Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 3/11/14

Good news story of the day

Marine Dad Surprises his Kids  (Military Times)  Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School students Peytan and Tillman Caskey knew their dad was coming home from Afghanistan on Friday. But they did not expect him to show up at school.

Military Transition

PAVE program helps disabled Inland Empire veterans find jobs  (The Sun)  Knowing that college was not what he wanted to do in his 20s, Mike Metal joined the Navy and trained to fight pirates in the dangerous waters off the east coast of Africa.

Best for Vets: Business Schools 2014  (Military Times)  As service members and veterans have become bigger priorities for schools, some are starting to offer MBA degrees tailored to the military.

Welcome efforts to connect veterans to jobs  (The News Tribune)  With the military anticipating serious downsizing in coming years, organizations like Rally Point 6 have their work cut out for them.

G.I. Jobs Releases the 2014 Top 20 Hot Jobs for Veterans  (IT Business Net)  G.I. Jobs, the premier media resource for transitioning service members, today released its second annual list of the Top 20 Hot Jobs For Veterans.

New York National Guard Hosts Veterans Job Fair At Lexington Avenue Armory on March 27  (BlackAnthem)  The New York National Guard will host a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring our Heroes Job Fair on Thursday, March 27 at the Lexington Avenue Armory.

Air Force details fleet cuts, states hardest hit  (Air Force Times)  The Air Force on Monday announced specifics on planned cuts to its fleet over the next five years, including 50 F-15Cs heading to retirement and multiple MQ-1 Predator units upgrading to the newer Reaper drone.

How Big Will the US Army Be in 2019? Not Even the Army Knows  (Defense News)  Just as the budgeting office of the US Army was preparing to submit its fiscal 2015 budget, last-minute word from the White House turned everything on its head.

How the Army plans to thin the ranks  (Army Times)  If you’ve been hoping for a chance to voluntarily end your contract and collect a payout, don’t hold your breath.

Veterans

After a conviction, help for incarcerated veterans  (Baltimore Sun)  The Iraq War veteran wants to get his paralegal certificate.

Rep. Tom Cotton: Hire a Veteran  (NewsMax)  Employers should hire veterans because of the skills they gain from their military service, said Senate hopeful Rep. Tom Cotton, a former U.S. Army captain.

Military veterans especially unhappy at federal agencies  (The Washington Post)  The federal government’s annual employee-satisfaction survey shows that veterans’ perceptions of workplace fairness are more negative than their non-veteran counterparts, and they’re more likely to feel disengaged from their supervisors, according to a Federal News Radio article that explores some of the causes of those trends.

Many veterans who are prescribed opioids become chronic abusers  (Examiner)  The states of war in Iraq and Afghanistan in this era has lead to high rates of prescribing of opioids for U.S. military veterans.

Navajo military veterans struggle with housing  (Los Angeles Times)  In World War II he served as a Navajo code talker, one of the Marines who became legendary by using their native tongue to transmit messages the enemy could not decipher. Years later, to express its appreciation, the Navajo Nation built Tom Jones Jr. a house.

Are Marine departures a taste of things to come in N.C.?  (FayObserver)  As state leaders begin to build a virtual wall around our military against a possible future base realignment and closure, some Marines are already slipping through.

Military retiree tapped as new DoDEA director  (Military Times)  A retired Amy colonel with 12 years of experience in education administration in public schools has been named the new director of the Department of Defense Education Activity.

Veterans Affairs

VA budget tackles two major goals  (Daily World)  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has proposed $68.4 billion in discretionary spending, largely for health care, with goals to eliminate years of medical claims backlog and a focus on reducing homelessness among veterans.

Veteran’s Affairs office will soon have new home  (WAFB)  Tony Coleman and his coworkers at the Department of Louisiana Veteran’s Affairs provided a tour of their service office on North Boulevard Monday.

Veterans Affairs office in Baton Rouge getting evicted after complaining about building  (The Times-Picayune)  After officials with the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs in Baton Rouge publicly complained about the condition of the building the city-parish is leasing for them, their landlord now plans to evict them.

Petition started to keep 800 VA jobs from moving out of downtown St. Louis  (KMOV)  St. Louis Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed is fighting to keep hundreds of Veterans Affairs from moving to St. Louis County.

Bill would speed progress on claims backlog  (Military Times)  The backlog of benefits claims pending with the Veterans Affairs Department has dropped by almost half from this time last year, when it made headlines as a national embarrassment and an insult to the service of veterans.

