The American Legion was founded in 1919 to aid disabled veterans and their families, as well as to promote maintaining a strong national defense. They are the largest Veterans Service Organization (VSO), with 2.7 million members.
The American Legion provides many essential services to veterans, including:
providing input to legislation that directly affects veterans and future veterans;
offering professionally trained service officers to assist veterans with filing claims;
providing representation for VA claims appeals and upgrades, and for military service record corrections and upgrades before the Discharge Review Board;
offering temporary financial assistance for veterans who are having financial difficulty caring for their young children.
The American Legion also has a representative working in the Military Severely Injured Center, located in the Pentagon, to identify and coordinate the return of military members to their hometowns.