⭐ Next VMF Meeting: January 10, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET on Webex. ⭐

Link to attend here; Meeting number 23100082671; password: dems

* VMF meetings are open to all DA members, and all VMF members are encouraged to attend.

Message from the Chair

Dear Fellow VMF Warriors:

I hope every member of our Caucus is enjoying this holiday season and spending lots of quality time with friends, family, veterans, or other military-connected persons who may need a bit of cheering up. In times of chaos, destruction, and complacency, such as we’ve seen from the Trump Administration and the Republican Party in 2025, it can be hard to sleep soundly at night. But 2026 is a new year, and we are ready to fight the good fight to boot out do-nothing Republicans from all levels of elected office. 

It’s time to commit to helping Americans abroad get registered to vote, request their ballot, and cast their vote well ahead of state election deadlines. Visit VoteFromAbroad.org as soon as you can on or after January 1st (U.S. time) to register (or re-register) to vote and to request your ballot for all elections in your home state in 2026 in which you’re eligible to vote. Furthermore, rest assured that VMF has a Get-Out-The-Vote Plan for 2026, and we look forward to beginning to implement it in January. If you’d like to be part of that plan, please volunteer!

On a side note: for veterans living abroad who have been waiting patiently for VA’s Foreign Medical Program (FMP) to update its infrastructure to provide reimbursements to foreign bank accounts, the FMP office recently stated, “Testing for EFT payments to Veterans with international bank accounts will occur in the mid- to late summer timeframe. The ability to submit FMP claims securely online through VA.gov is still under development. Due to the Government shutdown and a rebalancing of competing strategic IT development capabilities, we are waiting for an updated timeframe for this functionality.”

That’s all for now. Please do enjoy the waning days of this holiday season, and do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or comments.

On behalf of the VMF Caucus Steering Committee,

Michael Ramos

Democrats Abroad Global VMF Caucus, Chair

Veteran and Military Family Member

VMF Tip of the Month

If you are a veteran and already service-connected by the VA, you need to be aware of the 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year rules, as outlined in the M21-1 manual used by the VA.

• VA Disability 5-Year Rule: Allows the VA to reevaluate your existing VA disability rating within 5 years of your initial examination, but only if your disability condition is expected to show “material improvement” over time.
• VA Disability 10-Year Rule: States the VA can’t eliminate a rating that’s been in place for 10 years or more. Important: Your VA rating can still be reduced (not eliminated) if medical evidence shows that your disability has improved.
• VA Disability 20-Year Rule: If your disability rating has been in effect for 20 years or more, the VA can’t reduce it below the lowest rating it has held for the previous 20 years.

Please note that the above means consecutive years. So, for example, if you have been rated as service-connected disabled at 70% for the past 13 years, and then file a VA disability claim for a new injury/illness or an increase on your existing condition, the VA clock resets back to year 0.

VMF Updates

Statement from the VMF Caucus: A “2025 Year In Review” Report  

VMF Statement in Total Opposition to GOP Bill Stripping Dual Citizenship  

VMF Statement on the Status of Key Pieces of Legislation  

Statement from the VMF Caucus on the Creation of VMF’s Virtual Art Gallery

VMF Statement on the U.S. National Guard’s 389th Birthday 

VMF Statement Condemning President Trump over his Commentary Regarding Senator Kelly  

VMF Volunteering Opportunities

VMF Member Opinion: Why Removing the Margraten Memorial to Black Soldiers is Wrong  

VMF Member Opinion: Black Military History At Margraten Must Not Be Erased 

VMF Member Opinion: As Detention Centers Grow, Republicans Need to Grow a Spine  

VMF Member Opinion: Strategic Voting in 2026 

VMF Nov-Dec 2025 Newsletter 

VMF Artwork: Protest artwork by Erica Gibson, poetry by Anonymous, photography by Kee Evans, poetry by C. Isa Kocher, photography by Roberta Enschedé, “The Journey to Phoenix” artwork by M.B. Dallocchio, and “The F-4 Phantom” drawing by “Fritz”

VMF Film Recommendation: “The American Revolution” by Ken Burns  

Recent News of VMF Interest for October-November 2025 

***To view (lots!) more of the latest VMF News Articles & Opinions (for Nov-Dec 2025), please see here.

If you haven’t checked it out already, make sure to swing by our Virtual Museum (QR Code shown below). Simply click on each “display” and swipe through each one to view additional pages.

Questions/Comments/Suggestions?

For matters concerning the VMF newsletter: [email protected]

For reaching the VMF Caucus chair: [email protected]

For all other matters: [email protected]

⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Are you following the Democrats Abroad Global Veterans & Military Families (VMF) Caucus on social media?

• CONUS: Call 988 and Press 1 or go to https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ 
• In Europe: +1 844-702-5495 or DSN 988
• In the Pacific: +1 844-702-5493 or DSN 988
• In Southwest Asia: +1 855-422-7719 or DSN 988
• Chat: Text with a crisis line responder. Send a text to 838255 or through https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/chat

Was this newsletter forwarded to you by a friend?

Click here to register with the DA VMF Caucus and receive our e-newsletter straight to your inbox.

The VMF Caucus has over 1,400 members in dozens of countries and proudly consists of veterans, military family members, Department of Defense civilians, other national security professionals, and strong allies of our causes.