Good news story of the day

Pride blooms from veterans building grounds  (San Benito County Today)  Vietnam veteran Tony Santos and his business Greener Grounds Landscaping recently gained the contract for upkeep outside the Veterans Memorial Building.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Kasich signs House Bill 488 to help Veterans get jobs and with higher education  (Examiner.com)  Gov. John Kasich visited University of Cincinnati today where he signed a bill aimed at improving military veterans’ and service members’ access to higher education and jobs. It’s also intended to help prevent military identity fraud and theft.

Springfield to host job fair for veterans, spouses  (The Register-Guard)  Local veterans, employers want you.

Maloney announces bill to reform veterans’ employment program  (Mid-Hudson News)  Tuesday announced legislation he will introduce to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational and Rehabilitation Employment program. That program assists, trains and finds suitable jobs for veterans with compensable service-connected disabilities.

Midwest Shelter Receives A $15,000 DuPage Community Foundation Grant To Help Local Veterans Find Jobs  (Chicago Tribune)  The Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans has received a $15,000 grant from The DuPage Community Foundation to help underwrite its new Veterans Employment Program, designed to help local veterans overcome barriers and develop the skills they need for real-world employment opportunities.

Veterans get early start with Muncie job fair  (Fox 59)  Congressman Luke Messer is gearing up to host the 18th Annual 6th Congressional District Job Fair.

Veterans News

Obama’s VA nominee gains key endorsement  (The Hill)  The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) on Tuesday endorsed President Obama’s choice of former Proctor & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald to lead the embattled Department of Veterans Affairs.

Combat vets’ use of painkillers troubling, researchers say  (Military Times)   A new study of an Army infantry brigade following an Afghanistan deployment finds that soldiers used opiate painkillers at three times the rate of civilians — even though 40 percent of the troops who took the drugs had not had any severe pain in the previous month.

I-Team: Acton Vet Finally Gets VA Doctor’s Appointment – 2 Years After He Died  (CBS Boston)  “He was steadfast. He took care of us, all of these years.”

WWII Memorial prayer inscription approved over secularist, ACLU objections  (Stars and Stripes)   The World War II Memorial in Washington may soon have a new prayer inscription added, disappointing secularists and rights groups who had opposed the measure based on opposition to religion displayed in public spaces.

Benefits News

Walpole veterans report commendable local services  (Walpole Times)  Over beverages at the VFW post on Robbins Road, some Korea and Vietnam era veterans bemoaned the problems at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

New law raises homestead exemption for disabled veterans  (Rocky Fork Enterprise)  Many disabled Ohio veterans will get some property-tax relief, thanks to a bill Gov. John Kasich has signed into law.

Back From War, Veterans Enter Education Fight at Home  (US News and World Report)  It’s a quiet night at Yale’s Saybrook College residence hall, nestled within the Gothic confines of the university’s stately New Haven campus. Halfway up one of the winding stairwells, the telltale glow of a laptop screen blends with the low but thoughtful chatter of three blooming academics.

Benefits and resources fair aids frustrated veterans  (AZCentral)  Almost 30 years after Rosemarie Preece awoke to find her husband dead, the 64-year-old Phoenix resident on Tuesday tried for the third time since his death to seek aid from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

At least 10 C-123 veterans have died after VA denied their Agent Orange claims, groups say  (Oregon Live)  At least 10 veterans exposed to Agent Orange while serving aboard aircraft contaminated by the Vietnam-era defoliant have died after being denied care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, two veterans groups charged Sunday.

Disabled Tricare Enrollee Needs Help with Benefits  (Military.com)  I have a question; let me give you a little background first. My wife has been covered by her work, my work and Tricare Prime, since 1996.

World War II vet, 90, closer to getting Marines to fix AWOL error in war record  (Fox News)  A 90-year-old decorated World War II veteran still fighting to correct what he says is an erroneous war record may finally be getting closer to realizing his goal.

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Good news story of the day

D-Day veteran gets refund after his VA benefits slashed to $6 a month  (Fox News)  The Department of Veterans Affairs is making amends to an 89-year-old World War II vet whose monthly veteran benefit check was slashed from $300 to $6 to recoup an overpayment he never knew about.

