Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust

I have been donating goods, clothes, household items, etc. for years to the "Disabled American Veterans that leave a pink bag each time and send mailers with the pink bag. . Their pink bags say "Disabled American Veterans." Their phone number is 800-238-8387. I had no idea they fraudulently changed their name to DAV and their website is www.donatedav.org - same phone number. I have called that number several times to find out what they actually do with the things I donate. No one at any time was able to tell me, other than to say they resell it to local organizations. That surprised me very much. They do not have a local distribution center here in Sacramento at all and they don't where they they take the items donated or who these local retail organizations are that they sell them to. We donate and they sell them! What a deal!!

The other organization that sends the bags in the mail is the "Vietnam Veterans of America National Headquarters. Their bags are yellow. I checked them on the Internet and it states "they are not recommended as 38.4% of its $7.3 million budget is spent on overhead. The recommended amount is 25%. So who locally here in Sacramento do we donate to? I guess I will have to check with the Better Business Bureau for some guidance.

I’m a disabled combat service connected veteran, 24 years Army and retired, Served as Veterans Service Representative at a VA Regional Office working claims for 7 years before having to retire due to my service connected conditions, volunteered at a local senior center helping veterans and spouses with benefits. Then volunteered to be a DAV non-paid service officer at the local VA hospital in which I worked over 400 non-paid hours (volunteer) in an 8 month period. I helped numerous veterans and spouses with benefits. I also was asked to do an event (by myself) at a local elderly complex (poor people and of color) which the paid DAV Staff didn’t feel like doing and passed it off to us volunteers.
I WAS a life member and a proud veteran .
Well, in the time of wokeness the VA said someone complained when I put Joe Biden in blackface when he made the statement if you don’t vote for me your not black, Dave Chappell videos , Chris Rock stuff on my Facebook page. DAV said someone wrote them a letter saying the stuff was hurtful so the DAV wouldn’t recertify me and I hat ended my volunteer work. Then I stopped getting the DAV magazine. So called member services…..they told me I was Black Listed and I asked what’s that mean?
Means even though I paid I’m no longer a member…..I reviewed their By-laws and sent a letter to their headquarters after speaking to one of their staff in Washington….
I AM the furthest thing from a racist, have numerous friends of color, a stepson of color mind you…..I am totally disgusted with DAV.
And BTW, wasn’t happy with the service their paid staff gave to veterans whom cases I was working when I was volunteering. If I called to talk about something it was like I was bothering them….not to mention years ago the same office messed up my appeal when I first retired from the Army.

The DAV isn’t my favorite organization …….
Still a member of VFW and American Legion.

I complained when a DAV told me to wait my turn because others Veterans were worse off than me. While my case was in appeal the DAV stop answering my calls, the refuse to acknowledge my FAX's that I can show received OK. When I got an SSOC for a Remand, the DAV never notified me on any next steps, I had to send my appeal rebuttal back to the BVA on my own, After 30 days of not hearing from the DAV I got a letter asking for a Donation. We should rally Congress about equal work from the DAV for All Veterans. Its too late for me to change my representative, they did not help me but want me to donate, Not Fair to Vets

This organization is completely bogus. I joined and have submitted a question. Absolutely no response in over a month, but they are quick to take each monthly payment. If I try to e-mail, it is returned "delivery failure". DAV, you suck!

I am a 100% disabled Marine combat Vet (Vietnam) and a DAV life member since the 1980's. The DAV NSO in San Antonio, TX helped me with all my claims to the DVA for years and I appreciate their invaluable assistance even though it took years to move the inept DVA.

I express my gratitude to the DAV by donating funds annually and I recommend the same to other vets and/or vets' families because the DAV is a great organization that truly serves American disabled vets, young and old.

God bless the DAV, our Vets and the USA.

DONATION WAS MADE IN HONOR OF MY SON KEVIN WHO HONORABLY SERVED IN THE US ARMY DURRING THE VIETNAM WAR.

I am a vet and a life member of the DAV. I have sought advice and assistance a few times over the last 16 years and only once have they actually been helpful. Currently I need to have my VA records corrected. Please note I said VA records, the service records are correct, the VA did a terrible job transferring the information and the multiple errors are causing problems including obtaining health care for a service connected disability. I asked the DAV for help on identifying the VA office that can assist in correction of these errors. Two exchanges of e-mails gave guesses about where I might obtain assistance locally which would require about an 80 mile round trip to, maybe,, get some help. Now my e-mails to DAV aren't even responded to. With all their alleged resources why a life member can't get a simple answer is a serious question to me. And the requests for more donations are nearly weekly. Based on my experience why they get such high ratings as a charitable organization is beyond me. I see some of their good works but those are high profile that stimulate donations. As for individual assistance with simple matters, they came up short for me.

