The American Legion Department of Colorado Blog

By Craig Roberts

A trio of bills designed to enhance civilian training and employment opportunities for military veterans has been endorsed by The American Legion.

In testimony submitted to the House Veterans Affairs Committee on July 15, the Legion’s Economic Division Assistant Director Bob Madden wrote, “(We) applaud this committee for the attention given to the troubling rise in veterans’ unemployment. This slate of legislation addresses many of the key concerns of our 2.4 million members.”

Chief among the bills is the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act of 2011, H.R. 2433. Among its provisions is the payment of “retraining assistance” for veterans 35 to 60 years old, who are not eligible for benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. It extends to older veterans the opportunity to pursue a post-service education at a community college or technical school which leads to an associate’s degree or certificate. The bill, say its sponsors, is designed to provide training for high-demand occupations such as “green jobs.” Its provisions are not unlike the Community-Based Job Training Grants program now being offered by the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

In lauding the bill, Madden said it “addresses one of the little known facts of veterans’ unemployment: though the percentages of younger, unemployed veterans is slightly higher, the vast majority of unemployed veterans are of an older age group and require retraining of job skills not necessarily covered by education benefits directed at younger veterans. Reaching these veterans would provide real and tangible help.”

The lack of recognition of service-acquired skills by some civilian licensing and certification entities is also addressed in the VOW Act. The bill authorizes VA and DoL to complete a study of 10 military occupational specialties in an effort to “reduce barriers to certification and licensure for transitioning members of the Armed Forces and veterans … promote credentialing of members of the Armed Forces (and) identify best practices that can be leveraged by all services to increase the transferability of military education, training, experience, and skills.”

In his testimony, Madden endorsed the proposal by saying “better understanding of credentialing and certification is necessary to help civilian employers recognize the job skills learned in service closely mirror those required in the non-military world. There is no good reason a military driver should not be equally qualified to drive trucks in the civilian world, or that a corpsman is not qualified to serve as an EMT. Better attention to the certification and licensure process is needed.”

The VOW Act, along with companion bill H.R. 1941, the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, strengthens the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP). TAP assists military personnel, and their families, leaving the service make the transition back to civilian life by providing job counseling and related services.

TAP is currently a voluntary program offered at major military installations, but proposed legislation would make participation mandatory. “(These bills) recognize the essential nature of a mandatory Transition Assistance Program and is fully supported by The American Legion,” Madden said. “There is no reason this necessary hand-off between the military and civilian worlds should not be made mandatory.”

A third bill favored by The American Legion would improve veterans’ access to employment, education and transition information by directing VA to better publicize its VetSuccess website at http://www.vetsuccess.gov/

For the past few years, unemployment among veterans has been significantly and consistently greater than the overall jobless rate. Last year, for instance, the unemployment rate for Gulf War II-era veterans, those who have served since 9/11, averaged 11.5 percent in comparison to 9.4 percent for non-veterans. Veterans ages 18 to 24 were even worse off: more than one in five were unemployed. The situation, say observers, is little better this year.

By John Raughter

Wounded warriors at Camp Pendleton receive DVDs, Blue Ray players among items distributed; Balboa Naval Hospital the next stop.

A delegation of Legionnaires from California and National Headquarters distributed 65 gift-laden backpacks to wounded Marines and sailors at Camp Pendleton Jan. 12. The gifts – which included DVDs, CDs, socks, magazines and DVD/ Blue Ray players – were purchased through The American Legion’s Operation Comfort Warriors program.

“I feel our veterans, and especially our wounded warriors, deserve the respect and commitment of the American public to give them relief from their injuries. They deserve the best,” said Richard “Sunny” Farrand, a member of Post 434 in Chula Vista.

“I’m still in shock that we were told that we get to keep the DVD players rather than just having them placed in the barracks,” said Marine Lance Corp. Mike Bird, a wounded warrior from Coral Springs, Fla.

Helping veterans is a passion for Farrand, a Vietnam War Air Force veteran who also serves as the Heroes to Hometowns chairman for the Department of California. Farrand spearheaded the purchasing and distribution efforts for the visit, which will be followed up with another OCW visit to Balboa Naval Hospital tomorrow.

