Veterans
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WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Veterans Affairs has released a series of videos in which women veterans describe their experiences serving in the military, ranging from their significant contributions to national safety and security to the challenges they faced during their service and after returning to civilian life.
“These videos show the important contributions women have made to this country through their military service,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Women veterans have earned the respect of a grateful nation for their tremendous service and sacrifice.”
The three- to five-minute videos are part of VA’s ongoing “Rethink Veterans” campaign to increase awareness of women veterans and their vital roles in our nation’s history.
The videos can be viewed at www.womenshealth.va.gov or on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/VeteransHealthAdmin.
The four stories just released were recorded during the July 2011 Women Veterans Summit in Washington, D.C. Women from all eras, conflicts, and service branches were invited to share their experiences.
VA plans to release several video vignettes over the next few months.
The first four videos include an Army Reservist who served nine years stateside before deploying to Iraq post-9/11, a Vietnam War era nurse who returned from combat with a new sense of family, a Navy Veteran who advocates for expanded roles for women in the military, and Brigadier General Wilma Vaught, the first woman to deploy with a Strategic Air Command bomber unit.
The videos are meant to increase awareness of women’s roles in the military among VA staff and the public.
“We’re challenging people to rethink preconceived notions about who is a veteran, what a veteran looks like, and what a woman veteran may have done or experienced while serving,” said Dr. Patricia Hayes, chief consultant of VA’s Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group. “Getting this message across, both inside and outside VA, is important so that women veterans receive the respect, recognition, and care they deserve.”
Women veterans make up 8 percent of veterans, 15 percent of active duty service members and nearly 18 percent of guard and reserve forces.
As the number of active duty women increases, so does the number of women veterans using their VA benefits.
VA is working to enhance access and services for women veterans at all VA facilities and change VA culture to be more understanding and accommodating of women veterans.
In addition to the videos, VA recently released a 60-second public service announcement (PSA) about women in the military.
The PSA is available for viewing on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=BOP5DCgjxPE and www.womenshealth.va.gov.
For more information about VA programs and services for women veterans, please visit www.va.gov/womenvet and www.womenshealth.va.gov.
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Their service data can be uploaded to job search and networking sites to help identify employment opportunities.
“Savvy employers look to veterans for the excellent training and unique experiences they bring to the civilian workforce,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Now, veterans can have state-of-the-art access to official data about their military service that we will help them land meaningful jobs.”
As of Dec. 3, veterans can use the VA’s online My HealtheVet portal (www.myhealth.va.gov) to see official information about their military service, including deployment data, in-uniform experience and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes which define the type of work performed and skills learned during their tour of duty.
Veterans can electronically download that information to their personal computers by using an enhanced version of the Blue Button.
This new capability is the latest addition to a growing suite of job-hunting tools announced by President Obama on Nov. 14.
“The president and Secretary Shinseki have shown real leadership on Veterans Employment,” said Dr. Peter L. Levin, chief technology officer at Veterans Affairs. “The White House has been instrumental in guiding this public/private initiative to meet the needs of veterans, and with promoting web-based services that help veterans find jobs. With their MOS codes, veterans can more easily substantiate that they possess the skills needed by employers.”
Several industry partners have signed up to create – or have even already implemented – third-party applications that can read military specialties or classification codes in Blue Button format, automatically translate those codes into civilian descriptions, and identify openings and other resources for Veterans, Levin added.
Military job information available to veterans under this program will depend on discharge or retirement date.
All veterans discharged after 1980 will see military specialty or classification codes;
Some veterans discharged between1975-1980 will see military specialty or classification codes;
Some Gulf War veterans may see combat pay and deployment periods;
All Post-9/11 veterans will see combat pay and deployment periods.
Veterans enrolled in VA health care can access their military service information through My HealtheVet.
Veterans who have not yet signed up for My HealtheVet access can register for a My HealtheVet account at any VA medical center by completing a one-time identity-verification process to help assure their data privacy.
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WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a telephone support program to help the spouses of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, after a pilot telephone support program showed significant reduction in stress for spouses.
