Mission: We are dedicated to one single purpose: empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. See schedule o for further details. We accomplish this by making sure veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fighting for the interests of america's injured heroes on capitol hill; and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life.
Programs: National service program: dav's largest operation offers services through its national service program, transition service program, mobile service office program, national employment program, voluntary service program, and state services and disaster relief program. See schedule o for further details. National service program:in 100 offices throughout the united states and in puerto rico, we employ a corps of approximately 270 national service officers (nsos) and 34 transition service officers (tsos) who counsel and represent veterans and their families with claims for benefits from the department of veterans affairs, the department of defense and other government agencies. Veterans need not be members to take advantage of our assistance, which is provided free of charge between january 1,2014 and december 31,2014.Our nsos and tsos--all wartime-wounded, injured or ill veterans--provided representation for over 340,000 claims for veterans and their families before veterans affairs, obtaining for them more than $3.7 billion in new and retroactive benefits. Dav truly is an organization of veterans helping veterans, as all our service officers incurred injury or illness related to their wartime service. Nsos function as attorneys-in-fact, assisting veterans and their families 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 information seminars and counseling and community outreach activities such as the mobile service office (mso) program. Nsos also represent veterans and active-duty military personnel before discharge review boards, boards for correction of military records, physical evaluation boards, the disability transition assistance program, the transition assistance program and other official panels. For service members making the all-important transition to civilian life, dav participates in transition assistance and disabled transition assistance programs. Our tsos provide benefits counseling and assistance to service members filing initial claims for va benefits at more than 100 military installations throughout the country. Over the last year, our tsos conducted 908 formal presentations to 39,569 transitioning service members. During that time, they filed 17,126 claims for veterans affairs benefits. Counsel and representation for active-duty service members during their transition was provided through the military's disability evaluation system. Dav continues its pro bono representation program for veterans seeking review in the united states court of appeals for veterans claims. In fiscal year 2014, the board of veterans appeals (bva) took action on more than 16,220 cases involving dav clients. Each one of those cases was reviewed to identify those in which a veteran's claim was improperly denied. Thanks to dav and our relationship with two private law firms, 1,534 of these cases previously denied by the bva were appealed to the court. The mobile service office (mso) program continues to seek new venues to bring dav service to veterans and dependents in their own communities. By putting our service offices on the road and assisting veterans where they live, dav is increasing veterans' accessibility to benefits. With 10 specially equipped msos visiting communities across the country, this outreach effort generates a considerable amount of claims work from veterans who may not otherwise have the opportunity to seek assistance at our national service offices. During 2014, our msos traveled more than 101,104 miles, visiting 922 cities and towns. Our nsos interviewed 23,645 veterans and other potential claimants during these appearances. Expenses $43,862,735, including grants of $62,311.Revenue of $0national employment program:dav established the national employment department, committing over $800,000 in 2014 to its startup. One key element of this mission is a partnership dav formed with recruitmilitary, a full-service, military-to-civilian recruiting firm. Working alongside our partner, dav uses online and offline products to connect employers, franchisors and educational institutions with veterans who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life, veterans who already have civilian work experience, members of the national guard, reserve components and military spouses. All services are offered free of charge. By co-hosting and sponsoring veterans career fairs in partnership with recruitmilitary, dav is helping to address one of the greatest needs facing our nation's unemployed veterans. Last year, dav sponsored 34 job fairs in 29 cities, creating venues for nearly 2,000 high-quality companies considering the talents of more than 14,000 active-duty, reserve and guard members and veterans and their spouses who attended. Dav's national employment department also works directly with major employers interested in recruiting skilled veterans. It provides a multitude of resources that veterans can access online