Transitionnews for Tuesday, December 31st 2013:

Good news story of the day

Fifth Third Bank Chicago Holiday Cheer Benefits Local Military Families & Veterans  (PR Newswire)  Fifth Third Bank (Chicago) today announced that it has contributed in a number of ways, over the holiday season, to help local soldiers, their families, and veterans

Transition

Enlisted retention board to convene in June  (Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs)  An enlisted retention board will convene here in June to consider eligible senior airmen through senior master sergeants for retention, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

Military members master public speaking as group  (42d Air Base Public Affairs)  “Some people just have the gift and ability to speak,” said Senior Airman Bryce Bellmore, an Air University knowledge operations manager. “I don’t have that, but I’m learning.”

Force cuts, eval changes and more: 15 things you should know for 2014  (Air Force Times)  Budget cuts and events worldwide and close to home mean many changes for airmen in 2014.

Veterans

Bonadio CEO donates to veteran care program  (Accounting Today)  Thomas Bonadio, CEO and managing partner of New York Top 100 firm The Bonadio Group, recently presented a $25,000 check to CDS Monarch in Webster to benefit the nonprofit organization’s Warrior Salute program.

Veterans want boxed dog tag artwork back on display  (Los Angeles Times)  In the basement of Chicago’s National Veterans Art Museum, there are 200 tall, sturdy cardboard boxes in straight rows, lined up like soldiers in formation.

New Year’s Resolution, cut the military and veterans suicide rate  (Examiner.com)  Today, the Army released the suicide data for the month of November 2013.

Wounded Warriors’ park coming to Whitby  (Durham Region)  Peace and tranquility were not familiar concepts to Daimian Boyne when he left the military in 2006.

Operation Homefront racks up December donations for 115 family needs  (San Antonio Business Journal)  San Antonio-based Operation Homefront, which offers assistance to military families and wounded warriors, says individual donors helped it meet 115 individual needs posted on its website.

Veterans Affairs

Veterans Affairs reduces disability claims backlog by one third since March  (PBS)  The Obama administration’s secretary of veterans affairs, Eric Shinseki, said the agency’s made progress with its initiative to eliminate the disability backlog by 2015.

Veterans’ housing project expected to be complete in 2014  (Santa Clarita Valley Signal)  Officials hope to soon cut the ribbon on a project that demonstrates a new level of commitment to America’s veterans: a low-cost housing development allowing vets and their families to own their own homes in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Benefits

Soldier Pushes for Change to GI Bill  (Military.com)  In August 2010, Sgt. 1st Class Angela Dees sent her stepson off to college, a move made possible because she transferred her benefits to him under the GI Bill.

Younger military veterans are angered by budget cuts to their pension benefits  (The Washington Post)  After 25 years of service, including combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, Lt. Col. Stephen Preston retired from the Army and began collecting a pension of nearly $55,000 a year.

States Differ on Retiree Tax Burden  (Kiplinger)  Click on any state in the map below for a detailed summary of taxes on retirement income, property and purchases, as well as special tax breaks for seniors.

Jackson County veterans to benefit from state law exempting disabled veterans from property taxes  (MLive.com)  They fought for freedom and ended up completely disabled as a result.

Many services are available to veterans, the disabled and seniors  (Regal Courier)  Washington County’s veterans’ services coordinator Kimberly Douthit brought a wealth of information to a group of seniors at Royal Villas when she was the featured speaker at its Nov. 23 breakfast in the Clubhouse.

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Have a great day!