Good news story of the day

Afghanistan veteran launching cross-country memorial trek from DuPont this week  (The News Tribune) An Afghanistan veteran embarking on eight-month hike across the country to honor fallen troops is holding a pair of kick-off events in Pierce County this week.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Monster and Military.com Host National Veteran Employment Summit  (The Wall Street Journal)  Monster and Military.com announced they will host their second National Veteran Employment Summit featuring leading voices in the private sector, government and non-profit organizations and showcasing innovative solutions to improve the way in which companies recruit, train and retain veterans in the civilian workforce.

Job fair aims to boost veterans’ employment  (Business Daily)  About 75 area employers will be on hand for a veterans job fair May 8 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

CAREER FAIR FOR VETERANS SET AT MARSHALL  (AP)  A career fair for veterans and military service members is scheduled at Marshall University.

Veterans News

Md. gov candidate suggests Iraq War vet opponent not up for ‘real job’  (Fox News)   A Democratic candidate for governor of Maryland is defending comments he made Monday in which he suggested his opponent, an Iraq war veteran, was not up to the task of a “real job.”

Veterans Village building new veterans beds  (Examiner)  The number of veterans who settle in at Veeterans Village and find a life on their own will go up in July in 2015. Last week, the city council approved VVSD’s plan to build a new two story building with 20 transitional beds.

Ave Maria developers offer 20 acres needed for Collier veterans nursing home  (Naples News)  The developers of Ave Maria are offering to donate 20 acres in the community for a state-run nursing home for veterans, enabling Collier County to be in the running for the project against several other Florida counties.

Interview: 5 questions for the naked veteran  (Military Times)  Vietnam War veteran Max Sanchez struggles with controlling issues stemming from post-traumatic stress.

Benefits News

ROVER Reaches Out to Veterans in Rural Nevada  (Public News Service)  Veterans living in rural Nevada will likely have the opportunity to meet with a Veterans Services officer without having to leave town.

Veteran benefits questions answered at free event  (WRAL)  The Disabled American Veterans and the Harley Davidson Foundation will host an event on May 3 to answer questions about veteran benefits and services.

A day in the life of a Veterans Services Program coordinator  (UWire)  UH Veterans Services Program Coordinator Lawren Bradberry walks through the door a bit past noon and a little out of breath.

Express Scripts to continue as Tricare prescription provider  (Military Times)  Express Scripts, the Pentagon’s pharmacy benefit management company, has been awarded a contract worth up to $5.4 billion over eight years to continue providing pharmacy services for Tricare beneficiaries.

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Good news story of the day

A Veteran’s Story: Vet soon to be 106 years old  (Mansfield News Journal)  When William Dormaier joined the Army in 1943, he was 35 years old and just married.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Twelve Kansas City area employers honored for hiring military veterans  (Kansas City Business)  Twelve Kansas City area employers that hired military veterans through Missouri’s Show-Me Heroes program have been honored by the state’s Department of Economic Development.

Job fair focused on veterans, spouses  (Insurance News Net)  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation will host a job fair for veterans and military spouses Tuesday at American Legion Celina Post 210, 2510 E. state Route 703.

‘Ugh. I miss it.’  (The Washington Post)  ransitioning from military to civilian life, and from camaraderie to isolation.

Staff sergeant rank due to get culled  (Marine Corps Times)  Marine Corps Times has obtained details of the upcoming Staff Sergeant Retention Board, which will be held for the first time this summer to cull hundreds of staff sergeants who were passed over twice for promotion and have served between 15 and 18 years.

Veterans News

Gulf War illness: Thousands who served still report mysterious symptoms

Military Veterans Bring Value to the Classroom  (Chronicle.com)  I have followed with interest the national conversation about the important role of colleges in easing the transition of military veterans into the classroom.

Group to host fundraiser for wounded veterans  (Reporter Newspapers)  The Phoenix Patriot Foundation will bring its mission to aid wounded veterans to Sandy Springs.

John Walsh: Preventing Veteran Suicide Is ‘The Cost Of War’  (Huffington Post)  Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) posed a question to his colleagues on Capitol Hill this Sunday: If lawmakers are willing to spend billions of dollars on war, why are they less willing to invest in the welfare of veterans when they come home?