at jobs. Dav. Org, including a job-search board listing more than 800,000 current opportunities. We are pleased to note nearly 5,000 average monthly visits to our employment resources web page. We anticipate continued growth in veterans' use of this resource in the coming months as we roll out a retooled website that will feature a variety of additional employment and educational resources, including webinars and other guides, and we will highlight certain employers that have demonstrated a firm commitment to recruiting and hiring veterans. Expenses $820,673, including grants of $0.Revenue $0.Voluntary service program: service is the cornerstone of dav's mission of empowering veterans to lead high-quality and fulfilled lives. Our thousands of dedicated volunteers across the country help us to provide the best care, morale and service to our nation's heroes. Dav's transportation network is one of the country's largest voluntary transportation programs. This unique program provides vehicles and volunteers throughout the country to transport veterans to and from their medical appointments at department of veterans affairs (va) medical centers. This program is managed by 192 hospital service coordinators located at 197 va medical centers and is operated by nearly 9,000 volunteer drivers. Since the inception of the program in 1987, dav departments and chapters have donated 2,856 vehicles to the va at a cost to dav of $61.8 million. In 2014 alone, volunteers traveled 24,356,351 miles, providing 716,302 free rides to veterans and donating 1,723,175 hours of their time. 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. Other dav voluntary service program initiatives include the winter sports clinic, the jesse brown memorial youth scholarship program, the celebrity program, the local veterans assistance program and the va voluntary service program. Expenses $2,197,188 including grants of $1,072,264.Revenue $ 0.State services and disaster relief: we help fund services that our state-level departments provide to veterans and their families. In some cases, these department programs extend, supplement or dovetail services we provide through our nationwide programs. In other cases, departments have created entirely new programs to meet the unique needs of veterans in their states. Grants to departments under this program totaled $4,169,511.When disaster strikes, our national service officers are dispatched to the affected area to provide monetary assistance, conduct benefit counseling and to offer referral services. We provided disaster relief 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 2014, almost $90,450 was granted to tornado, flood and fire victims. Since the program's inception in 1968, $9,442,228 has been disbursed. Expenses $4,406,941 including grants of $4,406,941.Revenue $0.Total form 990, part iii, line 4a:expenses $51,287,538 including grants of $5,541,516.Revenue $0.
publications & communications: the national communications department oversees internal and external communications programs, including media relations, publications, contacts with other organizations and a variety of public outreach initiatives to tell dav's story. Our communications staff produces a full-color magazine, news releases, speeches, op-eds, brochures, print messages, public service announcements, videos and other materials that provide information about dav and the full range of free services that empower veterans to live high-quality lives with respect and dignity. In addition to these traditional tools, social media such as facebook, twitter and youtube also enable dav and its members to build an even stronger community to carry out our mission, now and in the future.
membership program: the pulse of dav lies within its members. When a veteran joins dav, he or she joins a vibrant community that stands together to ensure our nation keeps its promises. This steadfast dedication to our cause has made dav what it is today. Dav was founded after world war i because a centralized structure to support veterans wounded in the trenches did not exist. America was not prepared for their return, and something needed to be done. The concept of continued service, of veterans serving veterans, is part of a legacy that is more than 90 years old. Dav has evolved to meet the needs of its members amid the changes that naturally progress with time. Our armed forces have changed along with our society, and dav has evolved to embrace those changes through the years. This enables us to ensure all veterans are able to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. Today, social diversity and technology have allowed dav members to continue to play a role as positive advocates for the unique requirements of veterans and their loved ones. We continue to effectively respond to the needs of past and present generations of veterans, providing unwavering dedication to those who have sacrificed for our way of life, often with a life-changing illness or injury. Dav has nearly 5,000 members dedicated to recruiting new ones so that our base remains strong and vibrant well into the future. With 52 state-level departments and 1,351 active chapters nationwide, we closed the 2013/2014 membership year with 1,279,391 veterans in dav.
