the claims before the bva involve disability compensation issues. Our highly skilled national appeals officers serve appellants in the preparation of written briefs for bva review and conduct formal hearings before veterans' law judges. Dav's efforts have resulted in approximately 77% of decisions being overturned or cases being remanded to the regional office for additional development and re-adjudication. We maintain the largest staff of any advocacy group and represented 19.5% of all cases decided by the bva in 2020. Judicial appeals - dav continues its pro bono representat”

“Voluntary services program (cont) - the value of volunteer hours and services amounted to over $18 million. To incentivize youth volunteers, dav awarded $75,000 in scholarships through its scholarship program. Dav transportation network - a unique program that has successfully helped veterans get to and from their medical appointments and throughout their daily lives for nearly 35 years. The program is the largest of its kind for veterans in the nation. Operated by dedicated dav volunteer drivers, the program provides transportation to and from 228 va medical centers and outpatient clinics. It is managed by a team of 155 hospital service coordinators. Since the program's inception in 1987, dav departments and chapters have donated 3,558 vehicles and ford motor co. Has donated 239 vehicles, at a total combined cost of more than $88 million. The amount of hours dav volunteers dedicate, the miles they drive and the number of rides they provide to veterans are a testament to the promises we've ensured were kept. To put this into perspective, dav volunteers have driven 760,547,592 miles since the program began. The benefit of dav's transportation network goes beyond ensuring veterans in need are able to get the care they deserve and have earned. Without this program, many veterans would have no way to access their health care. According to nonprofit coalition independent sector's methodology, the department of veterans affairs has valued the dav transportation network's hours of volunteer service at over $18 million, based on the current formula of $27.20 per hour. Additionally, each veteran passenger could potentially cost the va $0.415 per mile in beneficiary travel expense reimbursement for travel to an appointment or treatment. The transportation network continues to provide a substantial need for veterans, while delivering a powerful impact on local communities and an indispensable resource for veterans. The value of these contributed services is reported as revenue on dav's financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, but is not recorded as revenue on this form 990 in accordance with internal revenue service guidelines. National disabled veterans winter sports clinic - for 36 years, dav and the va have collaborated to help create "miracles on a mountainside" at the national disabled veterans winter sports clinic in snowmass, colorado, near aspen, this unique physical rehabilitation program, launched in 1985, annually helps nearly 400 severely injured veterans rebuild confidence and regain stability in their lives, all while over 1,000 volunteers help provide a fun and fulfilling week of winter sports. Although this event was canceled in 2020 due to health and safety concerns amid the covid-19 pandemic, we recognize its vast positive impact and look forward to once again inviting veterans from across the nation with multiple amputations, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, severe neurological deficits or even total blindness to take part in the clinic to develop winter sports skills and take part in a variety of workshops and educational sessions. The event encourages veterans to challenge their perceived limitations and promotes both mental and physical rehabilitation and restoration through adaptive skiing, rock wall climbing, ice hockey and other sports. By example, these activities show veterans they are not limited to adaptive recreational activities or sports of any kind. Veterans of all eras, including world war ii, korea, vietnam, the gulf war and the wars in iraq and afghanistan, attend the clinic, enjoying the camaraderie and reassurance of those who also served. National disabled veterans tee tournament, - dav takes great pride in presenting the national disabled veterans tee (training, exposure, experience) tournament in iowa city, iowa, with our partners at the va. The four-day clinic consists of golf, horseback riding and other adaptive sports workshops. The cli”

“Employment program (cont) dav is an organization of veterans serving veterans. Sometimes, the shared experiences are all it takes to remind veterans they are not alone and that there is a next chapter in their life. Dav fully understands that recovery from serious injury or illness cannot be complete until a veteran can find meaning in life and regain a sense of purpose. For those who are able, working to care and provide for themselves and their families is a key part of that journey. Each year, thousands of men and women make the transition from military to civilian life. Dav remains committed to providing valuable resources to all those who have served, helping ensure that these veterans gain access to the tools and opportunities they need to competitively enter the job market and secure meaningful employment. Partnering to help veterans - whether it's unemployment or underemployment, dav realizes the challenges that many veterans face in pursuing rewarding careers. Established in 2014, the dav national employment program has