Transitionnews for Thursday, January 16th  2014:

Good news story of the day

Military veterans aim to save marine environment  (The Miami Herald)  Retired Army Sgt. Chris Maddeford is in pain nearly all the time after being hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan about a decade ago.

Transition

Fighting the Battle to End Veteran Unemployment  (Yahoo finance)  Veteran Recruiting, the recognized leader of virtual career fairs for the military community, and dozens of America’s best companies rally together to help veterans find meaningful employment in the January 21 virtual career fair.

Troop Cafe offers hearty meals, and restaurant training for veterans  (Sioux City Journal)  | If the restaurant’s name isn’t a tip-off, the menu of sandwiches reveals that this dining establishment is unusual: B-52 Meatball Bomber, Cuban Pickle Crisis, Buffalo Soldier Chicken Wrap.

Military Matters: HOT Goodwill Helps Vets Get Back to Work  (KCENTV.com)  It can be tough for veterans to transition from military back to civilian life. And unfortunately, that leaves far too many of our nation’s heroes unemployed.

Virtual career fair brings employers to job seekers  (Army.mil)  The Army Career and Alumni Program will host the first ever European Virtual Career Fair, Feb. 25.

100k Jobs Mission Employer Profile: Accenture  (Military.com)  As a global management consulting, outsourcing and technology services company with approximately 266,000 people working around the world, Accenture is constantly seeking the world’s best talent.

Altria Group Awards Hire Heroes USA $550,000 Grant  (Benzinga.com)  In their continued dedication to support programs that enrich communities,  Altria Group has awarded Hire Heroes USA a three year $550,000 grant to fund its  veteran career transition  programs and services.

Fighting the Battle to End Veteran Unemployment  (Financial Content)  Veteran Recruiting, the recognized leader of virtual career fairs for the military community, and dozens of America’s best companies rally together to help veterans find meaningful employment in the January 21 virtual career fair.

Veterans

Program to End Homelessness Among Veterans Hits Milestone in Arizona  (The New York Times)  Their descent into homelessness began almost as soon as they had closed a dignified chapter in their lives: their military service.

Marine finds new career after combat  (ABCLocal.go.com)  A non-profit founded in Philadelphia has helped a local Marine wounded in Iraq find a new career back home.

Wounded Iraq veteran sentenced to 5 years  (Daily Press)  An Army veteran wounded in Iraq during two combat tours was sentenced Tuesday in Gloucester County Circuit Court to serve almost five years in prison for nine daytime burglaries.

Veterans Affairs

Operation Reaching All Veterans Kicked Off Tuesday by Department of Veterans Affairs  (DRGNews.com)   South Dakota’s Department of Veterans Affairs will be working in the coming months to reach out to all 75,000 veterans in the state-as part of an outreach project called “Operation Reaching All Veterans” (RAV).

VA riles veterans with push to change disability claims process  (Fox News)  The Department of Veterans Affairs wants to change the decades-old way in which veterans file for disability claims — and it has veterans advocacy groups outraged.

Veterans Got Medical Care From Salesman at U.S. Hospital  (Bloomberg News)  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has allowed product vendors to participate in medical procedures for veterans in at least one hospital system, a federal auditor told lawmakers today.

VA Denies Vendors Assisted in OR Procedures  (Military.com)  A Department of Veterans Affairs official on Wednesday denied claims made by  government investigators that representatives for companies doing business with  the VA assisted in medical procedures at a VA medical facility.

VA purchase, tracking of surgical implants is flawed, report says  (Military Times)  Veterans are facing a deadly new threat that is coming not from faraway battlefields, but from stateside hospital rooms, according to the results of a Government Accountability Office investigation released Wednesday.

Benefits

Military Pension Fight Rages On  (Government Executive) Some military retirees scored a small victory this week.

House Passes Mammoth Omnibus With $572B for Pentagon  (Defense News)  The US House on Wednesday approved a mammoth spending bill that funds the Pentagon and America’s overseas conflicts through Sept. 30. The vote tally was 359-67.

Vets Hit Retired Generals Supporting Pay Cuts  (Military.com)  Veterans groups are taking aim at a group of retired generals and admirals who support the budget deal passed last month that cuts military retirement payments.

Veterans retirement benefits an issue in jobless bill  (Winnipeg Free Press)  Republicans and Democrats are both pledging to renew efforts at resurrecting jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed, even though immediate compromise prospects are dim one day after the Senate deadlocked on the issue.

Veterans Service Organizations Concerned About Omnibus Appropriations Bill  (Business Wire)  Today, the co-authors of The Independent Budget—AMVETS, DAV, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars—expressed concern with the funding provided for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill being considered in the House and Senate.

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Have a great day!