legislative program: dav's national legislative department is responsible for developing, strengthening and expanding federal policies, programs, benefits and services to empower injured and ill veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. Dav works with congress, the department of veterans affairs and other federal agencies that help fulfill our nation's promises to the men and women who served. The guiding principles of our advocacy efforts emanate directly from our legislative agenda as set forth by the resolutions adopted by delegates to our annual national conventions and strengthened by dav's constitution and bylaws. These principles guide our advocacy for disabled veterans in conformance with the collective will of our members. We accomplish our objectives through our efforts in washington, d. C. , and by drawing upon the support of our dav members across the country. During 2014, even though the investment in our legislative program (both non-lobbying and lobbying combined) was quite small, constituting less than one percent of dav's total expenditures, dav's efforts in this arena achieved important results for the men and women who served. Expenses $1,866,829 including grants of $0.Revenue $0.Public awareness outreach: when injured and ill veterans 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 they can begin to rebuild the lives they once knew. Many face the search for employment and housing, all while learning how to relate to their families after having been away for long periods of time. Navigating basic health, education and other benefits can be daunting. That's why dav is here to help them every step of the way. Too many of our nation's veterans have yet to access the benefits and services they've earned. Many are simply unaware of what is available to them, so our national service program provides veterans free assistance in working through the claims process at the va and other government agencies. Dav wants to ensure that veterans are fully aware of the wide range of other programs we offer for ill and injured veterans and their families. Our outreach program supplements the efforts already built into our other program services to raise awareness. It offers the american public a greater opportunity to become personally involved in identifying with and assisting the men and women who served our nation. In 2014, $32,355,645 was spent on this large-scale outreach effort, an investment that's making a real difference in the lives of veterans and their families. About $7.3 million is from the value of donated media, primarily for airing of public service announcements about dav services available to assist ill and injured veterans. Additionally, dav 5k events galvanize local communities across the country to support their heroes and raise awareness about the issues veterans face every day. This past year, we held our second annual dav 5k in cincinnati and launched our inaugural dav 5k event in san diego. In total, almost 4,000 individuals came out to honor and say thank you to friends and family members who served or are currently serving our country. We look forward to even greater participation in our events in cincinnati, san diego and atlanta in november 2015 and will continue to explore opportunities to expand the 5k events to other cities across the country. The value of the contributed media 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. Expenses $25,048,321 including grants of $0.Revenue $0.
Programs: National service program: dav's largest operation offers services through its national service program, transition service program, mobile service office program, national employment program, voluntary service program, and state services and disaster relief program. See schedule o for further details. National service program:in 100 offices throughout the united states and in puerto rico, we employ a corps of approximately 270 national service officers (nsos) and 34 transition service officers (tsos) who counsel and represent veterans and their families with claims for benefits from the department of veterans affairs, the department of defense and other government agencies. Veterans need not be members to take advantage of our assistance, which is provided free of charge between january 1,2014 and december 31,2014.Our nsos and tsos--all wartime-wounded, injured or ill veterans--provided representation for over 340,000 claims for veterans and their families before veterans affairs, obtaining for them more than $3.7 billion in new and retroactive benefits. Dav truly is an organization of veterans helping veterans, as all our service officers incurred injury or illness related to their wartime service. Nsos function as attorneys-in-fact, assisting veterans and their families 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 information seminars and counseling and community outreach activities such as the mobile service office (mso) program. Nsos also represent veterans and active-duty military personnel before discharge review boards, boards for correction of military records, physical evaluation boards, the disability transition assistance program, the transition assistance program and other official panels. For service members making the all-important transition to civilian life, dav participates in transition assistance and disabled transition assistance programs. Our tsos provide benefits counseling and assistance to service members filing initial claims for va benefits at more than 100 military installations throughout the country. Over the last year, our tsos conducted 908 formal presentations to 39,569 transitioning service