Readout of the President's Meeting with Leaders from the American Legion

Earlier today, the President met with American Legion National Commander Dan Dellinger and Executive Director Peter Gaytan.  The President expressed his thanks to the American Legion for its advocacy on behalf of our nation’s Veterans.

In addition, the President discussed key steps that this Administration has taken to ensure that our Veterans receive the quality health care they have deserve, the benefits they have earned, and have access to the education and training they need as they re-enter the workforce.  The President also reiterated his commitment to eliminate the disability claims backlog in 2015 and his commitment to facilitating the seamless exchange of electronic health records between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

American Legion leadership also discussed the critical role that the partnerships between the VA and Veterans Service Organizations play in reducing the backlog.  The group thanked the President for his work to streamline credentialing and licensing for service members and Veterans, making it easier to transfer military skills to the licenses and credentials needed for civilian jobs.  They noted that many States had followed suit, passing laws removing barriers to service members and Veterans earning state licenses.