Tag Archives: Benefits

Transitionnews 12/5/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Thursday, December 5 2013:

Good news story of the day

WINE COUNTRY: New home gives Army veteran, a double amputee, chance at freedom  (The Press Enterprise)  It’s more than wood, steel, plaster and granite.  The home that was built for U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Wallace “Ha’a” Fanene, a double amputee wounded during his service in Iraq, is a chance for a more normal life. It’s freedom. Mobility.

Military Transition

Latest Transition Guide from Stars and Stripes Prepares Service Members for Post-military Civilian Life  (PR Web)  The Stars and Stripes Transition Guide provides military men and women the opportunity to jump-start their transition into civilian life.

Tailored Career Guidance Resource is Free for Sailors’ Lifetime  (Navy.mil)  Sailors planning ahead for an eventual transition from naval service, are encouraged to take advantage of the Kuder Journey career guidance system; a pilot program available through the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) that ends enrollments Dec. 31.

Veterans

The Government’s Best-Kept Secret  (Fox Business)   If you ask an elderly Veteran if they qualify for an additional pension from the VA to help pay for their long-term care costs, they will probably tell you, “I’m not eligible because I wasn’t injured in the war.” This is a common misconception, which keeps many Veterans from tapping into a benefit they deserve.

Michael Roof: Veterans Evaluations Services not a scam  (The Daily Journal)  If there is one thing that all veterans can agree upon, it’s that when the Department of Veterans Affairs sends out paperwork, it takes a Ph.D. to decipher it. To add to the complexity, veterans waiting for compensation and pension exams are getting phone calls and letters from a company called Veterans Evaluations Services.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Phoenix VA program gives ASU nursing students career experience  (Downtown Devil)  Students at ASU’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation say the Phoenix Veterans Affairs program at the school has provided them with valuable practical skills.

VA benefits set to slightly increase in 2014  (Federal News Radio)  When veterans and their families, who receive disability compensation and retirement benefits from the Veterans Affairs Department, receive their annual cost-of-living increase next month, for the first time ever, it won’t be rounded down to the nearest dollar.

Slow and sloppy review procedures endanger patients at Veterans Affairs hospitals, GAO finds  (Washington Examiner)  Patients at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals are not being adequately protected from doctors who have histories of providing substandard treatment, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

House lawmakers to examine VA’s handling of disability appeals  (The Washington Post)  House lawmakers plan to examine how the Department of Veterans Affairs is dealing with a growing backlog of appeals for denied disability benefits.

Benefits

Big battle is brewing over move to rein in military pay, benefits  (Omaha.com)  The Pentagon is pulling out its big guns in a fight over the growing cost of compensating the men and women who fight our wars.

Louisiana to process military benefits for same-sex spouses despite state ban  (The Washington Post)  The Louisiana National Guard has reached a deal with the Pentagon to process military benefits for same-sex spouses despite the state’s constitutional ban on recognizing gay marriage.

More veterans eligible for benefits as agent orange perimeter expands  (Oelwein Daily Register)  More veterans of the Vietnam War were recently included to benefit coverage due to Agent Orange Exposure.

Schumer wants to ensure veterans get their benefits  (The Telegram)  Steve Sadlon, a 92-year-old World War II veteran, recently started receiving his property tax benefit for his years of service decades ago.

If you would like to receive Transitionnews via email, just enter your preferred email address in the “Email Subscription” box on the sidebar.

Have a great day!

Transitionnews 12/4/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Wednesday, December 4 2013:

Good news story of the day

Six Ohio WWII veterans to be honored  (Examiner.com)  Six Ohio veterans who helped liberate France during World War II will be awarded that country’s Medal of Knight of the Legion of Honor in a ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday in Veterans Hall of the Ohio Veterans Home – Sandusky.

Transition

Program aids shift to civilian jobs  (The Tampa Tribune)  Troy Johnson stands in the front of the big conference room in the Airman and Family Readiness Center and asks the 50 or so men and women seated in front of laptops who among them is interested in pursuing a career with the federal government.

ROTC cadets, recent graduates offered release from service commitments  (Air Force Times)  The Air Force is offering future officers preparing to graduate from the ROTC program in 2014 the opportunity to walk away from their service commitments without having to repay their scholarships or monthly stipends, the service announced Tuesday.

Veterans

Edward Heffron, of WWII’s ‘Band of Brothers,’ dies  (Army Times)  Edward J. “Babe” Heffron, whose World War II service as a member of the Army’s famed Easy Company was recounted in the book and TV miniseries “Band of Brothers,” has died. He was 90.

Veterans lose battle to spare Vets Memorial from demolition  (The Columbus Dispatch)  A handful of Franklin County veterans stood before the county commissioners yesterday and begged them to wait — to give the vets time to raise the money needed for a plan to save Veterans Memorial from demolition.

Veterans Need Assistance More than Ever After Nov. 1 Budget Cuts, Says Feed Our Vets  (PR Newswire)  Veterans Day was an opportunity for all Americans to thank and honor the country’s selfless soldiers. It also was a day of increased hunger and requests for help from charities like Feed Our Vets after nearly 1 million low-income veterans had their food stamps cut by Congress.

Veterans Administration

VA AND DEFENSE CHIEFS CONFRONT REALITY OF 700,000 INCARCERATED VETERANS  (NextGov.com)  The 700,000 veterans consigned to the dustbins of society — prisons and jails — won some top level attention this week at the first national Vet Court Conference in Washington, which brings together 1,000 judges, mental health and substance abuse professionals and the leadership of the Veterans Affairs and Defense Departments.

UF’s New Partnership with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs  (WCBJ.com)  The University of Florida didn’t make the list when two recent surveys ranked the best schools in the nation for services offered to veterans…but a new partership could change that.

House lawmakers to examine VA’s handling of disability appeals  (The Washington Post)  House lawmakers plan to examine how the Department of Veterans Affairs is dealing with a growing backlog of appeals for denied disability benefits.

Benefits

Beefing up the GI Bill  (Marine Corps Times)  At least seven legislative proposals are pending in Congress to improve the new GI Bill for large swaths of beneficiaries, including active-duty and reserve troops, wounded warriors and families.

Widow wages 23-year battle with VA for survivor benefits  (Marine Corps Times)  A 68-year-old widow who has spent 23 years seeking veterans’ survivor benefits will be a key witness Wednesday at a House hearing focusing on the Veterans Affairs Department’s problems in handling complicated claims.

Employment

U.S. Security Associates Invites Veterans and Military Spouses to Explore Employment Options on December 5th  (Long Island Newsday)  On December 5th, U.S. Security Associates (USA) joins dozens of employers exhibiting at the annual RecruitMilitary career fair at Houston, Texas’ Minute Maid Park.

VETERANS JOBS: Home Base Iowa Details  (WHOTV.com)  Tuesday Gov. Terry Branstad announced some new components of an effort to get veterans back to work in Iowa.

Stats Show Post-9/11 Vets Finding, Keeping Jobs  (Military.com)  Post-9/11 military veterans are finding and keeping jobs in larger numbers, according to 2012 veteran employment data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hiring Our Heroes: Veterans get help finding jobs  (Lebanon Daily News)  Shannon “Will” Williams, of Lancaster, stopped at the RAM Industrial Services Inc. booth to inquire about positions available at the company’s Camp Hill location.

Veteran Beer Co. mission launches in region  (NWI.com)  The mission of the Veteran Beer Co. has come to Northwest Indiana. The Chicago-based microbrewer was created by disabled veterans to provide meaningful employment opportunities to service members who face challenges in the job market.

If you would like to receive Transitionnews via email, just enter your preferred email address in the “Email Subscription” box on the sidebar.

Have a great day!

Transitionnews 12/3/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Tuesday, December 3 2013:

Good news story of the day

Bill Zell dedicates 92nd birthday to veterans  (NWFDailyNews.com)  In an act that surprised no one who knows him, WWII Veteran Bill Zell dedicated his 92nd birthday party to veterans past, present and future.

Transition

Paths from military to workplace expand, but challenges remain  (Providence Journal)  Jerry Jones spent 16 years maintaining multimillion-dollar equipment at U.S. Air Force bases around the world.

Transitioning? Create Your Plan    (Military.com)  The Transition Center now features a personalized Transition Action Plan for those leaving the military, those retiring from a career in the military and National Guard and Reserve personnel.

Veterans

Veterans Inc. working for a more secure future  (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)  At 9 a.m. Monday, about 35 of the 85 men living at Veterans Inc. on Grove Street reported for roll call.