members. During that time, they filed 17,126 claims for veterans affairs benefits. Counsel and representation for active-duty service members during their transition was provided through the military's disability evaluation system. Dav continues its pro bono representation program for veterans seeking review in the united states court of appeals for veterans claims. In fiscal year 2014, the board of veterans appeals (bva) took action on more than 16,220 cases involving dav clients. Each one of those cases was reviewed to identify those in which a veteran's claim was improperly denied. Thanks to dav and our relationship with two private law firms, 1,534 of these cases previously denied by the bva were appealed to the court. The mobile service office (mso) program continues to seek new venues to bring dav service to veterans and dependents in their own communities. By putting our service offices on the road and assisting veterans where they live, dav is increasing veterans' accessibility to benefits. With 10 specially equipped msos visiting communities across the country, this outreach effort generates a considerable amount of claims work from veterans who may not otherwise have the opportunity to seek assistance at our national service offices. During 2014, our msos traveled more than 101,104 miles, visiting 922 cities and towns. Our nsos interviewed 23,645 veterans and other potential claimants during these appearances. Expenses $43,862,735, including grants of $62,311.Revenue of $0national employment program:dav established the national employment department, committing over $800,000 in 2014 to its startup. One key element of this mission is a partnership dav formed with recruitmilitary, a full-service, military-to-civilian recruiting firm. Working alongside our partner, dav uses online and offline products to connect employers, franchisors and educational institutions with veterans who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life, veterans who already have civilian work experience, members of the national guard, reserve components and military spouses. All services are offered free of charge. By co-hosting and sponsoring veterans career fairs in partnership with recruitmilitary, dav is helping to address one of the greatest needs facing our nation's unemployed veterans. Last year, dav sponsored 34 job fairs in 29 cities, creating venues for nearly 2,000 high-quality companies considering the talents of more than 14,000 active-duty, reserve and guard members and veterans and their spouses who attended. Dav's national employment department also works directly with major employers interested in recruiting skilled veterans. It provides a multitude of resources that veterans can access online at jobs. Dav. Org, including a job-search board listing more than 800,000 current opportunities. We are pleased to note nearly 5,000 average monthly visits to our employment resources web page. We anticipate continued growth in veterans' use of this resource in the coming months as we roll out a retooled website that will feature a variety of additional employment and educational resources, including webinars and other guides, and we will highlight certain employers that have demonstrated a firm commitment to recruiting and hiring veterans. Expenses $820,673, including grants of $0.Revenue $0.Voluntary service program: service is the cornerstone of dav's mission of empowering veterans to lead high-quality and fulfilled lives. Our thousands of dedicated volunteers across the country help us to provide the best care, morale and service to our nation's heroes. Dav's transportation network is one of the country's largest voluntary transportation programs. This unique program provides vehicles and volunteers throughout the country to transport veterans to and from their medical appointments at department of veterans affairs (va) medical centers. This program is managed by 192 hospital service coordinators located at 197 va medical centers and is operated by nearly 9,000 volunteer drivers. Since the inception of the program in 1987, dav departments and chapters have donated 2,856 vehicles to the va at a cost to dav of $61.8 million. In 2014 alone, volunteers traveled 24,356,351 miles, providing 716,302 free rides to veterans and donating 1,723,175 hours of their time. 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. Other dav voluntary service program initiatives include the winter sports clinic, the jesse brown memorial youth scholarship program, the celebrity program, the local veterans assistance program and the va voluntary service program. Expenses $2,197,188 including grants of $1,072,264.Revenue $ 0.State services and disaster relief: we help fund services that our state-level departments provide to veterans and their families. In some cases, these department programs extend, supplement or dovetail services we provide through our nationwide programs. In other cases, departments have created entirely new programs to meet the unique needs of veterans in their states. Grants to departments under this program totaled $4,169,511.When disaster strikes, our national service officers are dispatched to the affected area to provide monetary assistance, conduct benefit counseling and to offer referral services. We provided disaster relief 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 2014, almost $90,450 was granted to tornado, flood and fire victims. Since the program's inception in 1968, $9,442,228 has been disbursed. Expenses $4,406,941 including grants of $4,406,941.Revenue $0.Total form 990, part iii, line 4a:expenses $51,287,538 including grants of $5,541,516.Revenue $0.
