COVID-19 Information

National Headquarters staff is working remotely as our community continues working to slow the spread of COVID-19. If you need assistance, please email info@vfwauxiliary.org and a staff member will respond within one (1) business day.

VFW Auxiliary members, state and local leaders are encouraged to read the information below regarding the cancellation of National Convention; meetings and elections, and contest deadlines.

Q: Will my National Convention registration fee be refunded?

A: Those who pre-registered for National Convention will receive a full refund within six (6) weeks. We ask for your patience and not to call or email National Headquarters until the six (6) weeks have passed to allow time for refunds to be processed.

• Credit Cards: If you paid by credit card, that card will be credited directly.
• Checks/Money Orders: If you paid by check, a refund check will be issued and mailed to the address on file in MALTA.
• If an Auxiliary paid for a members’ registration by check or ACH in MALTA, the Auxiliary will be refunded by check or ACH.
  • If individual members paid their registration fee to their Auxiliary, it is up to the Auxiliary to refund money to individual members.

INFORMATION REGARDING DELEGATES TO THE NATIONAL CONVENTION AND VOTING WILL BE PROVIDED NO LATER THAN MAY 1, 2020.

Q: Will my hotel reservation be cancelled and deposit refunded?
A:

• Reservations made through the official hotel booking website or housing form have been cancelled and no charges shall be incurred.
• If you booked your hotel room on your own (not through the official housing website or housing form), please contact the hotel directly to cancel your reservation. Refunds will be subject to hotel policy.

Q: What about my flight?
A:

• If flight reservations were made through Veterans Travel Service (VTS), please contact them at 816.531.5850.
• If flight reservations were made through other travel agencies, websites or airlines, please contact them directly about cancelling your reservation.

What happens when that “regular business meeting” for the election of officers, etc. cannot be held due to COVID-19?

1. Begin planning ahead now. Call your officers and ask for their input.
2. Remember to be flexible in your planning.
3. Get the word out about the planned changes to all members of your Auxiliary whether they attend or not.
   a. With proper notice given to the members, meeting dates and time may be changed.
   b. If your Auxiliary approves, you may conduct a meeting via video or teleconference provided a quorum (5 members) are present/on the video or teleconference. Per Executive Order of the National President, they do not need to be together in one location. See the “Guide to Using Technology to Conduct and Auxiliary Meeting” for a list of several teleconferencing providers.
   c. A regular business meeting may be postponed (with an alternative meeting date and time set), or it may be completely cancelled.
4. We are hopeful that by the end of April through the first week in May, COVID-19 is much diminished, and we will be able to resume our normal Auxiliary business practices. Thus, our Department Conventions would proceed as in the past.
5. Should COVID-19 still be disruptive to our Auxiliary business practices, National Headquarters will issue directives as to how our Department Convention business will be conducted.
6. National Headquarters cannot make these decisions for you as the virus’ effects differ from state to state. Therefore, it is up the leadership on various levels to plan how the “regular business meetings” for nomination, election and installation will be held, whether as usual, postponed, held in accordance to Section 210, the 6th major bullet, or cancelled.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline for Department winners of the Young American Creative Patriotic Art and Illustrating America contests to be received at National Headquarters has been changed to June 5, 2020.

We empower each Department to determine if the deadlines for the 2019-2020 Young American Creative Patriotic Art and Illustrating America contests shall be changed in their Department and if so, to what date they will be changed.

If a Department chooses to change any of the deadlines, it is up to Department leadership to inform each Auxiliary and District within the Department of the revised deadlines.

• Student art entry deadline for submission to local Auxiliaries.
• Local VFW Auxiliary and District judging complete.
• Department judging complete.

Participating students are to contact their local Auxiliary and/or Department (state) VFW Auxiliary office for local and Department (state) deadlines.

If a student is unable to submit their entry due to COVID-19:

• If the student is not currently in grade 12 (Patriotic Art) or grade 8 (Illustrating America), the student may enter their artwork in the 2020-2021 contest. The contest rule stating the artwork must be completed during the 2020-2021 school year will be waived.
• If the student is currently in grade 12 (Patriotic Art) or grade 8 (Illustrating America) they will be unable to participate in these contests.

June 5, 2020 will be the deadline for VFW Auxiliary Department winners to be received at VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters.