Veterans Report - Week of January 02, 2012

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Veterans Report - Week of January 02, 2012

Report Says Country Not Prepared A recent Joint House and Senate Homeland Security committee hearing was held on "Homegrown Terrorism: The Threat to Military Communities Inside the United States." The session focused on a 14-page House Homeland Security Committee report that states that there are "serious gaps" in the "military's preparedness for attacks against its personnel, dependents and facilities." The 14-page U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee report on domestic threats to military interests can be viewed (http://homeland.house.gov/sites/homelan ... litary.pdf) online. For more military news, visit the (http://www.military.com/news) Military.com News Center.

Housing for Homeless Veterans The U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have announced that HUD will provide $2.4 million to public housing agencies to supply permanent housing and case management for homeless veterans in the U.S. The funding will support 435 vouchers in 18 communities. Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. For more information, visit VA's (http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/HUD-VASH.asp) Homelessness HUD-VASH webpage and the (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src ... s/hcv/vash) HUD-VASH Vouchers webpage and (http://hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/hcv ... vashqa.pdf) Questions and answers page.

For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits) Military.com Benefits Center.

Send a Greeting to Vets in Texas The Dallas VA Medical Center and the Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center in Bonham, Texas have started a program that allows anyone wishing to send a greeting to a hospitalized Veteran in those medical centers the ability to do so online. Visitors simply visit the VA North Texas Healthcare System website at www.northtexas.va.gov and click on "e-mail a patient." Once the mandatory fields are completed and the e-greeting is submitted, volunteers and staff print the greeting and hand-deliver it to the patient. For more information on the VA North Texas Healthcare System, visit its (http://www.northtexas.va.gov/) website. For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits) Military.com Benefits Center.

VOW Act Oversight Begins The Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs recently began a series of oversight to hearings ensure that the new VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 is being implemented with the intent of the law intact and that the Departments of Labor (DoL) and Veterans Affairs (VA) are collaborating to execute the law. The major provision of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act is the temporary extension of Montgomery GI Bill benefits to eligible veterans to receive up to one year of training at a community college or technical school for in-demand occupations. A webcast of the first oversight hearing is available on the (http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/revie ... ct-of-2011) U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs website.

For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits) Military.com Benefits Center.

Free SAT and ACT Prep Software eKnowledge continues to donate their world-class SAT and ACT College Test Preparation Programs to military servicemembers and their families. Eligible recipients include Active Duty, Guard and Reserve Service Members from all branches of the military, Military Retirees, Veterans, in addition to all DoD employees and civilians performing military support and relatives and dependants of anyone who otherwise qualifies from the prior list. There is a nominal charge of $13.84 per standard program for the cost of materials, processing, distribution and customer service. eKnowledge does not profit from this venture. To order online visit (http://www.eknowledge.com/MIL) www.eknowledge.com/MIL or call 951-256-4076. Be sure to reference Military.com 2012 Test Dates: SAT: January 28, March 10, May 5, June 2 ACT: February 11, April 14, June 9 For more on military education programs and benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/education) Military.com Education Center.

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State Veteran's Benefits Directory Each state manages its own benefit programs. The following is a list of links to the websites for each of the individual states that offer veterans benefits. Be sure to take advantage of the benefits you have earned by clicking on the link to your State Department of Veterans Affairs. (http://www.military.com/benefits/conten ... ctory.html) See what benefits your state offers. (http://www.military.com/benefits/conten ... ctory.html) GI Bill Benefits are worth up to $52,500. Don't wait to use the benefits you've earned. (http://edu.military.com/gibill/?ESRC=mrvr.nl) Find Schools with VA-approved Programs.

9 Hot Jobs for 2012 What will be the hottest occupations in the New Year? Careerbuilder.com has put together a list of " () Best Bets for Jobs in 2012": nine jobs that are expected to see growth. Below are profiles of these nine jobs from the Department of Labor Statistics, plus the average salary for each. The number one job is a Biomedical engineer with an average salary of $82,421. Get the full list on Military.com. (http://jobsforveterans.military.com/424 ... -for-2012/) http://jobsforveterans.military.com/424 ... -for-2012/ Search military friendly jobs listed on Military.com. (http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs) http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs

Warrior Games in 2012 The annual Warrior Games, featuring wounded, ill and injured servicemembers and veterans competing in several sporting events, will return to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2012. The U.S. Olympic Committee-hosted games will take place April 30 to May 5. The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments, the USO, the Fisher House Foundation, the Bob Woodruff Foundation and Deloitte also support the event. The Warrior Games event was created in 2010 as an introduction to paralympic sports for injured servicemembers and veterans. For more information, visit the (http://www.defense.gov/home/features/20 ... riorgames/) 2011 Warrior Games website and the (http://usparalympics.org/) U.S. Paralympic Team website. For more military-related sports news, visit the (http://www.military.com/entertainment) Military.com Entertainment Center.

