A recareering opportunity for transitioning military and veterans

Posted by Mike Grice on

I have been fortunate to be able to help transitioning military and veterans since I made the jump from active duty back to the civilian world both through writing and in person.  It has been tremendously rewarding to help make the confusing and challenging journey that is transition less daunting, and now I am thrilled to be in a position to help literally thousands more find rewarding and meaningful career opportunities in the Life Sciences industry as was announced this week:

Medical Technology Veterans Program is renamed the MedTech and BioTech Veterans Program (MVP) and Expands Nationwide

– Offers Advanced Educational Resources and Training for Veteran Recruits

– New Web Portal Address: http://www.mvpvets.org

CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 5, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Medical Technology Veterans Program, renamed the MedTech and BioTech Veterans Program (MVP), has expanded nationwide and to industries across the life sciences. MVP is a career-training and mentorship program, designed to help veterans transition into jobs in the medical technology (medtech), biotechnology (biotech), life sciences and diagnostic industries. This successful program has expanded nationwide to offer customized educational programs aimed at preparing veterans for impactful and meaningful employment as professionals in the life sciences. As part of this expansion, the new MVP web portal will now be located at http://www.mvpvets.org.

Foundational partners of MVP, including heart pump manufacturer, Abiomed, Inc., and medical device trade association AdvaMed, will also welcome a new partner, BioCollaborative, to assist in reaching additional veterans from around the country and providing cutting edge industry-focused training. With its expertise in developing and administering customized eLearning platforms, BioCollaborative is an ideal partner to assist in equipping job-seeking veterans with pragmatic learning solutions necessary to succeed in the job market.

“This expansion and new partnership will enable us to reach more veterans and mentors from all over the country and provide quality training and mentorship for our service men and women who are looking to build a career in the life sciences and medical technology industries,” said Michael Minogue, Chief Executive Officer of Abiomed and MVP Chairman. “I am also excited to introduce MVP’s new President, Mike Grice, a veteran with a 27-year career in the United States Marine Corps. and a former professor at National University, a great fit for the program.”

MVP, which launched in 2012, recognizes the strong correlation between the mission of the medtech and biotech industries and those veterans who wish to pursue careers in the life sciences. The program applies to all military veterans, with special recognition to those who have served since 9/11 and those wounded overseas.

Participants interact with mentors, who are industry professionals and veterans that have already transitioned into successful civilian roles at medtech or biotech companies. Mentors represent job functions ranging from sales and customer support to operations, human resources, manufacturing and R&D, as well as C-level executives at leading medical device and life sciences companies who will provide advice and guidance throughout the transition process. The United States is a global leader in both the medical device and biotech industries, which directly and indirectly supports millions of jobs across the United States and overseas.

“We look forward to increasing the number of veterans and mentors registered on the MVP web portal, with the goal of reaching 5,000 veterans by 2018,” said Mike Grice. “The program’s increased sophistication and customized training will enable more touch points and hands-on training for MVP veterans to learn real-world skills in our industries, including the implementation of regional and state-based training programs.”

In addition to the web portal and online educational programs, which result in industry-recognized certifications, MVP will also host regional events for veterans and mentors to connect, mentor training and networking. Members will also gain access to the online learning and collaboration community for jobseekers known as JobFastPass. The new web portal (www.mvpvets.org) includes a database of veterans’ resumes that are exclusive to partnering companies, as well as a series of webinars which are free to veterans and mentors. The webinar topics include careers in the medtech and biotech industries, social media networking, personal branding, as well as creating high-impact resumes.

To register for the MVP program as either a mentor or veteran jobseeker, please go to http://www.mvpvets.org. If you are already a member of the MVP program and have questions about this new expansion, please contact Mike Grice at mgrice@mvpvets.org.

You can access the press release here.

If this looks like something that you would be interested in, please check out the website: www.mvpvets.org or shoot me an email!










			

	
	



				
					


	

		
Military/Veteran Transitionnews for 2/6/14


				

			Posted by Mike Grice on 					

			


		

		
Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 2/6/14


Good news story of the day


Nashua firm helps get veterans back in the workforce  (New Hampshire Union Leader)  Ed O’Neill was having breakfast at Nancy’s Diner Monday morning with two guys in the crew of Veterans Mowing and Plowing when a light snow started blowing.


Military transition


Medical Technology Veterans Program is renamed the MedTech and BioTech Veterans Program (MVP) and Expands Nationwide  (The Wall Street Journal)  The Medical Technology Veterans Program, renamed the MedTech and BioTech Veterans Program (MVP), has expanded nationwide and to industries across the life sciences.


‘Hiring Our Heroes’ job fair coming to Kauai for Hawaii veterans and spouses  (Pacific Business News)  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has partnered with several national and local partners to bring its national Hiring Our Heroes job fair to the Garden Isle on Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Kauai Veterans Center.


Free conference to help vets find lasting employment  (The Eagle)  Student veterans from around the nation will travel to College Station this week to take part in an innovative networking and career fair for servicemen and servicewomen.


Veterans learn organic farming at Pa. program  (The Altoona Mirror)  With his burly physique and woolly beard, Brandon Barnhart looks every inch the laid-back country kid from tiny West College Corner, Ind.


Still Serving Veterans Seeks Businesses To Join Job Fair Feb. 19-21  (WHNT.com)  Our veterans stepped forward to preserve our American way of life by putting their lives on the line with their military service.


Veterans


Veterans advocate Michael Charter dies at 69  (UT San Diego)  Instead of maintaining a comfortable distance from the homeless people he encountered, Michael Charter chatted them up and recruited them for beach cleanups and other community events he supported while on the Ocean Beach Town Council board.


Veterans art therapy featured in exhibition at Tri-C gallery  (Cleveland.com) You or a loved one went through the wringer of war and got hung out to dry.


Veterans group seeks new members  (The News Herald)  Although Burke County is home to a large number of military veterans, the population of those who served in World War II, the Korean conflict and Vietnam dwindles every day.


Masco Gives More Than $1 Million In Support of Military Veterans; 11 Michigan Organizations Among Recipients  (The Wall Street Journal)  Masco Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of home improvement and building products, and its Foundation have partnered — through a combination of products and cash grants — to award over $1 million in support of its veteran initiative: “America’s Heroes: A Million Thanks”.


Kendall veterans group gets new vehicle  (The Beacon-News)  The Kendall County Veterans Assistance Commission will get a sorely needed new vehicle.


Wounded Warrior Project Actively Transitioning Returning Veterans Foremost Into All Areas of Transport & Logistics Sector  (Yahoo Finance)  Last month marked a milestone for Wounded Warrior Project and the cold chain logistics industry.


Veterans affairs


WIP veteran benefits late, backlogged  (Times-Georgian)  I put this paragraph into the column I wrote on Aug. 8, 2013, using information directly from one of the VA websites, but how has it actually worked out for us?


House passes bill to give veterans in-state tuition, halt VA executive bonuses  (The Washington Post)  The House this week unanimously passed a bill that would expand veterans’ educational benefits and end bonuses for the senior executives at the Department of Veterans Affairs for five years.


