1. Accelerated Learning Curve - Veterans have the proven ability to learn new skills and concepts. In addition, they can enter your workforce with identifiable and transferable skills, proven in real world situations. This background can enhance your organization’s productivity.
   
   
2. Leadership - The military trains people to lead by example as well as through direction, delegation, motivation and inspiration. Veterans understand the practical ways to manage behaviors for results, even in the most trying circumstances. They also know the dynamics of leadership as part of both hierarchical and peer structures.
   
   
3. Teamwork - Veterans understand how genuine teamwork grows out of a responsibility to one’s colleagues. Military duties involve a blend of individual and group productivity. They also necessitate a perception of how groups of all sizes relate to each other and an overarching objective.
   
   
4. Diversity and Inclusion in Action - Veterans have learned to work side by side with individuals regardless of diverse race, gender, geographic origin, ethnic background, religion and economic status as well as mental, physical and attitudinal capabilities. They have the sensitivity to cooperate with many different types of individuals.
   
   
5. Efficient performance under pressure - Veterans understand the rigors of tight schedules and limited resources. They have developed the capacity to know how to accomplish priorities on time, in spite of tremendous stress. They know the critical importance of staying with a task until it is done right.
   
   
6. Respect for procedures - Veterans have gained a unique perspective on the value of accountability. They can grasp their place within an organizational framework, becoming responsible for subordinates’ actions to higher supervisory levels. They know how policies and procedures enable an organization to exist.
   
   
7. Technology and globalization - Because of their experiences in the service, veterans are usually aware of international and technical trends pertinent to business and industry. They can bring the kind of global outlook and technological savvy that all enterprises of any size need to succeed.
   
   
8. Integrity - Veterans know what it means to do “an honest day’s work.” Prospective employers can take advantage of a track record of integrity, often including security clearances. This integrity translates into qualities of sincerity and trustworthiness.
   
   
9. Conscious of health and safety standards - Thanks to extensive training, veterans are aware of health and safety protocols both for themselves and the welfare of others. Individually, they represent a drug-free workforce that is cognizant of maintaining personal health and fitness. On a company level, their awareness and conscientiousness translate into protection of employees, property and materials.
   
   
10. Triumph over adversity - In addition to dealing positively with the typical issues of personal maturity, veterans have frequently triumphed over great adversity. They likely have proven their mettle in mission critical

GI Bill for Unemployed Veterans Age 35-60

If you are an unemployed military veteran, you may be eligible for a new GI Bill / career training program: the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 was created to help veterans gain marketable skills to more easily find a job. These new GI Bill benefits include education and training for unemployed veterans who are aged 35-60. The Veteran Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act of 2011 (HR 2433) is part of the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program and was signed into law just before the end of 2011.

Here are a sampling of benefits which will help veterans (we will cover these in more depth below):

• Up to 1-year of additional Montgomery GI Bill benefits to qualify for jobs in high-demand sectors
• Up to 1-year of additional VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment benefits for disabled veterans.
• Quicker access to veterans preference rating for civil service jobs.
• Improvements to the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
• Military skills translation – the Department of Labor is tasked to come up with better ways to translate military skills into the civilian sector.

If these additional benefits seem like something that will benefit you, then please continue reading and we will cover who is eligible for these benefits, more details about the benefits, availability dates, and how you can register to begin receiving them.

If you aren’t eligible to receive these benefits, then please forward this article to a veteran you know who may need assistance qualifying for additional education and training to help find a job.

Expanded GI Bill Benefits for Qualified Veterans

The VOW to Hire Heroes Act will offer qualified and eligible veterans up to 12 months of full-time Montgomery GI Bill benefits at the Active Duty rate. See current MGIB rates for more information.

Here are some additional benefits in greater detail:

Greater education and training opportunities: The VOW to Hire Heroes Act will provide eligible veterans with up to a year of additional MGIB benefits at the active duty rate, in order to help them earn training and certifications in high-demand jobs. In order to receive benefits, eligible veterans must attend a VA Approved education or training program at a community college or technical school, provided the program is working toward an Associate’s Degree, a non-college degree, or a qualified certification in a high demand occupation. Some examples include technology certifications, trucking, and various Associate’s Degrees.

This program also provides disabled veterans up to 1-year of additional VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment benefits, provided they have exhausted their unemployment benefits.

