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GI Bill benefits are at risk of being cut if military veterans do not show a “return on investment” to the American people, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki recently told the annual gathering of Student Veterans of America.
A return on investment basically amounts to veterans earning college degrees and getting jobs, but no one really knows how many veterans actually graduate and start a career.
Fort McClellan is the former home of the U.S. Army Military Police and U.S. Army Chemical Schools. Located in Anniston, Ala., it was one of the largest training posts the Army had to offer before the Environmental Protection Agency closed the fort down in 1999. Nearly 500,000 men were trained there during WWII, and hundreds of thousands of others used this installation to hone their military skills during the post’s 82-year history.
Countless brave men and women spilled blood, sweat and tears over the training grounds. Everyone lived in close quarters and prepared for combat abroad — much like any other fort. But throughout the fort’s long run, there was a dark secret that nobody — save a chemical company — knew about.
Between 1933 and 1999, Fort McClellan was constantly exposed to major biochemical health hazards, including ionizing radiation and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
In January, Veterans United chief writer Levi Newman reported that female veteran homelessness has nearly doubled since 2006. The Department of Veterans Affairs has just taken another step towards solving the problem of veteran homelessness. On July 17, the VA announced $100 million in grants for homeless veterans, which will help approximately 42,000 homeless and at-risk veterans and their families.
The awards will be granted to 151 community programs in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Secretary for Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said that the grants will help the VA and community organizations prevent at-risk veterans from losing their homes. The VA hopes to end veteran homelessness by 2015.
Struggling to find employment is a widespread dilemma for many Americans, and it’s especially difficult for veterans.
The Defense Business Board states that this quandary results from the reasons that unemployed veterans have a tough time finding jobs they want to do, having employers understand their skills and transferring military skills to a civilian environment. And when 200,000 members of the military are entering the civilian workforce every year, the issue is magnified.
In an attempt to alleviate some of this problem, 500 railroads pledge to hire 5,000 veterans in 2012 under the umbrella of the Association of American Railroads. Because 23% of railroad workers are set to retire by 2015, according to the association, railroad companies will replace them with veterans and help lower the veteran unemployment rate.
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The amount of veteran news that comes through on a weekly and monthly basis can be overwhelming at times, often causing us to miss a good story or two. You are now in luck! Each month, the Veterans United Network will re-post some of the top stories from around the world, all in an easy, roundup format. Below you will find stories that not only come from our own blog, but from other news sources as well. 
Last week, President Obama signed an executive order aimed at protecting veterans from the aggressive recruiting and deceptive advertising practices that have become the trademark of many for-profit colleges.
“I’ve heard the stories,” he said, addressing a crowd of soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia. “They’ll say you don’t have to pay a dime for your degree. But, once you register, they’ll suddenly make you sign up for a high-interest student loan. They’ll say that if you transfer schools, you can transfer credits. But when you actually try to do that, you suddenly find out that you can’t. They’ll say they’ve got a job placement program when in fact they don’t. It’s not right. They’re trying to swindle and hoodwink you.”
The new initiative is designed to enhance transparency, requiring schools to disclose more information to prospective students.
The Department of Defense believes that even a single victim of sexual assault is one too many, providing two new policies that could become key in protecting victims.
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