Good news story of the day
Army Vet, Military Dog Duo Keeps NYC Subways Safe (ABC News) Growing up on a military base, NYPD Transit Crime Unit Officer Juan Rodriguez always looked up to his father, a sergeant major with U.S. Army Special Forces.
Military Transition and Jobs News
3rd Annual Empowering Our Veterans Focuses on Entrepreneurship and Employment (WHNT) Calling all veterans, transitioning active-duty service members, and military spouses!
Milford career center helps veterans with more than just jobs (Wicked Local) A year after Steven Crosby was diagnosed with cancer, he lost his job. Then, his wife lost her job as she cared for him during his treatments and fought through the bureaucracy of getting him insured.
Thousands must go: Task force charged with keeping the best, cutting the rest (Marine Corps Times) There are more than 4,000 Marines in line to reenlist this year, but fewer than 400 spaces remain, meaning even the top performers among them are at risk of being arbitrarily shown the door when their current contracts end.
Job fair Tuesday to help veterans find civilian work (KTVB) Hero 2 Hired is a chance for those serving in the military to ease back into civilian work.
Student veterans learn transition skills at Upstate event (The State) Robert Thomas remembers feeling overwhelmed when he attended college registration in a large gymnasium at the University of South Carolina as a student veteran.
Early retirement extended to Active Reserves (Marine Corps Times) Manpower officials have extended early retirement incentives to Active Reserve Marines, according to a recently published message.
Veterans News
Veterans Affairs cut claims backlog by 44 percent since last year’s high (The Washington Post) The Department of Veterans Affairs has cut its backlog of pending benefits claims by 44 percent since saying in March 2013 that its caseload had reached a “tipping point.”
Veterans health fair set at courthouse (NewCastle News) A veterans health fair has been scheduled for Friday.
More Nashville VA officials could face discipline (The Tennessean) The chairman of a key U.S. House committee is asking what action has been taken against Veterans Affairs officials in Nashville and Washington, D.C., who helped an employee abandon his assignment in Tennessee and run up over $100,000 in unauthorized expenses.
‘Out of Options’: Veterans With PTSD Hit Pot Underground (NBC News) Marine veteran Logan Edwards worried he could become one of the 22 former members of the armed services who, on average, commit suicide every day.
Outrage as V.A. hides names of hospitals where vets died from delays (Washington Times) The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) blocked the release of the names of hospitals where 19 veterans died because of delays in medical screenings, leading to calls for transparency from news outlets and a bipartisan group of Capitol Hill lawmakers.
Marine battled back, yet fell to suicide (U-T San Diego) He rarely spoke of it. Not to his family or best buddies, fellow Marines or medical staff watching over him.
Benefits News
High hopes that Gov. Cuomo will sign Jobs for heroes bill (Legislative Gazette) After nearly a decade-long fight, a bill that would facilitate the awarding of state contracts to disabled veterans passed the Senate and Assembly last week, all but guaranteeing the legislation will be signed into law once it is delivered to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk.
Scott Signs Bill Giving Tuition Break to Vets (WJHG) Governor Rick Scott spent part of his day in Panama City signing the Florida G.I. Bill. The bill offers a tuition break to honorably discharged veterans regardless of when they moved to the state.
Local veteran’s benefits caught up in red tape (Northwest Ohio) More than 400,000 claims have been unprocessed this year for disabled veterans seeking health and pension benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Orders to Nowhere... 