Veterans can acquire “veterans preference status” more quickly. There is currently a delay in how quickly veterans can acquire veterans preference status for civil service employment. The new VOW to Hire Heroes Act will help make this transition more seamless by enabling veterans to acquire veterans preference status before separating from the military, which can help facilitate hiring into a federal job. the goal is to reduce the time it takes to hire qualified military veterans — many jobs currently take months to fill, causing many veterans to  file for unemployment benefits while their application and veterans preference is pending.

Transition Assistance Program (TAP) improvements: The TAP program is required by all branches of the service and is designed to help military members make the transition from the military environment to the civilian world. The goal is to help veterans prepare for life away from the military, including creating a resume, interviewing, and getting hired into a civilian position. TAP will be getting as facelift as part of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, with improvements in career counseling, job searching processes, and more.

Military skills translation. Translating your skills to the civilian marketplace can be difficult. After all, how many civilian jobs are there for bomb loader or artillery specialists? While there aren’t necessarily direct civilian jobs with those job titles, many of the skills you have learned while in these positions are translatable, and the Department of Labor has been tasked to make it easier for military members and veterans to translate their skills into civilian terms, and make it easier to earn licenses and certifications for civilian employment. You can already use the Veterans Job Bank to translate your military skills, but expect more improvements and assistance in the future.

Employment assistance. The Department of Labor will provide employment assistance to each veteran who completes the program.

Veterans Tax Credits: Though this doesn’t directly affect the veterans, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act provides employers with tax credits of $5,600 for hiring an unemployed veteran, and $9,600 for hiring an unemployed disabled veteran. This may make the difference between you getting a job or an employer deciding not to hire an extra employee.

Who qualifies for the VOW GI Bill?

This program is designed to help unemployed military veterans gain marketable skills through training and education.

To qualify for the VOW GI Bill, a veteran must:

• Be age 35 or older and younger than 60
• Be unemployed (according to Department of Labor definitions) with special consideration given to veterans who have been unemployed for 26 weeks or longer.
• Have an other than dishonorable discharge.
• Not be eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g.: the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance).
• Not be in receipt of compensation due to unemployability.
• Not be enrolled in a federal or state job training program

How to Apply for VOW Benefits

This program will be jointly run by the Department of Labor and the VA. The VA will provide funding for the program, but applications must be submitted to the Department of Labor where they will be processed and approved.

Program start and end date: This program will become available to eligible veterans on July 1, 2012 and is set to extend through March 31, 2014.

Limited availability. Like all good things, there are limits to the availability for this program. The law only provides availability for 45,000 participants in fiscal year 2012, and 54,000 participants in fiscal year 2013. It’s too early to say if there will be extensions on that time frame, as it will likely depend on how the economy is doing and whether there will be funding. (Current funding is already approved and paid for).

At this time, applications have not yet opened. We will update this article when the information becomes available. In the meant time, it is recommended to contact the Department of Labor and/or the VA for additional information or to see if you can be put on their mailing list for updates.

Where to go for more information.

This is a joint program sponsored by the Department of Labor and the Veterans Affairs office. You can read more about the VOW GI Bill here: VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 | House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and at the VOW to Hire Heroes Act page at the VA.

DoD Issues with “Hiring Heroes Act of 2011?

• Read Full Article at Navytimes.com

After 12 years in the National Guard, Donna Bachler is still in fighting form. Working out in her Leavenworth, Kan., gym, this one-time drill sergeant can lift as much as many men. She’d love a career as a fitness trainer. 

But there’s a problem. 

“It’s an issue,” she told me, “when you come into an interview and somebody sees the cane. They see just months off at a time for a surgery recovery or who knows what.” 

She walks with a cane – the result of an ankle injury she suffered while on a training march. The disability, she says, has kept her from her dream job. But the ankle isn’t her only struggle. She developed PTSD -- post traumatic stress disorder -- after helping collect remains from the World Trade Center attack. 

Neither prevented her from deploying to Kuwait. But she’s been job hunting for a year – and so far nothing but rejection. 

May 12, 2011 posted by Veterans Today By Queenie Wong

Military veterans could get a leg up on those competing against them for the same job under a bill Washington State Gov . Chris Gregoire signed into law Wednesday

Military veterans could get an advantage over those competing against them for the same job under a bill Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law Wednesday.