Effort to place wreaths on veterans’ graves reaches $20K mark  (WBIR.com)  A major push by Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett has now helped raise enough money for 2,000 wreaths to be added to the graves of veterans.

Veterans court program helps warriors battle addiction, mental health crises  (The Washington Post)  Former Marine Cpl. Eric Gonzales doesn’t remember much about the night last year he led police in Orange County, Calif., on a high-speed, 26-minute chase that ended when he threw his truck into reverse and crashed into the patrol car behind him.

U.S. Sen. Scott hears from veterans during Rock Hill visit  (HeraldOnline.com)  U.S. Sen. Tim Scott got an earful from frustrated veterans and others on Monday afternoon during a campaign trail stop in Rock Hill.

Tidewell Hospice works to give veterans a voice  (Bradenton Herald)  Military culture reinforces stoicism and decades after they leave the service, former soldiers still can feel that stories of their wartime experiences are best left unsaid.

Veterans Administration

Affordable Care Act Q&A: Most veterans don’t need exchange  (The Tampa Tribune)  There’s a reason the national health insurance debate doesn’t include much about the men and women who served in the military. The new exchange doesn’t apply to them.

Shinseki Calls ‘Vet Courts’ a Success  (Military.com)  Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Monday praised judges, prosecutors, defenders, veterans, and an army of counselors and mentors across the country for their efforts on behalf of veterans who end up in the criminal justice system.

US Department of Veterans Affairs selects MetLife as provider for VADIP  (TMC.net)  US Department of Veterans Affairs has selected MetLife Inc., a provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, as an official provider for the US Department of Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Program, or VADIP.

Battelle to Assist VA in Surveys on Traumatic Brain Injuries  (Boston.com)  Battelle recently won a five-year contract to assist the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to survey veterans from recent wars who have been evaluated for traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Benefits

Army extends benefits, but La. Guard among holdouts refusing to process benefits to same-sex spouses  (TheAdvertiser,com)  Army Secretary John McHugh has approved several policy changes that support extending military benefits to the same-sex spouses of soldiers. But the Louisiana National Guard, which is part of the Army Reserve, still is refusing to process applications for benefits for same-sex spouses.

Leaders warn troops may leave military if benefits cut  (WVEC.com)  Local military leaders are warning about potentially dire consequences if cuts are made to Military retirement benefits.

Udall Wants More Vet Benefits In DOD Legislation  (Public News Service)  Helping veterans avoid homelessness and have better access to education is the focus of amendments that U.S. Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico is pursuing in a massive Defense bill moving through Congress.

Employment

Minneapolis Ranked High for Veteran Employment  (KTSP.com)  “USAA Magazine” ranks Minneapolis third in its top ten best cities where veterans can find jobs. The magazine sites the city’s low unemployment rate, low crime rate, and high quality of life as factors in its rankings.

DRS Technologies Wins Additional Military/Veteran Friendly Employment Honors  (PR Newswire)  DRS Technologies, a Finmeccanica Company, announced today that it has earned a 2014 Military Friendly Employer title by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse, and is recognized as one of 185 companies favored among military veterans, according to survey results.

If you would like to receive Transitionnews via email, just enter your preferred email address in the “Email Subscription” box on the sidebar.

Have a great day!

Transitionnews 12/2/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Monday, December 2 2013:

Good news story of the day

Military Veterans Are Leading The Way In Delivering Aid To The Philippines  (Business Insider)  The plastic crate sitting outside a sweltering makeshift military terminal serves as both a seat for Peter Meijer and a container for 150-plus pounds of nails, hammers, and military-style quick-prep meals.

Transition

Anne Arundel readies for job hunting veterans  (SFGate.com)  Marine veteran Bernard Jenifer was one of hundreds of vets at Fort George G. Meade last month for a job fair. He trained in engineering, but has been unemployed for months.

Connect-a-Vet program helps veterans get work skills, jobs  (WacoTrib.com)  A new program aims to help local veterans learn new work skills through community service projects to increase their chances of finding jobs.

Veterans

Veterans Running For Congress Campaign As Can-Do Candidates  (Huffington Post)  When he meets voters in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, former Army Ranger Kevin Strouse recounts how he helped clear a city block in Iraq during the rescue of prisoner of war Jessica Lynch in 2003.