publications & communications: the national communications department oversees internal and external communications programs, including media relations, publications, contacts with other organizations and a variety of public outreach initiatives to tell dav's story. Our communications staff produces a full-color magazine, news releases, speeches, op-eds, brochures, print messages, public service announcements, videos and other materials that provide information about dav and the full range of free services that empower veterans to live high-quality lives with respect and dignity. In addition to these traditional tools, social media such as facebook, twitter and youtube also enable dav and its members to build an even stronger community to carry out our mission, now and in the future.
membership program: the pulse of dav lies within its members. When a veteran joins dav, he or she joins a vibrant community that stands together to ensure our nation keeps its promises. This steadfast dedication to our cause has made dav what it is today. Dav was founded after world war i because a centralized structure to support veterans wounded in the trenches did not exist. America was not prepared for their return, and something needed to be done. The concept of continued service, of veterans serving veterans, is part of a legacy that is more than 90 years old. Dav has evolved to meet the needs of its members amid the changes that naturally progress with time. Our armed forces have changed along with our society, and dav has evolved to embrace those changes through the years. This enables us to ensure all veterans are able to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. Today, social diversity and technology have allowed dav members to continue to play a role as positive advocates for the unique requirements of veterans and their loved ones. We continue to effectively respond to the needs of past and present generations of veterans, providing unwavering dedication to those who have sacrificed for our way of life, often with a life-changing illness or injury. Dav has nearly 5,000 members dedicated to recruiting new ones so that our base remains strong and vibrant well into the future. With 52 state-level departments and 1,351 active chapters nationwide, we closed the 2013/2014 membership year with 1,279,391 veterans in dav.
legislative program: dav's national legislative department is responsible for developing, strengthening and expanding federal policies, programs, benefits and services to empower injured and ill veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. Dav works with congress, the department of veterans affairs and other federal agencies that help fulfill our nation's promises to the men and women who served. The guiding principles of our advocacy efforts emanate directly from our legislative agenda as set forth by the resolutions adopted by delegates to our annual national conventions and strengthened by dav's constitution and bylaws. These principles guide our advocacy for disabled veterans in conformance with the collective will of our members. We accomplish our objectives through our efforts in washington, d. C. , and by drawing upon the support of our dav members across the country. During 2014, even though the investment in our legislative program (both non-lobbying and lobbying combined) was quite small, constituting less than one percent of dav's total expenditures, dav's efforts in this arena achieved important results for the men and women who served. Expenses $1,866,829 including grants of $0.Revenue $0.Public awareness outreach: when injured and ill veterans 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 they can begin to rebuild the lives they once knew. Many face the search for employment and housing, all while learning how to relate to their families after having been away for long periods of time. Navigating basic health, education and other benefits can be daunting. That's why dav is here to help them every step of the way. Too many of our nation's veterans have yet to access the benefits and services they've earned. Many are simply unaware of what is available to them, so our national service program provides veterans free assistance in working through the claims process at the va and other government agencies. Dav wants to ensure that veterans are fully aware of the wide range of other programs we offer for ill and injured veterans and their families. Our outreach program supplements the efforts already built into our other program services to raise awareness. It offers the american public a greater opportunity to become personally involved in identifying with and assisting the men and women who served our nation. In 2014, $32,355,645 was spent on this large-scale outreach effort, an investment that's making a real difference in the lives of veterans and their families. About $7.3 million is from the value of donated media, primarily for airing of public service announcements about dav services available to assist ill and injured veterans. Additionally, dav 5k events galvanize local communities across the country to support their heroes and raise awareness about the issues veterans face every day. This past year, we held our second annual dav 5k in cincinnati and launched our inaugural dav 5k event in san diego. In total, almost 4,000 individuals came out to honor and say thank you to friends and family members who served or are currently serving our country. We look forward to even greater participation in our events in cincinnati, san diego and atlanta in november 2015 and will continue to explore opportunities to expand the 5k events to other cities across the country. The value of the contributed media 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. Expenses $25,048,321 including grants of $0.Revenue $0.
Others