Military Transition and Jobs News

MAP: Veteran Vs Non-Veteran Employment in CT  (Trumbull Patch)  In our fourth and final installment before we wrap up the series and designate the most patriotic towns in Connecticut in time for Independence Day, Patch has crunched the numbers behind veteran employment to see which towns and zip codes are supporting their troops when they come home.

Tactical Veteran: Frustrated job-seeker may need to adjust strategy  (Army Times)  A reader recently sent me this anguished email:  “I am a retired Marine Corps veteran and have built my résumé up considerably since I retired and also recently received two college degrees. I have a profile on LinkedIn. I have been applying for jobs for two years now and have officially quit!

Veterans News

Obama to name new VA chief  (USA Today)  President Obama intends to nominate West Point graduate Robert “Bob” McDonald — most recently chairman of Procter & Gamble, a Fortune 500 company — as secretary of the embattled Department of Veterans Affairs, wracked by a scandal of systemic delays in health care.

Three military veterans benefit from local center that offers horse therapy  (WQOW) A local center is making strides in its mission to help veterans heal.

Director finds jobs for Ohio’s veterans  (The Columbus Dispatch)  Ohio ranks sixth in the nation for veteran residents, and seventh nationally for reserve and National Guard members.

50 VA hospital workers claim retaliation for blowing whistle on the horrors they saw  (The Washington Times)  When Valerie Riviello, a nurse at a Veterans Affairs facility in New York, saw the clinic restrain a sexual assault survivor to a bed for seven consecutive hours, she released the woman.

73-Year-Old Vietnam Vet Fired from Cracker Barrel for Giving Away Cornbread   (People)  Joe Koblenzer is 73 years old. He’s a Vietnam veteran, and until recently, he worked as a host at a Cracker Barrel in Florida.

Bill aims to aid Camp Lejeune contamination victims  (Pilot Online)  Two North Carolina congressional leaders have introduced legislation they say will help people exposed to contaminated water near a closed Asheville factory and a Marines Corp base.

Vietnam veteran fabricated heroic acts during trial  (The Augusta Chronicle)  In pleading the case of Charles Chavous in April, defense attorney Scott Con­nell detailed his heroic acts during the Vietnam War in an attempt to convince Judge Mi­chael N. Annis that Cha­vous was deserving of leniency.

‘Corrosive culture,’ weak leadership cripple VA, report says  (CNN)  The Veterans Affairs health care system needs to be overhauled because of unresponsive leadership and a “corrosive culture” that affects the delivery of medical care, said a report delivered Friday to President Barack Obama.

Benefits News

What every American should know about veterans and their health care  (Daily Kos)  Last week I wrote about Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson voting against additional funding for the Veterans Health Administration.

GI Bill funds flow to for-profit colleges that fail state aid standards  (CIROnline)  Over the last five years, more than $600 million in college assistance for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans has been spent on California schools so substandard that they have failed to qualify for state financial aid.

Whistleblower alleges VA improperly purged benefit applications  (Fox News)  Federal investigators are probing a whistleblower’s claims that applications for veterans seeking health care benefits may have been improperly purged from the VA’s Health Eligibility Center in suburban Atlanta.

Surge in patients outpaces fayetteville’s VA health care’s building boom  (FayObserver)  The Fayetteville VA Medical Center has been playing catchup for years.

The VA’s Secret Claims  (National Journal)  The long-standing slog within the Veterans Affairs Department to cut down its mountain of disability claims has been well documented.

VA investigates Atlanta enrollment office  (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)  Federal investigators are examining allegations that thousands of veterans who applied for health care benefits had their applications purged improperly by the national Veterans Affairs enrollment eligibility office based in Atlanta, according to VA employees interviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Good news story of the day

Decades after the Cold War, a VOA-Coast Guard Partnership is Honored  (VOA)  In 2014, long after the end of the Cold War, the USS Courier may not be familiar to most Americans, citizens of the former Soviet Union or the Eastern bloc. But, between 1952 and 1964, this Coast Guard vessel floated off the coast of Rhodes, Greece, and beamed thousands of hours’ worth of Voice of America broadcasts behind the Iron Curtain.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Veterans job fair, resource event to be a first for Gloucester County  (NJ.com)  Gloucester County will host its first ever job fair and resource event specifically for veterans on Thursday, June 26.