Female veterans do battle for benefits at home   (Chicago Tribune)  When Xatavia Hughes, the granddaughter of a military man, went to serve in Iraq, she was prepared to prove herself to the male soldiers.

Veterans’ Corner: New license plate design benefits vets’ fund   (Indiana Gazette)    Gov. Tom Corbett recently announced a number of new initiatives to help and support Pennsylvania’s more than 950,000 veterans.

Affordable Care Act Q&A: Most veterans don’t need exchange  (The Tampa Tribune)  There’s a reason the national health insurance debate doesn’t include much about the men and women who served in the military. The new exchange doesn’t apply to them.

Veterans Affairs

Report: VA prescribes opiates to patients not seen  (SFGate.com)  Doctors at the San Francisco VA Medical Center regularly renewed prescriptions for highly addictive narcotic painkillers for veterans they had never seen, according to a new report by the Department of Veterans Affairs‘ inspector general.

Tom Hayden: Merchant Marine vets deserve benefits for service  (News-press.com)  Recently, I was privileged to speak before a group of people, who struggle to hear, struggle to see and struggle to take their next steps. For me, none of that mattered.

Georgia veterans face disability claim delay  (The Augusta Chronicle)  Georgia veterans filing disability claims often face longer delays than their counterparts in other states.

Benefits

GI sex-assault victims face battle for disability benefits  (San Antonio Express News)  Months have passed since sexual-assault victim Virginia Messick left the Air Force and sought disability compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Army extends new benefits to soldiers’ same-sex spouses  (Army Times)  Army Secretary John McHugh has approved several policy changes that support extending military benefits to the same-sex spouses of soldiers.

CNO: You may have to pay for tuition benefit  (Navy Times)  The Navy plans to fully fund its tuition assistance coffers in fiscal 2014 at the same $84 million level it paid out in 2013. But after that, all bets are off.

Putting Military Pay on the Table  (The New York Times)  Big-ticket weapons like aircraft carriers and the F-35 fighter jet have to be part of any conversation about cutting Pentagon spending to satisfy the mandatory budget reductions known as the sequester. But compensation for military personnel has to be on the table, too — even though no other defense issue is more politically volatile or emotionally fraught.

Employment

Defense Executives: Shortage of Engineers Is Not a Myth  (National Defense)  U.S. defense executives are pushing back on suggestions that a shortage of science, math and engineering graduates is a fake crisis.

Hiring underway as expansion of VA Clinic nears completion  (Billings Gazette)  Contractors anticipate finishing the newly expanded 70,000-square-foot Veterans Affairs Clinic in Billings by Feb. 1.

Have a great day!

Great information about military health care benefits at transition

Posted by Mike Grice on

This is a repost from Jim Carman’s great synopsis of military health care availability for those going through transition (originally posted on the MOAA Linkedin group page):

 Career and Talent Management Team Leader: 703-968-6383

This week’s LinkedIn career building essay comes from Katherine Tracy, MOAA’s Deputy Director for Healthcare Programs. You’ve made the decision to transition from the military and may be wondering how this impacts your healthcare benefits. Let’s take a quick look through two lenses: military retirement eligible or not.
If you’ve not fulfilled the 20 year requirement for a military retirement, your healthcare ends on your last day of regular active duty service or in the case of an activated National Guard or reserve member and serving a period of more than 30 consecutive days of active duty in support of a contingency operation, on the last day of your transition period known as Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) which is 180-days following your separation date. The TAMP benefit also applies to active duty service members serving in support of a contingency operation separating due to:
• stop-loss,
• sole survivorship discharge, or
• agreement to become a member of the Selected Reserve of a Reserve Component the day immediately following release from regular active duty service.
Military retiree’s under age 65 can choose between a managed care option (HMO), known as Tricare Prime, or a fee for service option called Tricare Standard. The main difference between the two is cost verses choice. Tricare Prime is least costly; whereas, Tricare Standard offers the greatest choice in selecting providers. Furthermore, the Tricare Prime option is limited to those who reside within the catchment area of a Military Treatment Facility (MTF).
Tricare also comes with a pharmacy benefit delivered through three points of service listed below in the order of least to greatest out-of-pocket cost to you.
• Military Treatment Facility,
• Tricare Home Delivery Pharmacy, or
• Tricare Retail Pharmacy.
Next, the Tricare Retiree Dental Plan (TRDP) provides a dental option for retiree’s as well as gray-area National Guard or reserve members and their dependents. Timely enrollment, within 120-days of eligibility, ensures the full range of benefits is available immediately. Otherwise, there’s a 12-month wait-period for crowns, bridges, orthodontics and dentures.
Lastly, once retired, your Tricare catastrophic cap rises to $3,000.00/family per fiscal year. The catastrophic cap is your maximum out-of-pocket expense for Tricare covered benefits. Here, the key is Tricare covered benefits. If in doubt – ask!
This has been a whirl-wind through the healthcare benefit structure. If you need further guidance or would like to schedule a one-on-one consultation to discuss your particular situation in more detail, call a MOAA Benefits Counselor at 1.800.234.6622.
Finally, for those readers in career transition who have served as officers in any branch of the armed forces and are located in the greater Washington, D.C. area, The West Point Society of DC’s annual Military Officer Job Fair will be held on December 6 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm at the Waterford Reception Center in Springfield, Virginia. For the second consecutive year, MOAA is assisting in the promotion of this job fair, which will be open to all military officers regardless of commissioning source or branch of service. There is no charge to attend and no pre-registration is required. For more details, please see http://www.wpsdc.org and follow the links to career networking night. Thanks for reading and happy holidays, Jim Carman, MOAA Transition Center Director.