SC veterans plan ‘last hurrah’ to D-Day beaches  (The State)  A month after World War II ended, Jeanne Palyok, an American raised in France by her grandparents, sailed back to Paris to work as a translator at the U.S. Embassy.

Veterans home had HIV scare  (UT San Diego)  The Chula Vista veterans home whose director was ousted this month had the lowest health rating available from the federal government and had seen a sharp uptick in negative findings from state health inspectors, records show.

Retirees create network to help active-duty families  (Air Force Times)  One airman couldn’t fit an oil change into his busy schedule.

 Benefits News

Social Security launches expedited disability process for veterans  (The Gadsden Times)  The Social Security Administration has launched a new disability process to expedite disability claims filed by veterans with a Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation rating of 100 permanent and total.

Vets’ benefits, community service sessions coming up in Middletown  (The Middletown Press)  Military veterans in and around Middlesex County are invited for a special service session at the Milardo-Wilcox American Legion Post 75, 58 Bernie O’Rourke Drive, later this week.

VA Hospital’s Rural Mobile Unit Helps Veterans Across the State  (WBOY 12)  For thousands of veterans, getting the healthcare they need means traveling hundreds of miles away, which results in many not seeing a doctor for years.

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Good news story of the day

Veterans, unclaimed for 25 years, laid to rest with honors at Quantico  (The Washington Post)  No one who attended Wednesday’s funeral service at Quantico National Cemetery had ever met the two World War II-era veterans who were being laid to rest.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Career fair benefits Bay Area veterans  (The Inquirer Online)  Professionals and veterans from all over the Bay Area found jobs and were helped with essential skills at the Bay Area Career Fair.

Hamden job fair puts focus on veterans  (New Haven Register)  Veterans young and old parked their cars up and down Sherman Avenue outside the CFC Arena Indoor Sports Center to attend the Hiring for Heroes job fair Wednesday in hopes of finding a job.

Miss. to hold veterans job fair  (The Clarion-Register)    The Third Annual Veterans Job, Health and Benefits Fair will be held at the Mississippi Trademart from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.

Job fair brings new opportunities for Hoosier veterans  (Foz59)  Hundreds of Indiana veterans took advantage of a unique opportunity Wednesday, as they participated in a special job fair called Operation Hire a Hoosier Veteran.

Veterans News

Braley pitches veteran jobs bills in Ames  (Ames Tribune)  Congressman Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, promoted two bills aimed at increasing job opportunities for unemployed veterans during a visit to Ames Wednesday.

Sweeney’s job bills can help unemployed N.J. veterans: Letter  (NJ.com)  Sweeney’s job bills can help unemployed N.J. veterans: Letter

Gov. McCrory announces jobs initiative plan for veterans  (WNCN)  Gov. Pat McCrory announced a major jobs initiative plan to help military veterans get jobs after serving their country.

Montrose veterans program tears down barriers and earns accolades  (The Denver Post)  Last week, the founder of Welcome Home Montrose was filling out a form in a doctor’s office when she was struck by the fact that, amid pages of questions about family status and medical issues, there was nothing about military service.

The Rise and Fall of Major Jim Gant  (War On The Rocks)  Whether you are interested in an unusual love story or in how the United States fights protracted wars, Ann Scott Tyson’s American Spartan is an important  book.

Congress unhappy with DoD, VA health records progress  (Military Times)  House lawmakers plan to hold back millions in dollars of technology funding from Defense and Veterans Affairs department planners until Congress is convinced they are making progress on developing a way to share electronic medical records.

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Good news story of the day

Europe pulling all stops to mark 70th anniversary of key WWII events  (Stars and Stripes)  Some townspeople here still remember that day in April 1944 when a burning American B-17 screamed low overhead, crashed and exploded in a nearby field.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Job fair for veterans, military spouses coming to Evansville next week  (Courier Press)  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation will host “Hiring Our Heroes – Evansville,” a hiring fair for veterans and military spouses on April 24.