New Clinic for Women Veterans A new clinic dedicated to women veterans recently opened at the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC. The 3,000 square-foot clinic is a one-stop clinic that will accommodate the growing number of women veterans seeking health care. For more information, visit the (http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2011/12/20/1144988) Fayetteville Observer website.

For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits) Military.com Benefits Center.

New VA Facebook Pages The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that all of its 152 medical centers are now actively represented on Facebook. The Department of Veterans Affairs now has 150 Facebook pages, 64 Twitter feeds, a YouTube channel, a Flickr page, and the VAntage Point blog. VA clinicians cannot discuss the specific health concerns of individual veterans on Facebook, but that does not prevent staff from monitoring VA's sites closely each day to provide helpful information to veterans when they can. For more information, visit the (http://www.va.gov/opa/SocialMedia.asp) Directory of All VA Social Media Sites and the (http://www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairs ... 7146470109) VA Facebook Page Directory.

To keep up with the military on social media, visit the (http://www.facebook.com/#!/Militarydotcom) Military.com Facebook page.

Veterans Benefit Calculator The benefits calculator is designed to quickly and easily connect you with your benefits based on your service and duty status. (http://benefits.military.com/reg/Vetera ... ESRC=mr.nl) Get started finding your Federal and State benefits and Special Military Discounts.

Deal of the Week: Discounts on Travel Find exclusive military discounts for air fares on your next trip. Search flights now to find great deals for the military. (http://www.military.com/Travel/Home/) http://www.military.com/Travel/Home/ See all military discounts (http://www.military.com/discounts/) http://www.military.com/discounts/

Websites for Overseas Voters

Stars and Stripes reports that the Pentagon's (http://www.fvap.gov/) Federal Voting Assistance Program website offers a range of resources and easily guides voters through the absentee ballot process. The Military Postal Service Agency and the U.S. Postal Service will again offer free express mail for completed absentee ballots in 2012. Troops serving overseas can express mail their ballots from any military post office, U.S. Consulate or embassy by asking for Express Mail Label 11-DOD, and can then track their ballot via usps.com. The website of the Overseas Vote Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group for Americans voting overseas, offers easy-to-use tools, and also has a (https://military.overseasvotefoundation ... s/home.htm) website for the military. To keep up with political issues that affect the military and to contact your local government representatives on hot-button topics, visit the (http://capwiz.com/military/home/) Military.com Legislative Center.

Problems with Vet Owned Business Program The U.S. Veterans Affairs Inspector General's office has estimated $500 million worth of VA contracts through the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program go to ineligible businesses each year. After a review, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) found 1,800 companies were not eligible. Of the 1,800, 70 were referred for criminal prosecution, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Related reports are available on the (http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-152R) GAO website and the (http://www.va.gov/oig/publications/repo ... sp?id=1225) VA Office of Inspector General website. For job listings across the nation and civilian job guides and tips, visit the (http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs) Military.com Veteran Jobs Center.

Resources for Entrepreneurial Vets Veterans who run or are considering starting their own companies should check with their local colleges and Small Business Development Centers to see if they offer training specifically for veterans. At 16 Veterans Business Outreach Centers, the Small Business Administration (SBA) offers veterans business plan workshops, mentoring, and feasibility analysis. For more information, visit the (http://www.sba.gov/content/small-busine ... ters-sbdcs) SBA website and the (http://www.sba.gov/content/veterans-bus ... ch-centers) Veterans Outreach Center page.

For job listings across the nation and civilian job guides and tips, visit the (http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs) Military.com Veteran Jobs Center.

Shipmates to Workmates

The Shipmates to Workmates program was created to provide guidance to Sailors who are transitioning out of the Navy and into the civilian work force. For more information on the "Shipmates to Workmates" program as well as a full schedule of upcoming career forums, visit the (http://jobs.navair.navy.mil/sm2wm/) Shipmates to Workmates website. The "Shipmates to Workmates" program is just one of many transition benefits available to Sailors including those affected by the enlisted retention board. Fleet and Family Support Centers (FFSC) offer several employment services to help Sailors who are leaving the Navy. For more information about ERB and other transition benefits, visit the (http://www.npc.navy.mil/boards/ERB/) NPC ERB Web Page, contact the NPC customer service center at 1-866-U-ASK-NPC (1-866-827-5672). For job listings across the nation and civilian job guides and tips, visit the (http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs) Military.com Veteran Jobs Center.

Legion Baseball Registration Begins Online registration for the 2012 American Legion Baseball season began Jan. 1 via the (http://www.legion.org/baseball) American Legion website. Coaches can now automatically renew team information from the previous season on the website. For questions or concerns regarding 2012 baseball registration, email (mailto:baseball@legion.org) baseball@legion.org. And for details on playing, coaching or volunteering with Legion Baseball, visit the (http://www.legion.org/baseball/participate) How to Participate in Legion Baseball webpage. For more sports-related military news, visit the (http://www.military.com/entertainment) Military.com Entertainment Center.