Benefits

Immigration change gives legal status to undocumented relatives of US military  (Fox News)  Immigration reform may be stalled in Congress, but a new Obama administration policy is extending legal status and military benefits to thousands of illegal immigrants who are the spouses, parents and children of American military members.

“Homefront Connections” can provide valuable information for area veterans  (WCF Courier)  Veterans, mark down March 19 on your calendar.

Military Update: Commissaries to be run as a business, not a benefit  (NJ.com)  Behind the plan to slash taxpayer support of commissaries is a concept Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his senior advisors have embraced: That base grocery stores should operate as a business and not a benefit.

Proposed military retirement overhaul would reduce overall compensation  (Fierce Government)  The Defense Department outlined two possible ways to revamp the military retirement benefits system, both of which would offer more upfront benefits to military members while reducing overall compensation after retirement.

Social Security Q&A: Military retirement; IRA withdrawals  (Providence Journal)  Q: Will my military retirement affect my Social Security benefits?

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Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 3/10/14

Good news story of the day

A real-life Rosie  (Mansfield News Journal)  “My mom was the original Rosie the Riveter,” Doug Dickerson is proud to say.

Military Transition

Area nonprofit a one-stop shop for those leaving military  (The Olympian)  Bernard Bergan didn’t have a clear idea of what he wanted to do as he wound down his Army career last summer.

When Veterans Enter the Job Market  (WSJ Online)  After 15 years defending the cyber front lines for the U.S. Air Force Reserve, Michael Gdula figured his experience would make it easy to land an information-technology security job in the private sector.

CNO predicts steady manning levels, outlines plans to shelve some ships  (Navy Times)  The Air Force is looking to send home more than of 20,000 airmen this year. And the Army likely will be forced to slash four times as many soldiers in coming years.

Proposed spy plane cuts have area around Beale Air Force base worried  (Sacramento Bee)  Leanna Whiteley took a telephone order for a plate of chicken enchiladas, then listed her ties to Beale Air Force Base.

Post-9/11 vet unemployment rate jumps to 9.2 percent  (Military Times)  The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans jumped in February, nearly erasing the gains of a few months ago, Bureau of Labor Statistics data show.

Veterans

Military veteran ID cards granted on honor system  (TribLive)  Pennsylvania military veterans can apply for special driver’s licenses or ID cards showing their veteran status, but the state is relying on “self-certification” and random audits to ensure no one is scamming discounts, benefits and recognition.

ID cards available to county veterans  (LimaOhio.com)  American military veterans filed in to the Delaware County Recorder’s office Saturday to purchase a new ID card.

Ohio inmates mount tribute to military veterans  (WXIX.com)  Inmates and staff have put up murals and military paraphernalia at a southern Ohio prison to create what they call a “Veterans Corridor” in tribute to people who served in the U.S. military.

More military consumers cite aggressive debt collection  (Military Times)  Debt collection is emerging as a big issue for service members and veterans, according to data released by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on March 6.

Remains of Tacoma airman killed in 1969 will finally return  (The News Tribune)  More than 44 years after his plane was lost in combat during the Vietnam War, U.S. Air Force Capt. Douglas David Ferguson is coming home.

Fundraiser identifies Marine pilot killed in crash  (Marine Corps Times)  A fundraising effort has identified the pilot who was killed March 1 when his F/A-18C crashed in Nevada as Marine Corps Capt. Reid Nannen.

‘Band of Brothers’ veteran William Guarnere dies  (CNN)  William Guarnere, a World War II veteran popularized by the “Band of Brothers” miniseries, has died. He was 90.

Veterans Affairs

Veterans covered under VA care meet requirements  (Insurance News Net)  Veterans who already have Veteran Affairs health care are covered under the new American Care Act requirements.

Altman: VA’s calculation of outstanding claims questioned  (Tampa Bay Online)  From their home in New Port Richey, Lauren and Jim Price have been waging a battle against the Veterans Administration, which they say is an overtaxed system that is not responsive to the needs of those who have served.

Report: VA didn’t pay some veterans’ health costs  (PNJ.com)  Even as the Obama administration works to provide health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, government investigators uncovered dozens of cases where the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to cover emergency hospital costs for uninsured disabled veterans.

VA announces rollout of Secure Veteran Health Id cards  (Perry Daily)  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced a phased roll out of newly designed and more secure Veteran Health Identification Cards.

Examiner Editorial: Veterans Affairs department needs stem-to-stern overhaul  (Washington Examiner) Drastic measures are called for when people have to work in “a poorly maintained, often older, office building in which the environment puts the occupants at risk for upper respiratory conditions.