Free veterans job fair is Thursday  (WKYC)  A free veterans job fair will be held Thursday at the Cleveland Public Auditorium & Conference Center.

Veterans Job Fair  (WTAM)  The Cuyahoga County Veterans Service Commission and local companies has come together to host a free hiring fair for veterans, active military members, reservists and military spouses. It will be held on Thursday, June 26th at Public Auditorium.

Job fair focused on military vets, featured Tejon Outlets retailers  (Bakersfield Now)  Companies from around Kern County filled the Bakersfield Marriott on Tuesday with the goal of bringing jobs to veterans returning to civilian life.

Veterans News

Woman admits bilking WW II vet out of $2.6 million  (Arizona Daily Star)  A woman accused of defrauding an elderly World War II veteran of more than $2.6 million confirmed everything police and prosecutors said about her crimes was true.

Congress Has One Hurdle Left to Pass a VA Bill, But It’s a High One  (National Journal)  The House and Senate have agreed it’s time for reform of the Veterans Affairs Department. Now they have to agree how to pay for it—and they have to do it quickly.

House chairman pushes to broaden funding for VA reform bill  (The Hill)  House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) on Tuesday said lawmakers may broaden their seach to pay for an overhaul of the troubled department.

Benefits News

Department of Veterans Affairs commemorates GI Bill 70th Anniversary  (Army.mil)  The Department of Veterans Affairs commemorated the 70th Anniversary of the GI Bill, originally the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, at George Washington University here, yesterday.

Alabama veteran granted VA benefits after more than 50 years  (WRBCtv)  Our NBC News partners at WSFA are reporting that  a Korean War Veteran’s 56-year struggle for Veterans Affairs benefits is finally over.

ADRIFT IN THE BACKLOG: Veterans face long waits for care, services  (Wicked Local)  When it comes to getting veterans services, long waits are often the norm.

Swalwell Announces Over $1 Million in Retroactive Benefits Veterans in District 15  (Livermore Patch)  Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) announced last week that his office has helped CA-15 veterans receive a total of more than $1 million in retroactive benefits such as disability payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits Administration since January 2013.

VA’s next challenge — Expanding benefits for same-sex couples  (The Blaze)  While the Department of Veterans Affairs is just starting to climb out of the crisis related to veterans’ wait time for healthcare, the Obama administration is pushing the VA take on a new task — ensuring it delivers benefits to all same-sex couples.

When PTSD benefits are abused  (The Denver Post)  In 2009, Iraq war veteran Jesse Bratcher was looking at a long prison sentence when an Oregon jury instead found him guilty but insane due to post-traumatic stress syndrome.

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Good news story of the day

Marine on Medal of Honor: ‘Surreal and kind of weird’  (USA Today)  A Marine who threw himself on a grenade during a Taliban attack in Afghanistan to save a comrade’s life received the Medal of Honor Thursday from President Obama.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Army drawdown continues:  1,100 Captains to be cut  (Stars and Stripes)  The Army drawdown continues this week, when about 1,100 Army captains will receive word that their military careers are about to end. Another 500 majors will get the same news in early July.

Operation Warfighter offers veterans career opportunities  (The Augusta Chronicle)  After four military tours in Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan, Sgt. Dirck Moize traded gunfire for a government office cubicle.

Fighting for a Job: Returning Vets Have Mixed Results Finding Employment  (The Ledger)  On first impression, Jordan Imig seems older than his 24 years.

Programs offer guidance to newly returned vets  (The Brownsville Herald)  As far as Bartolome “Bart” Naciancenov is concerned, asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Veterans News

North Adams looks to state for more reimbursement as veterans budget grows  (The Berkshire Eagle News)  During last winter’s harsh cold, a local veteran who had fallen on hard times resorted to filling his heating oil tank, gallon by gallon, with the diesel fuel he bought at a gas station.

Audit from 2012 found VA clinics had been warned ‘not to game the system’  (Fox News)  A 2012 audit accused Department of Veterans Affairs clinical offices in Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas of routinely canceling appointments in blocks to manipulate wait times despite a nationwide directive from top VA officials “not to game the system.”

