Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans , or DAV , is an organization chartered by the United States Congress for disabled military Veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means . It currently has over 1 . 2 million members . Charity Navigator does not rate the DAV as it is a 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organization . It does rate the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust . History . In the aftermath of World War I , disabled veterans in the United States found themselves seriously disadvantaged , with little governmental support . Many of this veterans were blind , deaf , or mentally ill when they returned from the frontlines . An astonishing 204 , 000 Americans in uniform were wounded during the war . The idea to form the Disabled American Veterans arose at a Christmas party in 1920 hosted by Cincinnati Superior Court Judge Robert Marx , a U . S . Army Captain who had been injured in the Meuse - Argonne Offensive in November 1918 . Although it had been functional for some months by that time , the Disabled American Veterans of the World War ( DAVWW ) was officially created on September 25 , 1921 , at its first National Caucus , in Hamilton County Memorial Hall in Cincinnati . While touring across the U . S . as part of the election campaign of James M . Cox , Judge Marx publicized the new organization , which quickly expanded . It held its first national convention in Detroit on June 27 , 1921 , at which time Marx was appointed the first national commander . In 1922 , a women ' s auxiliary organization was founded . The DAVWW continued working through the Great Depression to secure the welfare of disabled veterans , although their efforts were troubled by fundraising challenges and the desire of the public to put the World War behind them . In the midst of these troubled years , DAVWW was issued a federal charter by Congress , on June 17 , 1932 . The demands of World War II required the urgent expansion of the organization , which officially changed its name to Disabled American Veterans to recognize the impact of the new war . In 1941 , DAV launched a direct mail campaign , distributing " IdentoTags " , miniature license plates which could be attached to a keyring with instructions that lost keys should be mailed to the DAVWW , who would return them to the owners . In 1944 , the DAV began offering a National Service Officer Training Program at American University in Washington , the first step of education that completed with a two - year mentorship program . In 1945 , the DAV expanded the Idento Tag program and brought the manufacturing in - house , eventually purchasing complete ownership of the program in 1950 . The program proved long - lasting and highly successful , both in bringing in donations and employing veterans in manufacture . By 1952 , 350 people were employed in the endeavor , which brought in over $ 2 million a year in donations . Meanwhile , the number of disabled veterans had been increased by the still - ongoing Korean War . The DAV suffered a decline in the later 1950s and into the 1960s , with diminishing leadership and funds , but it rallied around the veterans of the Vietnam War and also focused heavily on working for prisoners of war and missing in action . Vietnam veterans soon filled the diminished ranks of the National Service Officers . On Veterans Day , 1966 , the DAV moved its headquarters to Cold Spring , Kentucky . The following year , the IdentoTag program was discontinued in favor of providing address labels , with a request for donation , when changes in license plate practices made continuing the IdentoTag program impracticable . The DAV underwent substantial change in 1993 , when internal arguments concerning the governance of the organization led to a watershed election that turned over the administration to new hands and the National Service Program was overhauled . Seal . The organization ' s seal has since its foundation featured a World War I soldier , armed , kneeling before Columbia , who dubs the man knight . The logo design was taken from certificates used in World War I for sick and wounded veterans . A painting by Edwin Blashfield , commissioned by Woodrow Wilson , the certificate featured above the words " Columbia Gives to Her Son the Accolade of the New Chivalry of Humanity " and , below , the words " Served With Honor in the World War and Was Wounded in Action . " Benefits Assistance . The Disabled American Veterans Organization provides service free of charge through a nationwide network of 88 DAV National Service Offices , 38 Transition Service Offices , 198 DAV Hospital Service Coordinator Offices , 52 state - level DAV Departments , 249 DAV VA Voluntary Service Representatives , and more than 1900 local DAV Chapters . Outreach Programs . Mobile Service Office . The DAV ' s Mobile Service Office ( MSO ) Program is designed to bring assistance for disabled veterans and their families living in geographic rural areas on veterans ' benefits , filing claims and services closer to home by eliminating long trips for veterans to the National Service Offices . The DAV ' s specially equipped Mobile Service Offices " offices on wheels " visits communities acorting to the MSO locations schedule . Veterans Information Seminars . This outreach program is to educate veterans and their families who are unaware on veterans government benefits and programs , counseling and claims filing assistance service by DAV ' s National Service Officers ( NSO ) at communities throughout the country . Veterans Information Seminars are free of charge to all veterans and do not have to be a member of DAV to take this service . DAV ' s Veterans Information Seminars are held at Local DAV Chapters and Community Centers . Homeless Veterans Initiative . The Disabled American Veterans Homeless Veterans Initiative is supported by the DAV ' s Charitable Service Trust and the Columbia Trust , This initiative promotes the development of supportive housing and necessary services to assist homeless veterans become productive , self - sufficient members of society . The DAV works with Federal , state , county , and city governments to develop programs to assist homeless veterans . It also cordinates with the VA to get health care , substance abuse treatment , mental health services to put homeless veterans in transition to productive members of their community . DAV Disaster Relief Grants . DAV Disaster relief grants may be issued for the purpose of providing : food , clothing , and temporary shelter or to obtain relief from injury , illness , or personal loss resulting from natural / national disasters that are not covered by insurance or other disaster relief agencies . Since the DAV disaster relief grants program inception in 1968 , $ 8 . 7 million has been disbursed to veterans that suffered losses during natural disasters . DAV Auxiliary . The DAV Auxiliary is the sister organization of the Disabled American Veterans . Its mission statement is " Making a difference in the lives of disabled veterans and their families " . Members of the DAV Auxiliary include mothers , wives , sisters , widows , daughters , stepdaughters , granddaughters and legally adopted female lineal descendants of members of the Disabled American Veterans . Members of the DAV Auxiliary actively participate in programs such as Americanism , The DAV Transportation Network , Veterans Information Seminars , Community Service and Voluntary Service at Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers , Outpatient Clinics and Community Based Outpatient Clinics . Junior Members . Junior members of the DAV Auxiliary consist of boys and girls 17 years of age or under . They are eligible for membership through a family member who served in the U . S . military and was honorably discharged . The Junior members of the DAV Auxiliary can also assist activities outside of school by participating in social events at VA Medical Facilities and VA Community Living Centers , Parades , Flag Ceremonies , Welcome Home events . Jesse Brown Scholarship . The Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship Program honors outstanding young volunteers who are active participants in the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service programs . The scholarships are awarded to deserving young men and women who have donated their time and compassion to injured and ill veterans in their communities . This scholarship was established in memory of U . S . Marine Corps Veteran , Secretary of Veterans Affairs and DAV Deputy National Service Director , Jesse Brown . References . Robert F . Marx ( born December 8 , 1933 ) is one of the pioneer American scuba divers and is best known for his work with shipwrecks and sunken treasure . Was not the founder as the previous link to that name implied .