“Returning to civilian life after living in constant combat readiness can be a shocking transition, and it is the immediate family, the spouses and children, who bear that brunt of that transition with those who served,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The more support we can provide to the family, the better the outcome will be for our Veterans.”
The spouse telephone support program, which is part of VA’s Caregiver Support Program, builds spouses’ ability to cope with the challenges that reintegration to civilian society can bring, helps them serve as a pillar of support for returning veterans, and eases the transition for families after deployments.
Spouses in the pilot program reported decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety, with an increase in social support.
Spouses participate in 12 telephone support groups over six months. The focus is on problem-solving and communication, relationships, mental health and resilience.
A trained, nationwide team of VA medical center staff members, including many caregiver support coordinators, will lead the support groups.
Typical issues spouses and veterans face after deployment include communication difficulties, the need to renegotiate family roles and responsibilities and the added stress of combat related injury.
Spouses of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have reported feeling overwhelmed, depressed, anxious and frustrated.
“Providing support to family caregivers is the right thing for VA to do,” said Dr. Robert Petzel, VA’s under secretary for health. “A simple series of phone calls can do so much good. Certainly, those who fought for our nation and the spouses who allowed them to make that sacrifice deserve this support.”
The program is based on research by VA researchers Dr. Linda Nichols and Dr. Jennifer Martindale-Adams, of the Memphis VA Medical Center and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Both researchers developed and studied interventions for family members of Veterans and military personnel.
Their work with spouses of post-deployed and deployed military personnel is funded through the Defense Health Program, managed by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.
Local caregiver support coordinators are available to assist veterans and their caregivers in understanding and applying for VA’s many caregiver benefits.
VA also has a Web page, www.caregiver.va.gov, with general information on spouse telephone support and other caregiver support programs available through VA and the community.
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“We are looking for ways to make it easy for employers to see veterans for who they are: highly qualified individuals in any job applicant pool,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We want to help good jobs find veterans and help veterans find good jobs.”
A “digital badge” recognizes skills obtained through non-traditional learning, such as work-related training, online courses, and experience. Learners display their badges across the Web, resulting in jobs or formal credit.
“Many recently discharged veterans earned employable skills during their time in uniform,” said Jonah Czerwinski, director of the VA Innovations Initiative that sponsors the new contest. “They represent high-quality training and real-life experience. We’re looking for new ways for employers to easily identify Veterans who have this training and this experience to fill good jobs in the private sector.”
VA is joined by the Departments of Education, Energy and Labor to sponsor the “Badges for Vets” contest as part of the Badges for Lifelong Learning Competition administered by a consortium supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Mozilla Foundation.
VA Innovations Initiative (VAi2) will award up to three $25,000 prizes in five categories to teams that demonstrate they can develop and deliver digital badges representing skills learned in the military that are desired by civilian employers.
Entries in the contest are due by Jan. 12, 2012, and winners will be announced at the Digital Media and Learning Conference in San Francisco Feb. 28-March 3.
VAi2 solicits the most promising ideas from VA employees, the private sector, nonprofit organizations and academia to increase veterans’ access to VA services, improve the quality of those services, enhance the performance of VA operations and deliver services more efficiently.
Information about the Badges for Lifelong Learning Competition:
http://www.dmlcompetition.net/
http://www.dmlcompetition.net/Competition/4/press-kit.php?menu=badges
Information about the Badges for Vets Competition:
http://www.dmlcompetition.net/Competition/4/badges-projects.php?id=2667
http://challenge.gov/VAi2/262-badges-for-vets
Information about the VA Innovations Initiative:
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The award will be given to an outstanding military child from each Service – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
The winners, who each will receive $5,000, will be flown with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C., for special recognition ceremony on April 5, 2012.
Nominations are being accepted online until Jan. 15, 2012 at www.OperationHomefront.net/MCOY.
Ideal candidates for the Military Child of the Year Award demonstrate resilience and strength of character, and thrive in the face of the challenges of military life.
They demonstrate leadership within their families and within their communities.
