|
|
  The Nation's #1 Independent Veterans Web Site Click here to make VA Watchdog dot Org your homepage VA NEWS FLASH from Larry Scott at VA Watchdog dot Org -- 07-01-2008 |
|
|
|
The Nation's #1 Independent Veterans Web Site Click here to make VA Watchdog dot Org your homepage VA NEWS FLASH from Larry Scott at VA Watchdog dot Org -- 07-01-2008 |
|
|
|
A JOB -- Unemployment rate for wounded veterans is estimated in double digits.
Story here... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25355406/ Story below:
-------------------------
Your Career: Job hunting a challenge for vetsUnemployment rate for wounded veterans is estimated in double digitsBy Eve Tahmincioglu
|
| Article continues below: |
While the VA is not an employment agency, it does
offer vocational programs to help injured vets find new occupations, said
VA spokesman Jim Benson. The VA also operates about 220 centers throughout
the United States that offer counseling and links to employment services,
he says.
Raul Rodriguez served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2005, he was
diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. When was honorably
discharged from Army in 2006 he received little help from the government
in finding a job.
Thanks to the connections he made while he was still serving, Rodriguez
was able to land a job as a field support manager with Raytheon, a defense
contractor, when he returned home.
“I got lucky because they know my condition and they always give me time
when they see my attitude is changing,” he explains. “It's hard to work
sometimes because I can’t concentrate. I can't do a task like a normal
person does. It takes me hours, if not days, to complete a task.”
‘Highly talented individuals’
Understanding employers are key to helping these
disabled vets get back into the work world.
“With the right assistance and support, a wounded vet can do anything,”
says Ryan Kules with The Wounded Warrior Project, an injured vet advocacy
group.
Kules, who lost an arm and leg in Iraq, is now helping disabled vets
reintegrate into the workplace. “There are jobs they thought they’d never
be able to do, and these things need to be looked at on a case-by-case
basis. But with help like special software, or just a bit more time to do
things, they can go back to work,” he adds.
“These are highly talented individuals,” says Carol Hartnett, a health and
disability expert with The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., which
recently teamed up with The Wounded Warrior Project to host the "Beyond
the Battlefield" leadership summit, a conference to help wounded vets
improve their leadership and networking skills. “I have worked with well
over 100 veterans. I can tell you these people have developed on
battlefield skill sets that are critical for success in business.”
The company even provides a free guide for employers called: “Workplace
Warriors: The Corporate Response to Deployment and Reintegration.”
Her advice to both employers and wounded veterans is to accept the
disability and focus on the abilities.
Technological savvy
Other organizations besides The Hartford are
looking to help disabled vets find jobs and careers.
A year ago, Rodriguez’s employer Raytheon increased its effort to hire
disabled vets who have tech savvy.
While there are positions available throughout the company, Bob Foley, a
retired U.S. Marine lieutenant colonel and corporate HR manager for
Raytheon, says they’re in the market for disabled vets with degrees in
engineering and science, as well as knowledge of computer science and
logistics. (Check out www.rayjobs.com.)
“In some cases, they can work from home,” Foley says, adding that the
company is well-versed in making accommodations for disabled workers and
will do what it can to accommodate wounded vets.
In some cases, wounded vets who joined the armed forces at a young age,
before finishing schooling or starting a career, will need to get more
education.
While Congress is expected to beef up education funding as part of the GI
Bill, many disabled vet advocates believe it won’t be enough to cover all
the costs.
Education programs
Some universities and schools are stepping up to
the plate.
The University of Idaho created the “Operation Education Scholarship”
program two years ago to provide disabled veterans seeking a college
degree with full financial assistance. “We want them to not have to work
and graduate from school without debt,” explains Karen White, chair of the
program.
Sessions Online, an Internet-based school for graphic design, just
announced it’s offering scholarships for injured vets that will cover 100
percent of courses “for graphic and Web design, as well as Apple iMac
computers and professional-level design software,” according to a
spokeswoman.
Disabled vets should also check out the Department of Labor’s Recovery &
Employment Assistance Lifelines (REALifelines) program, which launched in
2004.
Michael Biddle, an agency spokesman, said 7,040 disabled service members
and their families have received employment assistance through the
program, which offers job counseling and job training.
‘Take a chance’
There are also opportunities in entrepreneurship.
Former Army Staff Sgt. Robbie Doughty runs two Little Caesars franchise
stores, one in Kentucky and another in Tennessee.
Doughty lost both his legs to a roadside bomb while he was serving in Iraq
and spent time recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which came
under fire recently for its shoddy treatment of vets. While there, a
newspaper was doing a story on the hospital and he was included in the
article.
The founder of Little Caesars, Mike Ilitch, was so impressed with his
story and decided to give Doughty the opportunity to open a location.
“I couldn’t pass it up,” says Doughty, who was pretty much given the store
for free.
He has done so well that he recently opened up the second location, but
this time, he paid for it himself.
The Little Caesars Veterans Program was launched in 2007 and provides
qualified veterans a $5,000 break on the franchise fee for the first
store, financing benefits and a $5,000 credit on the initial equipment
order. Disabled vets can get the whole franchising fee of $20,000 waived
for the first store and a $10,000 credit on equipment. More information is
available at franchise.littlecaesars.com.
It’s been a long road for Doughty, who admits there were times he was
upset following his injury. His original goal was to retire from the Army
and possibly become a state trooper.
“After the injury, I knew things were going to change,” he says. “You have
to be ready to take a chance.”
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
Don't forget to read all of today's VA News Flashes (click here)
Military
Medical Malpractice
Legal
Network
VA Watchdog Stuff...
cups, hats, shirts...
click on item to order
and support the site.
|
|