firmly positioned itself as the leader among nonprofits providing assistance to transitioning military members, veterans and their spouses seeking new or better jobs. A primary component of this mission is our strategic partnership with recruitmilitary, a full-service, military-to-civilian recruiting firm who hosts nationwide in-person and virtual career fairs that are accessible to all who served and their spouses. Additionally, dav uses a multitude of online and traditional resources to connect employers, franchisers and educational institutions with active-duty service members, guard and reserve personnel, veterans and spouses. In just over six years, dav has unquestionably made a significant impact to reduce the number of unemployed and underemployed veterans. In 2021, dav's steadfast efforts will continue through our partnership to present in-person and virtual career fairs nationwide that ensure veterans have access to these life-changing employment opportunities. As a nation, we endured unprecedented times over the past year, but service-disabled veterans especially were affected by the covid-19 pandemic, causing a dramatic spike in unemployment that continues to be a major challenge for so many. In immediate response to the pandemic changing the landscape on a daily basis, we are pleased to note that in mid-march, we were able to quickly pivot our in-person job fairs to a full schedule of virtual job fairs. In doing so, this created positive continuity and a viable path forward for job-seeking veterans to engage with many participating companies on the road to securing meaningful employment. Resources for job seekers, employers - last year, dav worked directly with more than 300 companies seeking the many talents and skills veterans possess. Our program provides numerous resources that veterans can access within our employment resources webpage (jobs.dav.org), including a job search board that boasts more than 200,000 current employment opportunities around the world and direct links to company website job boards. We are very happy to report that our constantly evolving employment website continues to grow a multitude of employment, entrepreneurial and educational content and resources available to the thousands who access it monthly. Through efforts started in 2017, we have expanded our assistance through the creation of the veteran advantage: dav guide to hiring & retaining veterans with disabilities. Through interaction with hundreds of companies, recurring questions about best practices and strategies when hiring veterans with disabilities have become more and more common. Dav initially released the guide in 2018, but due to some updates and the guide's importance, it was re-released in october 2019 and had nearly 60,000 views of the free digital version in the first two months alone. With our hiring guide and direct engagement, dav continues to provide companies, hiring managers or other h”

“COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM: DAV's National Communications Department runs internal and external communications programs-including, but not limited to, publications, media relations, digital material and numerous outreach efforts-to tell DAV's story and support its key objectives. A bimonthly magazine informs our members on critical issues and policies impacting the federal benefits and services veterans have earned through their service. It also brings attention to DAV's state-level departments and our local chapters by highlighting their many successful service programs and, therefore, inspiring strong and effective strategies in communities from coast to coast. By producing public service announcements, news releases, brochures, speeches, op-eds, print messages, educational videos and other content, DAV is able to spread information about our organization and the complete scope of free services that help create more victories for veterans. Furthermore, DAV has continued to grow its social media presence through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. On Facebook, DAV provides daily information to more than 1.4 million followers, and in 2020, DAV's posts received more than 136,000 impressions each day. On Twitter, DAV has more than 100,000 followers and DAV's content on Twitter achieved a 16% increase in click-through rate versus 2019. Also, DAV tweets were seen by more than 5.6 million individuals, an increase of 20% over the year prior. Engagement on Twitter was also up by 41% compared to 2019. DAV's Instagram profile surpassed the 53,000-follower threshold, representing a 23% increase from 2019. DAV's Instagram posts reached over 7 million users in 2020. With a continued strategic emphasis on the growth of DAV's LinkedIn presence, our following grew to over 96,000 users, which highlights an astounding 75% increase from 2019. DAV content surpassed 3 million impressions on LinkedIn, marking an 82% increase over 2019. To ensure America's fallen veterans and service members were not forgotten on Memorial Day in the wake of COVID-19, the DAV Honor Wall Mosaic was launched digitally to bring together the military and veteran communities. Users were invited to honor a service member who died as a result of their service to the nation by adding a photo and message of remembrance to the interactive mosaic. The program saw over 19,000 sessions on its site and over 1,200 submissions. It was promoted through social and earned media efforts, generating over 5 million impressions. Our website, dav.org, is another very valuable informational and educational tool for veterans and