VA has yet to close on long-delayed Western New York cemetery  (The Buffalo News)  Four years after the Obama administration agreed to establish a national veterans cemetery in Western New York, and 17 months after Sen. Charles Schumer revealed Veterans Affairs had selected a site, the federal government has yet to purchase the land.

More vets suffer from ALS, but the VA moves effectively to help  (News Observer)  Thomas Corbett may never know what – if anything – from his five years as a heavy-equipment mechanic in the Marine Corps brought on the disease that likely will steal from him the use of nearly every one of his muscles and, sometime in the next several years, his very breath.

Benefits

Pentagon: No formal proposal for retirement overhaul until 2015  (Navy Times)  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wants to wait until next year before asking Congress to make fundamental changes to the current military retirement system, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday.

These Are the Pentagon’s Ideas for Reforming Retirement Benefits (Defense One)  The Defense Department has outlined several possibilities for overhauling retirement benefits for military personnel, which could provide more cash up front to service members but limit overall compensation.

Military health, grocery benefits under pressure  (Albuquerque Journal)  One of the two biggest changes to military compensation proposed in the president’s 2015 defense budget request would roll back, after 20 years, an offering of multiple health-insurance options to millions of beneficiaries.

Group: Medicaid expansion would cover some vets  (Insurance News)  About 21,100 veterans in Virginia and 4,100 of their spouses could qualify for health coverage under Medicaid if lawmakers decide to expand eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, according to estimates.

North Carolina lawmakers are questioning proposed changes to the military’s Tricare health system  (FayObserver)  Members of Congress who represent Fort Bragg are pressing defense officials for answers about changes to a military healthcare program.

DoD Budget: Expect Big Changes In Five-Year Spending Priorities  (Defense News)  Just before Maj. Gen. Jim Martin, the US Air Force budget director, walked into the Pentagon briefing room on March 4, an aide slipped him a note.

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Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 3/6/14

Good news story of the day

Sources: Marine Kyle Carpenter will receive MoH for heroism in Afghanistan  (Marine Corps Times) William Kyle Carpenter, a Marine Corps veteran who was severely wounded during a November 2010 grenade attack in Afghanistan, will receive the nation’s highest combat valor award later this year, Marine Corps Times has learned.

Military Transition

Veterans, Disabled Hiring Requirements Looming  (Human Resources Executive)  A significant number of affirmative-action requirements go into effect for federal agencies and contractors March 24 that experts are concerned might blindside more than one employer.

Free career programs for veterans, spouses available through Syracuse University  (Army.mil)  The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University is currently enrolling eligible veterans and their spouses in an online program to enhance their career skills and job marketability.

Federal agencies partner to help protect veterans, servicemembers, Families using GI Bill Education Benefits  (Belvoir Eagle)  The Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Education and Justice, along with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission announced the launch of a new online complaint system designed to collect feedback from veterans, servicemembers and their Families who are experiencing problems with educational institutions receiving funding from federal military and veterans educational benefits programs, including benefits programs provided by the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the DoD Military Tuition Assistance Program.

Intel seeks three wounded military veterans for one-year trainee jobs  (Oregon Live) John Reschar wants to make sure the word is heard: Intel Corp. has made it a priority to identify and recruit three wounded military veterans to fill one-year, fully paid jobs as project management analyst trainees.
Job conference set up specifically to help veterans  (The Daily Gazette)  Saratoga County will sponsor a hiring conference geared specifically to veterans next Wednesday at Empire State College in Saratoga Springs.

Air Force halts voluntary separation pay, 15-year retirements  (Air Force Times)  The Air Force Personnel Center has halted processing of early retirement and voluntary separation applications for both officers and enlisted.

Building a U.S. Army of 125,000 Spartans  (Real Clear Defense)  Defense cuts are coming. The only question is how much. As it has grappled with the fiscal realities of sequestration, the U.S. Army has sought to define its mission in a post-war environment.

CivilianJobs.com Announces the 2014 Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military® Finalists  (North Fork Vue)  CivilianJobs.com, where America’s military connects with civilian careers, announced the finalists for the Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military today. Marking the sixth year of its publication in 2014, the MVE recognition serves to help military-experienced job seekers and veterans identify the top employers to target for civilian careers.

Veterans

Veterans fair offers counseling, budget advice  (The ShortHorn)  Lance King was just starting college after most people he knew in high school had already earned a degree.

