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February 3, 2023 by Lisa Elijah

The 118th Congress is officially underway, and the House and Senate have a lot of work to do. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has long been a leader in providing specialized healthcare services and long-term care for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders. Paralyzed Veterans of America’s (PVA) 2023 legislative priorities are aimed at not only protecting access to these specialized services, but also increasing access where needed. We also support priorities that will ensure veterans with significant disabilities have equitable access to the same opportunities as other Americans. 

We are proud of the progress made in the 117th Congress. Through your support, PVA was able to help pass H.R. 4794/S. 2533 MAMMO Act, which requires the VA to implement and improve breast imaging services for veterans. Additionally, H.R. 7939, the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act, became law and allows the VA to provide an additional automobile allowance to certain eligible veterans. The passage of these bills was a step in the right direction for supporting our nation’s veterans and we hope to continue the same momentum through 2023. 

Our 2023 policy priorities focus on increasing funding for veteran health care, modernizing VA facilities, and improving access to opportunities and freedoms available to all Americans. These efforts will help protect veterans’ access to the specialized health care services they need, while also expanding their access to VA long-term care, including home and community-based services. Congress must also take a hard look at how it can better protect the civil rights of individuals with disabilities. This includes ensuring an improvement in how air travel is handled for people with disabilities, particularly wheelchair users, by reforming the Air Carrier Access Act to add standards for aircraft accessibility and improving enforcement of the law. 

An exhaustive list with more detailed goals is outlined in our 2023 policy priorities. By creating legislation from our 2023 legislative priorities, Congress can ensure that our nation’s veterans receive the support they deserve. 

If you are passionate about a specific issue, make sure to reach out to your legislators in PVAction Force through our campaign and add your own story to share how much it means to you. Also, check out the full list of legislation of interest to PVA and our stance on each bill.

PVA is dedicated to improving the lives of veterans with disabilities and their families. We hope to make a lasting impact on the lives of our members. This call to action is an opportunity for us all to help be of service, and it is a chance for us to join together and make sure that our government is doing all it can. We must ensure that our legislators are working toward legislation that will benefit our nation’s veterans, so that they can live their lives with dignity, respect, and independence. Hearing directly from you helps legislators understand what is important to their constituents, and holds an immense amount of power over how they lend their support. Join us to make our goals a reality. 

The California Chapter has always provided financial assistance to members to get out and explore Recreational Therapy opportunities.  Whether helping members to attend one of the VA’s annual programs such as the National Veteran’s Wheelchair Games (NVWG) or the National Disabled Veteran’s Winter Sports Clinic (NDVWSC) etc, or something more in tune with an individuals passion such as a Table Tennis Tournament in Texas or SCUBA diving in the Florida Keys.  We also provided for recreational activities such as tickets for professional sports, concert, and movies or theater as well.

The Chapter has been doing this for years.  Unfortunately, many members were not aware of this form of financial assistance.

Hopefully we are more open with our new policy.  Our goal is to get members our doing things that may have never taken advantage of the hundreds of opportunities available to them due to financial constraint.

Our goal is simple… We want to put a smile on your face.

What puts a smile on your face?  And how can we help you do that? Do you want to go Sky Diving or Race Car Driving? We can help, and have already sent members to do those things.  Something slower like Sailing, fishing, computing, or Tai Chi?  We got you covered! Traditional sports? Basketball, skiing, rugby, powerchair soccer, sled hockey…. The list goes on.  Let us know what your passion is and we will help find an organization to get you involved with it.  Just last month a member mentioned how much he missed playing hockey. Within 72 hours of his mentioning it to the chapter, the chapter reached out to the LA Kings Sled Hockey team and the Coach was on the phone with the member scheduling him for his first visit and practice.  We can’t promise every conversation will have that fast of a response.  But it sure would be nice if we could!

Maybe you want to go see a play, or a movie, or a sports game and see how accessible the venue is.  Let us know and you can use your grant to do that as well.

Simply put, as a chapter member, you are eligible for up to $2000/year in possible recreational grants.  All we ask is that you fill out a simple form in advance and submit it 45 days in advance, and submit your receipts within 30 days of attending the event.  Then be active in the chapter: Take some pictures and share them with us so we can show the rest of the chapter what fun things our members are doing with their grants.  Stop in the office and say “Hi.”  Not sure what game or show you want to see 2 months from now?  Who does?  Simply submit a request to go to “A Pro Game” or “a Concert”  on the form then do your planning later

Not sure if your passion qualifies for a grant?  Give us a call and lets find out together!  We want you out and enjoying life to the fullest.

Hello everyone, I am Jose Reynoso your newly appointed Vice President for the Paralyzed Veterans of America California Chapter in Long Beach. In this short article I want to pass information over to you all about the exoskeleton robotic legs. Not only does it sound pretty awesome but for those who qualify it also allows you to do the impossible which is to stand up and walk with this assisted device. There are certain restrictions to be eligible to participate in this device as it is for everything else available for us, I’ll include the personnel contacts in charge of this research program at the end of this article so anyone interested can get a hold of them.  

This device, the exoskeletal robotic legs was able to grant me the impossible which I thought would never happen again. That experience was to stand tall and see the world differently again, as my former self did, standing up and walking. It was a little challenging at first getting the rhythm of how to use the device, concentrating on not stalling the machine and having it stop on you mid step but that’s part of the experience trial by error. Being able to stand up to my actual height and seeing how everything looks as it did really feel incredible and not only did it felt incredible but I was also able to stand next to my family and seeing how short they really are.  

The exo suit gave me and my family a lot of good memories and beautiful moments that will forever cherish. I was able to walk basically almost anywhere I wanted to go, take a stroll at the park, go to the movies, go out to eat dinner anywhere you’d want to go that the device will allow you to go if the terrain permits. Not only does it consist of you walking again, but it also provides a really good workout as if it’s a gym of its own. You’re constantly having to keep yourself balanced so it makes you exercise not only your body but your mind as well. Having to focus on how you step, and where to step, how to move a certain way, and to turn a certain a certain way. Its incredible what this device allows you to do and that sense of freedom that it brings upon you as if you have lost nothing. I would highly recommend this device to everyone since it keeps you active and brings back a portion, we all have lost and have longed for since day 1 and builds beautiful memories you’ll never forget.   I thank you for taking the time in reading this article, and also here is the research team you can get a hold of to get all the information you need and the restrictions for the device and what is required to participate in them.