Posts tagged Justin Brown
VA’s bold goal: Eradicate homelessness among veterans in 5 years
Nov 4th
“General Shinseki is a soldier and treating this like a military operation, and in the
military you have to have hope for your missions,” said Justin Brown of Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Washington (CNN) — With a simple, declarative statement, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs announced his ambitious goal to eradicate one of the country’s most shameful problems.
“My name is Shinseki, and I am here to end veteran homelessness,” VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said Tuesday in a speech to the National Summit on Homeless Veterans.
But Shinseki indicated the challenge in meeting his goal by adding, “I learned long ago there are never any absolutes in life, and a goal of zero homeless veterans sure sounds like an absolute.”
The plan unveiled by Shinseki includes trying to leverage existing education and jobs programs, boosting the ability of veteran-owned businesses to compete for federal contracts and spend an additional $3 billion on medical services and homeless programs.
An estimated 131,000 veterans are homeless, according to the VA. That is an improvement from 2003, when the number was as high as 196,000. But the secretary warned that given the ailing economy, the number could increase by as much as 10 percent to 15 percent in the next five years.
The VA plans to focus its new efforts on preventing the problem.
“Our plan enlarges the scope of VA’s efforts to combat homelessness,” said Shinseki in a news release. “In the past, VA focused largely on getting homeless veterans off the streets. Our five-year plan aims also at preventing them from ever ending up homeless.”
The department plans to expand the recently passed educational grants program for veterans who served after September 11, 2001, to include not just college but vocational programs as well, according to VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts.
Steps that VA Secretary Eric Shinseki plans to take:
– Leverage existing education and jobs programs
– Boost the ability of veteran-owned businesses to compete for federal contracts
– Spend an additional $3 billion on medical services and homeless programs
– Expand educational grants to include not just college but vocational programs as well
“Not every veteran wants to spend four years pursuing a college degree, but they might be interested in learning a trade that would get them into the taxpaying work force sooner,” Shinseki said.
The VA will also try to win more federal contracts for veteran-owned businesses, encouraging other agencies to exceed the minimum goal of 3 percent of contracts to veteran-owned small businesses. The increase, the VA believes, will also help employ more veterans since “veterans hire veterans,” Shinseki said.
In addition, it is increasing the amount of vouchers for public-financed housing, adding 10,000 more vouchers in 2010. The plan also calls for more programs to aid transition from prison and psychiatric facilities, as well as a renewed call to treat veterans’ psychiatric conditions.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Virginia Veteran’s Justin Brown addresses veterans’ homelessness on Capitol Hill
Oct 1st
Fast Forward 53 minutes if you do not want to see the entire hearing. http://veteransaffairs.edgeboss.net/wmedia/veteransaffairs/2009/091001.wvx 
VETERANS’ HEALTH BILLS
10 a.m. Oct. 1, 334 Cannon Bldg. Updated
Subcommittee Hearing
Health Subcommittee (Chairman Michaud, D-Maine) of House Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on pending legislation.
Topic: Draft discussion on homelessness and graduate psychology education
Note: Witnesses added.
Agenda:
HR 1017 — Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act
HR 1036 — Veterans Physical Therapy Services Improvement Act of 2009
HR 2504 — A bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to provide for an increase in the annual amount authorized to be appropriated to the secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out comprehensive service programs for homeless veterans.
HR 2559 — Help Our Homeless Veterans Act
HR 2735 — A bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements to the comprehensive service programs for homeless veterans.
HR 3073 — A bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to direct the secretary of Veterans Affairs establish a grant program to provide assistance to veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless.
HR 3441 — A bill to provide for automatic enrollment of veterans returning from combat zones into the VA medical system, and for other purposes.
Witnesses:
Panel:
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif.
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D.
Rep. Phil Hare, D-Ill.
Panel:
Rep. Harry Teague, D-N.M.
Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez, D-Texas
Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Va.
Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-N.Y.
Panel:
Joseph L. Wilson, deputy director, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission, American Legion
Justin Brown, legislative associate, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
Richard F. Weidman, executive director for policy and government affairs, Vietnam Veterans of America
Blake C. Ortner, senior associate legislative director, Paralyzed Veterans of America
Panel:
Peter H. Dougherty, director, Homeless Veterans Programs, Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Paul E. Smita, associate chief consultant, Homeless and Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs, Veterans Health Administration, VA
Jane Clare Joyner, deputy assistant general counsel, VA
Popularity: 16% [?]
Virginia Veteran Justin Brown to testify on behalf of VFW.