The legislation, House Bill 1432, allows private employers to voluntarily give a preference to hiring veterans and widows or widowers of veterans without violating federal and state anti-discrimination statutes. Private companies also could give employment preference to spouses of certain honorably discharged veterans who became permanently disabled during their service.

The Department of Defense today announced the launch of an online Career Decision Toolkit that will allow service members to self assess transition needs and thoroughly explore an array of transition related subjects such as: career exploration, financial planning for transition, job search success, effective resumes and cover letters, interviewing excellence, and negotiating your ideal compensation.

"The toolkit is customized to a service member's own transition needs and assists them in cataloging their military skills and experience in a way that helps them effectively communicate their skills to prospective employers," said John R. Campbell, deputy assistant secretary of defense for wounded warrior care and transition policy.

The online toolkit will deliver 24-hour global access to career transition training to service members who are not geographically able to attend Transition Assistance Program (TAP) classes traditionally offered at military installations.  The tool kit's online launch also marks the second phase of a major redesign of the Defense Department's main career transition website, and a cornerstone of the transformation of TAP into a blended delivery model that takes advantage of online resources, as well as a virtual classroom settings and platforms to enhance the traditional "brick and mortar" TAP experience that most service members receive.

Originally released in compact disc format last August, the Career Decision Toolkit was developed by the DoD's Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy in collaboration with Departments of Veterans Affairs and Labor to assist separating, demobilizing, retiring and wounded service members, and their families, to effectively navigate their course to civilian employment and educational opportunities.

For more information on the online Career Decision Toolkit, visit http://www.turbotap.org or contact Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy at 703-428-7649 or warriorcare@osd.mil .

Army Times
By Rick Maze - Staff writer

With a new jobs report showing that young veterans continue to have difficulty finding work in a tough economy, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has unveiled a comprehensive plan for helping vets find post-service jobs.

Friday’s U.S. Labor Department jobs report finds the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans dropped from 15.2 percent in January to 12.5 percent in February, but it is still higher than the 11.5 percent average for 2010 and much higher than the national unemployment rate of 8.9 percent in February, the first time the national rate has dipped below 9 percent in almost two years.

For all veterans, the February unemployment rate was 9.2 percent, down from 9.8 percent in January.

IAVA, an advocacy group formed in 2004, is concerned that the job market doesn’t seem to be improving for veterans. Already, an estimated 278,000 returning combat veterans are hunting for jobs and not finding them in a continued sluggish economy, with signs that things are not going to get better soon without dramatic action.

“We are not doing enough,” said Tim Embree, a Marine veteran and IAVA legislative associate.

Embree said his group’s plan will seek to create jobs for veterans through a combination of teaching new job-seeking skills, providing better education benefits, defending against job discrimination and working with community and corporate leaders to help create a climate in which companies want to hire veterans.

IAVA also wants a presidential summit on veterans’ hiring to get the attention of corporate leaders and nonprofit groups and wants a national jobs data base specifically for veterans who are looking for work.

“There is no silver bullet, no one thing that is going to solve this,” Embree said.

Many current programs are aimed at helping veterans find work, but Embree said they don’t seem to be working that well. That is the reason why IAVA is seeking a review every three years of the military’s Transition Assistance Program, which is supposed to help separating and retiring service members learn job-hunting skills. Embree said the program, known as TAP, needs to be audited every three years, at a minimum, to verify that people actually get jobs as a result of the workshops and lectures.

IAVA also wants the government to expand tax credits for businesses that hire veterans, require federal contractors to publicly report the number of veterans they higher and ensure federally financed construction projects are made available to veteran-owned businesses.

The issue of veterans employment is getting attention from Congress, but a key lawmaker isn’t sure about singling out younger veterans for special help.

“It is no secret that veterans are facing difficult times finding and retaining good-paying jobs,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s economic opportunity panel, said Thursday. “Unemployment rates for veterans in some age groups significantly exceed the rates for nonveterans of the same age, and that is just not right.”

In terms of sheer numbers, older veterans face unemployment rates “that often exceeds their nonveteran peers,” Stutzman said, noting that 63 percent of the 1.1 million unemployed veterans are 35 and older.

“Unfortunately, those veterans have little or no access to veterans education, training and retraining programs. They are also the group that tends to have the highest financial obligations, like mortgages and paying for their children’s education,” Stutzman said.