Priorities Shaping Veterans’ Benefits and Care

What does it take to turn a veteran’s story into law that actually changes lives? We sit down with Jess  Finucan, a retired Air Force Senior Master Sergeant and now the Director of Policy and advocacy at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, to pull back the curtain on how evidence, testimony, and relentless follow-through move Congress on veterans’ issues. Jess shares her rapid transition from uniform to policy, her first VA appointment that made civilian life feel real, and why documenting toxic exposure—from burn pits to Hawaii’s Red Hill contamination—can’t wait until symptoms appear.

We dive into a priority list that is both urgent and practical. First, Afghan allies: honoring promises isn’t just the moral choice, it’s a national security necessity that shapes whether future partners will stand with us. Then, women veterans’ care takes center stage, as Jess outlines efforts to restore access to abortion care and counseling at the VA in extreme cases like rape, incest, and life-threatening conditions. We connect these fights to rising suicide rates, discussing trauma-informed MST care, clinician training, and the power of free firearm lock boxes to create time and distance during moments of crisis. Oversight matters too—Jess explains why tracking the impact of the PACT Act and the Deborah Sampson Act keeps agencies honest and ensures consistent care.

Economic stability ties it all together: translating military skills to civilian licenses, making the GI Bill work in practice, protecting housing, and expanding rural access to timely care. Finally, we zoom out to civic engagement—veterans vote at higher rates than civilians, and that means secure access, clear information, and digital literacy are part of the mission. Along the way, we highlight how IAVA blends data with veteran voices—through membership, verified surveys, and the Cavalry program—to bring authority and humanity into every room on the Hill.

If these issues matter to you or someone you love, share this episode, subscribe for more conversations that lead to action, and leave a review so more veterans can find us.

Transcript

Meet Jess And IAVA’s Mission

Larry Zilliox 0:14

Good morning. I'm your host, Larry Zilliox, Director of Culinary Services, here at the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run. And this week our guest is Jess Finucan, and she's the director of policy and advocacy for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America organization. And uh this is the first time I've had anybody from the organization on, and I'm very excited about it because this is a an organization that has been around for a while, and this is an organization that gets you benefits. So when there's policy that needs to be uh addressed on the hill, when there are programs that need funding, uh, this is an organization that is up there up front with others that we're familiar with, the VFW, the American Legion of DAV, testifying before Congress and saying, hey, this is the benefits that the service members and veterans need. So just welcome to the podcast.

Jess Finucan 1:15

Thank you so much. Thanks for having us.

Larry Zilliox 1:17

So your prior service Air Force, tell us a little bit about your Air Force career. You enlisted, an officer?

Jess Finucan 1:24

Yeah, so I was enlisted. I retired after 20 years as an E8 senior master sergeant. I was a career Korean linguist. So my entire career, I went learned Korean at the Defense Language Institute out in Monterey, California.

Larry Zilliox 1:39

And not a better sign.

Air Force Career And Transition

Jess Finucan 1:40

No, it was awesome. Um, and went to Korea multiple times because where would where else would you send a Korean linguist? Um, so I spent six years total in Korea. Oh, it's cold. People don't realize how cold it gets there. But great, great country. I mean, it's it was an amazing experience. So six years total, four tours, six years total. And then I got to go to Hawaii for a three-year, my last three-year operational tour, which is really, really cool because my whole career I had focused on Korea, North Korea, right, as a mission set in Intel. Sure. Um, and then I got to go to Hawaii to do the China mission set. And that, unbeknownst to me at the time, really set me up for my last assignment in the Air Force, which was as a defense fellow, a legislative liaison in the DoD legislative liaison program. So that was 2022. I came to DC. I did a little bit of time in the State Department for my developmental tour, and then I was on the Hill as a defense fellow for a year in 2023. And then I spent my last year and a half as a house liaison for appropriations. And all of that was during right then the pivot back to the Pacific, focus on China. So my previous experience kind of really went well with um what I was gonna be doing on the hill. And so I retired as of one December from my Air Force job and then pivoted straight into IAVA policy director.

Larry Zilliox 3:06

Wow. And in Hawaii, were you at Hickam?

Jess Finucan 3:09

I was technically at Hickham, but then up in Wahiwa, up at the at Boot of Rochford. Yeah. Okay.

Larry Zilliox 3:14

Yep. How did your transition go? I mean, you kind of left the tribe behind.

