Legislation and Charitable Activities
Legislation
WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage) supports pro-veteran legislation like the No Hero Left Untreated Act and, most recently, Public Act 17-137, which became effective in Connecticut on October 1, 2017.
The No Hero Left Untreated Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and David Perdue (R-GA), will create a pilot program for innovative medical care for veterans to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the burgeoning ‘silent injuries’ of modern warfare. WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage) is actively and publicly supporting this legislation and encourages members like you to get involved in local and national politics to support our veterans.
Public Act 17-137 is an act protecting the personal information of members of the Armed Forces and Military Veterans. The bill, proposed by WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage) Board of Advisors member Cpt. Paul Bucha, Vietnam Veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, along with WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage), enforces that any organization or entity that collects or requires proof of service with military identification documents will now need to ‘safeguard the data, computer files and documents containing the information from misuse by third parties. This includes selective service or military identification numbers, military discharge documents, or copies of military identity cards. Organizations that collect this information will be required to destroy, erase or make unreadable such data, computer files and documents prior to disposal,’ as outlined in the bill. The bill is also backed by a $500 penalty per violation.
WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage) hopes that this privacy legislation will prove as an example for the rest of the Nation and that it will be widely adopted in years to come.
Charitable Activities
WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage), as a Public Benefit Corporation, has, to date, given over 500,000 WeSalute+ memberships to active duty military, retired military, veterans, and their family members at no charge to show our appreciation and respect for the sacrifices of our service members.
We do this through many gifting programs, supported by corporate donors and Veterans Advantage members like you who Give the Gift of WeSalute+! We match every gift given, allowing our members to have more of an impact by effectively doubling their gift -- helping us achieve our mission of greater respect, recognition, and rewards for the Greater Military Community.
Here are the deserving groups that will receive WeSalute+ when you contribute a gift:
Thank the Troops
Through our partnerships with leading organizations like Operation Gratitude and Operation Care & Comfort, WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage) has given more than half a million VetReward cards to active military, sent overseas in care packages. Donations to our Recycle & Reward initiative help to fund these free memberships.
Medal of Honor Recipients and their Spouses
Medal of Honor recipients and their spouses may request a WeSalute+ membership at no personal cost, supported by WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage) and generous member gifts.
Invictus Games Paralympians
We partner with Invictus Games to give free WeSalute+ memberships to the wounded warrior Paralympians of Team USA. At the 2016 Orlando Invictus Games, we gave out 115 free memberships.
Veterans Week New York City
Since 2012, WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage) has served as the official card of Veterans Week NYC. With the help of our corporate sponsors, we have donated thousands of free WeSalute+ one-year digital memberships to NYC-area Veterans participating in the annual Veterans Week NYC activities. For more information, visit www.VeteransWeekNYC.org.
IDNYC Cardholders with Veteran Designation
The IDNYC Card with Veterans Designation seeks to better connect veterans to the veteran services and discounts that they deserve. To help launch this new initiative, New York City leadership selected WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage) as the sole provider of national discounts from top brand-name retailers and leading travel providers.
IDNYC cardholders with Veteran Designation recreceive a 12-month digital WeSalute+ membership. During the year, Digital Plan Members are eligible for one upgrade of their WeSalute (founded as Veterans Advantage) IDNYC Special Offer to 50% OFF WeSalute+ Card Plan.