Framingham could house next veterans court  (Wicked Local)  Framingham District Court could soon house the state’s next veterans court, offering specialized attention to MetroWest veterans who face criminal charges and are dealing with substance abuse and mental illness.

Veterans share stories of hope, discover resources at Lovell FHCC Homeless Veterans Summit  (My Suburban Life)  Navy Veteran Joseph Yadron, dressed smartly in a suit and tie, hesitantly approached the podium, looked out at the supportive crowd of more than 150 people Feb. 26 in Bourke Hall at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, and shared his story of homelessness and recovery.

Maj. Kurt Lee, Korean War hero, dies at 88  (Marine Corps Times)  Marine Maj. Kurt Chew-een Lee, a legendary hero at Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War, and the Corps’ first Asian American regular officer, died Monday at his home in Washington, D.C., according to multiple sources. He was 88.

Veterans Park to benefit from Macy’s “Heart Your Park” program  (KAGSTV)  College Station’s Veterans Park and Athletic Complex is among 550 parks across the country that will benefit from Macy’s “Heart Your Park” program this spring.

Veterans now can be recognized on Pa. licenses  (WFMZ)  Pennsylvania’s military veterans now can get a special designation on their driver’s licenses and identification cards.

Veterans Affairs

VA Boosts Funding to Expiring Training Program  (Military.com)  The Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday announced that veterans enrolled in training programs that extend beyond when program funding expires on March 31 will be provided the money needed to complete their courses.

Art exhibit showcases talents, records history, helps veterans heal  (Navajo Times)  Confronting the impact the Vietnam War had on him, combat veteran James Yazzie, Diné, sought help from Albuquerque’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center about eight years ago.

House to ask for autonomy for Gulf War Illness board  (USA Today)  The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is putting together legislation to give autonomy back to a Gulf War illness advisory committee that has been stripped of its independence over the past year.

Texas congressman joins calls for Veterans Affairs’ Eric Shinseki to explain mass medical test purge exposed by Examiner  (Washington Examiner)  A Texas congressman joined demands that Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki explain the mass purge of medical appointments disclosed last week by the Washington Examiner.

Reports show conflicting statements about patient deaths at Atlanta VA Medical Center  (WSBTV)  One of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs’ highest ranking executives is under fire because of what he told a congressional subcommittee about a patient death scandal exposed by Channel 2 Action News.

Report: VA official in Nashville ran up expenses, delayed veterans’ benefits  (Shreveport Times)  An unnamed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs official stationed in Nashville not only violated federal rules and ran up thousands of dollars in unauthorized expenses, but also caused an unknown number of benefits delays for area veterans, a new report has found.

Benefits

Sen. Warner opposes cuts to military commissaries in Hampton Roads  (The Orlando Sentinel) Sen. Mark R. Warner wants to block proposed cuts to commissaries, a popular option for military families in Hampton Roads, because a high-level commission has yet to issue a report on the larger issue of compensation and benefits.

Gates: Compensation, benefits more than a third of DoD budget  (Federal News Radio)  In the newly released 2015 budget proposal, President Barack Obama is asking TRICARE participants to pay more out-of-pocket for their health care.

VFW to Congress: Scrap sequestration  (Military Times)  Veterans of Foreign Wars members have spent most of this week lobbying Congress on a fix for sequestration spending cuts, calling it their top legislative priority this year.

Tricare won’t pay for genetic tests; labs left with bills  (Military Times)  A change in medical classifications last year has left clinical laboratories across the U.S. carrying a $10 million tab for Tricare.

Veterans Benefit Fair  (Rochester Home Page)  Kevin Doran sits down with Monroe County Veterans Agency outreach coordinator Ken Moore about the upcoming Veterans Benefit Fair.

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Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 3/5/14

Good news story of the day

San Jose Runners Take Detour to Thank World War II Veteran  (NBC Philadelphia)  When Mercury News reporter Julia Prodis Sulek woke up Sunday morning, she wasn’t sure why she heard all the clapping and cheering outside her San Jose home.

Military Transition

School liaison aims to improve transitions, community outreach  (21st Space Wing Public Affairs) Colorado Springs offers many lifestyle and volunteer opportunities. For families moving here with children, the task of finding a new school can be a daunting one.

Genesis10 helps military vets connect to the corporate world  (Kansas City Business Journal)  Security guard. Police officer. These are the boxes that confine members of the armed forces as they make the transition to the civilian work world.

20,400 fewer airmen in 2015, budget proposal shows  (Air Force Times)  The Air Force would shed 20,400 total force airmen in fiscal 2015 under the proposed budget released Tuesday.