“The sons and daughters of America’s service members learn what patriotism is at a very young age,” said Jim Knotts, chief executive officer, Operation Homefront. “Children in military families understand sacrifice and live with the concept of service. This is what the Military Child of the Year Award honors.”
Nominees must:
Must have valid military ID or currently be enrolled in DEERS.
Must be between the ages of 8-18.
Must be able to travel to Washington, D.C., for the ceremony on April 5, 2012.
Finalists must have a background check to confirm the information provided in the nomination and must provide references.
Recipients of the 2011 awards are profiled in the book “Our Youngest Heroes,” available through Amazon.com.
A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 5,000 volunteers across 25 chapters and has met more than 430,000 needs since 2002.
A four-star rated charity by watchdog Charity Navigator, nationally, 94 percent of total revenue donated to Operation Homefront goes to programs.
More information is available at www.OperationHomefront.net.
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“I welcome Lindsey to the CalVet family and look forward to working with her on issues that affect the lives of so many women veterans in California.” said CalVet Secretary Peter J. Gravett.
Wathen, of West Sacramento, has served as the veterans benefit advisor for California State University, Sacramento since 2010.
She was the lead certifying official and admissions clerk for American River College from 2008 to 2010.
Wathen was a petty officer, first class serving as a cryptologic technician interpretive for the United States Navy from 1997 to 2005.
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“I welcome Lee and Pouneh to the CalVet family,” said Peter J. Gravett, CalVet secretary. “Lee’s extensive knowledge and experience in cultural awareness makes him uniquely qualified to fill the Deputy Secretary for Minority Veterans position. Pouneh’s depth of knowledge of fiscal services will greatly enhance the CalVet Veterans Home Division as its chief of financial operations.”
Gutierrez, of Temecula, is a retired colonel with more than 29 years of commissioned service in the United States Army, serving in twelve countries. He has been the division chief of the Joint Interagency Coordination Group at Pacific Command Headquarters since January 2011.
Gutierrez has served in multiple command positions ranging from brigade to platoon and joint staff positions, including director of cultural awareness and counterinsurgency and executive assistant officer to Commanding General, First United States Army, Lieutenant General Honoré.
Simpson, of Sacramento, has served as chief of administrative services division for the State Personnel Board since 2009.
She was chief of fiscal services at the California Emergency Management Agency from 2007 to 2009, chief of administration at the Office of the Inspector General from 2005 to 2007, manager of forms and publication at the Board of Equalization from 2004 to 2005, special projects manager at the California State Controller’s Office from 2000 to 2004 and a budget analyst at Department of Finance from 1997 to 1999.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The California Department of Veterans Affairs has released mobile applications for California veterans and their families.
These apps provide any-where, any-time access to information about employment, education, housing, health and other benefits and services available to California veterans.
The apps, available for both Android and iPhone devices, detail specific veteran benefits, including eligibility, providers, hours of operation, and contact information.
Using GPS technology, the apps provide maps and driving directions to the nearest county Veterans Service Office, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health facility and clinics, and other facilities and organizations that offer services to veterans.
“CalVet is very excited about being able to reach and assist veterans in such an immediate and personal way,” said Peter J. Gravett, CalVet Secretary. “Recently-returned veterans are especially savvy when it comes to technology, but these mobile apps are intuitive enough to allow veterans of every era to connect quickly and easily with CalVet and with the benefits they’ve earned.”
The CalVet app for DROID devices is can be downloaded for free by clicking the icon located on the Home page of the CalVet web site, www.calvet.ca.gov.
The app for Apple devices is available for free from any Apple App Store.
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The Thanksgiving dinner meeting will take place on Saturday, Nov. 19. Doors open at 5 p.m.
The Christmas Christmas dinner meeting will be on Saturday, Dec. 17. Doors open at 5 p.m. for that meeting as well.
There is a recommended donation for each event.
Meetings will be held on the fourth Thursday of the month, with doors opening at 5 p.m., January through October of 2012.
The post is located at 5005 Second St., Kelseyville, telephone 707-279-1349.
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