Military/Veteran Transitionnews for Monday, January 20th 2014:

**Update:  The title of Transitionnews has changed to Military/Veteran Transitionnews at the request of readers who share the daily posts via their tablets because the subtitle is not depicted, and as a result those who receive the shared link may be unsure of its content.  It will be the same daily update, though, so don’t despair!**

Good news story of the day

Wrestlers support wounded veterans  (Amarillo Globe News)  Local athletes have raised $3,050 for wounded veterans, to be distributed by Jack Barnes of the American Fallen Warrior Memorial Foundation to various organizations in the area.

Transition

Veterans’ employment act signed into law  (MidHudson News)  A bill that will give veterans preference for temporary state jobs that the state normally fills with employees from for-profit temporary services company has been signed into law by the governor.

Job fair for military veterans planned in Omaha  (Associated Press)  Another job fair for veterans and their spouses will be held in Omaha.

After Army And Creative Careers: MBAs Talk Business Jobs  (Business Because)  Non-traditional career paths are increasingly common on MBA programs across the globe.

Convergys to Participate in Veteran Recruiting Virtual Career Fair  (Market Watch)  Convergys Corporation, a global leader in customer management, is proud to partner with Veteran Recruiting, the recognized leader of virtual career fairs for the military community, to help veterans find meaningful employment.

Force reductions: Your questions answered  (Army Times)  With the Air Force preparing for the deepest force cuts since the end of the Cold War, airmen across the service are asking how the various force management programs might apply to them.

Military cuts force wounded O’Fallon soldier to end his career  (BND.com)  Wounded Iraq veteran Sgt. Charles “Chas” Shaffer went through a lot to keep his Army career alive.

Veterans

Veterans commission meets Tuesday  (Boston.com)  The Veterans Services Advisory Committee on Tuesday will meet to discuss a range of issues, including planting memorial trees for women veterans and an update on the city’s work-off tax program for veterans launched last year. The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m., in the downstairs conference room at City Hall.

Number of young homeless vets triples in past 2 years  (Q13Fox.com)  Between 2007 and 2010, Nick McCallon served two tours in Iraq. Transitioning back into civilian life was one of the most difficult things he’s had to do.

Court seeks volunteers to mentor fellow veterans  (The Journal Times)  The Veterans Treatment Court of the 2nd Judicial District is looking for volunteers to become veteran mentors.

Veterans deported for crimes banished for life  (KHOU.com)  About 35,000 non-citizens are in the U.S. military, but some of those who served proudly have been deported to Mexico and other countries because they broke the law.

Sen. Young joins colleagues in urging passage of ‘Jobs for Heroes’  (The Observer)  Businesses owned by disabled veterans would achieve preference for procuring state contracts in a bill cosponsored by Senator Catharine Young (R, C, I-Olean).

Congressman Bishop Statement on Supporting Military/Veterans Through the Federal Budget  (WebRTCworld.com)  Rep. Sandford D. Bishop Jr., D-Ga. (2nd CD), issued the following news release:

Edmonds Military Wire: Veterans face uncertainty in 2014  (Edmonds News)  The New Year is proving to be interesting for veterans and their families.

State Veterans’ ID Makes Accessing Benefits and Services More Convenient  (Hamlet Hub)  overnor Dannel P. Malloy today joined military veterans, local business leaders and state officials to promote the Connecticut Veterans’ ID program, a joint initiative between the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) that gives veterans an option to place an American flag symbol on a state-issued license or identity card to designate his or her veteran’s status.

Veterans’ entries sought for creative arts festival  (Chillicothe Gazette)  Veterans who want to show off their artistic side can do so by submitting entries for a local festival at the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Veterans Affairs

Pataskala man pleads to federal charges in 2011 VA theft  (Mansfield News Journal)  A Pataskala man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to charges connected with the 2011 theft of nearly $90,000 worth of equipment from the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

VA will begin publicly announcing available Punchbowl gravesites  (Star Advertiser)  The Department of Veterans Affairs said it plans “to further notify the public” of available in-ground gravesites at Punchbowl cemetery after veterans groups said they were never told about an unprecedented number of open burial spots.

VA Says Facility Falls Short  (Valley News)  Six disabled veterans living at Hanover Terrace have a little more than a month to find someplace else to live after the Department of Veterans Affairs decided to void its contract with the nursing home, saying that it had fallen below the VA’s standards of care.

Veterans’ website privacy breach under investigation  (WEARTV.com)  A breach that may have exposed the private information of thousands of veterans is under investigation.

Veterans affairs officer donates flags to Ansonia to dot downtown landscape  (New Haven Register)  Old Glory will proudly wave throughout downtown, thanks to a donation from a resident and state veterans affairs officer.

Benefits

Tricare centers closing soon  (Army Times)  The hospital- and clinic-based offices that handle Tricare patients’ claims and billing questions in the U.S. are closing April 1.

Military Update: Lightning-quick fix stilll leaves military retirees with trimmed COLAs, officials say  (NJ.com)  Congress has rushed to protect the medically retired and survivor benefit recipients from the cap on annual cost-of-living adjustments it approved only a few weeks ago for all “working age” military retirees.

DOJ faces renewed call to provide benefits to gay veterans  (Washington Blade)  Pressure is increasing on the Obama administration to ensure gay veterans have access to spousal benefits everywhere they go in the country as additional U.S. senators are joining others in a call for action.

Veterans’ groups press Congress to undo cuts to benefits  (Washington Times)  Lawmakers say they have plenty of time to repeal a cut to military retiree pay that takes effect in 2015, but veterans’ groups are warning Congress it must get it done soon before members get distracted by their own re-election campaigns later this year.

Veterans Group Backs Bill to Restore COLA Cuts  (National Journal)  Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced legislation Thursday that would roll back the pension cuts included in the budget agreement, and he’s already getting some key support.

Don’t turn away from reforming military retirement benefits  (The Hill)  The U.S. military is at a crossroads.

CBO: Bar younger retirees from Tricare Prime, save $90 billion  (Military Times)  Pushing working-age military retirees out of Tricare Prime could save the Pentagon nearly $90 billion over the next 10 years, a measure that would generate the most savings of the various options recently considered by the Congressional Budget Office to trim the defense health budget.

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Have a great day!