The delegation includes Mike Nordmeyer, a Gold Star father from Speedway, Ind. The American Legion Riders of Speedway Post 500 donated $!0,000 to OCW after raising it in a motorcycle ride honoring Army Cpl. Zachary Nordmeyer, who gave his life in Iraq in 2009.

While visiting the Marine Wounded Warrior Barracks at Camp Pendleton, the Legionnaires announced that OCW would also provide cameras and lenses to be used for a photography club there. The cameras will be put to good use, according to Staff Sgt. Richard Gonzalez, of San Jose, Calif.

“A lot of times due to head injuries, PTSD or other disabilities we lose our memories,” Gonzalez said. “Photography and pictures help us regenerate those memories. We can use them as a therapeutic way of journaling.”

In 2004 Gonzalez was wounded in Iraq after being shot five times. He presented the Legionnaires with a photo taken of him and his new “battle buddy,” a service dog. He said that the dog is always “watching my back.”

Gonzalez said that while photography is a therapeutic art for him, the photography club will “teach a skill that can be used in the outside world to allow Marines to lead a productive life.”

It seemed to be a mutual admiration society, as the Legionnaires thanked the Marines and sailors for their service and sacrifice, while the wounded warriors reciprocated by thanking the Legion for the gifts. “It made my heart happy to see that these Marines really appreciated what we were giving them,” said Debbie Heldenbrand, an Army veteran and member of Post 434. “They have already given us so much.”

More than $70,000 worth of gifts was purchased for the Camp Pendleton and Balboa visits. Since OCW’s inception in December 2008, more than $620,000 has been raised by The American Legion family to provide comfort items to wounded, injured or ill warriors recovering in U.S. military hospitals and warrior transition units around the world. The program won a $250,000 grant after placing first in last February’s Refresh Everything Project sponsored by the Pepsi Beverage Company.

Similar measure authorizing Congress to protect U.S. flag from desecration expected to be introduced in Senate later this month.

Legion family members are encouraged to contact their U.S. representatives and urge them to sign on as co-sponsors of the recently introduced flag amendment.

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., reintroduced legislation for the 112th Congress proposing a constitutional amendment which would restore to Congress the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag. House Joint Resolution 13 simply reads, “The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.”

A companion bill in the Senate by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, will be introduced later this month. In previous Congresses, the House overwhelmingly adopted this flag-protection amendment but the necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate needed to send it to the states for ratification hasn’t been achieved.

The American Legion is urging all concerned citizens, veterans and their families to “rally once again ‘round the flag” and contact your senators and representatives, encouraging them to become co-sponsors of this legislation.

In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark, but erroneous, decision in Texas v. Johnson (5-4 vote) overturned 200 years of American tradition and laws by declaring that the people no longer had a right to protect the American flag. The court ruled flag burning was protected “speech” as defined by the First Amendment, and invalidated laws in 48 states and the District of Columbia.

In his book “Making Patriots,” eminent constitutional scholar Walter Berns writes:

“Under what is now the prevailing view of the First Amendment…men retain the right to speak as they please, regardless of the consequences of their speech, because the government is forbidden to weigh those consequences or take them into account. Just as Congress may not make any law favoring religion, especially one religion over another, so it may not favor, or put the weight of its authority behind, one or another view of republican government. Accordingly, while Americans, out of habit, might continue to “pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands,” the Republic itself stands for nothing in particular, which means the flag stands for nothing in particular. This, of course, was not the view of those who designed it. For them the flag, and its ceremonies, was one of the means of promoting patriotism…They saw it as the symbol of this new country, this novus ordo seclorum, a country dedicated to the principles set down in the Declaration of Independence: liberty, equality of opportunity, and religious toleration. Its friends pledge allegiance to it and salute it, and its enemies burn it.”

In reaction to the Supreme Court’s flawed decision, the petitions by 50 states legislatures and the wishes of 80 percent of Americans, the Citizens Flag Alliance (CFA) was founded by The American Legion to return to the people their right to protect Old Glory.

