Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 3/4/14

Good news story of the day

D.C. Houses More Than 200 Homeless Veterans in 100 Days  (Huffington Post)  In just 100 days, Washington, D.C., managed to get more than 200 homeless veterans off the streets, according to Think Progress.

Military Transition

State governors fight back against National Guard cuts  (Army Times)  The nation’s governors have banded together to oppose cuts to the Army National Guard as outlined in the Army’s 2015 budget proposal.

Help for student veterans who are struggling financially  (King5.com)  The transition from military service to school brings a new battle of paying bills for some student veterans.  When military benefits aren’t enough to make ends meet, some struggle to stay enrolled – and off the streets.

Operation: Workforce’ tries to fill mission of jobs for vets  (Effingham Herald)  Operation: Workforce, an online one-stop shop portal for all veteran employment issues in Georgia, is currently serving more than 1,700 veterans and 730 Georgia employers.

Setting Up Strategic Assets – Veterans Bridge to Employment  (WIU.edu)  Please join us for a networking seminar in which veterans and service members will be able to meet with employers, public agencies and private organizations.

State unveils program to help vets find jobs  (GSA Business)  State officials have launched Operation Palmetto Employment — a statewide military employment initiative aimed at reducing the unemployment rate among South Carolina’s military community.

Veterans

Veterans face myriad challenges, former Army official says (USC News)  Unprecedented health and social challenges face today’s returning military service members, and they will only mount as veterans age, according to former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs and former U.S. Secretary of the Army Togo West Jr., who delivered this year’s Edward R. Roybal Memorial Lecture.

Vietnam Veterans Sue for Better Discharges, Claiming PTSD  (The Wall Street Journal)   A group of Vietnam veterans sued the U.S. government Monday, alleging they were given other-than-honorable military discharges for violations that would today be attributed to the psychological stress of combat.

Veterans Affairs

Veterans Affairs officials receive response training  (Midland Daily News)  A group of management officials at the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw recently traveled to the only federally-chartered weapons of mass destruction training site in Anniston, Ala., for a week-long advanced training in emergency response.

‘Patient safety issue’ caused by Denver VA Medical Center parking; Rep. Mike Coffman pushes for fix  (The Denver Channel)  U.S. Representative Mike Coffman wants answers from the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans’ affairs following a 7NEWS investigation that revealed insufficient parking at the at the Denver VA Medical Center.  The parking shortage is making it more difficult for veterans to get the care they need.

DOL Proposes Rule Requiring Contractors To Report Aggregate Veterans Information  (Bloomberg)  The Labor Department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service plans to update its regulations implementing federal contractor reporting requirements under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act, according to a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Feb. 24 Federal Register (79 Fed. Reg. 10,063).

Benefits

DoD Budget Faces Defiant Congress  (Defense News)  Chuck Hagel, with his first budget plan as US defense secretary, has managed to
do the unthinkable: He has united Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Republicans blast Obama defense cuts  (The Hill)  GOP lawmakers say the Obama administration is ignoring history in planning a  defense budget that bets there won’t be another protracted ground war in the  near future.

Iowa bill grants benefits to more veterans  (The Washington Times)  More veterans would be eligible to receive financial assistance when purchasing  a home under a bill approved by the Iowa  Senate.

Yale law students help file class action to seek benefits for thousands of Vietnam vets with PTSD  (ABA Journal)  Working at a Yale Law School clinic intended to help U.S. military veterans obtain benefits from the Veterans Administration, law students soon realized they were dealing with a bigger problem.

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Have a great day!