Major job fair for veterans comes to Indiana State Fairgroundss  (The Indy Channel)  Hundreds of companies are headed to the Indiana State Fairgrounds with the hopes of hiring more than 2,000 people.

Resource fair planned for area veterans  (Trib Live)  Veterans returning to the workforce after their military service who wish to find good paying jobs in fields not requiring a college education should take note. Walz talks vets and jobs  (KIMT)  As if what they do for their country is not already hard enough, veterans returning from war often have a hard time getting acclimated back into the real world.

Programs help to nudge unemployment among veterans downward  (Trib Live)  The two months that Mark Corbin spent searching for a job were as stressful as his time in Iraq and Afghanistan. Feds talk: How do you feel about veterans’ preference for federal hiring?  (The Washington Post)  The Partnership for Public Service this month released a report calling for controversial civil-service reforms, including changes to the federal government’s hiring practices.

Veterans News

Patients rate VA medical centers high for satisfaction  (Military Times)  Patients at Veterans Affairs medical centers remain satisfied with the care they receive and complaints are down, a new survey released Wednesday by the American Customer Satisfaction Index found.

Chandler, Mesa might create veterans court  (AZ Central)  A specialized court for military veterans that focuses on treatment rather than punishment might be coming to the Southeast Valley.

I Served My Country. Then It Kicked Me Out.  (Politico)   I often think about Friday dinners with my family. Every Friday, no matter what, my wife and I took our two children out to eat; it was a ritual we looked forward to all week.

Tricare presents plan for re-enrolling some in Prime  (Military Times)  Tricare announced Tuesday its plans for reinstating thousands of beneficiaries who lost eligibility for Tricare Prime last October, but by law, not all who were booted off Prime will be able to re-enroll.

Your medical files may be at risk  (Military Times)  After veteran Aaron Alexis shot and killed a dozen people at the Washington Navy Yard last September, the Air Force noted a spike in the number of personnel dipping into his electronic medical file.

Vets home director pushed out  (Union Tribune)  The director of the state’s veterans home in Chula Vista has been forced to resign for undisclosed reasons.

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Good news story of the day

Seats added to help New Jersey’s Veterans find new careers at the inaugural Veteran and Transitioning Military Re-careering Seminar  (PR Newswire)     On April 29^th, the MedTech and BioTech Veterans Program (www.mvpvets.com) will host its inaugural re-careering event for transitioning military and veterans in New Jersey.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Program offers Marines and sailors transition assistance  (JD News)  As the military continues its downsizing efforts, one program is committed to ensuring Marines and sailors get the assistance they need.

Donnelly, Purdue work to transition veterans back to civilian life  (JCOnline)  As the U.S. continues to close military bases across Afghanistan and send troops home, Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, hopes to provide a smoother transition back to civilian life for them and their families.

Job, Health and Benefit Fair for Mississippi Veterans  (WHLT) The Mississippi Governor’s Job Fair Network is hoping to help Veterans and their spouses with job and health benefits.

Hoosier Veteran Job Fair To Feature 200 Employers  (WBIW)  Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) today encouraged Hoosier veterans to attend the eighth annual “Operation Hire a Hoosier Veteran” Job Fair on Wednesday,

Veterans News

College Success For Veterans  (CBS Local Philly)  Data from veterans who used education benefits from the post 9/11 GI Bill seem to graduate with rates comparable to their non-veteran peers.

Society shouldn’t tar all veterans as loose cannons  (The News Tribune)  There is a military proverb that first reports from the battlefield are always wrong.

Why so many firings from Veterans Home? Lawmaker asks  (KCCI)  A lawmaker is demanding an investigation to determine why so many workers at the Iowa Veterans Home have been fired and disqualified from future state employment.

Anonymous online counseling for vets shows early success  (Military Times)  When they contracted with the Vets Prevail program late last year, Veterans Affairs Department officials hoped the Web-based mental health resource could enroll about 2,200 new veterans in its anonymous counseling over a year.

Arvada man, a World War II vet, gets overdue POW medal  (The Denver Post)  A World War II veteran and Arvada resident was presented Monday with a medal commemorating his time as a prisoner of war.