Jess Finucan 3:20

I I felt, how did I feel about it? I felt like it was very rapid in a way, if that makes sense. I I jumped right into a new job, a new position. And so in a way it felt seamless because I didn't feel like there was, I know a lot of people struggle to find their during their job search, they find they they have an you know an identity crisis of sorts, you know, you go through with this big massive change. And I felt because I started a new position so quickly, I felt like I kind of just it it was just another day that I woke up and then all of a sudden I was out of the military. And so I think, you know, sometimes I've still kind of look back like I had my first VA appointment yesterday.

Larry Zilliox 3:57

Okay.

Jess Finucan 3:58

And that kind of really started making it sink in, like, oh, I'm not going to the main hospital. I'm going to the VA clinic on I went over to Fort Meade, um, but at the VA clinic instead of Kimbrough, right? And so that was kind of more of an awakening. So I guess it's like it was rapid, but it feels slow at the same time. Like I it's not even I know I identify as an Air Force recently retired Air Force member, but not necessarily as a veteran yet, per se. Um which which I know I am both, but it's it's kind of slowly sinking in.

Larry Zilliox 4:32

Well, that's pretty common. We don't we we see that a lot with um women service members when they become veterans, they kind of just disappear into the background and they they don't wear the hats. Yeah, they don't wear the jackets. There's no you can't tell them. Um they everybody just looks at them as a mom. You know, and I I just uh recorded an episode with a uh army combat medic. She uh is a physical um uh PA now in the uh Army Reserve. But uh she started an organization called She's the Veteran, and it got its name because her husband he never served, but everybody thought he was a veteran. Yeah and he was kind enough to say, no, she's the veteran. And that's where they got the name. And I just love that because I have the same issue here with with chefs. When we come up, we have to we have to be very clear who's the veteran. They just assume that it's the guy.

Jess Finucan 5:27

Yep.

Larry Zilliox 5:27

This is good that you're well, this is an organization where you know you'll be highlighted as a veteran, which is great. And your VA claim, disability claim, good. Yeah, good.

Jess Finucan 5:38

Yeah.

Larry Zilliox 5:38

A PAC Act claim. Do you have any exposure issues?

Jess Finucan 5:41

I don't have any exposure issues yet, but I definitely made sure to have my burn pit, right? Have, you know, I I think an interesting part about toxic exposure when they asked they asked yesterday, right, about toxic exposure, and I flagged for them not only burn pits, open burn pits in Iraq, but I think Red Hill. I don't know if you're familiar with the Red Hill and the Jets. That I was there at Hick, I was I worked a little bit at Hickam, a little bit up in Wahiwa. And so our group was down in at the PACAF headquarter building. So we were drinking that water every day, all day.

Larry Zilliox 6:14

Um our listeners know major Muslim.

Jess Finucan 6:17

Yeah.

Larry Zilliox 6:17

And she was a guest on on that, and she was a whistleblower on Red Hill.

VA Care, PACT Act, And Red Hill

Jess Finucan 6:22

Yeah, yeah. So I think that's gonna be, you know, I make sure every time I go and they ask what kind of toxic exposures have have you been in touch with, and I make sure to say Red Hill, and they all kind of look at me quizzically. Because if you weren't in Hawaii or on the hill during that time, you don't it doesn't sound as like people know as much. So I say write that in my records. There was jet, you know, jet fuel in the in the aquifer. I and that I think is going to be kind of this next evolution of of PACT Act and exposure is like the next Camp Lejeune. Like I want that to be in my records too.

Larry Zilliox 6:53

So yeah, it's important because um, you know, we get a lot of young service members who separate as veterans, they they don't think, well, I don't really I feel fine. I don't need to make a claim. And I'm always like, Yeah, you feel fine now, but wait till you're my age. Exactly. Yeah, so you made the switch to um to IAVA, and policy was the right place for you. What uh for 2026, what do you see as the the the kind of top couple of policy issues that the organization is really focusing on?

Jess Finucan 7:29

Sure. So we have we're still delving out our our big policy primer, policy memo, but I can tell you there's five main buckets of priorities. Two are or one is not a holdover. There's several that are holdovers from previous years, but how we engage with those might look a little different. One that won't look much different is Afghan allies and our support of our Afghan allies. So that is, I, you know, you talked during the tour. Thank you so much for that. You talked about moral injury, and that's a huge tie-in for our Afghan allies and everything that's going on right now. Again, talking about things that people not in DC aren't necessarily aware of, like the shootings that happened with the DC guardsmen and the impact that has had on the Afghan ally, SIV processing, the the community at large, that has been huge. And then also how that affects our veterans that have been there that left people behind that literally saved their lives and lives of our other soldiers. So supporting our Afghan allies and making sure to continue to be a voice to support them and to get SIV uh processing back going to hopefully re-establish care. That's always going to be a place that we will we will gladly be outspoken on where others might not necessarily um have that bandwidth.