Transitionnews 11/29/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Friday, November 29 2013:

Good news story of the day

Navy Wounded Warrior Anchor Program Supports a Grateful Family  (Navy.mil)  A retired Navy command master chief who serves as a Navy Wounded Warrior (NWW) – Safe Harbor Anchor Program mentor – spent valuable time with a Coast Guard wounded warrior and his family in Carlisle, Pa., during November.

Transition

Workshop advises service members in transition  (The Redstone Rocket)  Whether a service member retires after 20 years or gets out after just one tour, the Army’s Transition Assistance Program helps service members and their families transition into civilian life by offering job-search assistance, financial readiness planning and related services.

Veterans in Private Sector: Making the Transition  (Federal News Radio) Why should you hire a veteran?  Here are a few reasons: They possess great leadership skills. They take initiative. They assume responsibility. They’re creative.

New IT career training program helps veterans find jobs  (Observer & Eccentric)  A new public-private partnership has been formed to provide information and technology training and certification to Michigan veterans.

‘Warriors 4 Wireless’ Program Helps Vets Find Tech Industry Jobs  (LiveScience)   A new nonprofit program aims to help veterans and returning service members find jobs in wireless telecommunications, as part of a broader goal to have 5,000 vets employed in the expanding industry by the year 2015, according to officials from the Department of Defense.

Veterans

Wounded Warrior Group suing Indiana veteran it says defamed it  (UPI)  A national veterans assistance group is suing an Indiana veteran it says defamed it, court documents show.

Veterans Pitch In to Help Serve, Overseas and at Home  (ABC News)  To celebrate Thanksgiving, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama – along with daughters Sasha and Malia – went to the Capital Area Food Bank to serve nutritious meals for hungry families alongside post-9/11 veterans who were reporting for duty in their community.

Veterans see glitches in getting new licenses  (Channel 3000)  Some Wisconsin veterans trying to get their hands on special new driver’s licenses have been confused by a state website but unable to get through to a toll-free hotline for assistance.

Orlando gives veterans a boost in competing for contracts  (Orlando Sentinal)   Every year, Orlando issues millions of dollars worth of contracts and purchase orders for everything from staples to giant construction projects.

Veterans form organization to help peers  (Newburyport News)  Two local veterans are extending a helping hand to keep the hands of their struggling peers warm.

Easter Seals groups ramp up help to veterans  (Philly.com)  Like many people, Gary Staten typically thought of the nonprofit group Easter Seals as mainly helping children and adults with disabilities and special needs.

Veterans Affairs

Plans progressing on state vets home  (The Rapid City Journal)  The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs has announced that contractors began mobilizing equipment and resources to the Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veterans Home campus last week.

Veterans’ homelessness drops by 24 percent  (DCMilitary.com)  The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development announced Nov. 21 that a new national report shows a 24 percent drop in homelessness among veterans since 2010.