Benefits News

Other-than-honorable vet says VA cutting insulin supply after 15 years  (WRDW)  Veteran Richard Ray said he wants to know why the VA has discontinued the medication he needs to live.

McCain, Flake call for hearings on delayed care at Phx VA hospital  (CBS5AZ)  U.S. Sen. John McCain(R-Arizona) and U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake(R-Arizona) are calling for congressional hearings to determine whether dozens of patients died while awaiting medical care at the Phoenix VA Hospital.

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Good news story of the day

One hero at a time, benefit for wounded Afghanistan veteran  (St George News)  From noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, veterans and friends gathered at the Casa Blanca Event Center in Mesquite, Nev. to pay tribute to Afghanistan Veteran Sgt. Travis Wood and his family.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Years of war leave veterans facing unfamiliar challenge: the civilian workforce  (The Dallas Post)  Sgt Maj. Chris Fletcher was a teenager the last time he had a civilian job.

Dept. of Veteran Affairs: VetCon, a veteran employment and services conference  (WisPolitics.com)  Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) Secretary John A. Scocos today announced VetCon: A Veteran Employment and Services Conference will take place on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee.

PTSD affects veterans jobs, recent shooting could make it worse  (KXXV)  A local soldier says his PTSD is making it hard for him to get a job, and the recent Fort Hood shooting could make it worse.

Fort Hood Shootings Could Stymie Veteran Hiring  (Yahoo Finance)  In late 2012, Harry A. Croft, a psychiatrist and former Army doctor who specializes in veterans’ post-traumatic syndrome disorders, was approached by a human resources specialist for a Fortune 500 company.

Ohio bill would protect businesses favoring veterans in hiring  (The Columbus Dispatch)  To help those who served their country, Ohio lawmakers are moving toward granting legal protection to private-sector employers who prefer to hire and promote military veterans.

Commentary: Defense Civilian Layoffs Won’t be Pleasant, But They Are Necessary  (Government Executive)  Against the backdrop of an increasingly unstable world, including the Russian invasion of Crimea, the ongoing conflict in Syria, an agitated Iran, aggression from the North Koreans and a militarized China, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently announced that he would seek further cuts to our uniformed personnel.

Veterans News

With suicides way up, Treasure Valley group works to aid veterans  (Idaho Statesman)  In the summer of 2012, U.S. Army veteran Reed Pacheco had his suicide all planned out.

Veterans’ tax exemptions have LI school boards struggling  (Newsday)  School districts across Long Island are struggling with whether to enact a new property tax exemption to assist veterans and in the process put a greater burden on nonveteran taxpayers.

Isle lab moves to ID sailors from USS Oklahoma  (Star Advertiser)  The embattled Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command says it’s getting closer to gaining Pentagon approval to disinter and identify for return to families nearly 400 crew members of the battleship USS Oklahoma buried as “unknowns” at Punchbowl cemetery.

Large numbers of vets with PTSD live near military bases  (McClatchy DC)  The Army specialist who killed three soldiers at Fort Hood last week isn’t the only person from the neighborhoods that surround the massive military base near Killeen, Texas, who’s been evaluated or diagnosed with mental illness.

Combat vets battle an enemy within: Addiction  (Philly.com)  The first time Pearson Crosby went to the methadone clinic at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center in early 2013, he asked his father to go with him.

Why Are So Many Older Veterans Committing Suicide?  (National Journal)  The Fort Hood shooting reignited the national debate over the surge of suicides among those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Benefits News

Bill would aid Ohio veterans  (The News-Messenger)  The Ohio House of Representatives has passed House Bill 488, which will assist Ohio’s veterans in furthering their education.

Veterans Corner: VA removes annual income reporting requirements  (Sawyer County Record)  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is eliminating the annual requirement for most veterans enrolled in VA’s health care system to report income information beginning in March 2014.

Soldiers stuck in backlogged disability system can’t go forward, can’t go back  (The News Tribune)  Sgt. Chris Peden is stuck.

White House unveils expanded support for military, vets’ caregivers  (Military Times)  The White House continued its focus on veterans and military families by announcing new programs Friday to expand support and services available to those who care for injured or ill troops.

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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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