House hearing to review veterans claims processing  (Stars and Stripes)  A hearing to review new technologies aimed at updating federal claims processing and erasing the massive Veterans Affairs disability claim backlog has been scheduled for Wednesday by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, according to a statement from chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla.


WWII vet granted benefits after long battle with VA  (USA Today)  Millard Sells saw fierce combat in 1945 on Iwo Jima, but for most of the past two decades he has been engaged in a different, more bureaucratic battle.


Veterans Affairs employee indicted for gambling, buying gun, drinking on the  clock  (KOCO.com)  Judge Ray Elliott unsealed a grand jury indictment Wednesday against Johnny  Lloyd Surles for two criminal counts: false, fictitious, or fraudulent claim  against the state and obtaining property by false pretense.


Not enough parking is provided for patients and employees at Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center  (TheDenverChannel.com)  “The worst is, there are no spots, first off,” said 15-year Army veteran Lynn Stuart, who recently had knee replacement surgery at the VA Medical Center.


Police investigate shooting at Veterans Affairs campus in Vancouver  (Oregon Live)  Sheriff’s officials in southwest Washington were saying little as they try to determine why a Veterans Affairs  worker was gunned down and wounded inside a public health building in  the second workplace shooting in Vancouver in as many days.


VA still fighting paper war  (Politico)  On the battlefield, Washington is racing to equip its soldiers on the front  lines with the most high-tech weapons and warplanes.


Benefits


Commissaries won’t close, but prices may increase  (Military Times)  Pentagon proposals to reportedly slice $1 billion from the annual commissary budget may not hinge on closing stores, but on raising prices for patrons, sources said.


CBO: Military pension growth to fall 5 percent by 2023 with cut  (The Washington Post)  A controversial new pension cut for younger military retirees will help reduce projected growth for the retirement payments by about 5 percent by 2023, according to congressional number crunchers.


MacDill glitch exposes transfer woes for gay military couples  (The Tampa Tribune)  Monday afternoon, Air Force Staff Sgt. Ashley Carney had just wrapped up a meeting at MacDill Air Force Base to go over the final details of her move to Turkey, where she and her wife would become one of the first gay married military couples transferred to a Muslim country.


Boehner proposes linking debt-limit hike to a restoration of recent cuts to military benefits  (The Washington Post)  House Speaker John A. Boehner scrambled to sell a new debt-ceiling solution to his Republican colleagues on Wednesday, encouraging them to demand a restoration of recently cut military benefits in exchange for a one-year extension of the federal government’s borrowing authority.


Castricone Proposes a NY Veterans Payroll Tax Exemption to Promote Veteran Employment  (Rockland County Times)  NY Assembly Candidate Dan Castricone this week released his plan to encourage employers to hire military veterans.


Bill would require Tricare to cover breast-feeding expenses  (Military Times)  Tricare would cover the cost of breast-feeding equipment, support and counseling for new moms who want to nurse their babies under a bill introduced by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.


Defense Cuts Remain Off Table in Debt-Ceiling Talks – For Now  (Defense News)  House Republicans have yet to settle on a plan to raise the nation’s borrowing limit, but it appears using defense cuts as a bargaining chip is not an option.


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What employers are really looking for


				

			Posted by Mike Grice on 					

			


		

		
I have been fortunate to participate in no small number of veteran employment panels in which human resources professionals and corporate recruiters share their insights with veterans.  Time and again the same question invariably is posed to the panel:


“What are employers really looking for?”


That really is the million dollar question, and it is invariably answered with a single word:


“Skills.”


It sounds simplistic, but it’s true.  Employers are seeking to fill holes in their organizational chart, and those holes must be filled by people who are qualified to perform the tasks and assume the responsibilities that come with the job.  Those who have served in the military are certainly ready to assume the responsibility that comes with a position within a company; after all, responsibility is what wearing a uniform is all about.  Responsibility to protect and defend the nation and its citizens, responsibility to  comrades in arms, and the responsibility to effectively lead others with both compassion and professionalism.


A sense of responsibility and commitment is part of being in the military, and it doesn’t vanish once they hang up their uniforms.  It is a part of their character.


What veterans and transitioning military lack, however, are skills.


Let me back up a moment to explain what I mean.  In the military each and every man and woman is expected to master not just one, but two sets of skills: those skills that define their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS – such as artillery, administration, maintenance, etc.) and those skills that define their military service.  They can learn everything from how to drive a tank to how to fly a stealth bomber through their technical training regimen, but before they get the keys to an M-1 Abrams Main Battle Tank those who sign up must first begin the acculturation and training process that brings them into the martial fold.


They get to go to bootcamp.  Or OCS.


Whether as a recruit or an officer candidate, the privilege of wearing the uniform must be earned through the successful completion of an intense entry level training program.  Regardless of which service a person joins, he or she must go through the crucible of acculturation that forever changes them from a civilian to a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine.  Once the right to wear the uniform is earned the newly minted graduate ships out to their MOS school, which is where they learn how to perform their specific job.


It doesn’t end there.  Throughout  a person’s military career (whether it be three years or thirty), he or she is continually learning about leadership, reinforcing a committed work ethic, and being a member or leader of ever growing teams in addition to increasing their technical expertise.  In short, military professionals are developing their skills continually from the day they join until the day they leave.  The skill sets of those in uniform don’t stop expanding until they get out.


It is the skills that come from being in the military that employers are looking for.  In the words of an army veteran and CEO of a multimillion dollar medical technology company:


“I want to hire people who were just like I was when I left the military.  Eager to learn, eager to work, and eager to be part of a team that is out to accomplish something.  I want to hire veterans because I know they will work hard and I don’t need to teach them how to work with other people.”


In short, the business world is looking to hire people with the skills that come with being a military professional.


The problem is that so many veterans only identify themselves by their MOS skills and as a result they sell themselves short.  They only see themselves as an infantryman, an truck driver, or a bulk fuel delivery specialist, and they present themselves as such.  I don’t know how many times I have heard “I’m just a dumb grunt.  Nobody is hiring grunts in the civilian world!”, but it’s somewhere in the thousands.  And that is the problem.


Veterans need to present themselves to employers as solutions to their manpower problems, and a big part of being the solution are the “soft skills” that those in uniform possess.  Things like commitment, sense of responsibility, work ethic, and leadership.  The corporate executives and hiring managers I speak with are unanimous in their desire to hire people with those qualities, and those are qualities that all veterans (except for the knuckleheaded few) possess.


Veterans and those transitioning out of the military will be more successful in their search for a new career if they can present both the soft skill set that the acquired while in uniform and the skills that meet the needs of the company. The rub, however, is how to learn the specific skills that the employer is looking for.


Those are the skills that I referred to earlier.  Job- or industry-specific skills.


