Good news story of the day
Arlington at 150: Celebrating America’s Heroes (Military Times) Among the rows of headstones blanketing Arlington’s rolling hills, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates sees one common theme.
Military Transition and Jobs News
A five-part battle plan to hire more veterans (CNN Money) “Hiring veterans is one of those can’t-miss things, like motherhood and apple pie,” says Harley Lippman, CEO of IT consulting and staffing firm Genesis10. “Everyone’s strongly in favor of it. But how much of that is just lip service?”
RIVERSIDE: Job fair Thursday for veterans, spouses (Press Enterprise) A job fair for veterans and their spouses will be held Thursday, May 22, at American Legion Post 79, at 2979 Dexter Drive in Riverside.
Veterans to get priority at May 29 Spring job fair (WSMV) Veterans will get top priority at the Spring Job Fair hosted by the Mayor’s Baton Rouge Business and Career Solutions Center on Thursday, May 29 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Belle of Baton Rouge Atrium, 103 France Street.
Job fair for Upstate veterans Friday (Independent Mail) A job fair for all Upstate veterans, spouses, National Guard and Reserve members will be held from 9 a.m. — 12:30 p.m. Friday at the Anderson Readiness Center at 3111 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Anderson.
Next on the chopping block: generals? (Army Times) At a time when tens of thousands of rank-and-file airmen are seeing their jobs endangered and facing voluntary and involuntary force reductions, one group has remained noticeably untouched: generals.
Veterans News
Anatomy of a Veterans Affairs scandal (Politico) CNN’s nonstop coverage of the vanished Malaysian plane was widely mocked, but not by the network’s investigative team.
Obama: Any VA misconduct will be punished (Military Times) President Obama on Wednesday spoke publicly of the growing scandal over questionable scheduling practices at Veterans Affairs medical centers, saying the allegations, if true, are “dishonorable and distasteful” and pledging to punish those responsible.
House Dems call for Shinseki’s sacking (The Hill) Two House Democrats broke ranks with the White House on Wednesday and called for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.
Amid VA scandals, House eases rules for firing top department executives (Military Times) Spurred by allegations of mismanagement and scandal at numerous Veterans Affairs facilities, House members on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a measure giving the department’s secretary more power to fire underperforming employees.
Benefits News
Nonprofit Fills In Gaps To Help Children Of Fallen Veterans Attend College (Forbes) With the VA’s treatment of veterans benefits under tremendous scrutiny today, one area still flying under the radar is the education of fallen Veterans’ children.
American Veterans: Culture Change Needed to Fix Broken Health Care System (Voice of America) As Americans commemorate Memorial Day to honor the country’s fallen soldiers, a scandal is unfolding that highlights the federal government’s failure to properly care for veterans. Fraud and neglect at the Veterans Administration reportedly have forced thousands of veterans to wait months to see a doctor and reportedly even caused some to die because of a lack of treatment.
Tricare Prime still out of reach for thousands of beneficiaries (Military Times) Retired Air Force Master Sgt. John Rytkonen was not happy last October when he was dropped from his Tricare Prime military health program.
Veterans’ claims for sleep apnea soar (USA Today) Veterans’ claims for sleep apnea — a common, treatable ailment often associated with obesity and aging — have spiked nearly 150% since 2009, driving compensation for the disorder likely over $1 billion per year, according to government data and interviews.
Bill would reimburse veterans waiting for housing grants (The Hill) Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) has introduced a bill that would reimburse veterans waiting for housing grants to be approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Senate panel approves 1 percent pay raise, BAH cuts (Military Times) A Senate panel on Wednesday rejected Pentagon plans to cut commissary benefits and overhaul the Tricare system, all but ending defense officials’ hope to make those changes next year.
Orders to Nowhere... 