Only a constitutional amendment can protect the flag. Rather than fearing such a constitutional amendment, members of Congress concerned about supporting the amendment should embrace it. It is a profound demonstration of the feeling of the American people, and is the people’s time-honored way of correcting erroneous constitutional interpretations of the Supreme Court. The proposed flag-protection amendment is no infringement on the Bill of Rights; it is instead, a wonderful exercise in the popular sovereignty the Bill of Rights was designed to protect.

Veterans Green Corps (VGC) is hiring veteran who are up for a challenge and want to continue serving their country in America’s great outdoors. Can check it out by going to http://veteransgreenjobs.org/ or you can continue reading here.

VGC conservation work is focused on protecting and preserving our public lands. Done in cooperation with national forests, national parks, the Bureau of Land Management, and state and local government agencies, these projects are an opportunity to take care of our national treasures while working alongside other vets with common goals.

Veteran crews are trained and hired to work on projects such as trail construction and maintenance, fencing, habitat improvement, hazardous fuels reduction, noxious weed removal, re-vegetation and more. Prior experience doing conservation work is not required!

Projects are described below. Get in touch immediately to apply for this rewarding opportunity – and get geared up for a chance to work with The Corps Network

Calling All Military Vets

This is tough work!

–Conservation projects are physically demanding and will often require heavy lifting and hiking with equipment and packs.

–Corps members may be required to use various hand tools for project completion.

–Crews may work and camp outside for up to 11 days at a time in front country and/or back country locations in all types of weather conditions.

–Crews prepare all their own meals and work together as a group to complete all necessary living chores.

–A typical all-veteran crew consists of 6-8 members, 2 leaders and 1-2 members serving as veteran advocates.

–VGC programs provide all necessary training.

–Living and working in the outdoors offers an incredibly rewarding experience!

Who is eligible to apply:

*        All honorably discharged veterans.

*        Veterans of all ages.

*        Veterans with a DD 214.

*        Veterans with all levels of experience.

Conservation Projects

Great Basin Institute, Nevada Conservation Corps – Las Vegas, Nevada

Throughout the summer and fall seasons, a 6-person veteran crew will complete technical trail building and maintenance on U.S. Forest Service trails in the Spring Mountains. Don’t let the nearby desert landscape fool you! The Spring Mountains are rich in forests, streams and mountain vistas. Work will include constructing trail treads, cutting fallen trees from the trail, building water diversion structures, constructing rock retaining walls and much more. Crew work begins in mid-May and continues into November.

Southwest Conservation Corps – Salida, Colorado

Two Summer Technical Trail crews, each with 8 veterans, 2 crew leaders and 6 crew members, will work in the southern Colorado Rockies based out of the Arkansas River headwaters in Salida, Colorado. Trail work will commence in the Rio Grande National Forest with an emphasis on maintenance. Crews will often camp out in the backcountry for days at a time. Work includes rock removal from trail tread, tree clearing with crosscut saws in wilderness areas, and rehabilitation of water diversion structures. One of the crews will be co-ed, with half of the veterans being women and one woman working in a crew leader role. Crew leaders will begin training April 20, crew members will train May 30, and work will be completed by August 20.

Southwest Conservation Corps – Durango, Colorado

Two Fall Saw crews, each with 8 veterans and 2 crew leaders, will conduct fire mitigation and hazardous fuel removal in the southern Colorado Rockies. This work is focused on decreasing the risk associated with wildfires, which pose great threats to intermountain communities throughout the western U.S. Crews will receive chainsaw training to safely reduce wildfire risk by cutting out weak, dead and crowded trees in overgrown forests. The project will begin in August and end in

November.

Medicine Bow – Wyoming and Colorado

Two 8-person saw crews will be formed to remove dead trees that are victims of Mountain Pine Beetle attacks. Over time, dead standing trees present a hazard as they become weak and eventually fall. Crews will be trained on safety and use of chainsaws to eliminate this risk along trail corridors and public use areas. Each crew will have 2 crew leaders and will operate throughout the Routt/Medicine Bow National Forest along

the Colorado-Wyoming border. The summer project begins in mid-June and will continue into September.