Larry Zilliox 8:46

But that's clearly a long-term commitment. It it has to be. Right. And there's several phases to that. You have those interpreters and those those Afghan service members that are here in the country that and then you have some that still need to get here in the country whose as time goes on, they're it's more dangerous for them every day. So Exactly.

Jess Finucan 9:08

And then we think we also talk not only about those specific interpreters, translators, um, and our Afghan allies, but on a world stage, people are watching how we're treating those people that we made a promise to. So in the inevitable next conflict, that's right. Who's going to want to stand with us or support us? And you know, so it's just a a bigger national security issue at that point as well.

Larry Zilliox 9:28

Yeah, I get that. You know, you're asking somebody for help and they're gonna go, I don't want to help you because you're just gonna leave me behind.

Jess Finucan 9:36

Right.

Larry Zilliox 9:36

Yeah, that's that's huge. That's great.

Afghan Allies And Moral Injury

Jess Finucan 9:38

So that's one. Another one where has already been off to a strong start in 2026 is supporting women veterans and their reproductive freedoms. So there's um recently a VA um decision or a DOJ ruling that uh bans all abortions at the VA, um, regardless of incest, rape, et cetera. Um, and so we want our women veterans to be able to go. That even that that near total abortion ban is also just care and counsel. It's not just the care, but it's also counseling. So that means a woman veteran can't go to their, sometimes their VA is their only, their only source of medical care. And so you're saying that if something happened to them, if they were raped and they they cannot go to their VA and even get counseling on on you know what what their options are. So that's a place that we've also been very vocal. Um there is a Congressional Review Act bill both in the House and the Senate right now to reverse that opinion so that women are able to get care and counseling in extreme cases, right? At least for rape, incest, and and life threatening. And so we are we are pushing on the House and Senate to to approve the the Congressional Review Acts in both in both of the chambers that I think will be coming up within the next two weeks, probably, uh perhaps as the Senate may be voting and with within the next two weeks. So that's a huge, a huge thing. The other three main buckets, of course, healthcare is one, will always be one. There's a lot of that's a big onion to peel back. But but um we really are focusing, of course, you know, the the new suicide, the the annual suicide report just came out, I think a week or two ago. Yeah, the numbers are still going up. So that is something that is on the forefront of everyone's minds and and ours as well. So suicide prevention and how that ties into everything else, right? Your your job stability, your housing security, your GI bill benefits, because of your edge, how everything just kind of peels back. I think we're really gonna be thinking about suicide prevention in the back of our mind through all of the other priorities. So access to access to lethal means is something that's uh one of those priorities. There's a few bills to make sure that veterans are aware of and can get free lock boxes for firearms because removing the you know the lethal means that just those couple of seconds could be huge.

Larry Zilliox 12:02

Um 73% of veterans who commit suicide do so with a firearm. Right. Right and and the general population rate is about 53 percent. Yeah. And it's and female veterans, the number of female veterans suicide's gone up as well. It's uh it's terrible, it's a terrible, huge problem. Have you all identified any kind of policy or any kind of area where there might be some real work done to lower that number? I mean, it seems like in the past it's just an issue of let's throw some more money at it and see what happens. And it just it doesn't go down. It it doesn't change. It when it comes to policy, have you identified any any areas in which something could be done different to help?

Jess Finucan 12:48

I think the the lock box is that's one that's one area that potentially could help because like you said, most 70 what 73% are by firearms. So um removing that, you know, those couple of seconds, that could mean that could mean someone's life. There are a couple, and these might maybe not directly, you know, it it's it's such a complex problem. Um, but there are some for military sexual trauma, there are some bills, policy-related bills for to address MST. Um, so because you m you mentioned women veterans, and again, you got to back everything up. And so um if women are experiencing or have experienced MST and then they're going through, they have PTSD that's that was triggered from that, and then they're that that's a whole road that they're going down. There are a few, several bills that address MST destigmatization, making sure that VA clinicians are trained and have sensitivity training to deal with that appropriately so they're not re-traumatizing women veterans that have that experience. So again, those aren't no not directly suicide prevention labeled, but when you roll it back, I think those those could be really impactful.

Larry Zilliox 14:01

Um core issues. Those are clearly core issues. And it's just recently, within the say the last five years, that the VA has really started to step up and recognize that our women's service members are different than the jet the the group of guys that they serve. And that that's a huge step forward. But you know, I think depending on the organization that I talk to, upwards of one in five women service members are military sexual trauma victims. So it's huge. It's just huge. Um yeah, I applaud you guys for really doing that because that I think is one way to make a real impact.