Ga. veterans face backlog of claims  (Atlanta Journal Constitution)  Georgia veterans filing disability claims often face longer delays than their counterparts in other states.

Benefits

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Resources and Benefits for Veterans  (DOD Live) The Real Warriors Campaign is a multimedia public awareness initiative sponsored by the Department of Defense.

Air Force cancels retraining in 35 career fields  (Marine Corps Times)  The Air Force announced Tuesday that it has dropped at least 35 career fields from the list of jobs that airmen can retrain into, affecting as many as 1,000 airmen.

Army begins correcting medical records for some former Madigan patients  (The Bellingham Herald)  The Army has begun correcting medical records for former Madigan Army Medical Center patients who left the military with conflicting diagnoses for behavioral health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Media

Stars and Stripes faces closure if it loses the Battle of Budget Cuts (The Washington Times) Stars and Stripes — long may it wave? Maybe not. The venerable newspaper that has reported independent news about the American military since the Civil War finds itself on the budget-cutting front lines.

If you would like to subscribe to Transitionnews and also receive updates from Orders to Nowhere, go to the “email subscription” located on the sidebar.  You can also follow on Twitter and Facebook!

Have a great day!

shutterstock_145239913 compressed

Tranisitionnews 11/27/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Wednesday, November 27 2013:

Good news story of the day

Dept. of Veterans Affairs: Wins grant to renovate homeless veteran housing (WisPolitics.com) The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) today announced that it has received a grant of nearly $26,000 to renovate existing transitional housing at 21425 Spring St., Cottage 16, Union Grove to increase the useful life of the facility and address the safety, security and privacy needs of homeless veterans served. The grant, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, is a Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program grant.

Military Transition

Following complaints, Army medical records board honoring latest Madigan PTSD diagnoses (The News Tribune) The Army has begun correcting medical records for former Madigan Army Medical Center patients who left the military with conflicting diagnoses for behavioral health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Veterans

Veterans oppose Wisconsin asbestos bill (Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel) It was disappointing to read Christian Schneider’s column regarding Senate Bill 13, which would delay and deny justice for asbestos victims

Military/Veterans: Claims show lacking care, example of Obamacare (Examiner.com) The public needs to be concerned about governmental health care, because as it fails so do the chances to improve the public’s health.

Veterans Administration

Veterans Affairs clarifies why cop killer Lawrence Cambra’s remains removed from military cemetery (The Oregonian) The Department of Veterans Affairs removed Lawrence Cambra’s ashes from Willamette National Cemetery last week after learning a funeral home failed to provide information that would have disqualified his placement there.

My HealthVet provides online access to support veterans health care (Examiner.com) On the 10th anniversary of Department of Veterans Affairs award-winning Personal Health Record, My HealtheVet, the Department is urging all veterans and servicemembers to join the VA health care information and services online.

Veterans Affairs describes benefits (Carroll County Times) The Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System is hosting a VA Health Care Enrollment, Eligibility and Veterans Benefits Seminar at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, 10 N. Greene St., Baltimore from 9 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Dec. 9.

Veterans Affairs woes not just regional concern (TribLive) First, waterborne bacteria in Pittsburgh Veterans Affairs hospitals led to at least five deaths from Legionnaires’ disease.

Veterans Affairs director under fire (Ottumwa Courier)

In what could have been a closed session to discuss a personnel matter during the Wapello County Board Supervisors meeting was kept open at the request of Marty Cremer, director of Wapello County Veterans Affairs.

Benefits

Air Force chief wants to curb pay growth (Grand Forks Herald) The Air Force’s top officer says the service must curb growth in pay and benefits.

Have a great day and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Transitionnews 11/26/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Tuesday, November 26 2013:

Good news story of the day:

Healing veterans: Saginaw’s VA Medical Center pours nearly $30 million into renovations  (Michigan Live) After six decades of service, the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw was showing its age. But thanks to some timely renovation work, the health care center that serves veterans throughout central and northern Michigan has a bright future.

Military Transition

Transition Readiness Seminar prepares service members (DVIDS) The military transition assistance program, part of Transition Assistance Management Program, underwent changes March 2012, and is now known as the Transition Readiness Seminar.

800 lieutenant colonels and colonels face SERB (Air Force Times) About 90 lieutenant colonels and 150 colonels could be selected for early retirement when the Selective Early Retirement Board meets Dec. 9.