Utah Conservation Corps – Logan, Utah

The Inclusive Crew, a 4-person veteran crew, will be formed in Utah with 2 disabled veteran positions. Work will include campground assessments and other conservation work on public lands. Projects will be completed from May 10 to Aug 14.

Apply Today by going to http://veteransgreenjobs.org/green-jobs-training/veterans-green-corps

Contact Justin Clark, national outreach director for Veterans Green

Jobs: justin@veteransgreenjobs.org.

The American Legion – March 11, 2010

On March 10, American Legion Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division Director Barry A. Searle attended the monthly meeting of the Veterans’ Consortium Executive Board in Washington.

The consortium is an organization made up of members from The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and National Veterans Legal Services Program, as well as private-practice attorneys. The purpose of the consortium is to recruit, train and assign pro bono attorney representation to veterans who wish to be represented in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Veterans do not need to be members of any service organization to be represented. Appealed cases are reviewed and, if proven to have a valid claim, are represented at no charge by assigned volunteer attorneys.

Women, Tribal Services Are Special Priorities

The Department of Veterans Affairs is allocating $39 million to fund about 2,200 new transitional housing beds through grants to local providers.

    “VA is committed to ending the cycle of homelessness among Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We will use every tool at our disposal – health care, education, jobs, safe housing – to ensure our Veterans are restored to lives with dignity, purpose and safety.”

    The $39 million in funding is broken into two categories.  About $24 million in grants are available to renovate or rehabilitate space to create about 1,000 transitional housing beds.  The grants put a priority upon housing for homeless women and housing on tribal lands.

    A second group of grants, valued at about $15 million, is expected to fund about 1,200 new beds for homeless providers who already have suitable transitional housing.  The grants will provide per diems based upon the number of homeless Veterans being served in transitional housing.

    VA is the largest federal provider of direct assistance to the homeless, with 14,000 transitional beds in operation or development.  About 107,000 Veterans are homeless on a typical night.  Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has committed the department to ending homelessness among Veterans within five years.

Department of Defense – March 11, 2010

The Military Spouse Career Advancement
Accounts program, commonly known as MyCAA, will resume March 13 for the more than 136,000 spouses who already have established an account, the defense official who heads up the program announced today.

Officials announced a temporary halt in the program Feb. 18, pending a top-to-bottom review, after a six-fold spike in enrollments in January, a surge that overwhelmed the system and caused the program to near
y reach its budget threshold.

“We made a commitment to our military spouses when they established a career advancement account, and we will be true to our p
omises,” said Tommy T. Thomas, deputy undersecretary of defense for the Pentagon’s office of military community and family policy.

The Defense Department wi
l resume the program for the 136,583 military spouses currently in the program at noon EDT March 13, Thomas said.
“We sincerely apologize to our military spouses for the added burden caused by the pause in operation,” he added.

While the program will resume for enrolled
spouses, new MyCAA accounts or financial assistance applications will not be accepted yet, Thomas said, noting that the comprehensive review of the program still is under way.

“We are working hard to adjust the program to meet the demands of the MyCAA program and to arrive at a long-term solution for military spouses who would like to establish an account,” he said. “Until that time, we encourage spouses to
onsult with the MyCAA career counselors who can provide career exploration, assessment, employment readiness and career search assistance.”

The top-to-botto
review includes procedures, financial assistance documents and the overall program, which is intended to provide military spouses with opportunities to pursue portable careers in high-demand, high-growth occupations.

yle="margin-bottom: 16pt;">The program has been growing in popularity since its inception March 2, 2009. Enrollments had been increasing at a rate of about 10,000 a month, and in January, the number spiked to 70,000. pan>

“We had very little time to react to that,” Thomas said. “I make no excuses for that. We should have done a better job of notifying our military spouses.” Thoma
said he will work hard to restore the confidence lost when the program was halted.

