We couldn't believe it ourselves.  He signed it.  Governor Youngkin's legacy will now be known for the biggest rollback of veteran family benefits in Virginia's history.

You read that correctly.  No typos.  The biggest rollback of veteran family benefits in Virginia's history.  That tearing noise you hear in the distance?  Like a sheaf of paper ripped apart?  That our Compact.  That's the Compact with Virginia's Veterans.

The revised budget kept all the proposed changes to gut VMSDEP which we've been fighting all along.  It was approved by the Virginia General Assembly and signed within hours by Governor Youngkin.  It's a win for higher education, they said.  And just like that, with a stroke of Governor Youngkin's pen, SCHEV wins.

This round.  We knew it would be hard fight.  We knew it would likely go all rounds.  That's why all along we have been going for the knock-out.  And after that shot below the belt by our so-called veteran supporting Governor, he's now backpedaling.  He sees how angry we now are.  He's starting to realize his mistake in listening to SCHEV.

He released an executive directive two days later calling for a study to evaluate how to improve VMSDEP.  Too late. 

It includes a lot of flowery language amounting to, "We didn't understand the implications."  Yes, he did, and so did all of our delegates and senators. 

They all understood just fine.  They betrayed us anyway.

So they want a study group to look at VMSDEP?  Then let's put at the top of the agenda our proposed changes to the law -- not a budget workaround -- that removes VMSDEP from SCHEV control and puts it in the control of our DVS Commissioner. 

Our Governor and legislators didn't understand?  They weren't properly informed of just how massive an impact these changes would have on Gold Star and disabled veteran families? 

Easy fix.  Remove SCHEV and put the real veteran advocate in charge - our DVS Commissioner.

The plan is simple.  Subscribe to vmsdepfriends.org for latest news, updates and action instructions.  Forward this email or the link to this petition to your network.  Get your local veteran organization involved and tell them to support this petition.  Then wait a few days and do it all again.

Share the petition on social media.  Text the petition link to your phone contacts.  Print petition flyers and give them to your local businesses.

Spread the word about the petition.  Keep the pressure on.