Veterans

Huntington Beach Bar Fights To Save Sign That Salutes Veterans (CBS Los Angeles) Veterans are rallying around a local bar whose owners say they have been ordered to removed a sign that salutes their service.

Student veterans face challenges when reintegrating into campus life (The Daily Texan) For a small population of UT students, campus life comes with several realizations — being the oldest student in class or that, unlike their peers, they are balancing a family life and their studies.

National veterans’ charity sues local Indiana veterans’ charity (Fox 59) A national nonprofit group that pulls in more than $150 million annually for veterans has sued local group Help Indiana Vets.

Veterans Administration

Scammers target veterans attempting to call the VA  (WVNSTV) A fraud alert was issued recently letting veterans know about a scam that targets people who are attempting to call two Department of Veterans Affairs hotlines.

Veteran advocacy groups want justice for deaths at Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center (The Augusta Chronicle) The outrage surrounding the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center’s botched gastrointestinal program reached the national stage Monday, with representatives from two veteran advocacy groups demanding justice for the three cancer patients who died needlessly because of the clinic’s lack of care.

Indy VA office one of worst in country (WISHTV) Some veterans are fighting to their graves, not living to see benefits promised to them as young troops.

Benefits

Overtime, new computer system put sizable dent in VA benefits backlog (The Denver Post) Far fewer veterans are facing long waits for disability compensation after the Department of Veterans Affairs spent the past six months focusing on the backlog, including mandating case worker overtime and rolling out a new computer system.

 Conn. veteran sues Army over diagnosis, benefits (SFGate) A Connecticut veteran of the Iraq War has sued the Army, saying he was denied full education and retirement benefits after he was diagnosed with adjustment disorder while actually suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Have a great day!

 

Transitionnews 11/25/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Monday, November 25 2013:

Good news story of the day:

Easter Seals Groups Ramp up Help to Veterans  (ABC News) Like many people, Gary Staten typically thought of the nonprofit group Easter Seals as mainly helping children and adults with disabilities and special needs.

Military Transition

‘Mission:Transition’ draws military members to Home Depot’s ranks (Washington Post)  Donald Sullivan strolled contentedly amid the bustle of contractors wheeling carts stacked with lumber at the Home Depot in Hyattsville, Md.

New state law eases transition for military police (KARE 11) A new change in state law makes it easier for military police to transfer their law enforcement skills to the streets of Minnesota.

Ex-UFC fighter Caros Fodor and the cruel transition from soldier to civilian (Fox Sports) It was a routine convoy, a movement of military vehicles through the dark Iraq desert. But what is really routine about combat in a foreign land?

A Military Wife No More (The New York Times) Today I got divorced.

Veterans

A Pacifist’s Take on Veterans’ Rights (The Huffington Post) I spent my fall break in our nation’s capital, sponsored by Princeton’s Pace Center for Civic Engagement, visiting congressional lobbies, vocational employment centers, and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where I saw, firsthand, those who had experienced the casualties of war. Eating in the hospital cafeteria, I sat among masses of amputees, the people who actually comprise the looming, abstract statistics we hear always on the news.

‘Stand down’ event assists area veterans (Gainesville Times) When veterans return home, the transition into civilian life can be difficult for some. Yet there are organizations to help them make it as smooth as possible.

Veterans volunteer to provide military funeral honors at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Pa.  (NJ.com) Several times a day, a solemn ceremony takes place at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Newtown, Pa.

Report finds more of state’s veterans homeless (Charlston Daily Mail)   Jason Wood is happy he has a part-time job at the Charleston Civic Center.  It means the 40-year-old veteran is a step closer to finding his first permanent housing in a year.  But it’s not enough.

Veterans Administration 

Veterans Dying Waiting On Disability Benefits (CBS DFW)

The Veterans Administration says they’re working hard to fix their backlog of medical claims.  But the CBS 11 I-Team has uncovered a new problem faced by veterans and their families. Disability benefits denied and the appeals process taking years, even decades to be approved.

Veterans Affairs woes not just regional concern  (TribLive) First, waterborne bacteria in Pittsburgh Veterans Affairs hospitals led to at least five deaths from Legionnaires’ disease.

Dogs ease veterans’ trauma at VA center (Anchorage Daily News) The black Labrador retriever knew something was wrong. He refused to leave the side of Sandro Navarro, repeatedly nuzzling the troubled man, trying to comfort him.