There are many ways that veterans can build their specific skills set, and a great many of those ways are completely free.  Veterans can research the requirements for a job or industry that they like through websites like careerbuilder.com and monster.com.  They can meet with people already in the industry through networking events such as the Marine Executive Association, NavNet, or social networking groups such as meetup.com.  They can participate in local company and industry sponsored programs such as the Business 101  or nationwide programs like the MedTech and BioTech Veterans Program (MVP).  By conducting research, networking with others, and taking advantage of free industry sponsored training a veteran can tangibly begin to fill the gap in their skills and make themselves more competitive for the great jobs and careers that are out there.


There are a lot of ways to build the skills that employers are seeking.  All you need to do is get started.




			

	
	



				
					


	

		
Military/Veteran Transitionnews for 2/5/14


				

			Posted by Mike Grice on 					

			


		

		
Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 2/5/14


Good news story of the day


Helping wounded vets move from ‘surviving’ to ‘thriving’  (Stars and Stripes)  Back when Michael Baker was a nuclear submarine technician in the Navy, he was a triathlete who spent as much time as he could exploring the Hawaiian outdoors near his naval base.


Military transition


Helping Transitioning Servicemembers Find Jobs Before Becoming Veterans  (The Huffington Post)  You’ve heard it said countless times: “It’s easier to get a job if you already have one.”


New website launches to help Montana veterans  (KXLF.com)  Lieutenant Governor John Walsh announced the launch of a new website to help military personnel transition to civilian life.


The 10 Best Jobs For Veterans  (Forbes)  Many veterans returning to the U.S. from stints overseas have years of job experience under their belts, yet they feel daunted by the challenge of making the transition into the civilian workforce.


Military veterans graduate from Boston Fire Academy  (The Daily Free Press)  After 20 weeks of grueling training, 51 military veterans were inducted into the Boston Fire Department on Tuesday with Boston Mayor Martin Walsh in attendance.


Texas A&M Students Launch New Program To Help Aggie Veterans  (TAMU Times)  A new branch of the Student Government Association (SGA) at Texas A&M University, with the specific purpose of helping Aggie veterans, plans the first national military veteran conference in higher education  Friday and Saturday (Feb. 7-8) at the university.


Veteran students meet with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs John Scocos  (University of Wisconsin Superior)  Fifteen UW-Superior students with military experience were able to connect one-on-one with the Wisconsin Secretary of Veterans Affairs John Scocos on Monday.


Veterans


Veteran Groups Launch Pre-Emptive Strike on Federal Budget  (The Wall Street Journal)  Four major veterans advocacy groups called for more veteran health-care spending in the next federal budget and changes to a number of Department of Veterans Affairs policies, in their annual outline of legislative goals released Tuesday morning.


New UC panel to aid military veterans  (Fox 5 San Diego)  The University of California on Monday announced the formation of an advisory  group to help military veterans address specific issues and succeed in earning  degrees.


Villa Park VFW Bringing Veterans Welcome Home Back Home  (Chicago Tribune)  The popular and effective Veterans Welcome Home and Benefits event is coming back to the VFW Post in Villa Park.


Despite progress, VA still has 400,000 backlogged claims  (UPI)  The Department of Veterans Affairs cut its backlog of hundreds of thousands of  disability claims by nearly one-third last year but is still struggling to  modernize an outdated processing system, a report released Monday by the Iraq  and Afghanistan Veterans of America found.


Veteran Hopefuls Use Bravery, Heroics in Bids for Congress  (Roll Call)  Veterans regularly run for Congress, but this cycle features candidates armed with particularly impressive biographies involving escapes, captures and military adventures that Tom Clancy would have struggled to dream up.


Veterans affairs


VA Launches Online Tool to Calculate Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits  (Department of Veterans Affairs)  The Veterans Affairs Department today launched a new online tool to make it easier for veterans, service members and family members to calculate their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and learn more about VA’s approved colleges, universities and other education and training programs across the country.


Feinstein bill pushes housing for homeless vets at West L.A. VA campus (Los Angeles Times)  Sen. Dianne  Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced a bill Tuesday to smooth the way for the U.S.  Department of Veterans Affairs to partner with private agencies to develop  housing for homeless veterans on its West Los Angeles campus.


VA Offers New Tools to Ensure Post-9/11 GI Bill Beneficiaries Are Informed Consumers  (The White House)  What’s the first thing you do when shopping for a big-ticket item?


Report: Rocky Hill veterans’ housing goes unused  (The Washington Times)   Five houses in Rocky Hill that state officials set aside and renovated for  Connecticut military veterans have sat mostly empty for several years, while  statistics show one in 10 homeless people in the state is a veteran, according  to a published report.


Report: No ‘evidence of planning’ from Obama administration to help veterans  receive benefits  (The Daily Caller)  The Obama administration’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has no long-term  plan to correct the errors that have left hundreds of thousands of veterans  waiting months to receive benefits, despite President Obama’s State of the Union  vow to fix the problem.


Government concedes negligence in Legionnaires’ lawsuit  (TribLive.com)  House legislation that would make it illegal for veterans hospitals nationwide to conceal disease outbreaks won passage on Monday evening with bipartisan approval.


Senators want answers on veterans records breach  (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)  Both U.S. senators from Missouri are seeking answers about the potential fallout for veterans and their families after a former clerk admitted misfiling hundreds of military records at a St. Louis warehouse.


Former fighter pilot named new director of Punchbowl  (Star Advertiser)  A former Air Force fighter pilot and onetime inspector general for Pacific Air Forces will become the new director of Punchbowl Cemetery March 9, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced.


Benefits


Tax break for young military retirees stirs debate, clears House committee  (The Spokesman Review)  Idaho doesn’t charge its state income tax on military retirement pay for those age 65 or older, but it does tax pension benefits for military retirees who are younger than 65.


In new pitch to pass jobless pay, Harry Reid sweetens deal with measure to restore military pension cuts  (Washington Examiner)  The Senate this week will make another attempt to pass an extension of federal unemployment insurance by tying the effort to a plan to restore military pension benefits.


Senate to take up comprehensive veterans reform bill Thursday (The Washington Times)  Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont  independent, said Tuesday a comprehensive veteran’s reform bill could be brought  up on the Senate floor as early as Thursday.


Florida Legislators aim to increase veterans benefits  (First Coast News)  Lawmakers are debating new programs that will impact the more than 1.6 million veterans who live in the state of Florida.


Veterans Service Organizations Urge $72.9 Billion Investment in Veterans’ Health Care and Benefits  (Boston.com)  Four of the nation’s leading veterans service organizations—AMVETS, DAV, Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)—are urging the Administration and Congress to provide $72.9 billion to sufficiently meet veterans’ health care and benefits needs.


Senate panel to mark up bill repealing military pension cuts  (The Hill)


The Senate Armed Services Committee will mark up a bill next week to repeal the $6 billion military pension cuts included in last month’s budget deal.


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Military/Veteran Transitionnews for 2/4/14


				

			Posted by Mike Grice on 					

			


		

		
Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 2/4/14


Good news story of the day


Wounded veteran gets the keys to mortgage-free home   (The News Tribune)  A combat-wounded Army veteran got the keys to a mortgage-free home in Federal Way Monday through a Wells Fargo military affairs program.