Sep 24th
VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT, SMALL BUSINESS, EDUCATION, BENEFITS AND RIGHTS BILLS Watch the live webcast at 1 PM Eastern at
http://veteransaffairs.edgeboss.net/wmedia-live/veteransaffairs/58214/100_veteransaffairs-hvac2_090402.asx
VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT, SMALL BUSINESS, EDUCATION, BENEFITS AND RIGHTS BILLS
1 p.m. Sept. 24, 334 Cannon Bldg. Updated
Subcommittee Hearing
Economic Opportunity Subcommittee (Chairman Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D.) of House Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on pending legislation.
Note: A subcommittee markup is scheduled for Oct. 8, which may include some of these bills.
Note: Witnesses added.
Agenda:
HR 294 — Veteran Owned Small Business Promotion Act of 2009
HR 1169 — A bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of assistance provided by the secretary of Veterans Affairs to disabled veterans for specially adapted housing and automobiles and adapted equipment.
HR 1182 — Military Spouses Residency Relief Act
HR 2416 — A bill to require the Department of Veterans Affairs to use purchases of goods or services through the federal supply schedules for the purpose of meeting certain contracting goals for participation by small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans, including veterans with service-connected disabilities.
HR 2461 — Veterans Small Business Verification Act
HR 2614 — Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Education Reauthorization Act of 2009
HR 2696 — Servicemembers’ Rights Protection Act
HR 2874 — Helping Active Duty Deployed Act of 2009
HR 2928 — A bill to amend Title 38, United State Code, to provide for an apprenticeship and on-job training program under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program.
HR 3223 — A bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs contracting goals and preferences for small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans.
HR 3554 — National Guard Education Equality Act
HR 3561 — A bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of educational assistance provided to certain veterans for flight training.
HR 3577 — Education Assistance to Realign New Eligibilities for Dependents (EARNED) Act of 2009
Witnesses:
Panel:
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif.
Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez, D-Texas
Rep. John Carter, R-Texas
Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C.
Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa
Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, D-Va.
Panel:
Mark Walker, assistant director, Economic Commission, American Legion
Justin Brown, legislative associate, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
John L. Wilson, associate national legislative director, Disabled American Veterans
Christina M. Roof, national deputy legislative director, American Veterans (AMVETS)
Lynn M. Schubert, president, The Surety and Fidelity Association of America
Panel:
Uldric L. Fiore, director, Soldier and Family Legal Services, Office of the Judge Advocate General, Army, Department of Defense
Keith M. Wilson, director, Office of Education Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
F. John Brizzi, deputy assistant general counsel, VA
Gail Wegner, acting director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, VA
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Popularity: 26% [?]
Combat vets having tough time in job market
Sep 14th
Posted : Saturday Sep 12, 2009 16:16:34 EDT
The unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is 21 percent higher than the rate for all Americans, a sign of trouble for newly separated or retired service members looking for work in a tight job market.
A Labor Department report shows an unemployment rate of 11.3 percent for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in July, up from 5.9 percent one year ago and well above the 9.7 percent overall U.S. unemployment rate — itself the highest in 26 years.
To put that in another perspective, the number of out-of-work but job-seeking Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is at 185,000 — just 9,000 fewer than the number of troops deployed to those two combat operations, said Justin Brown of Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Brown said he is unsure why the jobless rate has jumped for recent combat veterans, but he said separating service members may find it especially difficult to get work in a job market that has few openings and a lot of competition.
“A 22-year-old getting out of the service right now has networks of friends and family who are not employment networks,” Brown said. “The primary way they are finding jobs are those listed in the paper or on the Web, and those are the hardest jobs to get because that’s where there is the most competition.”
Discrimination against veterans does not appear to be an issue, Brown said.
“I have seen nothing or heard nothing that would indicate employers are unwilling to hire veterans,” he said.
The government can and should be doing more to help, Brown said, by strengthening transition classes for separating and retiring service members to give them better job-hunting skills and by ensuring veterans have a fighting chance to get new jobs created by federal tax dollars.
Because the stimulus package granted money directly to states, some rules for federally funded
projects that would have helped veterans do not apply, such as certain preferential hiring rules and requirements to ensure veterans employment services are notified of openings.
Brown noted that Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., tried without success to get veterans preferences added to the stimulus package.
Popularity: 15% [?]
Virginia Veteran’s Justin Brown to Testify on behalf of VFW
Jul 16th
Economic Opportunity Subcommittee (Chairman Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D.) of House Veterans’ 
Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on State Approving Agencies (SAA). Federal law requires that each state designate an SAA to be responsible for approving and supervising programs in educational institutions and training establishments, including all public and private schools and all establishments offering apprenticeship and other on-the-job training, that offer education and training to veterans and other eligible persons under provisions of the Veterans Education Assistance Program. These programs must have SAA approval before veterans and other eligible persons may receive educational benefits (GI Bill) from Department of Veterans Affairs.
Listen to it Live at 1 PM Eastern at http://vetaudio340.house.gov/340
Popularity: 11% [?]