“We certainly know we have lost some confidence, and we want to rebuild
hat confidence,” he said. “We will restore that faith hopefully by one, restoring the program, and two, having appropriate resources to ensure everyone that applies for the program receives the appropriate financial assistance.

 
“We appreciate what [spouses] do, and we hope that through this, that once we get this program back on track, that we don’t lose any … spouses,” he continued. “We value and treasure everything you do each and every day, not only for the Department of D
fense, but for this nation.”

Thomas said he will ensure the lines of communication stay open in the days ahead. An e-mail has been sent to all program parti
ipants, informing them of the program’s resumption, and spouses will see the announcement letter when they log on to their MyCAA accounts. A “media blitz” of information will precede any announcement that applies to all military spouses, he vowed. >

“We don’t want to make the mistake we made in the beginning, and that is not notifying you what’s going on,” Thomas said. “We want to make absolutely sure that you
understand that we’re working in your best interest.”
In the meantime, Thomas urged spouses to be wary of questionable Web sites enticing them with employment opportunities.

“Stay the course with us and allow u
to work this to finality by restoring the program,” he said. “We will make every effort possible to ensure we educate you and get the necessary funds to continue this program.”

 
Along with MyCAA counselors, spouses also can request free career counseling through Military OneSource at (800) 342-9647 or at http://militaryonesource.com.

The American Legion – March 11, 2010

American Legion Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division Director Barry Searle was among those attending a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing Wednesday that focused on the future of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The hearing was conducted by Chairman Bob Filner, D-Calif., to better understand the challenges that face VA in the future and what is needed to transform the agency into a 21st-century organization. VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki offered his assessment of how to improve the structure and implement necessary changes to provide veterans the best care and benefits in the most effective and efficient way possible.

“We are not looking for a piecemeal approach to structuring VA to best address the needs of America’s veterans,” Filner told Shinseki. “Rather, we want to hear about your vision and your assessment of what tools you need, including a proposal that would amend Title 38 to add an additional assistant secretary and eight deputy assistant secretaries. Our hope is to come out of this with a plan we can all get behind that meets the needs of the department and our veterans.”

Current law provides for “not more than seven Assistant Secretaries” and limits the number of deputy assistant secretaries to a number “not exceeding 19, as the Secretary may determine.” As part of its restructuring efforts, VA is seeking legislation that would authorize an additional assistant secretary and eight deputy assistant secretaries.

Shinseki, outlined 4 principles guiding VA into the future:

An increased agility in order to take advantage of and leverage resources;
Showing a demonstrable return on investment;
An improved service to veteran customers; and
Controlling costs.

The secretary also identified past shortcomings that were in failures in IT and acquisition management. In order to improve the process, Shinseki discussed his proposal to add an additional assistant secretary and increase the number of deputy assistant secretaries by 40 percent. He testified that adding positions “is not about creating a new layer of bureaucracy – it is about streamlining and aligning our organization in ways that will better align our priorities with the most responsible use of funds entrusted to the department.”

For both Information Technology and acquisitions, Shinseki said, “past weaknesses have stemmed from overly decentralized control, lack of enterprise-wide information and, in some cases, improvised policies. Managers in the field lacked supervision, guidance, and sustained support; and policies were applied inconsistently.” He identified the next step to producing better results as “strengthening management infrastructure, especially pursuing acquisition reform, paired with continued consolidation of Information Technology management.”

The American Legion – March 11, 2010

VA’s Debt Management Center (DMC) recently sent out letters advising veterans of their options for repaying the advance payment of education benefits they received for this past fall term.

If you are having trouble reaching DMC over the phone in regards to advance payment recoupment, you can also contact VA’s Education Call Center (ECC) toll-free at (888) 442-4551 or visit http://www.pay.va.gov for instructions on how to submit payments. You may also go to www.gibill.va.gov.

The American Legion – March 2, 2010

The American Legion’s lobbying efforts make a difference, and it’s pretty clear to National Commander Clarence Hill. During the Washington Conference Commander’s Call, Hill made that sentiment pretty clear to a packed room of nearly 800 Legion family members at the Renaissance Hotel, who later traveled en masse to Capitol Hill to meet with their respective senators and representatives.