Military transition


22,500 face cuts this year  (Marine Corps Times)  The Air Force is planning to cut roughly 22,500 airmen this year alone through its massive force management programs.


Job fair for military members, veterans set for Tuesday  (Los Cruces Sun-News)  A free job fair for veterans, is scheduled for Tuesday at Fort Bliss in El Paso.


Veterans given tools for civilian job hunting  (Sun Sentinel)  They came out of the Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy more skilled than they went in, and many thought employers would welcome them with a job.


Interstate compact aids transition of students in military families  (Great Falls Tribune)  Senior Brandon Brooking transferred to C.M. Russell High School from Texas in the middle of his junior year, and he said it was the easiest transition he’d experienced as the son of military parents.


New UC panel to aid military veterans in university  (Los Angeles Times)  The University of California on Monday announced the formation of an advisory group to help military veterans address specific issues and succeed in earning degrees.


Programs aimed at veterans go into motion  (The Scribe)  Last month The Scribe reported on two planned programs to benefit the campus veteran community: Boots to Suits and Peer Mentorship.


Veterans


Veterans with traumatic brain injuries and combat-related challenges  (Medical Press)  Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have found that among traumatic brain injury-diagnosed veterans treated by the Veterans Health Administration between 2009 and 2011, the majority had a clinician-diagnosed mental health disorder and approximately half had both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pain.


World War I Portland veteran’s Purple Heart returned to his family  (Morning Sentinel)  A military medal awarded to a Portland man wounded in World War I was returned to his family in Pittsfield on Sunday.


Simi Valley gala to benefit troops  (Ventura County Star)  Auction items at the Military Tribute Gala in Simi Valley will include a weeklong stay at a Maui resort and a sailboat cruise in Newport Beach.


Genesee County veterans’ military records dating to WWII damaged by mold, document restoration set  (mLive.com)  Thousands pages of damaged military papers belonging to Genesee County veterans are boxed and bound for Livonia, where document recovery specialists will try to salvage them from water, mildew and mold damage.


Military sniper links his string of armed robberies to PTSD  (Los Angeles Times)


As an Army sniper in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gabriel Brown craved danger. Combat satisfied what he called his “adrenaline addiction.”


Veterans have mixed feelings about Budweiser’s ‘A Hero’s Welcome’ Super Bowl ad  (PRI)  One told the story of a relationship between a puppy and the Anheuser-Busch signature Clydesdales. The other, however, looked at a celebration for an American veteran, returning home from battle. The ad, according to several veterans, tried to walk a delicate line between celebrating and pandering.


Marine intelligence officer busted in $235,000 sting, FBI says  (Sun Sentinel)  A U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer complaining of money and marriage woes may have thought his troubles were over when he pulled into a Dania Beach parking lot to pick up a duffel bag stuffed with $235,000 in cash.


Army program helps soldier choose life over suicide  (USA Today)  The demons rushed in during the months after Levertis Jackson returned from Afghanistan in 2011. “I felt like I was losing complete control of my mind and my sanity,” says the former Army specialist.


Veterans affairs


Veterans hospital finds ways to tame MRSA super bug  (USA Today)  Before 2007, the potentially deadly super bug MRSA stalked patients at the Louisville Veterans Affairs Medical Center — with infection rates 20 times higher than they are today.


Veterans Affairs to hold information forum for patients  (JournalStar.com)  Veterans who receive health care services at the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Lincoln are invited to attend an information forum Feb. 13 at 6 p.m.


VA reduced benefits backlog, but needs to get back in gear, say veterans  (The Christian Science Monitor)  Despite having made good progress to reduce a backlog of disability claims that peaked last March, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts have lost momentum in recent months, according to a new report from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).


VA lacks control over own data, leaks could occur: audit  (The Washington Times)  The Veterans Affairs Department doesn’t have solid controls over its own financial reporting or computer data, leading to the possibility that the agency could leak information or mistake just how much it is spending, an investigation found.


Report: Veterans Affairs Backlog Shrinking, But Still Daunting  (National Journal)  The Department of Veterans Affairs has made a dent in its mountain of backlogged disability compensation claims, but it still has a very long way to go, according to a report released Monday.


Benefits


Lawmakers seek in-state tuition rates for veterans  (The Washington Post)  The House overwhelmingly passed legislation Monday that would require public universities around the country to charge veterans in-state tuition rates or face financial penalty.


IRS offers special benefits for military  (The Tennessean)  The Internal Revenue Service opened the 2014 tax-filing season Jan. 31, so filers who have their tax returns done can send them in now.


Raises, BAH are likely targets of 2015 defense budget  (Military.com)  The Pentagon’s 2015 budget is likely to contain such belt-tightening proposals as reducing active-duty pay raises and housing allowances and instituting fees for Tricare for Life, officials told a Senate panel Thursday.


Reid readies bill repealing pension cuts  (The Hill)  The Senate is gearing up to vote on a bill as early as next week that would repeal the $6 billion cut to military pensions as part of a larger veterans package, according to Senate aides.


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Military/Veteran Transitionnews for 2/3/14


				

			Posted by Mike Grice on 					

			


		

		
Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 2/3/14


Good news story of the day


Student organizing second annual 5K for the Wounded Warriors Project  (Tallahassee.com)  Sarah Jean Fickett had no idea what to expect when she set out to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project last year.


Military transition


10 Valley companies hiring workers now  (ABC15.com)  If you are currently out of the workforce or looking for a new job, there are hundreds of employers looking for workers in the Valley. We found these companies and more on indeed.com , simplyhired.com and jobing.com .


Program connects military students to help ‘take care of our own’  (The GW Hatchet)  The University’s office of military and veteran student services has launched a peer support program to ease the transition for more than 130 students this spring.


Veterans given tools for civilian job hunting  (Sun Sentinel)  They came out of the Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy more skilled than they went in, and many thought employers would welcome them with a job.


Veterans-services director helps MWCC students stand tall  (Sentinel & Enterprise News)


Standing comfortably between jarheads and student soldiers, some big and boisterous, others slight and quiet, Veteran Services Director Kristine Larkin trades verbal jabs with veterans as they socialize, plan and study, in that order.


St. Anthony: IT firm helps military vets embrace civilian careers  (Star Tribune)  After a two-year hitch in the Army, Kyle Marks, a veteran of the Iraq war, worked some on landscaping crews and built decks.


Aviation company bringing 155 jobs to Martinsville, Va.  (MyFox8.com)  More than 150 jobs are headed to Henry County, Virginia, according to the Winston-Salem Business Journal.


Veterans


Female veterans salute their sisters-in-arms  (The Gazette)  Patriots of all ages gathered at Disabled American Veterans Chapter 26 last month for a program saluting U.S. women who have served their country at home and abroad.