Have a great day!

 

Transitionnews

Posted by Mike Grice on

I have been a reader of the Department of Defense’s Early Bird for a long time.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Early Bird, it is a daily roundup of items in the news that are related to the military.  Although it is a purveyor of news, it has also been in the news lately because it became a victim of the budgetman’s axe. Although the official Early Bird may have gone the way of the Dodo, it has been replaced by versions created by non-military agencies.

Anyhow, the Early Bird was great because it provided a single location to check out the news of the day for those in uniform.  I eagerly read it while still on active duty and I still read it (well, the son of the official Early Bird at any rate) today.  Since I got out, however, my interest in the Early Bird has changed from following the goings on in foreign lands to more pressing issues here at home. It occasionally contains links to stories about transition and veteran’s issues, but not always.  I found the lack of daily coverage is transition and veteran’s issues to be disappointing.

So I decided to start writing my own version of the Early Bird, except that it will focus on veteran/transition stories that are bouncing around the internet and in print.  You are one of the luckiest readers on the planet because you get to read the inaugural post — the post you are reading right now. My goal is to post links to news stories and blogs about vets and transitioning servicemembers as frequently as I can, and today is the first of them all.  If you have any feedback or recommendations, please post a comment!

TRANSITIONNEWS 11/22/13

Good News Story of the day

GOOD NEWS! Salvation Army Thanksgiving eve feast assured after flood of donations (Peninsula Daily News) Two weeks after putting out the word that it didn’t have any turkeys for the annual Thanksgiving feast, the Port Angeles Salvation Army’s soup kitchen now has enough for the 200 expected at the holiday meal.

Transition

Workshop advises service members in transition (Army.mil) Whether a service member retires after 20 years or gets out after just one tour, the Army’s Transition Assistance Program helps service members and their families transition into civilian life by offering job-search assistance, financial readiness planning and related services.

Tech sector salutes military in transition to civilian jobs (Seattle Times) Microsoft and other companies are sponsoring intensive programs to help service members learn the skills to help them land high-tech civilian jobs.

Government, Military and Business Leaders Come Together to Help Veterans Transition to Private Sector Careers (Digital Journal) More than 100 employers from Canada’s private sector will gather this week for Canada Company’s inaugural Military Employment Transition (MET) Employer Partner Coalition Conference in Toronto on November 21 and 22. Focused exclusively on veteran employment, the conference is designed to help bridge the gap between the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and corporate Canada by serving as a platform to share successful techniques and best practices that assist transitioning and transitioned CAF members entering the private sector.

Benefits

Pentagon requests plan to close stateside commissaries  (Stars and Stripes) Tasked by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to find ways to preserve force readiness amid sharply falling budgets, his comptroller and the Joint Staff have asked the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) for a plan to close all stateside base grocery stores, say military resale community sources.

Obama enacts 1.5 percent veterans’ COLA (Army Times) President Obama has signed into law a measure providing a 1.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment to disabled veterans and their survivors.

Drawdown

Military leaders: Drawdown plan aggressive (USA Today) President Obama’s own military commanders said Thursday that his plan for a drawdown of troops went beyond what they had recommended but will still be able to achieve U.S. goals for a stable Afghanistan. Critics however say the drawdown risks reversing hard-won gains against the Taliban.

U.S. military says it may have to cut Europe budget by fifth (Reuters) The United States may be compelled to cut its military spending in Europe next year by as much as a fifth in the latest round of reductions under “sequestration”, America’s top general in the region said on Thursday.

Veterans Administration

Paralyzed Army vet awarded $8.3M in VA hospital lawsuit (Army Times) An Army veteran who lost a leg and suffered severe brain damage when a routine surgical procedure at the John Cochran VA Medical Center went wrong has been awarded $8.3 million in a medical negligence lawsuit.

Hospital delays are killing America’s war veterans (CNN)  Military veterans are dying needlessly because of long waits and delayed care at U.S. veterans hospitals, a CNN investigation has found.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ catching up on benefits backlog (The Gazette) Far fewer veterans are facing long waits for disability compensation after the Department of Veterans Affairs spent the past six months focusing on the backlog, including mandating case worker overtime and rolling out a new computer system.

Thanks for reading the first ever edition of Transitionnews!