Military transition, jobs, benefits, and veterans affairs news of the day for 3/13/14
Good news story of the day
‘Feel the warmth’: York veteran gets national award (The State) Korean War veteran and POW TJ Martin has worked behind the scenes to honor York County veterans and promote their causes.
Military Transition
Veterans Tour Local Companies for Jobs (WJBF) Veterans swapped their boots and camo for suits and ties on Wednesday.
UP garners military hiring recognition from diversity magazine (Progressive Railroading) Profiles in Diversity Journal recently recognized Union Pacific Railroad as one of the nation’s “25 Most Influential Companies for Veteran Hiring.”
35 companies participating in military job fair (WAVE3) A military job fair will host 35 companies at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
Clayton State job fair also looks to attract veterans (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Clayton State University’s Office of Career Services will hold its annual job and graduate school fair for university students and alumni on March 20.
‘Transition GPS’ helps troops re-enter civilian world (U.S. Air Force) Feedback on “Transition GPS,” which prepares service members to enter the civilian workforce, indicates it improves on the program it replaced, the director of the Defense Department’s Transition to Veterans Program office said here March 11.
AF stops work on most force-shaping programs (Air Force Times) The Air Force has halted work on most of its force reduction programs while it re-evaluates them, according to a statement released Wednesday.
New program will help veterans ‘suit up’ for job search (Aiken Standard) The Aiken Warrior Project and Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA are teaming up to make sure student military veterans will look spiffy while they are seeking work.
Soldiers offered new career track (Bayonet & Saber) The Department of Veteran Affairs has rolled out a new career track for transitioning service members and their Families.
State Agencies Launch Veterans Jobs Program (NBC Washington) Two state agencies have formally joined forces to run a program that helps match Virginia veterans with employers.
Veterans
Are Veterans Getting the Money They Deserve in Latest Budget? (National Journal) Although budget requests are routinely dismissed as pie-in-the-sky wish lists doomed to be slashed, lawmakers fear that the Veterans Affairs Department actually might not be asking for enough money to meet its needs.
Veterans Thrift Store organizes win-win for everyone (Tampa Bay Online) David Lindsay, the son of a U.S. Air Force enlistee who served in three wars, has a soft heart for veterans in need.
Gay veterans push back against organizers of St. Patrick’s Day parade (Boston.com) A dozen gay veterans pushed back today against organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in South Boston and rebutted a charge that MassEquality had lied on its parade application and did not have a group of veterans who wanted to march.
Report: Gulf War symptoms too broad for one definition (USA Today) Gulf War veterans have such a wide array of symptoms and exposures that researchers and clinicians should not apply one definition to everyone, and should instead “select one based on their needs,” according to a report from the Institute of Medicine released Wednesday.
Wounded Warrior Project Presents 2014 Veterans Policy Objectives to Senate, House Veterans Affairs Committees (4-Traders) Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) unveiled its 2014 policy priorities today, aimed at meeting unfulfilled obligations to the nation’s newest wounded veterans, during testimony before the Committees on Veterans Affairs for the Senate and the House of Representatives.
JUDGE: DECORATED SOLDIER WON’T GET MEDAL OF HONOR (AP) Lt. Garlin Murl Conner left the U.S. Army as the second-most decorated soldier during World War II, earning four Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, seven Purple Hearts and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during 28 straight months in combat.
Veteran unemployment rises, Reagan job creation higher than Obama’s (Examiner.com) Curtis L. Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity for the Veterans Benefits Administration on Monday released the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) through email communications that shows that Veteran unemployment rose in February 2014.
Veterans Affairs
Shinseki: Advance Funding Won’t Solve VA Problems (Military.com) Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Wednesday told a Senate panel that advance funding for all VA operations would not solve all the department problems in the event of another government shutdown.
Spokane Veterans Affairs hospital brings budget concerns to Sen. Patty Murray (The Spokesman-Review) Staff shortages and the worry of possible budget cuts prompted local managers at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Spokane to ignore the chain of command and take their concerns straight to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, who put pointed questions to senior officials during a Wednesday hearing.
Accountability demands grow as more VA patients complain of bad care (The Augusta Chronicle) Richard Johnson tried seven times in three years to speak to Rebecca Wiley’s administration about issues with his care at the Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
VA: Funding decline for TBI care is good news (Military Times) Funding for traumatic brain injury care would drop under the White House’s proposed fiscal 2015 budget, but Veterans Affairs Department officials say that’s actually good news.
Benefits
Wissota Springs to host veteran benefits seminar (The Chippewa Herald) If you are in need of assisted living, and you are a wartime veteran or the surviving spouse of a veteran, help could be on the way.
Local Vet Heads To Washington To Fight For Benefits (News Channel 5) They served our country, but many veterans are finding transitioning back to civilian life has a few more challenges than they expected. One local man is now among a select group to fight for veteran benefits.
Veterans Administration Medical Center sets March 24 open house on veteran health care programs (NewHampshire.com) The Manchester Veterans Administration Medical Center will host an open house for new enrollment for health care on Monday, March 24, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the Manchester VAMC, 718 Smyth Road.
Orders to Nowhere... 