South Carolina looks to join fight against fake veterans  (The Augusta Chronicle)  Imposters who lie about being a decorated war veteran for monetary gain could face more than federal charges in South Carolina under a new bill making its way through the Legislature.


Automobile swap meet to benefit veterans  (The Daily Tribune)  Mark Land, purveyor of vintage hot rods and longtime nostalgic drag racing enthusiast, travels all over the country to car-related events. Last year he decided Bartow County would be a fitting place to host just such a gathering.


Success of Maine veterans court inspires plan to expand  (Portland Press Herald)   For Travis Bentley, it wasn’t the daily barrage of bullets, explosions and rocket fire during his two tours in Iraq that proved too much to bear. It was the return to civilian life in Maine.


Maj. Gen. Spragins, who introduced black beret, dies at age 90  (The Island Packet)  Retired Army Maj. Gen. Charles Echols “Pete” Spragins, who introduced the black beret to the uniform of the Airborne Rangers, died Wednesday at his Lady’s Island residence.


Lodi police kill Iraq veteran allegedly armed with knife  (Sacramento Bee)  When the aftereffects of his post-traumatic stress disorder made him very anxious, Parminder Singh Shergill, a Gulf War veteran from one of the Central Valley’s most established Sikh families, would simply start walking.


Veteran says he’s been cheated out of benefit worth thousands  (WBCV.com)  A new vehicle, courtesy of the federal government is one of many benefits disabled veterans are entitled to receive when they come home.


Agencies, organization work together to end vet homelessness  (Cadillac News)  A network of volunteers and government employees are looking out for veterans in need, especially the homeless. They have one goal in common, to end veteran homelessness by the year 2015.


Veterans affairs


Wilmington VA gradually rolling out services for veterans  (Star News Online)  The new Veterans Affairs health care center at the Wilmington airport is saving some residents the four-hour round trip to Fayetteville, but has not yet realized its full potential as the incremental rollout of services faced delays.


VA acquires Colorado land for new cemetery (Weatherford Democrat)  Land has been purchased by the Department of Veterans Affairs in Colorado for a new national cemetery.


Department of Veterans Affairs launches veterinary care program for service dogs  (Examiner.com)  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is now offering US veterans with a service dog unlimited access to veterinary care.


Records workers dumped, destroyed or lost 1,800 veterans documents  (St. Louis Post Dispatch)  Paid for speed in handling documents pulled from 100 million federal employee records, two workers at the National Personnel Records Center here have admitted dumping, destroying or misfiling at least 1,800 of them, court records show.


Desperate WWI vets marched on Washington  (Chicago Tribune)  On Aug. 2, 1932, William Hushka of 2316 W. 23rd Place, Chicago, was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, five days after he was killed when police and soldiers raided a shantytown occupied by World War I veterans in the nation’s capital.


Veterans dying because of treatment delays at VA hospitals, document says  (Fox News)  The Department of Veterans Affairs has linked the recent deaths of at least 19 vets diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and 2011 to appointment backlogs and delays at VA hospitals and clinics and resulting hindrances in care, according to an internal document.


Benefits


Veterans group seeks action to cut backlog of claims  (USA Today)  The government’s effort to cut a backlog of pending compensation claims for veterans has stalled at about 400,000 cases, and steps are needed to understand what is and isn’t working to solve the problem, says a group representing recent war veterans.


Bypassing Congress on defense cuts  (Politico.com)  The Pentagon has learned that if it can’t go through Congress to get what it wants, sometimes it’s best best to try going around.


Interview: Gates talks pay reform, toxic leaders and more  (Military Times)  Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates oversaw the troop surges in both Iraq and Afghanistan during his tenure at the Pentagon from 2006 to 2011.


MacDill families fear commissary closings  (Tampa Bay Online)  For those who live on the base and the thousands of military retirees living nearby, the MacDill commissary offers about 30 percent savings over the cost of food and other items at civilian supermarkets.


Push for new national cemeteries, as veteran deaths bring sites near capacity  (Fox News)  National cemeteries across the country are starting to reach capacity amid an increase in the number of veterans dying — fueling a push for the government to approve new sites, particularly in states that don’t have any.


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Military/Veteran Transitionnews for 1/31/14


				

			Posted by Mike Grice on 					

			


		

		
Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 1/31/14


Good news story of the day


Wounded Warriors Remain Undefeated  (WFUV.org)  The Wounded Warriors defeated the 9/11 First Responders in their annual football game, 32-14.


Military transition


Warriors in Transition Benefit Banquet  (KULR8.com)  It’s all to raise money for wounded soldiers and their families.


Hiring Orlando vets  (Winter Park/Maitland Observer)  When veterans leave the military, they face the very real challenge of finding work again.


Securitas Security Services USA Adds 6,706 Military Veterans To Its Employee Base  (PR Newswire) As a member of the 100,000 Jobs Mission coalition that was launched in March 2011, Securitas Security Services USA is proud to announce that it has added 6,706 veterans to its employee base in the year 2013.


Veterans job fair set for Feb. 6 in Glendale  (KPHO.com)  Local and national companies will be looking for qualified military veterans to fill thousands of positions at a veteran job fair in Glendale on Feb. 6.


Defense, DHS, VA drive rise in federal employment  (FCW.com)  GAO Report on Recent Trends in Federal Civilian Employment and Compensation.


Military Spouse Transition Workshop  (KIROTV.com)  The Military Spouse Transition Workshop is available to our spouses of military service members and veterans who are currently going through their Transition Assistance Program (TAP) or have been out of the military for some time.


Commission: Move Manpower Into Air Reserve, National Guard Components  (Defense News)  The US Air Force should look at moving as much manpower into the Reserve and Air National Guard components as possible, according to a new report from a congressionally mandated panel.


Veterans


PepsiCo holding benefit for veterans  (AP)   PepsiCo Inc. is making a $1 million donation and streaming a live concert Friday to benefit injured military veterans and their families.


Fresno teen accused of robbing, beating 92-year-old WWII vet to be tried as adult  (The Fresno Bee)


Found unfit to be tried as a juvenile, a 16-year-old Fresno boy made his first appearance Wednesday in Fresno County Superior Court in connection with the home-invasion robbery of 92-year-old World War II veteran Josef Martin.


A Troubled Marine’s Final Fight  (Time)  David Linley’s last night as a free man began, like so many others before it, in his dark basement, watching Band of Brothers.


Veterans group says military suicide rate is ‘out of control’  (Military Times)  Suicide prevention is the No. 1 legislative priority this year for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, says Paul Rieckhoff, the group’s founder and CEO.


Veterans fight the organic fight at Delaware Valley College training program  (Philly.com)  With his burly physique and woolly beard, Brandon Barnhart looks every inch the laid-back country kid from tiny West College Corner, Ind.


Veterans Honored at Gala Valentines Concert  (Market Wired)  National nonprofit organization Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV) in cooperation with Soldier’s Wish and the Yavapai County Community Foundation will host a gala Valentines for Veterans Salute to America’s Veterans Concert on February 13, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at the Yavapai College Performance Hall in Prescott, Arizona.