Proposed military cuts a worry for Fort Jackson  (The State)  U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made big news last week by announcing deep cuts to the military, particularly the Army.

Davis-Monthan’s future is cloudy  (AZCentral)  Davis-Monthan Air Force Base faces an uncertain future following Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s recommendation this week to retire the entire A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet as part of a broader effort to reduce the military.

In planning for the future, the Pentagon sees fewer troops and more technology  (The Washington Post)  “I think we’re going to do pretty well in the budget, sir.”

Pentagon planning to cut 6,300 civilians in 2015  (The Hill)  The Pentagon plans to reduce the number of its civilian workers from about 755,400 in 2014 to 749,100 in 2015 — a reduction of 6,300 workers, or 1 percent, according to its 2015 defense budget request.

Veterans

Veterans Group Asks Supreme Court To Allow Cross On California Mountain  (Huffington Post)  A veterans group has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule a judge’s order to remove a war memorial cross from a Southern California mountain.

Nearly 1 in 5 had mental illness before enlisting in Army, study says  (The Los Angeles Times)  Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. soldiers had a common mental illness, such as depression, panic disorder or ADHD, before enlisting in the Army, according to a new study that raises questions about the military’s assessment and screening of recruits.

GallantFew’s Raider Project’s War on Veteran Suicide and Transition  (Reuters)  GallantFew has been extremely successful in the US Army Ranger veteran community attacking unemployment, suicide, and PTSD.

A local perspective on the transition from soldier to civilian  (KXXV)  After a recent military summit in Dallas, preparing veterans for civilian life is on the minds of many.  Of course that includes folks right here in Central Texas.

“Forgotten” no more: Korean War stories shared in film  (Pilot Online)  Conor Timmis learned almost nothing about the Korean War in school.

Gay Marine’s Amazing Journey From Homeless Shelter to Ivy League  (ABC News)  U.S. Marine veteran Elegance Bratton left his New Jersey home at age 16.

Veterans Affairs

2015 Budget: Obama Seeks More Money for Veterans   (The Wall Street Journal)  Two years after Congress turned him down the first time, President Barack Obama is seeking money for a jobs program that would put veterans to work in national parks and elsewhere.

North Little Rock site selected for new veterans home  (ArkTimes)  Cissy Rucker, director of the state Veterans Affairs Department, has announced her choice of a site recommended by a study group for a new state veterans home.

Veterans Affairs Asks for $200M IT Funding Boost  (Executive Gov)  The Veterans Affairs Department is seeking to increase its information technology budget to $3.9 billion in fiscal 2015 from $3.7 billion in FY 2014 funding or a 5 percent increase, Nextgov reported Tuesday.

VA and Women Veterans: “Fielding a Full Team”  (The White House)  In his State of the Union Address, President Obama declared, “We are stronger when America fields a full team.” As we move to leverage the power of a fully represented “Team America,” VA is advancing the cause of our 2.2 million women veterans.

Veterans Groups Urge Congress to Strengthen VA Budget  (Market Watch)  Four of the nation’s leading veterans service organizations—AMVETS, DAV, Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans), and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), are expressing their concerns with the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2015, which proposes $68.4 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Slight increase proposed in VA budget  (Military Times) The Veterans Affairs Department would see another modest increase in spending under the White House fiscal 2015 budget proposal, with more money for homelessness efforts and aid for returning combat troops.

IG: Managers let VA employee get away with cheating agency  (Military Times)  Poor management oversight allowed a Veterans Affairs Department employee to skip work, use government computers for sex chats and bilk the agency out of nearly $31,000, according to a new inspector general report.

Benefits

Army Budget Makes Force Structure, Modernization Cuts Official  (National Defense)  The Army is working to balance readiness, force structure and modernization, officials said during the unveiling of the service’s $120.5 billion fiscal year 2015 budget.

Customers would foot bill for commissary budget cuts  (Military Times)  As expected, commissary customers would foot the bill for operating the stores, according to details of the 2015 defense budget proposal released Tuesday.

2015 budget released: How the cuts affect pay, BAH, per diem and Tricare  (Military Times)  The Pentagon’s new budget released Tuesday says military personnel spending should fall to its lowest point since 2008 as cuts to compensation take effect and the force continues to shrink from its wartime peak.

DoD proposes wide-ranging Tricare fee hikes  (Military Times)  Tricare Prime, Standard and Extra would go the way of the dodo, replaced by a single Tricare plan with a fee structure adjusted to where beneficiaries get medical care, under the Pentagon’s proposed fiscal 2015 budget.

