The Coalition for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans (CIAV) convened in Washington, DC October 6-7, 2009 to share our expertise in delivering support and services to military, veterans, their families and survivors.

The CIAV’s 52 agencies met with Congressman Bob Filner, Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Brigadier General Loree K. Sutton, Director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury; Douglas B. Carmon, Ombudsman to General Eric Shinseki, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs; other representatives from the DoD, VA, and Congress; and community supporters to report from the field regarding community efforts to serve our warriors, their families, and their survivors.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives helped us convene in the Capitol on the morning of October 6 to dialogue with members of Congress and their staff, while the afternoon provided us an opportunity to meet with federal agencies. The Association of Small Foundations and the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region helped cohosted an informational briefing on October 7 which garnered a dialogue between our organizations and those in the community interested in learning more about the issues that affect those who serve.

The goal of the CIAV summit for our organizations was to strengthen partnerships between government and community in our common mission of caring for those who serve and brainstorm with our colleagues in the DoD, VA and community in delivering the best, most accessible and comprehensive supports possible. We certainly succeeded our goals and look forward to furthering the relationships established during the meetings.

As we have previously stated, no one agency or sector can deliver the breadth of support required to serve our warriors. We have learned since the wars began, and even more so now, that we must coordinate care, and leverage every resource to meet the needs of our warriors and their families.

For more information on the meetings, please contact us.