A Message from NACVSO President - January 2026

Greetings NACVSO Members and Strategic Partners,

Happy New Year to you all! January has been a busy month, and I am proud to announce the 2026 NACVSO Leadership Summit, taking place Sunday, March 22 through Thursday, March 26. Each year, the Leadership Summit brings together delegates and GVSOs from across the country for focused collaboration, professional growth, and direct engagement with senior officials at VA, as well as key partners and respected voices throughout the veteran’s advocacy space. It is a time for dialogue, shared learning, and renewed alignment around our mission to serve veterans and their families.

The Leadership Summit is a marquee event for NACVSO. It is a time to focus on the bigger picture: strengthening the profession, sharpening our advocacy, and ensuring our members are equipped to meet the evolving needs of veterans nationwide. It is also an opportunity to advance NACVSO’s legislative agenda—one grounded in improving access and outcomes for veterans. Progress at the national level—and within states—begins with informed, unified advocacy from you. Through briefings, panels, and peer-to-peer discussions, attendees gain insight into policy priorities and operational challenges—as well as an opportunity to engage legislators on issues that directly impact GVSOs and the veterans we serve.

I am also pleased to announce the adoption of an MOU with Bergmann & Moore. Many of you are familiar with their work as one of the nation’s largest law firms dedicated exclusively to veterans’ disability benefit appeals. Under this partnership, the firm will assume responsibility for the handling of appeals on behalf of NACVSO and will play a key role in overhauling and strengthening our training. This partnership will play a key role in making sure our members are supported by experienced legal expertise at every stage and we are looking forward to a bright future of work together.

For those interested in attending the 2026 NACVSO Leadership summit, registration can be found by logging into your account at NACVSO.org. I strongly encourage members to participate. Your voice—and your real-world experience—are essential to the direction of our organization.

I look forward to seeing many of you this spring as we remain firmly focused on delivering the best results possible for veterans

Very Respectfully,

Andrew Tangen

President, NACVSO