The Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association: Serving and expanding

Let us begin by thanking the editors of this outstanding journal for providing us the opportunity to inform its readers about the new and evolving Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association. A chapter of the national Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) for 56 years, the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association became an independent, freestanding national veterans service organization on January 29, 2003. The very next day at a meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Honorable Anthony J. Principi, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, handed us a letter certifying us as a national veterans service organization, thereby empowering us to continue to represent our more than 2,300 members in matters before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We were then, and we continue to be, deeply grateful to Secretary Principi for his confidence in the work of our Association by providing this certification to us. One aspect of our group that has not changed is the service we provide to our members to help them obtain VA benefits and quality VA healthcare. We believe it is important to note that the process of separation from the PVA commenced under the leadership of the late James J. Peters, the Executive Director of this wonderful organization for more than three decades. I was truly fortunate to work very closely with Jim throughout his tenure here. He was a dynamic person with tremendous vision and an outstanding record of achievement in behalf of paralyzed veterans. We miss Jim a great deal each day, but we completed the effort to become a stand-alone association because it was what Jim would have wanted us to do. Those readers who knew Jim will recall the tremendous energy that he devoted to improving the quality of healthcare for paralyzed veterans. We share Jim’s passion about this issue. To have a genuine impact on the VA healthcare system, one needs to spend big chunks of time at the Capitol, so in March of this year, the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association opened a small Washington, DC, office at 1146 19th Street NW. Through a stronger presence inside the Beltway, we hope to influence the Congress to fully fund the VA healthcare system and to distribute these funds equitably across this great nation. Another change of which we are certain, but are unsure of when it will occur, involves our name. At some point before January 29, 2005, the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association will become the United Spinal Association. We are currently working through, with some experienced outside assistance, how to position ourselves appropriately so that our name change has the minimum impact on both our members and donors. We want to be certain Gerard M. Kelly Executive Director Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association