Good news story of the day

Bark-A-Que to fundraise for veterans medical service dogs  (Wink News)  ALTAIR Training Solutions, a Special Operations training facility located at the historical Copeland prison site, is sponsoring its annual “Bark-a-Que” to benefit Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, a nonprofit dedicated to pairing combat wounded veterans with PTSD service dogs, free of charge.

Military Transition and Jobs News

TAP, providing outreach and resources  (86th Airlift Wing)  A key transition assistance official visited Ramstein to discuss force management and inform Airmen on outreach resources and assistance programs allowing for a smooth transition back in to the civilian world.

Program Assists San Diego Veterans Entering Civilian Workforce  (KPBS)  Many new veterans in San Diego are adjusting to civilian life and at the same time trying to enter the job market.

Retraining preps Valley vets with in-demand skills for utility jobs (Modesto Bee)  For military veterans hoping to land jobs in the utility industry, “just hanging around” takes on a whole new meaning at 25 or 30 feet off the ground in a grove of tall wooden poles.

Pioneer to sponsor career fair for veterans  (Business Wire)  Pioneer Credit Recovery, a Sallie Mae company, and the New York State Department of Labor will sponsor a tri-county career fair for veterans in western New York on April 3.

Acadian, state team up to find jobs for veterans  (The Advertiser)  Don Elkins came home to Church Point from Vietnam in 1972. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Elkins said Tuesday. “I was working at a gas station with my brother-in-law.”

Jobs Initiative for Veterans (Hispanic Business)  Michigan will partner with a major national business group to help active-duty members find jobs after leaving the military.

Campaign to help the hiring of National Guard and Veterans  (Examiner)  American Jobs for America’s Heroes, a non- profit campaign to help connect employers and military, has announced that 1,000 employers across America have signed up to seek and hire National Guard members, veterans and spouses.

Tennessee, Iowa and Michigan to pilot initiative to help vets get jobs  (TriCities)  Tennessee, Iowa and Michigan will partner with a major national business group to help active-duty members find jobs after leaving the military.

Veterans News

House asks VA for presumptive conditions for Gulf War vets  (USA Today)  Gulf War veterans should have presumptive conditions associated with their service, including brain and lung cancer and chronic migraines, members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs wrote in a letter Tuesday.

24 soldiers receive Medal of Honor in ‘historic’ event  (Army Times)  When Pfc. Leonard Kravitz was killed in Korea, his childhood friend Mitchel Libman was crushed.

OneRoof Energy® Joins San Bernardino Officials for Opening of Local Transitional Housing Program for Homeless Veterans  (Business Journals)  OneRoof Energy, Inc., a complete solar services provider, today joined Empower America Coalition, Turrill Transitional and other San Bernardino business and elected officials to commemorate the opening of The McMillen House, the largest of its kind transitional housing program for military veterans in the Inland Empire.

USAA Joins Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) as Corporate Partner  (NewsWise)  The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF) is pleased to announce that USAA will join as a corporate two star partner in support of the institute’s programs for veterans and military families as, and after, they make the transition to post-service life.

Veterans open house to be held in Trent, Mar. 28  (Moody County Enterprise)  Trent, SD, Moody County and the S.D. Dept. of Veterans Affairs will be hosting an open house for veterans and their families on Friday, March 28 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Trent Fire Hall at 101 W. 3rd in Trent.

Raleigh summit, expo for women veterans set for April  (Star News Online)  The Department of Veterans Affairs and the N.C. Division of Veterans Affairs are partnering to host a Women Veterans Summit and Expo from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at the N.C. National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters,

PCC chancellor talks about VA student benefit violations  (Tuscon News Now)  Pima Community College Chancellor, Lee Lambert, admitted Tuesday that the school messed up when dealing with veteran benefit certification.

Veterans service agency has 1st female director  (Vindy)  Twenty-five-year Army veteran Susan Skrzynski is the new executive director of the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission, the first woman to occupy the position.

Gov’t approves study of marijuana smoking to treat PTSD in military veterans  (CBS News)  Could marijuana help treat post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans? New research aims to find out.

Volunteer sues after getting Legionnaires’  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)  A Vietnam veteran who says he contracted Legionnaires’ disease while volunteering at the Pittsburgh VA’s University Drive campus has filed the latest lawsuit over the Legionella outbreak that sickened at least 22 people and killed six patients.

Tactical Veteran: Make a job contingency plan  (Military Times)  Like most Military Times readers, I’ve been following the news about the latest Defense Department budget cuts that could force thousands of service members into an early, unplanned transition from military to civilian life.

Benefits News

U.S.-based Tricare Service Centers will close April 1  (Military Times)  A reminder to military health care beneficiaries: Customer service at Tricare offices in military hospitals and clinics in the U.S. ends March 31.

Veteran friendly  (Herald-Tribune)  Florida wants to be known as the friendliest state for military veterans. It moved a step closer to that goal this month when the Legislature approved a bill that will cut college costs for veterans.

Veterans Corner volunteers assist 145 with VA claims  (Norman Transcript)  We are recognizing Ray Stelting as the volunteer of the week. He has been a dedicated supporter of Veterans Corner for the last six years. He served four years in the United States Army.

Disability Law Firm Heard & Smith Says SSA’s New Expedited Disability Process for Veterans is a “Very Small Step in the Right Direction”  (Street Insider)  Heard & Smith, a national disability law firm that concentrates on the disabled and the injured, is partially praising the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) new initiative to expedite disability claims from veterans who have a VA disability compensation rating of 100% P&T, and can show proof of their “permanent and total” disability rating.

Some veterans will now have their Social Security disability benefits expedited  (Stars and Stripes)  The federal government has launched a new process to expedite Social Security disability claims for a special category of veterans, the Social Security Administration announced Tuesday.

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