the general public. The site continues to develop ways to connect veterans to DAV's free services; spread awareness of legislative issues; and educate and inform our members, veterans and the public. It also allows veterans and citizens to make their voices heard on important public-policy issues through an email feedback feature. In 2020, the organization's official website was visited more than 3.3 million times and received nearly 6.5 million page views. DAV is always looking for new and exciting partnerships to help us reach more veterans and their families. In 2020, DAV maintained a consistent presence online through digital placements and editorial content across top-tier publishers such as YouTube, USA Today, Hearst, Military.com and Military Times. An ABC partnership continued for its fifth consecutive year and included significant exposure for DAV through an integrated TV, radio, online and social media program. The relationship with ESPN and the Ultimate Fighting Championship continued for the second year, including custom video content, special DAV shoutouts and recognition during two broadcast pay-per-view events and social media promotion around DAV's centennial and Veterans Day. All in all, the digital and national media campaigns generated over 692 million impressions and 15 million video views. DAV's centennial was a momentous occasion that was mar”

“PUBLIC AWARENESS OUTREACH: When our heroes return home from military service, many struggle to regain a sense of normalcy. They must start the long and often difficult process of healing and rehabilitation so that they can begin to rebuild the lives they once knew. They must find jobs and often housing, as well as relearn how to relate to their families after having been away for long periods of time. Accessing basic health services can be daunting. That's why DAV is here to help them every step of the way. Too many of our wounded, ill and injured veterans haven't accessed the benefits and services they've earned. Most simply aren't aware of their rights and benefits or the free help our National Service Program can provide with filing for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and other government agencies. Neither are they aware of the wide range of other programs we offer to wounded, ill and injured veterans and their families. This program supplements the outreach efforts already built into our other program services. It offers the American public an even greater opportunity to become personally involved in identifying and assisting the men and women who have served our nation. In 2020, $23.9 million was spent on this large-scale outreach effort-an investment that's making a real difference in the lives of veterans and their families. Expenses $23,856,630 including grants of $0. Revenue $40,259. Public Service Announcement Program: In 2020, DAV's mission of service to all veterans was front and center in our national and local placements, thanks to our public service announcement campaign. Television, print, radio and out-of-home messages helped raise awareness of the programs and free services we provide to veterans and their families. These timely and inspiring messages also raised public awareness of DAV and the service, sacrifices and needs of those we serve. In the increasingly busy and competitive ad spaces of network radio, television and other media, DAV stood tall during a time when it was critical for veterans to know about resources available to them. In 2020, our program generated $70 million in estimated donated media value. This program relies on donated media from television, radio, print, outdoor and transit outlets. The widespread media exposure resulted in more than 9.7 billion impressions, representing 12% growth over 2019. This was made possible through extensive outreach, relationship building and cultivation with top media outlets, and it includes support from national television networks ABC and CBS as well as national and regional print placements in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, AARP and First for Women. The Victories for Veterans campaign, first released in 2016, is now in its third iteration to continue inspiring veterans to overcome challenges and achieve personal victories while emphasizing the life-changing services DAV provides to veterans and their families at no cost. As the gap between our military and civilian populations continues to widen, these messages help to serve as testaments to an American public too often unaware of the sacrifices of men and women in uniform To view or download DAV's public service messages, visit davpsa.org. Expenses $926,751 including grants of $0. Revenue $0. RELIEF ASSISTANCE AND PROGRAM GRANTS: VETERANS DISABLED IN WARTIME SERVICE ARE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE WHEN A CATASTROPHE STRIKES. DAV OPERATES AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM THAT DELIVERS DIRECT GRANTS TO HELP VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN TIMES OF NEED, AS WELL AS RESOURCES TO FUND STATE-LEVEL SERVICES. OUR DISASTER RELIEF PROGRAM PROVIDES GRANTS IN THE AFTERMATH OF NATURAL DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES IN VARIOUS AREAS AROUND THE NATION TO HELP VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES SECURE TEMPORARY LODGING, FOOD AND OTHER NECESSITIES. DURING 2020, DAV PROVIDED $901,000 TO MORE THAN 1,200 VETERANS AFFECTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS, INCLUDING HURRICANES, TORNADOS, FLOODS AND FIRES IN ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA,”