Jess Finucan 14:44

That was another thing. Um going over our policy priority reviews yesterday, we were talking a bit about the Deborah Sampson Act is to to make sure that all VA providers are trained in specific women. You know, there's there's better access for women in the VA, that they are better trained. Um, and so that passed a couple of years ago. And so another focus area is to to keep them honest, right? Like the implementation and the oversight, make sure Congress is is doing implementation is overseeing the implementation and making sure, you know, how is this going, how is it being tracked, and and what effectiveness are we seeing, not only for the Deborah Samson Act, but also for the PACT Act. Um, the VA actually is doing a really good job doing a publicly available tracker for PACT Act. Um, and so, you know, making sure that that is something that might need to be codified so that it can't just decide that they want to stop doing it or they, you know, what information really needs to be captured and included that we want to that we want to see and keep seeing, and maybe we need to find a way to codify that so we can keep tracking the impact of those um those big huge moves.

Larry Zilliox 15:52

What were the other you we went to three?

Women Veterans’ Care And Reproductive Rights

Jess Finucan 15:54

Yeah, so that was so we went um Afghan allies and national security, women's, um, women's equity, reproductive freedom being one of, you know, one of those main ones. Um, and then some of those MST items, healthcare access. So suicide prevention will be at the top, access to healthcare, right? Rural, rural veterans getting access, timely access to healthcare, the the big things that you think about when you think of healthcare. Sure. Uh, and then there's economic stability. So that's things like job security and work, uh, work transferability. So, what as a Korean linguist, what certifications or what qualifications or what licenses might I have have gotten while I was going through 20 years of Air Force training? Like, how does that translate to the outside or does it, or maybe it should, or how how does that transfer into a you know a life on the outside? Um, and then you know, GI Bill access, housing stability. So that's economic, right? And that they all kind of it's a Venn diagram because those feed directly back into healthcare acts, healthcare or suicide prevention. Um, and then the last one is is democracy, which is, you know, kind of a big nebulous concept. What we're talking about, freedom to express yourself and to vote and to be in engaged civically in a way that you feel comfortable being yourself and showing up. So we're looking at things like the Let America Vote Act. So independent voters having the ability to vote in primaries. We're looking at things like mis and disinformation and use of AI, and how does that impact voters showing up? Is it discouraging veterans from voting because they there's so much out there? You know, digital literacy, that one is another one that's like there's a lot to puel back in there, but it's but you know, veterans show up to vote and they show up civically more than their their civilian counterparts. So we want to make sure that they have the capability to do that.

Larry Zilliox 17:51

Yeah. Listeners, I want to direct you to the webpage. In doing so, I need to get my glasses out. Give me a minute here. Um so it's Iava.org. I should have known that.

Jess Finucan 18:04

Oh, ours. Sorry. I'm here, I'm here, I'm pulling out your thing.

Larry Zilliox 18:08

Yeah, it's Iava.org. And I want our listeners to go and check it out, all the resources that are there. Donate. I'm sure there's a donate button there. And you know what I always say, find that donate button, bang on it. Because again, uh this is one of the core organizations that represents all veterans when it comes to benefits and issues that affect everybody. It's not just those that were in, you know, Iraq or Afghanistan. It's me and my time in service way before that. Not only the PAC Act were they, you know, really responsible for, um, but the Compact Act. And for those listeners who don't know, the Compact Act means you can show up at any facility and get mental health treatment at no cost. The VA will pay for it, doesn't matter where it is or what it is, if you seek help, uh, they will pay for it. And the that's just the type of uh legislation that they are helping to get promoted. And so that takes money to get on the hill and to get your people out there talking to Congresspeople and doing this kind of policy work on your behalf takes money. So IAVA.org, check it out, look at the webpage, all the different resources, and make a donation, whatever you can. Every little bit helps. What do you see, Jess, is uh where the organization's going? Where do you think it'll be in three to five years?

