IAVA Veterans 'storm' Capitol Hill in blizzard

Our guys over at IAVA are on point, fighting for Vets rights. Go Team Bravo!

Washington (CNN) -- The blizzard that hit Washington couldn't have come at a worse time for a leading veterans group -- but the name for its legislative push this week is certainly fitting.

Despite the monster snowstorm, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America organization is taking its Storm the Hill campaign directly to members of Congress and administration officials to push for veterans' rights.

Because of a fresh round of snowfall Tuesday night -- and the federal government being closed much of this week -- many of their meetings have been canceled or postponed.

Group founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff, an Army veteran, said that despite "snowmageddon," they've been cracking away at the meetings that are still on.

He added that members are beyond determined to show up.

Video- IAVA: Stronger Together

From FOB IAVA.

Have an Iraq/Afghanistan Vet In Your Life?

Then please take a minute to click thru on the IAVA ad on your right and check out Support Your Vet and Community of Veterans. The sites are run by the IAVA (very good friends of the blog) and are chock full of resources, ideas and support that can really make a difference in your vets life. Paul Rieckoff and his crew are top notch, I can attest.

New IAVA Ad- Signs

FOB Paul Rieckoff will be on the Colbert Report tomorrow night, so be sure to tune in and check out their new site Support Your Vet. Very good ads, the other ones kill me.

IAVA's Paul Rieckhoff on Billing Vets' Private Insurance

For MP in the comments, the nut graph in the article noted-

However, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that no plans have been enumerated yet about veterans health care.

"Let me not make the case for a decision that this administration hasn't made yet regarding the final disposition or decision on third-party billing as it relates to service-related injuries," he said.

Also note the organization quoted in the article is the American Legion which is historically unfriendly to Democrats. FOB Paul Rieckoff of IAVA seems to feel it will be shot down (though he does seem disturbed by the fact that it was floated).

Veteran Report Card 2008: Who in Washington Really Support Our Troops and Vets?

From our friends at the IAVA. Hint- McCain made the D list.

From their flag lapel pins to their yellow ribbon bumper stickers, every politician in America wants you to believe they “support the troops.” But actions speak louder than words. When veterans’ issues actually came to a vote in Washington, what did your representatives do?

Now, it’s easy to find out, thanks to IAVA Action Fund’s 2008 Congressional Report Card. At IAVA Action Fund, we tracked every bill and vote on veterans’ issues. We’ve crunched the numbers, and today we’re releasing letter grades for every single Senator and Representative on Capitol Hill (including McCain, Obama and Biden). In just a few clicks, you can find out how your representatives voted.

How did Congress do this year? Over all, they scored very well. From the passage of the landmark Post-9/11 GI Bill to fully funding the Department of Veterans Affairs, we have tremendous progress to celebrate this year. More than 150 legislators earned a perfect score, a grade of A+.

But some lawmakers failed to vote in support of our troops and veterans. This year, 9 politicians earned Ds or Fs.