    “Will your actions today really make a difference? Will anyone listen? According to the issues on (the Legion’s) legislative priority sheet last year, I think so,” Hill said. “Advance appropriations for VA medical care: That’s now Public Law 111-81. VA received advance appropriations for fiscal year 2010, before the public law was signed. I guess they heard you.

    “VA appropriations for fiscal year 2010: It wasn’t signed into law before the start of the fiscal year, but advance appropriations for VA’s three medical accounts were included in a continuing resolution until the omnibus appropriations bill was signed. Looks like they got the message on that one, too.”

    Hill went on to say that VA funding met or exceeded nearly every recommendation by the Legion, and that while issues still exist with the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, he applauded Congress for keeping a close eye on the situation.

    Hill also praised VA Secretary Eric Shinseki for his efforts in implementing the GI Bill. The secretary addressed Legionnaires during the Commander’s Call and made a promise that he’ll focus on an issue very close to their hearts: the backlog of VA disability claims.

    “This is one area that we didn’t progress as fast as I would have wanted. It has a little bit to do with me having to focus on that 9/11-GI Bill,” Shinseki said. “That’s not to say that we didn’t work claims processing hard. Last year we completed 974,000 claims. And then we received a million new ones in return. Our productivity went up, and so did our receipts. We know that we’re going to have to get better and faster at it.

    “2010 is my year to focus on the backlog, to find and break all standing obstacles that have been part of holding us up. And try to get faster and better processing, and not just going fast, but getting higher-quality decisions out of those claims processors.”

    U.S. Rep. C.W. “Bill” Young, R-Fla., was presented with the Distinguished Public Service Award for Young’s “commitment to our nation’s military and intelligence communities, particularly to quality of life for military personnel and their families, and to a continued advocacy of medical research immunization programs, and to protecting the American flag from physical desecration.”

    Young was humbled by the award. “To receive an award like this, from men and women who have served in our military, who have made sure that America remains strong, that is a tremendous honor,” he said. ”

    Young – who serves on the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee – vowed to continue to vote for the funding needed for U.S. servicemembers.

    “We have got to provide whatever it is that our military needs to keep us safe,” Young said. “My commitment is any training must be provided to prepare the troops for the mission. Any equipment or technology that must be provided for the mission must be provided.”

    Also on hand was Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynne III, who briefed Legionnaires on the situation in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

    “(U.S. servicemembers) have now fought in Iraq and Afghanistan for longer than we fought in World War I and World War II combined. Their sacrifice is bringing security to America and stability to many parts of the world,” he said. “In Iraq, our forces continue to responsibly draw out on schedule. Iraq is beginning to emerge as a sovereign, stable nation.

    “As our forces leave Iraq, we face tough new challenges in Afghanistan. As we’ve seen in the city of Marjah, the fighting is fierce. But the initial phase of the Marjah offensive is nearing completion. Our strategy, however, recognizes that military action is only the first step in a successful transition. The Afghan government and our forces must ultimately take responsibility for security and governance.”

    Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga. – a member of the Committee on Armed Services – asked Legionnaires to get behind his bill, H.R. 333, which eliminated the disabled veterans tax for all disabled military retirees. “Get your members to sign on to 333. It’s an easy number to remember,” he said. “Use that term ‘disabled veterans tax.’”

    U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark., a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, echoed Hill’s earlier comments when he stressed the importance of the Legion in gaining passage of legislation.

    “Those of us on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee really are working hard to push forward the things we need to get done for veterans,” he said. “We can’t do that as just members on the committee. We have to have you guys. Your leadership does a tremendous job, but they can’t be effective without you. I can’t tell you how important it is to share with your members of Congress, when you look them in the eye… and say, ‘Remember, we have this priority or that priority.’ As a result, we really have been able to get a lot done in the last several years.”

    Legionnaires also heard from Ray Jefferson, assistant secretary of the Veterans’ Employment and Training Services, Auxiliary National President Rita Navarreté and Sons of The American Legion National Commander Mark Arneson.