House Veterans Legislation Passes Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Thursday, one day before Veterans Day, the Senate passed the first two of 22 House-passed bills to spur job growth, including the VOW to Hire Heroes Act. Using the framework of the House-passed VOW Act, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 is a bipartisan, bicameral bill to get America’s nearly 1 million unemployed veterans back to work. The bill is expected to be taken up by the House next week.

“Today, America’s veterans won. It was not politics as usual,” stated Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “I applaud the Senate on taking up this commonsense legislation that puts our veterans first and puts them on the path to gainful employment. As more and more of our service men and women come home, we need to ensure that they receive the homecoming they deserve, not an unemployment check. This legislation positions our veterans to be competitive in today’s tough job market. A job arms our veterans with confidence and pride as they make the transition home, and also supports their families who have also sacrificed for our nation.”

The latest Department of Labor unemployment report shows that in October 2011, the average unemployment rate among all veterans was 7.7% and 12.1% for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans between the ages of 35 and 64, the group with the highest financial obligations and the fewest available VA education and training options, continue to make up nearly two-thirds of all unemployed veterans. Overall, nearly one in twelve of our nation’s heroes are out of work.

“I hope that today’s display of bipartisanship will continue, and a special thanks to Senator Murray for her leadership in working with me to craft this compromise,” said Miller. “I hope we don’t stop here. The House has passed 13 bills to support America’s veterans, 10 of which are still pending in the Senate. We must continue that work to provide programs that improve veterans’ quality of life and honor our veterans every day of the year.”

KEY PROVISIONS OF THE VOW TO HIRE HEROES ACT:

• Expands education and training opportunities for older veterans by providing nearly 100,000 unemployed veterans of past eras and wars with up to 1-year of additional Montgomery GI benefits to go towards education or training programs at community colleges or technical schools for high-demand jobs.

• Makes the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)—an interagency workshop coordinated by Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs—mandatory for most service members moving on to civilian life to help them secure jobs in the 21st Century.

• Provides disabled veterans up to 1-year of additional Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits.

• Works with the states to create licensing and credentialing standards to break down the barriers to find meaningful employment in their military occupations.

• Allows service members to begin the federal employment process prior to separation in order to facilitate a truly seamless transition from the military.

• Strengthens USERRA protections for service members in the workforce to clarify what constitutes a hostile work environment.

• Provides a tax credit of up to $5,600 for hiring veterans who have been looking for a job for more than six months, as well as a $2,400 credit for veterans who are unemployed for more than 4 weeks, but less than 6 months. Also provides a tax credit of up to $9,600 for hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been looking for a job for more than six months.

AMVETS Supports the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011

While no single piece of legislation is perfect, AMVETS National Legislative Director Diane Zumatto believes H.R. 2433 - Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011, will positively impact veterans in multiple areas including: making improvements to the TAP (Transition Assistance Program); allowing up to 100,000 unemployed veterans from all eras to receive up to 12 months of Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits; strengthening USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act) protections for National Guard/Reserve members; and working with the DOL (Department of Labor) will help to remove credentialing/licensing impediments for transitioning Servicemembers.

Also, one of the particular points of interest and importance to our members is that this legislation in not limited to only Post 9/11 veterans, but all veterans from age 35 – 60 (of which there are approx. 868,000 according to the House Veterans Affairs Committee).

Here is a copy of the letter from AMVETS supporting the VOW Act, H.R. 2433:



Please contact your Congressional Representative and tell him or her that you support the VOW Act and it needs to be passed once it reaches the Senate!

Live from Capitol Hill: AMVETS to Testify Before Senate; Meet with House Minority Leadership

Tomorrow AMVETS will deliver testimony alongside the Independent Budget partners before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and participate in a veterans' support and military support roundtable discussion with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki will sit on the first panel of the hearing, explaining the Obama Administration's budget proposal for VA in fiscal year 2012 and VA health care for 2013.

AMVETS National Legislative Director Christina Roof will then appear alongside IB partners Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars to discuss the 25th Independent Budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs--a roadmap for how Congress should fund VA, which has been developed by the nation's top veterans' organizations for a quarter century.

The hearing will commence at 10:30 a.m. in Russell Senate Room 418. To view a full list of participants and to read their prepared remarks, Click Here.

Live video should also be available on the committee's Web site at 10:30 tomorrow morning.

