We need a letter to Secretary Peake to move up date of Gulf War
Veterans Advisory Committee meeting from Sept 24-25 to Sept 18th and
19th !
Chairman Cragin is not listening to reasonable request to
facilitate Gulf War Veterans being able to attend both VA Advisory
committee meetings! The vets can not afford two trips into DC and
cann't afford to stay in town from Sept 14-Sept 25 pm..............
Letter I sent by email:
Dear Chairman and Staff of Gulf War Veterans Advisory
Committee,
I wish to point out the VA RAC GWI is meeting Sept 15-16
and it would be nice to have the new advisory committee on
Gulf War Veterans move up their date to closer than Sept
24-25.
If possible it would allow more gulf war veterans to
attend both meetings of advisory committees.
It would also facilitate the new committee members of the
Gulf War Veterans Advisory Committee to attend the VA RACGWI
and receive the report that VA RAC GWI is releasing on Sept
16th as it is released.
May I suggest the Gulf War Veterans Advisory committee
consider meeting on Sept 18-19 or 22-23.....
This would shorten the time gulf war veterans would have
to stay in DC in order to attend both advisory committee
meetings and save travel and housing costs or repeated trips
into DC when these veterans are ill.
Sincerely
Denise Nichols
Chair Cragin's answer
Good morning,
Thanks for sharing your suggestion. As the September 24 - 25 dates
were already debated and discussed in public and the Committee
members have already begun to manage their schedules toward these
dates, the Chairman would like to keep the dates for our next
meeting as originally planned.
As you know, meetings require quite a bit of scheduling and
preparation and together with the Chairman, VA staff have already
begun to plan for the September meeting.
The Chairman did recognize the value of your suggestion and asked
that at the next meeting VA staff provide the Committee members with
the dates and locations of other relevant advisory committees
(including the RACGWVI). The Committee members can consider the
dates and locations of other meetings when planning out their own
schedule.
----------Sample GO By Letter Example......Below
Now Fax your letter to Secretary Peake and copy to your Senators and
US Reps by email
email copy of your letter to VA SEc Peake to your US REP AND US
SENATOR and ask them to also write VA Sec Peake
Secretary Peake FAX Number 202-273-4876
Dear Honorable Veterans Affairs Secretary Peake,
++++I am writing you to ask that you get the new Gulf War Veteran
Advisory Committee to move up their next meeting date to Sept18-19. I
am a sick gulf war veteran from............who served
with_________________ and I truly want to attend both meetings but I can
not stay that long in DC. We need your help to get this so it is more
veteran friendly.
I wish to point out the VA RAC GWI is meeting Sept 15-16 and it
would be nice to have the new advisory committee on Gulf War
Veterans move up their date to closer than Sept 24-25.
If possible it would allow more gulf war veterans to attend both
meetings of advisory committees.
It would also facilitate the new committee members of the Gulf
War Veterans Advisory Committee to attend the VA RACGWI and receive
the report that VA RAC GWI is releasing on Sept 16th as it is
released.
May I suggest the Gulf War Veterans Advisory committee consider
meeting on Sept 18-19 or even 22-23.....
This would shorten the time gulf war veterans would have to stay
in DC in order to attend both advisory committee meetings and save
travel and housing costs or repeated trips into DC when we veterans
are ill.
***Add another paragraph one or two sentences.......of your
wording..............
Sincerely, Respectfully,
Your name
cc: US REP
US Senator
Then hard copy by snail mail
Secretary Peake
810 Vermont Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20420