Veterans affairs


Navy Yard Shooting: Gunman Aaron Alexis Convincingly Lied To Doctors At Veterans Affairs  (Huffington Post) The gunman who killed 12 people in last year’s rampage at Washington’s Navy Yard lied so convincingly to Veterans Affairs doctors before the shootings that they concluded he had no mental health issues despite serious problems and encounters with police during the same period, according to a review by The Associated Press of his confidential medical files.


Veteran Affairs Releases Book  (KMOT.com)  For anyone looking to reflect on their days of service, the North Dakota Department of Veteran Affairs is giving out a book called, “Korea Reborn: A Grateful Nation Honors War Veteran for 60 Years of Growth.”


Federal Agencies Partner to Protect Veterans, Service Members and Their Families Using GI Bill Education Benefits, Launch New Online Complaint System  (Defense.gov)  The Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Education and Justice, along with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission announced today the launch of a new online complaint system designed to collect feedback from veterans, service members 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.


Veterans dying because of health care delays  (CNN.com)  U.S. veterans are dying because of delays in diagnosis and treatment at VA hospitals.


Veterans Center Aids EFSC Students  (Space Coast Daily)  For Rob Ganoe, it means an opportunity for veterans to “find enrichment and complete our education.”


Benefits


Repeal military pension cuts now, Sen. Jeff Sessions says, as Pentagon asks for commission study  (AL.com)  Sen. Jeff Sessions said he’s glad Pentagon leaders are joining lawmakers to call for changes to planned pension cuts for working-age military retirees.


Push for new national cemeteries, as veteran deaths bring sites near capacity  (Fox News)  National cemeteries across the country are starting to reach capacity amid an increase in the number of veterans dying — fueling a push for the government to approve new sites, particularly in states that don’t have any.


Senate panel approves bill to extend in-state tuition to veterans  (NJ.com)  Just over a month after New Jersey extended in-state college tuition to unauthorized immigrants who grew up here, the state Legislature is looking to expand tuition breaks to another group of people.


No Plans In The Works To Close Base Commissaries, Says Top Military Official  (KPBS.org)  The rumor mill has been circulating the same piece of information for months – that the Department of Defense plans to close all stateside base commissaries.


Military-pensions hearing raises alarm on cost of pay  (PilotOnline.com)  The uproar last month over changes to military pensions may have worked – senators from both parties indicated Tuesday they want to repeal the measure and put money back into the pockets of working-age retirees.


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Military/Veteran Transitionnews for 1/30/14


				

			Posted by Mike Grice on 					

			


		

		
Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 1/30/14


Good news story of the day


Thousands on hand for inspiring Wounded Warriors game  (The New York Post)  Take notice, take a stand and take heart.


Military transition


Corps help Wounded Warriors transition back into work  (US Army Corps of Engineers)  Wounded Warriors from the Operation Warfighter Program employ job internships to ease their transition from military service to civilian life.


June officer RIF board to offer voluntary separation pay  (Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs)  The Air Force will convene an officer reduction in force board June 16 to evaluate eligible officers for retention, Air Force Personnel Center officials said Jan. 27.


Army, veterans groups focus on reintegration for Soldiers  (KTSM.com)  As the Army draws down in Afghanistan and reduces its overall force strength, Army leaders and veterans groups remain focused on ensuring Soldiers have the support to be successful in the civilian world.


Warrior Transition Command launches website providing direct access to information for wounded and ill Soldiers  (Army.mil)  To provide wounded, ill and injured Soldiers greater ownership of their recovery and transition, the Warrior Transition Command (WTC) launched a new public website that provides robust, detailed information on the Warrior Care and Transition Program (WCTP).


Financial aid, peer support drawing veterans to Catholic universities  (Catholic Philly)  Catholic colleges and universities across the United States are attracting military veterans of recent wars with a combination of financial aid, individualized assistance and opportunities for peer support.


NEW: Job fair to help veterans, military spouses  (Herald-Tribune)  If you are a veteran or military spouse trying to get back into the civilian workforce or improve on your current job, a coalition of Southwest Florida groups has an event coming up with you in mind.


Job fair for veterans, military personnel set for Feb. 5  (The Wichita Eagle)  A job fair for military veterans and the spouses of military personnel is planned for Wednesday, Feb. 5, in Wichita.


JPMorgan Chase Announces $1 Million Investment In Higher Education Programs For Military Veterans  (FinChannel.com)  JPMorgan Chase & Co. will invest $1 million to fund higher education programs for  U.S. military veterans including grants to Florida State College at  Jacksonville, University of South Florida, The University of Texas at  Arlington and San Diego State University, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.


Four lessons learned by JPMorgan Chase in hiring veterans  (Tampa Bay Business Journal)  University of South Florida is in line for a $240,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase & Co. as part of the financial service firm’s $1 million investment in higher education programs for U.S. military veterans.


Bridge program helps veterans transition to the classroom  (Eastern Progress)  Eastern prides itself on being a military-veteran friendly campus. One of the ways Eastern likes to keep its veterans in mind is by giving them the opportunity to be in classes with other vets through a bridge program.


Veterans


PepsiCo holding benefit for veterans  (Washington Post)  PepsiCo Inc. is making a $1 million donation and streaming a live concert Friday to benefit injured military veterans and their families.


Tennessee veterans gather for education, employment and entrepreneurship  (Examiner.com)  The Tennessee Veterans Business Administration sponsored the Fourth Annual Business and Education Expo at the Knoxville Convention Center on January 28, 2014.  The purpose of the expo is to provide veterans with the employment, education and entrepreneur opportunities.


Marina organization aims to help end veteran homelessness by 2015.  (Monterey County Weekly)  A possum saved Robert Jurado’s life.


Marine wounded warriors guests of News America Marketing for Super Bowl XLVIII  (Examiner.com) Staff Sergeant John Detamore and Corporal Chad Ohmer, of the U.S. Marines Corps, will attend Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday, February 2 and the weekend-long festivities leading up to the game as guests of News America Marketing.


Veterans affairs


Start VA claims before end of active service  (Camp Lejeune Globe)  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mission at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is to administer the joint Department of Defense (DOD)/VA Pre-Discharge Programs.


State officials reach out to meet every veteran in South Dakota  (Rapid City Journal)  The Capitol is a very busy place this time of year. Not only are legislators and lobbyists in town, but also interested citizens from all across the state – people who want to know more about the process or have a say in what’s being done in the Legislature. It’s like the indoor state fair.


Survey will identify homeless vets in Riverside County  (CBS Local)  The Department of Public Social Services will deploy personnel into multiple communities beginning at 6 a.m. to identify homeless veterans.


Cumberland County in top three for State Veterans Cemetery  (Crossville Chronicle)  Crossville and Cumberland County made the short list of one of the top three sites being considered for locating the Upper Cumberland State Veterans Cemetery.