Military considers shopping perk for most veterans  (CNBC)  The U.S. military is looking into allowing all of the nation’s veterans who served honorably to shop online at exchanges that sell discounted, name-brand goods—a perk that is currently available only to a small minority.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Launches Hometown Heroes Service Learning Project  (Street Insider)  The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) today announced the launch of the Hometown Heroes Service Learning Project.

Benefits News

Obama: Post-9/11 GI Bill keeps promise to newest vets  (Military Times)  You pick the school, and we’ll help pick up the bill.

Service members can now register on burn-pit list  (Military Times)  The Veterans Affairs Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry is now live.

VA health care crisis hits home for veterans in Fayetteville  (FayObserver)  Mike Schultz holds his glasses away from his face and squints.

Government’s PTSD treatment for veterans lacking, report finds  (LA Times)  Despite spending billions of dollars a year to treat military service members and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, the government has little evidence that its efforts are working, according to a new report commissioned by Congress.

AP IMPACT: VA FALLS SHORT ON FEMALE MEDICAL ISSUES  (AP)  Already pilloried for long wait times for medical appointments, the beleaguered Department of Veterans Affairs has fallen short of another commitment: to attend to the needs of the rising ranks of female veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them of child-bearing age.

Op/Eds

Hero worship of the military is getting in the way of good policy  (The Washington Post)  I have worn an Army uniform for the past eight years and deployed twice to Afghanistan. This doesn’t make me a hero.

OpEd: Stop saying vets sacrificed ‘for nothing’ in Iraq  (Marine Corps Times)  I hate talking about it, but I will because people are doing a terrible job interpreting Iraq’s collapse.

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Good news story of the day

Los Borinqueneers Awarded Congressional Gold Medal  (The Courant)  President Barack Obama signed a bill Tuesday honoring the 65^th Infantry Regiment, a unit of soldiers largely from Puerto Rico known as Los Borinqueneers with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Abiomed, Salem State University and North Shore Community College Host First-Ever Life Sciences Career Seminar for Veterans  (Globe Newswire)  The MedTech and BioTech Veterans Program (MVP) announced today it will host the Boston area’s first-ever Student Veteran Re-careering Seminar for alumni and student military veterans interested in pursuing careers in the life sciences.

Employment workshop and job fair for veterans on June 18  (NJ.com)  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The American Legion and ESGR is announcing a Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) job fair and recently designed Employment Workshop, which is part of a nationwide effort to help veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment.

Job fair for veterans slated for Tuesday in Dover  (Delaware Online)  Veterans looking for work should make plans to attend a job fair in Dover Tuesday.

Cumberland Co. job fair to benefit veterans  (The Washington Times)  The Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs is partnering with several lawmakers and organizations to have a job fair for veterans in Cumberland County on Tuesday.

Operation Hire: Maryland’s Veteran Challenge  (Military Times)  Veterans in Maryland should pay attention: your state has launched a big initiative to support veteran hiring for the next 100 days.

Veterans News

House passes VA overhaul bill … twice  (The Hill)  The House on Tuesday twice passed legislation to allow veterans to seek medical care outside the Department of Veterans Affairs if wait times are too long.

House Votes to Ban Bonuses for All VA Employees Through 2016  (Government Executive)  The House on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure that would ban bonuses for all Veterans Affairs Department employees for the next three years.

Marine sergeant major loses job after altercation depicted in viral video  (The Washington Post)  The debate over whether the United States should have exchanged five Taliban officials for the only U.S. soldier held in captivity by the insurgent group has devolved into this: A senior enlisted Marine just lost his job after an altercation between him and a Marine veteran was depicted in a viral video.

VA report provides lessons to other agencies on what not to do; stress on metrics risky  (The Washington Post)  The Department of Veterans Affairs’ report on outrageous waits for veterans seeking health care provides lessons that reach well beyond this one agency. As always, it’s the coverup that’s really getting people into trouble.

Benefits News

5 questions: Cutting benefits for military retirees  (Military Times)  Retired Army Lt. Col. Tom Slear has touched the third rail of military and veterans’ issues with an opinion piece arguing that a “very small decrease in pay” for military retirees would be reasonable, considering the need for the U.S. government to cut spending.

