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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Veterans Of Foreign Wars Of The United

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 941011531
CA · NTEE W303
FY ending 2024-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Julia Vaught, Executive Director / CEO ($42,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 75 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 65th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Julia Vaught — reported title “Treasurer”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

75 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 75 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$59 total compensation of comparable organizations → $697,799 $42,000
$2,14710th
$9,42925th
$28,150Median
$52,09975th
$70,94990th
$42,000This org · 65th
p10$2,147
p25$9,429
p50$28,150
p75$52,099
p90$70,949
$42,000

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to CA cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
Lafayette War Veterans CA$201,261 Center Director $96,658 $99,513 2023
American Veterans Service Dog IL$201,691 Treasurer - $28,800 $33,758 2023
North Shore Veterans Counseling MA$197,898 Executive Di $53,000 $55,155 2024
Pymatuning Veterans Home Assn PA$202,671 President $10,400 $12,011 2024
American Legion Post 204 Harold N Keith MA$196,764 Finance Officer $7,200 $7,493 2024
Hevin WA$203,834 Vice-presden $25,750 $26,698 2024
Vietnam Veterans Of America #317 MO$195,555 President $34,182 $40,846 2025
American Legion Morris Snuggerud Post Membership WI$207,094 3rd Vice Commandergm $51,688 $62,514 2024
Dtom 220 Foundation SD$207,188 Ceo, Chairman Of The Board $36,040 $47,424 2023
Peoples Foundation For Connecting Community Military & Veterans CA$207,511 Secretary $1,500 $1,544 2023
Walter Jones Post 2876 Veterans Of IL$191,118 Jr Vice Comm $10,830 $12,330 2024
Watsontown American Legion Club Inc PA$189,157 Finance Officer $4,050 $4,677 2024
Pin-ups For Vets CA$188,710 President $107,529 $107,529 2024
American Patriot Service Corporatio UT$184,349 President $11,999 $14,222 2024
Veterans Of Foreign Wars CA$216,406 Commander $2,020 $2,020 2024
American Legion Post 0094 Charles Pratt Post IN$182,068 Bar Gaming Manager $38,055 $45,277 2025
Veterans Of Foreign Wars 9566vfw-mass MA$180,705 Past Quartermaster $4,410 $4,589 2024
Whitehall Lodge No 1491 Bpoe NY$180,612 Secretary $1,500 $1,529 2025
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Of The United States Dept Of Florida FL$179,435 Quartermaster $2,600 $2,756 2025
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 614 NM$221,500 Commander $12,301 $14,927 2025
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Department Of AK$176,865 Quartermaster $5,990 $6,828 2023
Veterans Of Foreign Wars MN$224,089 Quartermast $9,705 $11,434 2023
Knott Alone--hold Fast VA$225,184 Ceo $16,197 $18,111 2024
Us Army Warrant Officers Association VA$173,506 Executive Director/ Editor $62,398 $69,772 2024
American Legion Post 13 AK$226,785 Manager $33,600 $38,300 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to CA cost of living and 2024 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to CA cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default65th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)72nd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted65th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted61st

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Julia Vaught) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 75 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (W30), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $42,000 is reasonable (approximately the 65th percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.