The Commission on the Future for America's Veterans today announced that they will be expanding the reach of their activities to a worldwide audience by broadcasting their proceedings over the Internet. The first "virtual town hall meeting" will take place on March 14 at 7:00 PM when their live town hall meeting in Tampa, Florida is opened up to web participation. Details on how to participate in the 'virtual' town hall meeting can be found at the Commission’s website: www.future4vets.org.

"We are very pleased to expand our activities beyond the confines of auditoriums and conference rooms through the use of modern technology that allows anyone with a computer and an Internet connection to fully take part in our meetings," said Harry N. Walters, Managing Commissioner and former VA Administrator. "Not only will web participants see and hear the same things as the live audience, they will also be able to submit comments and questions over the Internet to the Commissioners," said Walters.

"The shocking stories about living conditions for many of our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center bring home the problems that can occur when a health care system is strained to the breaking point," Walters said. "With a looming budget crisis facing the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal programs, it is absolutely imperative that we begin planning today to ensure that our future veterans get the treatment they deserve. That's what this Commission is all about: looking at the system today, envisioning where it needs to be in the future, and developing plans to get there from here," Walters said.

The Commission on the Future for America's Veterans began operating in September 2006 as a private, independent, analytical body to examine the needs of veterans 20 years in the future, and develop recommendations for how the federal government should meet those needs. Over the next 15 months, the Commission will continue holding meetings and conducting research to develop and deliver recommendations to the President, the Congress, and the America public by Memorial Day 2008. The Commission was created by the Veterans Coalition, an organization comprised of The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and AMVETS.

The Commission is currently engaged in a multi-state tour entitled "Conversations on the Future for America’s Veterans", actively seeking input from military veterans, veterans experts, and other Americans interested in supporting veterans. The "Conversation" begun in Charleston, West Virginia in January, continues with another Town Hall meeting on March 14 in Tampa, Florida and next goes to San Diego, California at the end of May. All future town hall meetings of the Commission will be broadcast as 'virtual' town hall meetings on the web.