Veterans Plank

General Preamble

All veterans are entitled to receive equal treatment, including veterans of operations-other-than-war involving the United States.  By promoting the veterans’ community through advocacy and policy, they should be provided all the entitlements given to veterans of earlier service, including education, training, health benefits, home loans and other financial assistance.

No Veteran should be discriminated against due to, or receive different treatment because of, their gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, sexual identity, religion or lack thereof, political affiliations, or any other factor that is completely irrelevant to their service to this country.

Through the shared heritage and sacrifice of all veterans and citizens of California, leaving no veteran behind, Ventura County Democrats will:

Statement of Principles

• Insist that the military take the chain of command completely out of investigating and prosecuting claims of rape and sexual harassment, and vigorously prosecute cases warranted by the evidence, and direct California’s Governor to immediately effectuate this change in National Guards;
  

• Automatically upgrade the less-than-honorable discharges of all veterans from all periods who were involuntarily discharged due solely to their sexual orientation to Honorable without the requirement for service members to request it;
  

• Ensure that all leases and use of Veterans Administration property, facilities, and land are used for the benefit of veterans and/or their families, including the Los Angeles Veterans Hospital and its campus;
  

• In order to eliminate poverty and support our veterans, we support eliminating homelessness among veterans by increasing the funding levels for permanent affordable housing, construction of therapeutic facilities and job training;
  

• Support a Veterans Bill of Rights that provides for the complete and timely provision of benefits to Veterans;
  

• Support the same veterans benefits as those provided to the regular armed forces for all National Guard and Reserve members activated for federal service;
  

• Support enforcement of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) ensuring that activated reservist and National Guard members can resume their jobs upon return, with the state being the employer of last resort;
  

• Support the mission of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) in their efforts to appropriately hold accountable those employers who would abuse the system and remove employment from members of the Reserves and National Guard due to their drill or deployment schedules and commitments;
  

• Provide a secure system of electronic balloting via the Internet for service members and their voting age dependents who are stationed outside the United States, and direct that California’s Secretary of State ensures, by all means necessary, that those California residents are given full opportunity to vote during elections;
  

• Insist that the US Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) fulfill its legal obligation to veterans by reducing the backlog of claims;
  

• Provide monetary support and services to families who bear the burden as caregivers for disabled veterans; 
  

• Provide monetary support and services to ensure that disabled veterans have access to timely medical/health care services.
  

• Support an immediate pathway to citizenship for those who begin their service as non-residents of the United States due to their service to this country; 
  

• Support full funding of Veterans' Courts within the California Superior Court system and encourage the establishment of Veterans' justice programs throughout California;
  

• Support the establishment of a federal program of Counselors comparable to the military's Chaplain Corps for all service members who do not subscribe to a religious faith, and set the example by establishing such a program within the California National Guard;
  

• Provide assistance for certain individuals affected by exposure to Agent Orange and other toxins in the course of their military service, or while dependents residing at a military installation, and advocate for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enhance the availability of medical care for descendants of veterans of the Vietnam era, and other conflicts; 
  

• Petition the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to establish and fund community-based violence prevention programs, including counseling, peer counseling and non-violent conflict resolution training to support veterans and their families;
  

• Insist that the federal Department of Veterans Affairs expand to provide comprehensive and timely, wrap-around outreach health and mental health care to all veterans and their families, including those with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), to decrease incidents of domestic violence and/or suicide;
  

• Support training/education programs and strict military policies that prohibit hazing and enhance long term military readiness by robust suicide prevention and a national service pilot program since too many patriotic young Americans who want to serve our country are being harmed;
  

• Support full implementation of the G.I. Bill for the 21st Century (signed into law in 2008) that provides a complete, four-year college education to the men and women of the U.S. military who have served on active duty;
  

• Provide for true equality for all women in the United States Armed Forces and veterans’ groups, and advocate strongly for the issues specific to their needs as Women Veterans;
  

• Demand truth in recruiting and open enlistment for all;
  

• Provide Support Services for active duty military personnel and their families without cost to the service member; and
  

• Insure a right to free legal counsel in immigration and criminal matters for veterans at no cost to the Veteran.