DoD pushes forward on pay, benefits cuts  (Army Times)  Never in the 40-year history of the all-volunteer force has the Pentagon sought to roll back the existing military compensation package for service members.

Lawmakers divided on possible 2017 BRAC round  (The Federal Times)  When it comes to a new round of base closures in 2017, lawmakers are split between lukewarm support, vehement opposition and general uncertainty.

Week ahead: Pentagon, Congress begin budget battle  (The Hill)  The Pentagon will unveil its 2015 budget proposal this week, beginning a contentious fight with Capitol Hill over the military’s spending priorities.

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

Good news story of the day

Marines confront stigma of post-traumatic stress  (Marine Corps Times)  A staff noncommissioned officer whose angry tirade on a reality TV show made gossip site headlines around the country is reaching out for help with his post-traumatic stress. Now he is encouraging other Marines who are struggling to do the same.

Military Transition

Chase donation boosts USF veterans’ services  (Tampa Bay Online)  The University of South Florida has earned another feather in its veteran-friendly cap, landing $235,750 of a $1 million national commitment to vets’ education by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Oil industry courts veterans  (Minot Daily News)  With the recent announcement by the the U.S. Defense Department that major cuts to the defense budget will drastically decrease active troop numbers, a lot of veterans will be looking to transition back into civilian life into a country that still has economic troubles.

Prudential PenFed helps military enter real estate industry  (Courier Journal)  A new program is being offered that will help retired veterans and their spouses, and active-duty men and women as they leave the military, begin a career in real estate.

Army, Guard Prep To Battle Over People, Planes  (Defense News)  In the week between Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s unveiling of the broad
outlines of the Pentagon’s 2015 budget request and the full rollout of the numbers on March 4, the Army’s chief of staff was largely out of the country.

WVU offering new services to student veterans  (SFGate)  West Virginia University’s veteran population is pretty substantial. More than 1,000 veterans attend the school.

Veterans

Jobs bill for disabled vets ‘about saving lives,’ leaders say at forum  (The Journal News)  Veterans and elected officials gathered at a forum Saturday to rally support for state legislation that would give a boost to businesses owned by disabled veterans.

Veterans services guidance offered  (New Castle News)  Two subjects will be covered Friday at a veterans benefits seminar.

Baird-sponsored bill creating Second Service for Veterans program passes State Senate  (Banner Graphic)  Legislation creating the Second Service for Veterans program has passed unanimously out of both the Indiana House and Senate.

Runners travel over 200 miles to raise money for soldiers hurt in combat  (WRDW.com)  Sunday a group of runners finished a 4-day sprint taking them from Fort Benning to Fort Gordon.

2nd Annual NEK Veterans Summit at Lyndon State College  (VtDigger.com)  The Lyndon State College Veterans Club, in partnership with the LSC Veterans Student Support Committee and other veteran service organizations, will be hosting the 2nd Annual NEK Veterans Summit at the college on Saturday, March 15.

Roundtable in Carmel Focuses on Improving Business Prospects for NYS Veterans  (Hudson Valley Reporter)  Dozens of veterans attended a roundtable Saturday morning at the Carmel Town Hall with the goal of helping New York State vets find employment or start their own business.

Veterans Affairs

Tennessee Veterans Homes among the best in U.S. News and World Report rankings  (Clarksville Online)  Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder joins the Tennessee State Veterans Homes (TSVH) Board in celebrating the announcement from U.S. News & World Report 2014 which names the Tennessee State Veterans Homes in Knoxville and Murfreesboro among the best in the country.

Family, military’s impact in state motivate official  (The News Tribune)  Washington state’s first military affairs director, Kristine Reeves, knows she can’t stop the Pentagon budget cuts that will soon ripple across the country.

Holland man charged with fraud over VA benefits, workers’ compensation  (The Buffalo News)  A Holland man has been charged with receiving benefits from the Veterans Administration and workers’ compensation under false pretenses, U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced.

Military: Delaware veterans still experiencing service delays  (Delaware Online)  Delaware veterans seeking compensation for service-related injuries or illnesses are getting pushed to the back of the line as older claims from larger service centers keep getting transferred to Wilmington.

Report: New Evidence That The VA Deleted Necessary Medical Requests From Veterans  (Fox News)  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) deleted veteran medical records despite its claim to the contrary, according to documents obtained by The Daily Caller.

RGJ Investigates: Reno VA office ranks worst in nation for processing veterans’ claims  (RGJ.com)  Since Sgt. Michael Alarcon was discharged from active duty with the Nevada Army National Guard last summer, his life has turned into a purgatory of paperwork and despair.