Agent Orange linked to increased risk of skin cancer  (Examiner.com)  A new report adds to past evidence that risk of non-melanotic invasive skin cancer (NMISC) is increased even four decades after Agent Orange exposure, with at least some exposed veterans having unusually aggressive non-melanoma skin cancers.


Closer to home  (The Pueblo Chieftain)  Southern Colorado veterans have been lobbying for more than a decade to establish a new national cemetery in these parts.


Gastrointestinal backlog reported at second east Georgia VA hospital  (The Augusta Chronicle)  The Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta isn’t the only hospital of its kind in east central Georgia to delay consultations for gastrointestinal patients.


County works with Department of Veteran Affairs to get valley vets off the streets  (KESQ.com)  Mark Weber, the economic development manager for the city of Coachella, spent the day visiting parts of the city many people turn a blind eye to.


Senator Asks Veterans Agency to Review How Financial Advisers Are Accredited  (New York Times) Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri is asking the Department of Veteran Affairs to examine its process for accrediting thousands of financial advisers in the face of concerns over abuses of veterans’ benefits.


Benefits


Veterans’ groups disappointed in Obama on veteran benefits  (The Washington Times)  While President Obama talked about many initiatives to help veterans during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, veterans’ groups criticized him Wednesday for not demanding a full repeal of cuts to military retirement benefits.


State funded program mentors El Paso veterans  (KFoxTV.com)  The Department of Veterans Affairs recently released a report that shows suicides among young veterans just getting out of the military are three times higher than active-duty soldiers.


The Veterans-Benefits Bandwagon Is Getting Mighty Crowded  (National Journal)  Congress’s effort to repeal its own $6 billion cut to veterans benefits has a bizarre problem: It has too much support.


Automation Speeds Benefits Processing for Post-9/11 GI Bill Students  (Press Release Point)  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) decreased the time it takes to process requests for GI Bill benefits for returning students by nearly 50 percent compared to fiscal year 2012.


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Military/Veteran Transitionnews for 1/29/14


				

			Posted by Mike Grice on 					

			


		

		
Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 1/29/14


Good news story of the day


Man running from Maine to Super Bowl to benefit Wounded Warriors  (Boston.com)  Gary Allen grew up on Great Cranberry, a small island off the coast of Maine.


Military transition


Board targets colonels for early retirement  (Navy Times)  Colonels who are pilots, combat systems officers, special tactics officers, intelligence officers, among other career fields, could be retired under a broadened selective early retirement board the Air Force will convene between June 16 and July 4.


An aggressive voice for the newest vets  (The Hill)  Ten months after leaving the Army, Tom Tarantino could not find a job.


RIF-eligible captains, majors can apply for voluntary exit Feb. 6  (Air Force Times)  Some captains and majors who are eligible for a reduction-in-force board can apply for voluntary separation between Feb. 6 and May 1.


Career Resource Center hosts job expo for EASing Marines  (Camp Lejeune Globe)  Marines and Sailors serving on active duty get a paycheck every two weeks to pay their bills, buy groceries and shop for personal items.


Life Wireless To Participate In “Hiring Our Heroes” Job Fairs  (The Street)  Life Wireless, a cellular provider offering free phone service to income-eligible customers through the federal Lifeline program, is seeking to hire military veterans, military spouses, active duty military members, and guard and reserve members as part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s “Hiring Our Heroes” initiative.


Veterans


Man fined $1K for not removing Wounded Warrior flag  (News4Jax.com)  Controversy is brewing between a Palm Coast man and his homeowners association after he said they told him to remove a flag from his own backyard or else pay a hefty fine. The flag is for the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization designed to help the nation’s heroes.


Retired Air Force, Army vet worked with Jonas Salk  (TribLive)  Terry Goldner’s parents made her wait until she was 21 before enlisting in the Army.


Meet a Marine Vietnam veteran who creates busts of fallen warriors  (Marine Corps Times)  A former lance corporal who served in Vietnam is using his artistic skills to honor Marines and Navy corpsmen who’ve been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.


President Obama concludes State of the Union with powerful story of wounded warrior  (Washington Examiner) President Obama concluded his State of the Union address Tuesday evening by sharing a story of wounded Army Ranger Cory Remsburg, who was present for the speech.


Fleet and Family Support Center and Other Services  (DCMilitary.com)  The Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC), located in Building 11, offers helpful programs and professional services to assist you in meeting the unique challenges of military life


Veterans Museum is a jewel in Germantown  (Dayton Daily News)  A jewel of Germantown is the Veterans Memorial Museum Foundation (VMMF).


Veterans in the SOTU: Ending the Mindset That Got Us Into War  (Huffington Post)  In a debate with Hillary Clinton in January 2008, now-President Barack Obama said about ending the war in Iraq:


Veterans affairs


Margie Risseeuw works to provide veterans with benefits they deserve  (CapeGazette.com)  To meet Margie Risseeuw, you’d never guess that, in addition to enjoying beach life, she’s one of two highly qualified, accredited claims agents in Delaware for the office of the U.S. General Counsel of the Department of Veterans Affairs.


Survey to Help Veterans Find Better Jobs  (Military.com)  Veterans often find it difficult to find a stable first job right out of the military.


Military affairs beat: Needs of women veterans surveyed  (Star Tribune)  A national survey of women veterans points to a greater need for access to community-based medical care and a need to integrate traditional veterans services with primary care, reproductive care and mental health care.


House Veterans Affairs chairman: We’ll be forced to take legislative action if Obama won’t fix veteran issues  (The Daily Caller)


The chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee slammed President Obama’s record on veteran issues ahead of Obama’s sixth State of the Union address Tuesday, declaring that Congress “will be forced to take legislative action” to hold the administration accountable.


Benefits


Democrats’ Plan to Pay for Veterans Benefits? Do It Later.  (National Journal)  Democrats and Republicans have agreed: They made a horrible mistake when they jointly agreed to slash $6 billion in veterans’ benefits as part of December’s bipartisan budget deal.


Fox Says DOD Must Slow Growth of Military Compensation  (American Forces Press Service)  The Defense Department must slow the rate of growth in military pay and compensation or the organization will not be able to fight and win the nation’s wars, Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Christine H. Fox said here today.


Ayotte tweaks proposal to repeal military pension cuts  (The Hill)  Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) is trying to win over Democrats to back her proposal repealing $6 billion in military pension cuts.


Grandfather current troops, retirees on COLA cuts, DoD urges  (Military Times)  The Pentagon opposes the pending reductions in annual retirement pay increases and believes changes in the military retirement system should come not from Congress but from a commission convened to study benefits modernization, senior officials told lawmakers Tuesday.


Budget Cuts Are Sending the Wrong Message to Veterans  (Defense One)  Troops, veterans, and military families are used to being roughed up – by deployments, frequent moves, visible and invisible injuries, combat deaths, and so on.


Begich Pushing To Restore Veteran Benefits  (Alaska Public Media)  Veterans and military members in Alaska and around the country have been outraged at Congress since December, when lawmakers passed a budget that would trim their retirement benefits, starting in 2015.