They called my cell phone to ask for more donations. That's a sure way NOT to get a donation from me. I love every Vet out there, but I will not donate to organizations that call me when I'm at work. I will donate my money elsewhere in the future. It was a recorded call and when I called back, I just got a bizzy signal. It was a Rochester, MN call and they called themselves American Disabled Vets.

This Charity is a sham, it as others, like Wounded Warriors, prey on you and obtain your money to profit in the terms of salaries and costs. This type Charity only lessens our Govenments ability and desire to take care of it's disabled, wounded, and tramintized Veterans. Do not go here, help, others to make sure that they really get help and not help in terms of salaries for the founders, and their followings that man the phones to make their wages and take you money.

I agree 100% with rose jones. I donated monies so I could get address labels. But the offers for more donations kept pouring in before I had a chance to use my address labels, so I could order more. Now I have finally ran out of return address labels and the offers have long ago stopped coming in the mail. So what does a person do now?

I have never seen a DAV advertisement. Ever. I think the lady is confused with another charity. Our DAV privides rides to various clinics/hospitals, and without it, a lot of people would be in a world of hurt. Also our service officers are outstanding. There are a lot of rip off organizations out there that sound similar to Disabled American Veterans(DAV). I wonder if you didn't interact with them.

My husband is a disabled veteran with 32 yrs of service. He joined DAV to help with his outstanding VA disability claim. He called DAV 3 times over a period of a few months. Each time he was told he would get a call back from someone to help him. NOT ONE SINGLE RETURN PHONE CALL from DAV.org. I wish my husband hadn't wasted his hard earned money to join this rip-off place. I truly am shocked at the lack of professionalism from them. He would explain with each subsequent phone call to them that he had already called and was told he would get a call back soon . . . . was always assured he would get a call back . . .never happened.

My husband's claim has now been completed by the VA (no thanks to DAV) and he is 90% disabled. He has turned to another agency for help to get the max 100%. He is using RepForVets and he got a call back the same day, with legitimate help and a packet full of info is already on the way to help my husband. Shame on you, DAV.org. You ripped-off my husband with your membership fee and he got NOTHING in return from you. How dare you advertise your organization on television as helping veterans. I guess that's where my husbands membership fee went . . .to pay for your expensive advertising!

The DAV does not solicit donations via telemarketing company. They use .92 of every dollar to help veterans or support veteran programs, is.. transportation free of charge to veterans to their VA medical appointments, Winters sports clinic, VA Benefit assistance and advocacy. These are just a few examples of how the DAV uses donations.

I think the work that DAV does for the American Vet is a fantastic thing. My only problem with them is the money they spend on stuff they send to the people who contribute. I have written and ask them not to send me anything. I want every cent of what I send to these people to be used to care for the Vets. That is why I send it. I don't send it so I will constantly receive note pad, return address lables, awards for being a supporter etc. I want all the money I send to go for the care of the Vets.

I have been recieving illegal phone calls from an out bound telemarketer on behalf of this orgainization. They call several times per day and will not allow for call backs or for me to opt out which is illegal. When I have asked to be removed from the list they hang up on me. My father is a veteran in poor health who lives with me and the calls are disturbing him and show that the organization has no respect for the public.I have contacted the main offices several times yet the calls persists. they are breaking the law by doing this and I would never donate one cent to them since they are not ethical. Give to Paralyzed Vetrans instead. They care.

Just writing to counter another review below. This may sound petty, but it is very important to me that my donations not be spent on marketing and fundraising. I get my own body weight in junk mail every 5 months and I don't want charities wasting their money adding to it. In 2011 I donated to 5 US charities and requested that each of them keep me off of any kind of mailing lists. DAV is is the only one of the 5 who was able to completely honor this request. I don't doubt the other reviewer's experience but for me all I had to do was ask up front. So DAV gets 5 stars from me.

I have always been a financial supporter and plan to continue my support; but not listing CEO compensation and a plan for CEO benefits is troubling. The board of directors should attend to both matters immediately; transparency and honesty are needed more than ever in this troubled economy.