Benefits

Pentagon cuts have military families on high alert  (Fox News)  For Pamela Willoughby, word of the Pentagon’s plan to shrink the U.S. Army to its smallest size in decades felt like a kick in the stomach.

Local businesses, bases hope to withstand military budget cuts  (News Observer)  Growing fruits and vegetables on 200 acres of Lenoir County land is sometimes a hard way to make a living.

Texas Veterans Benefits Make Up for Proposed Cuts to Federal Benefits  (The Forney Post)  Move to Texas — that’s the message Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson has for veterans across the nation worried about proposed cuts to federal veterans benefits.

Sen. Mitch McConnell accuses Harrry Reid of “playing politics” with veterans  (Examiner.com)  Last Thursday, Senate Republicans criticized Democrats for blocking an effort by Republicans to expand veteran’s benefits with a $21 billion bill. 

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Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 2/27/14

Good news story of the day

In Commitment to Troops, Actor Gary Sinise Treats Wounded Veterans to Hollywood Trip  (ABC News) It’s been 20 years since “Forrest Gump” took its place in motion picture history. And since its release, the story about the incredible journey of an innocent everyman with a low I.Q., has inspired actor Gary Sinise to take an unexpected journey of his own.

Military Transition

Transition GPS arms Airmen for life outside military  (52d Fighter Wing Public Affairs)  In these times of fiscal restraint and force drawbacks, the time to explore options and potentially prepare for a life outside of the military is here.

Secretary expects personnel cuts to be less severe than previously estimated  (Air Force Times)  The Defense Department’s 2015 budget request, to be unveiled next week, will propose cutting fewer than the previously estimated 25,000 airmen over five years, and the majority of those cuts will come from the active duty, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said Wednesday.

Fort Meade: Retired Marine lands a job with help from transition program  (TMC News)  After 20 years with the Marine Corps, Hank Brown decided to work for an entrepreneurial company

Transition GPS program helps Sailors prepare for civilian life  (Ventura County Star)  By definition, “transition” means the “process of change,” and a process is a  series of actions. Put them together and you have a pretty accurate description  of what the Transition GPS program is all about.

Veterans fair to assist in job hunt  (Aiken Standard)  U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R–S.C., will hold his second Veterans Fair next week to  give veterans and local agencies a chance to discuss job opportunities in the  CSRA.

Fox: Pentagon will plan for possible carrier cut in 2015  (The Hill)  The Pentagon will take steps next year to retire an aircraft carrier in case Congress does not lift sequestration by 2016, a top defense official said on Wednesday.

Winnefeld: A Brave Congress Needs to Accept Base Closings  (Sea Power)  The Pentagon announced this week that it’s fiscal 2015 budget submission would include another round of base closures and a significant force reduction.

DoD Has a Detailed Sequester Back-Up Plan  (Defense News)  The Pentagon has a detailed five-year spending plan that adheres to federal defense spending caps should sequestration return in 2016. Just don’t expect to see it anytime soon.

Despite ‘historic’ cuts, the US will still have 450,000 active-duty soldiers  (The Guardian)  “Hagel plans to shrink the United States Army to its smallest force since before World War II,” blared the lede in yesterday’s New York Times. The Defense Department “proposed cutting the Army to its smallest size in 74 years,” said the Washington Post.

Veterans

New Veterans Center Opens After Controversy  (NBC San Diego)  A new facility aiming to prevent homelessness among veterans opened its doors in San Diego Monday, but not without some controversy to start.

College kicks disabled vet, dog off campus  (Tampa Bay Online)  Bill Smith, a 100 percent disabled retired Green Beret colonel, survived the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon, several deployments to war zones and ailments seen and unseen as a result.

Veterans at Home, on a Mission of Compassion  (The New York Times)  Rachel Gutierrez was an army sergeant in Iraq, but back home in Phoenix she leads a platoon.

Air Force rules Minn. veteran’s cancer caused by base accident  (Fox News)  A retired U.S. airman got great news just weeks after the Fox 9 Investigators  questioned whether an accident on a military base that exposed him to high  amounts of radiation caused his brain tumor.

Pleas for more help for military veterans to recover from sexual assault (Christian Science Monitor)  When Jeremiah Arbogast was a lance corporal, he was drugged and then raped by his boss, a fellow Marine.

Gunman killed in standoff identified as Vietnam Veteran  (CBS 8)  An apparently suicidal 62-year-old man who was shot and killed after raising a rifle toward officers has been identified as a Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD.