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Best post ever about the military benefits debate


				

			Posted by Mike Grice on 					

			


		

		
Every once in a while somebody writes a blog post that squarely and utterly nails a discussion.  Amy Bushatz, the managing editor of Military.com’s family blog titled SpouseBuzz, just wrote one of those posts.  She ardently and cogently eviscerates those who feel that military folks are overcompensated whiners when it comes to their pay and benefits.  I could not have possibly said or written it any better! Her great piece is reposted below, and if you would like to see the original, go here.


An Open Letter to Military Benefits Haters


Dear Military Benefits Haters  –


We’ve been having a rough go of it lately, haven’t we?  There you are, a civilian, absolutely convinced that the average servicemember is not worth his weight in pay and benefits.  And here I am, a military family member wondering how we got to this point – and why you are so misdirected about the value of the military.


I think the problem may be that you are confused. You’re there, sitting on your civilian sofa in your civilian house in the town of your choice after coming home from your civilian 9-5 job. You are feeling a little annoyed by the crazy awesome salaries that servicemembers and military retirees score because, in comparison, yours aren’t that amazing. And hey! Your taxes are paying for us to have this fabulous stuff! You are incensed by the very existence of commissaries which, you gleefully note in news articles like this one,  is supported by tax payers all so that military folks can have access to “15 types of ketchup” at Lejeune. You think they should close.


And over here, you proclaim our benefits – the things we get in exchange for the willingness to die for America – as lavish.


It isn’t so much the idea of shutting the commissaries that bothers me. While they do seem like a vital part of life overseas, stateside the argument that they are superfluous at most bases doesn’t seem that farfetched. In most cases, as the author of this peachy story notes, there really are other options. Same thing goes for fitness centers and recreation on bases around the country.


Don’t get me wrong – I love that stuff and I use it all regularly. But I could live without it just fine. If it comes down to bullets or bagels, I’d go with the bullets any day.


What bothers me about these and other stories and columns like them is your tone.


Servicemembers, retirees and their families, the tone says, are acting like privileged brats for expecting, accepting and clinging to the benefits which encourage them to stay military or even to join in the first place.


In fact, the tone says, it is a waste of tax payer money to meet military personnel needs or even give nice-to-haves in exchange for keeping them around.


Servicemembers are overpaid, coddled low-skill workers who should not be given compensation for the inconveniences of military life, but who should still be expected to do their jobs anyway.


It’s a tone that says if you had to join the military to make it through life you are, logically, a substandard American worker and you do not warrant compensation in excess or even equal to the civilian market. Civilians are people who have choices and didn’t take the easy out of Uncle Sam. Military are people who are living off the tax payer.


The tone is supported by the flinging of inaccurate statistics to support your claims or, worse, the promotion sof weeping generalities about who servicemembers are and what they deserve.


Bad Statistics and Comparisons


Here’s this gem from the Post’s story:


“Over the past decade, military salaries have grown at a faster rate than those of civilian workers. The average enlisted soldier now earns more than 90 percent of Americans who have less than two years of college. Most Army captains – the third-most-junior rank of officer – will take home more than $90,000 this year.”


I’m going to disregard that ridiculous first sentence that ignores the fact that we also, over the past decade, have been paid for deployment after deployment and all the tolls of war. Let’s just focus on the compensation “facts.”


Only one in five Americans is even in good enough physical shape to join the Army. That means that to be the “average enlisted soldier” the author talks about, a recruit already had to do something most Americans can’t – be fit. A whole other group of Americans is ineligible because they didn’t graduate high school or because they have a criminal record. He also had to be willing to join the military at all, which puts him in a group with less than one percent of Americans.


After he joins that soldier then holds a more than full time job, often over 80 hours a week, for which he must continue to meet requirements such as staying fit and felony free. He very likely does an intricate task that no average American with less than two years of college could do without months of dedication and training. He probably has also spent more than nine full months multiple times away from his family working around the clock where he put his life on the line and accepted the continuing burdens of war as part of the gig. He’s likely to have held this same job for around five or six years.


Why is it unreasonable that this soldier make more than 90 percent of Americans who have less than two years of college? And how is that a good group of people to compare him to at all?


And then there is his statement about Army captains and what I can only assume must be a gross misuse of the term “take home,” which is generally accepted to mean “income after taxes.”


Army officers – or any officers, for that matter – are compensated at a higher rate based on education and responsibility, at least in theory. While a captain may make “more than $90,000” before taxes in a very high housing allowance area such as D.C., the average captain certainly does not. A little math reveals that a captain with seven years of Army experience living in San Antonio, Texas with dependents, for example, makes about $86,000 before taxes. But a breakdown of average hours worked by our case study during a year in which he does not deploy shows that he earns around $25 an hour.


And no matter how you shake it out, none of these examples are “more than $90,000″ after taxes.


 In 2010 the average male graduate just out of college earned about $22 an hour. After graduating college and spending seven years on the job with countless additional months in training, an Army captain is making about $25 an hour for putting his life on the line, being willing to live wherever the Army sends him and leave his family for months at a time. He also has met all the qualifications of the “average enlisted soldier” that made that person valuable including, again, an interest in joining to start with.


Are high personnel costs really a problem?


As America rolled into sequestration and other budget cuts, DoD leaders decried the high cost of personnel. After all, they said, supporting current and former military members takes up a third of the DoD 2013 budget.  And with the DoD budget as a whole taking up the biggest “single slice of the federal budget at Social Security,” something surely must be done.


But what they fail to note is that personnel costs really aren’t that ridiculous when compared to the normal market. As the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) points out, in civilian companies with big air fleets (the closest they could get to a military comparison), personnel costs hover at similar levels.


For the United Parcel Service, for example, personnel costs make up 61 percent of the budget. For FedEx, it’s 43 percent. For Southwest Airlines – generally recognized as among the most cost-efficient air carriers – personnel costs comprise 31 percent of operating revenue (which includes profit, so the percentage of expenditures is higher).


The idea that the Defense Budget is so out of control is also misleading, particularly when you look to past trends. This MOAA graph shows that it hovers below 20 percent – whereas in 1962 it was closer to 50 percent.


If it’s so great, where are you?


But here’s the thing that really gets me.


If the pay and benefits for members of the American military are so lavish and such a steal of a deal, where are you, Benefits Hater?


Because that’s the thing that’s so great about the American military. You don’t have to be special or an elitist to hang out with us. You don’t even have to be an American citizen. You just have to meet the requirements and be willing to run while wearing boots.


This isn’t some exclusive club. We like all types of people. We’re cool like that.


So perhaps you don’t join because you can’t meet the qualifications that us low-skill, not worthy of benefits folks met.


Or maybe you just love your freedoms and hate danger. Maybe you like picking where you live. Maybe your spouse has a career she doesn’t want to destroy by moving every three years. Maybe you don’t want to risk getting blown up in the street while driving through a far away land.


Those freedoms? We gave you those and make sure you keep them.


Try remembering that and then see how you feel about military benefits.


Sincerely,


Amy

Amen.