About IAVA

Report Card FAQs

1) What is IAVA Action Fund? IAVA Action Fund is IAVA’s nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(4) sister organization dedicated to educating the American people, pushing for solutions impacting troops and veterans and holding our elected officials accountable. IAVA Action Fund produces and distributes the Congressional Report Card, which grades every Senator and Representative on his or her voting record and leadership on key issues facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Both IAVA and IAVA Action are nonpartisan. 2) Are IAVA and IAVA Action Fund nonpartisan organizations? Yes. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and IAVA Action Fund are strictly nonpartisan organizations. Our national membership is comprised of Republicans, Democrats, Independents and everything in between. In preparing this Report Card, lawmakers from all parties were held to identical standards and graded accordingly. Supporting veterans is a question of patriotism, not partisan politics. 3) How were the votes chosen? The votes in IAVA Action Fund’s 2010 Congressional Report Card reflect the issues that will significantly impact the lives of veterans and their families as outlined in IAVA’s 2009 and 2010 Legislative Agendas. The votes were chosen in close consultation with IAVA’s 80,000 members across the country. 4) Why did you give lawmakers “extra credit” for cosponsoring certain bills? We want to recognize those legislators who have stood with IAVA Action from the start of the legislative process by cosponsoring our top legislative priorities: Advanced Appropriations, Veterans’ Employment, Disability Reform and Upgrades to the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Legislators who are leaders on these priorities play a critical role in elevating these issues into the national debate. They make it possible to secure a vote and receive one point for each of the priorities they support. 5) You say that Senators and Representatives earn grades based on IAVA Action Fund’s priorities. How can we expect Members of Congress to know what IAVA Action Fund’s priorities are? IAVA and IAVA Action Fund are not subtle about communicating our priorities to Congress-and we do so in a range of ways. Each year we distribute our legislative agenda to members, our membership and the media. We also visit Congressional offices throughout the year to present our Legislative Agenda. We have also testified in over 90% of the hearings relating to our published priorities and push these priorities in both local and national media. The priorities contained in the legislative agenda are identified in consultation with our members and are typically shared across the veterans’ community. 6) In the 2008 Report Card most Members of Congress earned an A or B. Why are the grades lower in the 2010 Report Card? The 110th Congress was marked by tremendous success including passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, resulting in a higher volume of As and Bs. Congress’ bipartisan work and advances on behalf of veterans in 2007 and 2008 earned them the credit and recognition they received. While the 111th Congress passed several of IAVA Action Fund’s priorities early on, in the second half of the session, members did not prioritize new veterans. In 2010, partisan politics and Congress’ early focus on the midterm elections derailed passage of significant legislation to impact the lives of veterans and their families. 7) Which party did better this year, Democrats or Republicans? How exactly do the two parties compare in the numbers? All parties chose not to prioritize veterans’ issues this session. The result was that neither party did particularly well on the Report Card. In the House, only 19 Representatives earned an A+ compared to 111 in 2008 - this is an 83 percent drop. This year, 180 Representatives in the House earned a grade of A or B. Of those, 165 were Democrats and 15 were Republicans. In the Senate, 45 Senators earned either an A or B. Of those, 43 were Democrats and 2 were Republicans. 8) Why did Democrats score better than Republicans this year? The methodology behind the Report Card is transparent. Those Senators and Representatives who voted with veterans scored well; those who failed to vote with veterans did not. The grades are not based on party affiliation, but action. Despite a highly partisan atmosphere in Congress, veterans’ issues are not partisan. While several Members of Congress chose to prioritize veterans’ issues, many lawmakers did not. Their choices are reflected in their grade. Note: Democrats, in part, received more As and Bs is simply because Democrats outnumber Republicans in the 111th Congress, and control the voting schedule. 9) My Senator comes to my VFW hall every Christmas! How could he possibly get a D? The Report Card is based entirely on a Senator or Representative’s votes in the 111th session. It is not a statement on their character or personality. There are many ways to support our troops and veterans. However, elected officials are paid to go to Washington and represent their constituents by sponsoring and voting on legislation, and if they don’t show up, we must hold them accountable. 10) Why did my Representative vote in a particular way on a particular bill? That’s a great question for your Senators or Representative. We score members solely on their votes and cosponsorship. Visit www.IAVAAction.org to contact your representatives’ offices and ask about their voting records. 11) Why wasn’t all veterans-related legislation included in the Report Card? The selection of votes is derived from the priorities of our 2009 and 2010 Legislative Agendas. Every vote reflects priorities identified based on ongoing dialogue with our 80,000 members. This session, our top action items were VA funding, Advanced Appropriations, mental health, disability reform, veteran unemployment and upgrades to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.