Roof appeared before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs two weeks ago alongside the IB partners and Secretary Shinseki, discussing how to best fund VA services in the coming fiscal year.

In the afternoon, AMVETS will also join the nation's leading veterans and military support organizations for a special roundtable discussion on issues facing today's military and veterans' communities with House minority leadership, chaired by Minority Leader Pelosi.

American Veteran will be on hand for both tomorrow's hearing and the roundtable. Check back for highlights from the day's events.

AMVETS Silver Helmet Recipient to Lead Senate VA Committee

This afternoon, the Senate voted Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., as the new chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Murray earned the AMVETS Congressional Silver Helmet Award in 2008 for her lifelong work to support veterans in her home state and around the country.

Murray first started giving back to the veterans' community by volunteering at the Seattle VA Medical Center during the Vietnam War and she is the daughter of a Purple Heart recipient who was one of the first soldiers to land on Okinawa during World War II.

In her acceptance speech for the Silver Helmet in 2008, Murray said her experiences working with wounded veterans at VA helped guide her decision-making in Washington to best serve the needs of American veterans.

AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop said he looks forward to working with Murray and her staff, and that she brings decades of insight and experience to her post.

Some of Murray's most notable accomplishments include advocating for improved health care for Gulf War veterans and ensuring all veterans are entitled to receive military funeral honors.

Murray was the first woman selected to serve on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and she will also be the first woman to serve as the committee's chair.

Military Times spoke with Murray about her selection to lead the committee. To read her thoughts on her new responsibilities, Click Here.

(Image: Sen. Patty Murray, center, poses for a photo with AMVETS Past National Commander John P. "JP" Brown III and his wife, Jan Brown, at the 2008 Congressional Silver Helmet Awards reception on Capitol Hill. Photo courtesy of the Office of Sen. Patty Murray.)

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will be wrapping up the spring print edition of American Veteran magazine. In the meantime, blog posts may continue to lag behind. We're still planning to bring you highlights of the AMVETS Riders' recent visit to Camp Hope for the wounded warrior retreat's open house. We will also highlight the San Diego Padres' 2010 military-support programs.

This week, AMVETS legislative team will also be out in force on Capitol Hill. AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof continues to gather Congressional signatures in support of veterans' assistance dogs. Roof will also submit for the record this week on several key veterans' issues. This week, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs plans to tackle the health effects of the Vietnam War, VA's Vocational Rehab program, and Veterans Benefits Administration's work-credit program on claims-processing.

To view this week's hearings in the House, Click Here.

This week, the Senate will also discuss the invisible wounds of war--particularly traumatic brain injury--which AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin has made a top priority for 2010.

American Veteran will be following each of this week's key hearings closely. Check back regularly for updates.

Thank you to everyone who submitted content for the spring edition. If you have something you would like us to include in the summer issue of American Veteran magazine, it's never too early to start sending it in.

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will highlight AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin's recent visit to the Far East. On the recent visit, alongside AMVETS Ladies' Auxiliary National President Patty Piening, Miskulin visited with American troops stationed in South Korea, allied leaders in South Korea and the Republic of China (Taiwan), and visited the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii.

We will also discuss the recent AMVETS Americanism Program visit to the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, where 92 high school students from across the country came together to learn about American history, American government, and to visit historic landmarks in the original nation's capitol, Philadelphia.

American Veteran will also continue to follow developments on Capitol Hill, including Wednesday's hearing in the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs concerning veterans' employment. We will also keep you up to date on critical pending legislation, such as the VA budget for FY2010 and the Veterans' Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act, which is currently stalled in the Senate.

In recent weeks, AMVETS leaders have taken up the cause of Stolen Valor, which has become much more prevalent in the current conflicts. More and more reports have come into AMVETS National Headquarters in the last few months documenting incidents where people pose as decorated combat veterans in an effort to curry special treatment. AMVETS takes these accusations very seriously, considering the negative affects Stolen Valor can have on the legitimate veterans' community, which has earned reverence in our society through tremendous sacrifices.

In 2005, AMVETS supported strengthening the Stolen Valor Act beyond the Medal of Honor, meaning those who wear other unauthorized military decorations or otherwise pose as veterans for personal gain can be charged with a federal crime. American Veteran is following each of these incidents very closely--some of which have garnered national media attention--and we will keep you posted in the coming days.

As always, we're eager to hear from you and if you have a story you would like us to highlight on the blog, just let us know.