WASHINGTON (AP) - In an effort to cut the unemployment rate among veterans, President Barack Obama is calling for a new conservation program that would put veterans to work rebuilding trails, roads and levees on public lands.

The president also will seek more grant money for programs that allow local communities to hire more police officers and firefighters.

DC Event a Model for Programs across the Country

WASHINGTON – With the success of its recent “Hiring Fair” in Washington, which resulted in more than 500 tentative job offers for Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs is looking at ways to expand VA’s traditional hire-a-vet program with major Veteran-focused career fairs throughout the country.

“America needs to put the skills, dedication and resourcefulness of our Veterans into the workforce to help rebuild an economy that lasts,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “America’s Veterans need to know that, across the federal, private and non-profit sectors, hiring managers are ready to put them to work.”

Pact Shows Commitment to Collaborate

WASHINGTON – Officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) have reached final agreement on a new national collective bargaining agreement, their first since 1997.

“This agreement with our partners at NFFE will enable VA and our employees to focus on the important job ahead – providing world-class care and services to the men and women who have served in uniform,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

Program Received More Than 25,000 Calls in First Year

WASHINGTON – On Feb. 1, the Department of Veterans Affairs will mark the one-year anniversary of the toll-free National VA Caregiver Support Line, 1-855-260-3274. The support line’s dedicated staff has helped more than 25,000 Veterans, family members and Caregivers connect to resources and receive access to services they have earned.

“VA recognizes the importance of Caregivers to our Veterans’ health and well being. We also recognize the sacrifices the daily care of their beloved Veteran requires,” said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. “It is the care and commitment of Caregivers that allows Veterans with chronic illnesses or severe injuries to remain in the homes they defended, surrounded by the loved ones they hold dear. I am proud we have been able to help so many Caregivers in this first year of the support line’s operation.”

Philadelphia recently became the latest jurisdiction to join what appears to be a nationwide movement to “ban the box” — that is, the box on employment applications that asks job seekers to disclose criminal history. On April 13, 2011, the city’s Mayor, Michael Nutter, signed into law the “Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards” Ordinance, which prevents non-exempt employers from asking job applicants about prior arrests and convictions.

The legislation’s stated purpose is to increase employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals by giving “the individual with a criminal record an opportunity to be judged on his or her own merit during the submission of the application and at least until the completion of one interview.”

Join us March 2, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, for a job fair for veteran job seekers, active duty military members, Guard and Reserve members and eligible spouses at the Philadelphia Independence Seaport Museum, 211 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard Philadelphia, PA 19106. This event will be a one-of-a-kind FREE hiring fair for both employers and job seekers.

Information Available On-Line for E-Benefits Enrollees

WASHINGTON – Veterans, their families, and survivors receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs saw a 3.6 percent increase in their compensation and pension benefits beginning January 1.

“Veterans, their families and their survivors are entitled to benefits that keep pace with the cost of living,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “VA is also using the latest technology to provide Veterans and their families with access to current information about their benefits.”

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has published a regulation officially amending VA’s medical benefits package to include up to seven days of medical care for newborns delivered by women Veterans who are receiving VA maternity care benefits.

“The regulation change makes formal the commitment VA made to women Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Erik K. Shinseki. “This falls in line with the broad range of services VA is proud to offer women Veterans who have served this nation.”

Recently the V.A. enhanced it’s regulation regarding the payment for emergency care provided to Eligible Veterans at non-V.A.facilities The new regulation provides help to Veterans in need of emergency care when V.A. facilities are not available. The new regulation extends the V.A.’s authority to allow eligible Veterans utilizing needed emergency care at non-V.A. facilities until the Veteran can be safely transported to a V.A. Medical facility. This has been a long existing problem for certain Veterans with serious medical and mental health issues that find themselves or a family member (Veteran) in a situation where they have a serious medical problem and they are not near a V.A. Medical facility.

Please go to www.nonvacare.va.gov for more information on this new regulation.

Congratulations! You're one step closer to learning how to use your GI Bill benefits. Military.com designed special versions of the guide for Active Duty, Veterans and Spouses. Please download the guide which is right for you.

Active Duty Education Benefits

Veteran GI Bill Guide

Spouse Post 9/11 GI Bill Guide

War doesn't end when a soldier returns home, for many it's just the beginning. This is a documentary about the emotional & psychological wounds soldiers have always experienced upon returning home from every war. Many soldiers return home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder- PTSD, formerly known as "shell shock and ...battle fatigue" and with the current wars in Iraq & Afghanistan- it is compounded with Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI. These conditions can lead to unpredictable behavior, hyper-vigilance, insomnia, nightmares, war flashbacks, drug & alcohol abuse~ which can result in hopelessness, joblessness, spousal abuse, divorce, homelessness, and suicide. These are the hidden wounds that many of our veterans face when they return emotionally & psychologically homeless: a shell of the person they once were. "ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENTARIES BEING MADE AT THIS TIME"- RON KOVIC (a Vietnam Veteran, peace activist, lecturer, and the author of 'Born on the 4th of July'. He was portrayed by Tom Cruise in the film).

Executive Director Marsha Four and the PVMSEC are featured in this film.

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A few months ago PVMSEC was contacted by Monica and Kevin Rebbie about a children’s book that they wrote and published named "Mr. Stinkas and the Little Cheese Shop." They are supporters of PVMSEC through the WMGK Veterans RadioThon. To help support our programs and services for Veterans they will be donating 50 cents for each book sold to PVMSEC!



Here is an Excerpt from the Website:
Discover how Mr. Stinkas and his loyal friend Old Bleu make their dreams come true simply by, cutting the cheese. *We are pleased to let you know that with every book purchased The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center, and The Children’s Miracle Network will each receive a 50-cent donation. Thank you for your generosity!



So please pass this along to your friends and family. If you would like to purchase the book, click on the link below.

http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-6439-X

Below is a book review from the BBOTW.com website:

Quote:

Your Life Has Meaning

No Veteran should commit suicide. No man or woman who dedicated their life to preserving freedom for Americans should ever feel so hopeless that they would want to end their life.

But it happens.

If you are reading this and have considered suicide, know this: you are not alone. Thousands have been there and have made it through.

Quote:
Here’s about ten of them who have. Watch their stories and you will see you are not alone.

Stars and Stripes | by Leo Shane III

WASHINGTON -- The Veterans of Foreign Wars does not support and is in no way connected with Veterans For Weed, even though both are using the VFW acronym. Now, officials from the traditional VFW are warning leaders of the stoner VFW they’ll sue if they don’t stop riding their coattails.

On Monday, the real VFW (they’ve held the copyright on the acronym for more than six decades) sent the Milwaukee-based pro-marijuana group a cease-and-desist letter, calling their use of the acronym misleading and illegal. Officials said they’ll move ahead with more serious legal action if the other guys don’t drop the three-letter name on all communications, websites and other products.

A team is preparing for its first trip to North Korea in seven years to search for remains of U.S. troops from the Korean War, the U.S. Defense Department said.

The Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command mission, expected to begin this spring, will bring together U.S. and North Korean military members for the humanitarian operation, Air Force Maj. Carie Parker, spokeswoman for the Defense Department's POW/Missing Personnel Office, said in a release.