Transitionnews for Friday, December 13th 2013:

Good news story of the day

SERVPRO OF PLYMOUTH/WAREHAM: Give-back program donates thousands to area veterans  (WickedLocal.com)  When he decided last fall to give back to veterans, Kenneth Matejek estimated he would donate at least $10,000 to help fellow servicemen and women through hard times.

Transition

Air Force to cut 900 civilian jobs, thousands of service members  (Federal News Radio)  Although the proposed budget deal restores some spending to the Defense Department, it still won’t be enough for forces to maintain their current programs and workforce.

Syracuse Career Transition Program Now Includes Spouses  (Defense.gov)  The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University in New York has expanded eligibility to enroll in its Veterans Career Transition Program to spouses of eligible veterans and active duty service members.

Workshop to Help Veterans Find Work Comes to Bridgeport   (WDTV.com)  Right now, members from the armed forces are coming back from overseas, young and old. That means they’re going to be looking for jobs, or if you’re a veteran out there who already has a job, you’re probably trying to find a better one.

TAP inspires a new beginning  (Offut Airbase News)  In response to rising unemployment rates, especially among veterans returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Barack Obama signed the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heroes Act on Nov. 21, 2011.

TEMECULA: Pechanga reaching out to hire veterans  (The Press-Enterprise)  Dozens of unemployed military veterans were given one-on-one interviews Wednesday during a unique job fair/open house hosted by the Pechanga Resort & Casino, one of the county’s largest employers

Rules clarified on health exams for other-than-honorable discharges  (Military Times)  The fiscal 2014 compromise defense authorization bill would change part of a law that has allowed the services to skirt a requirement to provide mental health and medical exams to all combat troops facing an other-than-honorable discharge.

Resources For Student Vets  (KeloLand.com)  If you find yourself in the basement of South Dakota State University’s Student Union, you’ll find the new Veterans Resource Center lined with veterans and current service members.

Veterans

Veteran’s actions should be inspiring  (The Advertiser-Tribune)  The story of a good Samaritan who helped pull motorists out of a ditch Sunday night after they slid off an icy road is more than uplifting.

Arizona jail housing veterans together  (USA Today)  Veterans in the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office are now being housed under one roof.

Marines who suffered brain injuries doubled risk of PTSD, study finds  (Los Angeles Times)  Up to a fifth of U.S. service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have come home with a blast-related concussion or post-traumatic stress disorder — or both.

Shari Duval Pairs Dogs with Veterans Suffering From PTSD  (People)  After two wartime tours of Iraq, Alex Brown couldn’t shut off his alert switch.

Treatment courts take root with vets mentoring vets  (Marine Corps Times)  Richard Sandoval joined the Marine Corps in 2003 to flee a childhood on the Miracle Mile in Tucson, Ariz., a violent strip of seedy motels, topless bars and dingy street corners where his father pedaled drugs for a cartel.

Combat veterans included for Tribute At Sea  (Lehigh Acres Citizen)  A boat club based in Cape Coral came up with a new twist to help celebrate Wreaths Across America to honor military veterans as it participates in the ceremony for the third year Saturday, Dec. 14, in the Gulf of Mexico.

Iraq war vet-turned-congressman gets show on MSNBC  (Stars and Stripes)  Patrick Murphy was the first Iraq war veteran in Congress. Now, he’s the first to get his own news network show.

Group offers support for homeless veterans  (The Tuscaloosa News)  Family Endeavors, a nonprofit organization based in Texas, has moved into Alabama with a goal of helping more than 1,000 veterans in this state with housing needs within the next year.

Army veteran gets mortgage-free house in Goddard  (The Wichita Eagle)  Wells Fargo on Thursday donated a foreclosed house in Goddard to an Army veteran.

Veterans Affairs

VA on pace to clear benefits backlog by 2015, official tells Senate panel  (Fierce Government)  The Veterans Affairs Department disability backlog of about 400,000 benefits claims will continue to decline in 2014 and should be eliminated in 2015, a VA official told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Wednesday.

Dept. of Veterans Affairs: South Korea offers gift to Korean War veterans  (WisPolitics.com)  South Korea Offers Gift to Korean War Veterans Free commemorative book now available

VA official talks challenges, successes  (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)  A high-level official in the Department of Veterans Affairs paid a visit to the VA Medical Center here on Tuesday as part of a whistle-stop tour of facilities around the country.

Senator Questions Stats on Accuracy of VA Claims  (Military.com) Since pressure was applied by veteran service organizations last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs has claimed that it is not only shrinking the backlog numbers but has raised the accuracy rate of the compensation claims it has completed, to where it’s now at 97 percent.

Benefits

Military retirees: You betrayed us, Congress  (CNN Money)  Military retirees are outraged that Congress will start voting Thursday on a budget deal that trims military pensions, calling the move “an egregious breach of faith.”

Report: Budget Plan Could Cost Service Members $124,000 in Retirement Pay  (The Washington Free Beacon)  Military retirees could face as much as $124,000 in lost retirement income if the bipartisan budget agreement is enacted, according to the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).

Female veterans battle for benefits at home  (Florida Courier)  When Xatavia Hughes, the granddaughter of a military man, went to serve in Iraq, she was prepared to prove herself to the male soldiers.

Tricare users soon must fill long-term prescriptions via mail  (Military Times)  Military retirees and family members who use Tricare For Life will be required to start filling long-term prescriptions by mail starting Feb. 14, 2014.

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Have a great day!