Veterans Affairs

Move to speed up vets benefits paying dividends  (Union Tribune)  A twofold campaign to accelerate the collection of veterans benefits after years of leaving millions of federal dollars unclaimed appears to be paying early dividends, including in San Diego County.

The facts about VA health care and benefits  (Tampa Bay Online)  America’s veterans deserve the very best this nation can offer to honor their service and sacrifice.

Sabattus man admits to theft of VA services  (Sun Journal)  A Sabattus man pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to stealing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs travel benefits.

DoD, VA issue new concussion care guide  (Military Times)  The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have published new guidelines on post-concussion care — a detailed, step-by-step road map for returning to duty that embraces rest and nixes activities such as driving and video games.

Quirk-Silva Seeking Support for OC Veteran’s Cemetery  (Orange County Breeze)  Assembly Bill 1453 would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs State Cemetery Grant Program for the construction of a Southern California Veterans Cemetery in Orange County.

Veterans Beat: New Veteran Health Identification Cards is easier to use  (Twinsburg Bulletin)  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced Feb. 20, the phased rollout of newly designed, more secure Veteran Health Identification Cards.

County consolidates Veterans’ Affairs department  (Gettysburg Times)  The Office of Veterans’ Affairs is no longer an individual Adams County department.

VA Defends Deleting Veteran Medical Appointments  (Military.com)  The Department of Veterans Affairs on  Wednesday denied wrongdoing in the alleged deletion of thousands of medical  appointment requests at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Medical Center  beginning in 2009.

Top VA official disputes mass purge of medical appointments cited in ‘scurrilous’ Examiner investigation  (Washington Examiner)  Revelations by the Washington Examiner of a mass purge of backlogged medical appointments by the Department of Veterans Affairs were dismissed as a “scurrilous newspaper report” by the agency’s top health official Wednesday.

VA Cites Drop in Opiate Prescriptions, but Some Lawmakers Skeptical of Progress  (ABC News)  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs senior officials told a panel of skeptical House lawmakers today that the VA has reduced the number of veterans receiving opiates by 20,000 since October in response to congressional pressure and media scrutiny.

Concerned Veterans for America starts Veterans Affairs accountability project  (The Augusta Chronicle)  Support is growing for a new law that would ease the process of firing and demoting senior executives within the Department of Veterans Affairs, including the directors of VA medical centers.

Veterans Affairs execs who quit can avoid discipline, agency leader tells  Congress  (TribLive)  Veterans Affairs officials can escape punishment for deadly lapses on their  watch if they quit before they’re disciplined, one of the agency’s top leaders  told Congress on Wednesday.

Executives responsible for Augusta VA consult delays likely won’t face punishment  (The Augusta Chronicle)  The senior-level executives responsible for delays in care at veterans affairs medical centers in Augusta and Columbia probably won’t face punishment because they retired before they could be disciplined, VA leadership testified before Congress Wednesday.

House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health Hearing  (Insurance News Net)  Good morning.

Benefits

Top enlisted members: Don’t mess with commissaries  (Military Times)  The Marine Corps’ senior enlisted adviser told lawmakers Wednesday that he believes focusing on the commissary benefit as a potential source of defense budget savings is a mistake.

Veterans groups to Senate GOP: Don’t tie Iran sanctions to our bill  (The Hill)  Two of America’s largest veterans organizations on Wednesday urged Republicans to abandon their push to attach Iran sanctions to pending benefits legislation.

Veterans Groups Slam GOP Effort To Tie Iran Sanctions To Their Benefits Bill  (The Huffington Post)  Two top veterans groups have come out against a Senate GOP effort to insert an Iran sanctions amendment into an unrelated veterans bill, putting the party at odds with a constituency that leans Republican.

Jeanne Shaheen To Introduce Measure To Give Equal Veterans Benefits To Gay Married Couples  (Huffington Post)  Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is set to introduce an amendment Wednesday to sweeping veterans benefits legislation that would extend federal benefits to legally married gay couples.

Senate Debates Bill to Extend Health Care to Vets  (Military Times)  The Senate on Tuesday debated a bill that would extend Department of  Veterans Affairs health care to hundreds of thousands more veterans, provide  assistance for families to care for veterans at home and add new services for  veterans with fertility issues.

Military Compensation Savings About 10 Percent of Cuts  (Bloomberg)  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s proposed reductions in military compensation, such as housing allowances, amount to only about 10 percent of cuts being sought over the next five years, the No. 2 U.S. military official said.

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