Although I believe in the worthiness of helping disabled American veterans, I was dismayed to find that a $100 donation to the DAV has resulted in years of junk mailings. All the calendars, return address labels, memo pads, Christmas cards, postage paid envelopes and the rest ,end up in my tras , as I don't need or want any of them. I think it's a very wasteful use of limited resources and I believe that my entire donation has been spent sending me trash. I think it's poor policy to reward donors with non stop pleas for more money. I never repeat donations to any organization which employees this method of fund raising.

The United States of American exists today because of the bravery of countless men and women who have risked everything to protect the freedoms we enjoy. I am proud to say that there are veterans in every branch of my family and many have even laid down their lives for our country. I honor their sacrifice and that of every person in our military. Disabled American Veterans is one of the rare organizations that repays our debt to the men and women of arms. Through the DAV, my family can reach out to those who have lost their hope and help them rebuild their lives. We trust and proudly support this noble organization in its important work.

After serving our great Country during the Vietnam war I purchsed my first home in 1980 on a VA loan. A couple of years later my job required me to move so I sold my home. The person that bought my home was a former veteran so he just assumed my loan. In 1983 the VA contacted me and advised that they had foreclosed on the home and that I owed them over $25K! They asked for all my income and expenses so they could begin garnishing my wages. They set a court hearing date for me in Houston if I wanted to contest it. I spoke to my attorney and he advised me that nobody would represent me due to the fact that congress doesn't allow veterans to pay more than $10 for legal representation against the US Government. He also told me that the title company I used should have given me a release of liability when I sold the home. It seems the least the VA should have done was notified me when the buyer defaulted on the loan and allowed me to take the loan back but instead they just auctioned it off! Nervously I showed up for court at the VA's office on the designated day. While having a cup of coffee I struck up a conversation with an older gentleman. Apparently he could see my nervousness and asked why I was there. I told him my story and he asked me to come down the hall to his office. There he told me he was a counselor with the DAV and was going to represent me in the hearing. Together we went top the hearing and he told the VA that I had sold the home in good faith and that the buyer had made 12 consecutive payments on time and they had no case. He scolded them for knowing the fact and what they had put a veteran through. To this day I am forever grateful for what DAV has done for me and others and will continue to be a donor for such a good cause.

These guys provide a lot of real help to veterans, basic stuff, like filling out medical claims forms, which can be a major challenge. We've also participated together in employee innovation efforts at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I was in the Navy during the Vietnam War. A disc ruptured in my back while doing some heavy lifting. Two weeks later the Naval doctors put me in pelvic traction. With no relief, they operated and removed the disc. I felt a weakness in my left ankle. While playing softball on the base, I suffered an extreme sprain. One year later, they discharged me with a 50% disability rating for my back, 0% for the ankle. The ankle kept spraining itself with the least amount of trauma. I was on crutches 50% of the time. Someone told me to put in a claim. After the exam and a search of my records, the VA conceded and gave me 10% for the ankle, but they said my back was getting better, so they took 10% away from my back. My back then began to go into muscle spasms, crippling me. Someone told me to go back and reopen your claim. The VA then said that my back really wasn’t any worse so they would not give me an increase. However, they said that my ankle was better. So they took away the 10%, leaving me with 40%. I wanted to go to college. You must be 50% disabled to get full benefits. I was too poor to go (SOL). A friend, John, told me to join the DAV and they will stop f... with you. Two years I was commander of a chapter and a life member. One more time my back put me back in the hospital. I had the National Service Officer plea my case for me. Next thing I know, I was awarded the 50% back and off to college I went.

Returning home after my tour in 'Nam, I stayed drunk for many years, trying to drown the hurt. I did stop drinking and still had the deep pain. I stayed shut down for over 30 years. The only joy I had was my children. A friend told me about Vets Journey Home, then called Bamboo Bridge. The first time I tried to take the weekend, I left after Friday night. Some time later I did finish the weekend. I had, and still have, recurring nightmares. After taking the weekend there is now a sense of peace, that was not there before and somethng I have been seeking for many, many years. It has been my honor to staff several Vets Journey Home weekends and have seen the welcoming home of the veterans that they so richly deserve.

I attended a Vets Journey Home sponsored by the Starfish Foundation last August. I am a Vietnam vet serving as an WAF medic. I did not see overseas action but was stationed at a hospital that treated the "walking dead"... men who had shut down due to being in Nam and what they did,saw and experienced there. IT was a cathartic time for me dealing with 40 plus year old issues that I had buried. The staff and volunteers there were great and helped me so much to exorcise my demons. If you can help continue this wonderful efforts for the 'Nam vets, it would be fantastic.