Report: Benefits claims related to sexual assault treated unevenly  (Military Times)  Veterans Affairs benefits workers are still wildly inconsistent in their handling of claims related to military sexual assault despite years of emphasis on the issues, a new Government Accountability Office report has found.

House votes to ensure speedier care at VA hospitals  (CBS)  United and eager to respond to a national uproar, the House overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday to allow patients enduring long waits for care at Veterans Affairs facilities to get VA-paid treatment from local doctors.

Veterans Corner: Compensation benefits for dependents  (The Kingsburg Recorder)  When a veteran has a disability or disabilities that are rated by the VA at 30 percent or greater, disability compensation can be increased based on dependents. A claim for this increased benefit needs to be filed with the VA if there is any change in the status of the veteran’s spouse and/or children.

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Amid thunderous applause, WWII veteran receives long-awaited diploma  (Stars and Stripes)  Charles Waters took a little longer than his classmates to get his diploma.

Military Transition and Jobs News

Military MOJO Announces 2014 National Hiring Events for Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Officers  (PR Newsweb)  MOJO (Military Officers Job Opportunities) is a premier hiring event pairing commissioned military officers, senior non-commissioned officers, and non-commissioned officers holding degrees with national employers seeking veterans for leadership opportunities. MOJO will be hosting four events this year in Austin, TX; Virginia Beach, VA; Washington, DC and San Diego, CA.

Hiring Heroes Career Fair Provides Opportunities for Wounded Warriors and Veterans  (Navy.mil) More than 600 wounded warriors and veterans filed into the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton North/Midtown in Raleigh, North Carolina, May 29 for the Hiring Heroes Career Fair.

Job fairs set for military veterans  (11Alive)  The Help Desk is dedicated to informing our military heroes about career opportunities and guidance.

Working to Help Veterans Start Businesses  (Military Times)  Military veterans have a knack for building successful businesses, professionals say, but they have more trouble than non-veterans attracting investors.

Veterans’ traits ideal for second career in energy  (Fierce Energy)  New York is embarking on a partnership with industry leaders from five electric and gas utilities to develop a plan that places military veterans returning home in jobs in the utility industry.

Veterans receive unique job opportunities as wildfire season nears  (Wallowa.com)  Wildfire season could mean more job opportunities for returning veterans.

Veterans News

Hollywood holds conference to discuss portrayal of veterans on screen  (Fox News)  When the Got Your 6 initiative was launched two years ago to enlist Hollywood in the effort to help military veterans, it focused on benchmarks in crucial areas including jobs, housing and education.

VA chief Eric Shinseki pledges urgent healthcare fixes  (Los Angeles Times)  Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki called in leaders of key veterans groups Thursday and pledged to keep VA hospitals open nights and weekends if necessary to set up speedy appointments for veterans whose long waits for medical care have triggered a growing crisis at the massive agency.

White House offers tepid support to Shinseki as pressure builds  (The Hill)  The White House offered tepid support Thursday for embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, skirting questions on whether he’ll soon be fired.

Benefits News

Dallas VA Medical Center to Host Veterans Benefits Fair, June 7  (The Gilmore Mirror) VA North Texas Health Care System together with Texas Veterans Commission and Veterans Land Board will host a free “come and go” Benefits Fair to ensure Veterans are aware of the benefits they are eligible for and have earned.

Virginia vets have fewest Veterans Affairs facilities  (Fox News)  As scandals swirl surrounding the Department of Veteran’ Affairs, a new report finds Virginia ranks dead last in the nation for the number of VA hospitals per 10,000 veterans.

Widow wins VA claim 24 years after filing  (Military Times)  Three weeks before 39-year-old Ronald McNutt died of cancer in 1987, he began talking about his military service in Vietnam with his wife, Bettye.

This WWII veteran on ultimate wait list: He gets benefits after 68 years  (Fox News)  The Veterans Administration is under fire for its long waiting lists, but it’s unlikely any of America’s service members can match the claim by Milton Rackham: It took 68 years before he was given the benefits he earned in battle.

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