National Summit on Women Veterans Issues

Proceedings - Introduction | Summary of Proposals | Pictures 

The Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Women Veterans sponsored a National Summit on Women Veterans Issues, Summit 2000, on June 23, 24 and 25, 2000, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. The Summit was co-sponsored by the White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach and the Disabled American Veterans.

Over 350 individuals attended the Summit including Federal agency representatives, VA Women Veteran Coordinators, community partners and women veterans from across the country. The Summit began with the presentation of the Colors by the Military District of Washington and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Sarah McClendon.  Ms. McClendon, a World War II veteran, is a well-known journalist and author of the book Mr.. President , a memoir of her years as a White House Correspondent. The Chief of VAs Chaplain Service, Reverend Jeni Cook gave the invocation. Deputy Secretary, Hershel Gober, was the Keynote Speaker and provided attendees clear assurances that VA is committed to women veterans and guaranteed their place in the national VA agenda for health care and the delivery of benefits. 

The morning session provided participants an opportunity to hear about the current status of Federal Programs for veterans from VAs Under Secretary for Benefits, Mr. Joseph Thompson; Mr. Richard Walker, Acting Under Secretary for National Cemetery Administration; Dr. Fran Murphy, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Health; and Dr. Al Borrego, Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training at the Department of Labor. In the afternoon, Vice Admiral Patricia Tracey, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Personnel Policy, Department of Defense; Dr. Wanda Jones, Director of the Office on Womens Health at the Department of Health and Human Services; Ms. Lauren Supina, Director, The White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach; Captain Barbara Brehm, USN, Military Director, Defense Advisory Committee on Women In The Service; and Ms. Joan Furey, Director of VAs Center for Women Veterans discussed the work of their respective organizations.

In addition to the plenary sessions, participants attended concurrent sessions on a variety of topics of concern to women veterans including Homelessness, The Impact of War Zone Service on Women in the Military, the Legislative Process, the Role of Veterans Service Organization and VAs healthcare delivery and benefits program.  Community advocacy groups such as Vietnam Veterans of San Diego, New York's Project Return, Federal legislative staff members, experts on labor and employment and veterans service organizations shared ideas and discussed their role in improving services for veterans

Following the concurrent sessions participants formed work groups with agency officials, veteran service organization leaders and other program representatives to discuss issues of concern to the women veteran community and develop suggestions to address and improve services and programs for women veterans.

In addition to the formal Summit activities, a special Reception for Summit 2000 participants was held at the Women in Military Service to America Memorial (WMSA). Additionally, Former Chairs of the VA Women Veterans Advisory Committee were honored at a luncheon sponsored by DAV. Brigadier General Wilma Vaught, USAF (Ret.), President of WMSA, was the Keynote Speaker at the luncheon.

Proceedings from this Summit will be published by the Center for Women Veterans and made available to agencies and organizations interested in veterans issues, including the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Defense; the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service; the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees; State governments and national veterans service organizations.  Additionally, the Proceedings will be published on the VA Women Veterans Programs and Initiatives web site.

In September 1996, the Center for Women Veterans in collaboration with the White House Office on Womens Initiatives and AMVETS sponsored the first National Summit on Women Veterans Issues. That Summit was held at the White House Conference Center in Washington, DC. This was the first time a group of women veterans advocates were brought together to identify concerns of the women veteran community and provided an opportunity to suggest way in which their concerns could be addressed.

Please send your comments on this page to The Center for Women Veterans Contact the VA  Write to: Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office (00W) 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20420

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Reviewed/Updated: February 27, 2002