Jess Finucan 19:44

Ooh, good question. Well, we have a new CEO as of last summer, who is also a female veteran, so very cool. Um, Dr. Kai Hunter. And she came from a long history of research. And so I think her vision, and I think something that's really exciting, is being evidence-based, rooted in research, um, to where right it you're more compelling when you go on the hill. Um, you're more compelling when you have the data and the the the science and the evidence to back to back something up. Sure. And so I think we will, we are now, we already are, but I think we will continue to be more and more so be uh the the expert in the room. So, you know, she's been already, since I've been here in October, called multiple times to come testify, to provide statements. And I think, you know, that's the that's the goal. You you find how do we know that we're being effective if is if we're invited back to the hill to testify, to provide statements for record or witness testimony, right? For you are the expert and you have the data to back things up. What's more exciting and more compelling instead of in not just having research or data is to have the the veteran story. And so in March, and every year we have our cavalry that flies in and comes to the hill, they know our priorities in and out, and they have their own personal story. Every one of them is a veteran as well. They all have their personal connection and their personal experience. And so when you have the data and the evidence, and then you have the personal veteran story to code to the hill and say, hey, this is why this is important, and here is how it's directly impacted or impacting me. That is that's the sweet spot, right? And so that's I think the most, the, the most compelling for any time on the hill. And I think that's that's something that we are already doing, but I think we're just gonna get better. We're gonna be that voice on the hill that's like this is a voice that is trusted.

Larry Zilliox 21:40

Subject matter expert. That's right. And is this a membership organization? It is. So veterans join, they join as a member.

Suicide Prevention And MST Reforms

Jess Finucan 21:48

That's right. And so you you can be of there are levels, I guess you could say. It's right now it's you know, it can be as active or passive as you want it to be. So you can go and and join as a member, and you are just a member, right? And and at some point you will be, you can decide to be vetted. So you can be a verified veteran, which means you would provide DD two fourteen or some other documentation and If you're on a verified veteran list, you will have certain access to surveys. So we'll do, we've done a couple of flash polls. We do a member survey annually in addition to our policy survey. And depending on the flash poll or the survey, do we want this to be veterans plus their family members or interested people? We won't we might want to pull the the whole of the membership to see what's on everyone's mind, or we may want to only know as a veteran, what do you think about a certain subject, topic, issue? And so then we would pull the verified veterans only. And so right now I think we have 40,000. I'm looking at Cameron, I think 40,000 verified veterans. So so if you are right, you have to provide that paperwork to say, and then you are in that that club so that we can we have direct access. And then from there, right, people um annually apply from the membership. You can apply to be part of the cavalry or part of the leadership fellows, which they come back, they come to the hill, they get specific training, they deep dive into policy issues, and then they're really the voice, the voice that carries us. Uh so it's, you know, again, kind of tiered. It's as passive or active as you as you want membership to be.

Larry Zilliox 23:28

And and are there state level chapters or do you are your fellows taking this to politic on the state level?

Jess Finucan 23:35

Or see, so back up a couple questions when you asked where'd I see us in three to five years? That is one of the the ways that we're hoping to structure or build out our cavalry. We don't have state chapters, but we do want, because our cavalry members are in all 50 states, and so we do want those those members to be our expert and to to be able to to to do that at the state level. So no to state chapters, but yes, we want them involved at the state level. And and hopefully we will see that more and more as those kind of get built out.

Larry Zilliox 24:05

Well, as they get to training, I mean that I'm sure there's issues that come up on a state level for sure that they can easily address.

Jess Finucan 24:12

And well, yeah, a good one. Um, a good example is alternative therapies. A lot of that is handled at state level.

Larry Zilliox 24:18

Yeah.

Jess Finucan 24:19

And while there are federal regulations and policy that is happening, a lot of that is per state. And so that's that's one that would be a great example for how we would want to advocate at the state level.

Larry Zilliox 24:29

Right, right. Well, listeners, again, the web page is IAVA.org. Please uh check it out. Uh donate, you can become a member. Is it open to all veterans or just those who were were in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Jess Finucan 24:46

So our name is a little bit of a misnomer. You don't have to have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, but we are focused on post-9-11 veterans because we do have unique challenges that will increasingly present themselves through the V right MST, the toxic exposures. There are things that we will have unique issues. And so we are tailored for the post-9-11 veteran, but that does not mean that you had to have served in Iraq or Afghanistan specifically.

Larry Zilliox 25:12

Well, listeners, check it out and um join, be a member, even if you, you know, you're older or you're Vietnam vet or uh you're just recently separated because membership dues, donations all go to fund this work that comes back around and provides you with benefits that if you don't need them now, you will when you're older, I guarantee you. Jess, I can't thank you enough for making the trip out here to uh to actually the the wilds of Virginia. Um, but uh thanks so much for coming.

Jess Finucan 25:49

Yeah, thank you so much for having us. It's beautiful property. We really appreciate being here. Thank you.

Larry Zilliox 25:54

Well, listeners, we'll have another episode next Monday morning at 0500. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can reach us at podcast at willingwarriors.org. You can find us on all the major podcast platforms. We're on YouTube and Reese Across America Radio. So thanks for listening.