AFSCME Information Highway

Source: Employee Benefit News, Industry inBrief, August 21, 2008

The U.S. Department of Labor rolled out a new online resource to help employers in their employment of veterans with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, two common battlefield-related conditions.

The new America's Heroes at Work Web site offers information about TBI and PTSD, as well as tools and guidance on how to implement workplace accommodations and other services that benefit affected individuals.

Posted by Info Center at 6:02 PM in Mental Health | Veterans | Workforce | Permalink

Source: David P. Smole and Shannon S. Loane, Congressional Research Service, RL34549, July 3, 2008

Federal educational assistance programs have been authorized for veterans of the Armed Forces since 1944. The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (P.L. 78346), or the GI Bill of Rights, provided support, including education benefits, to veterans of World War II. Subsequently, other programs were implemented for similar purposes (e.g., the Korean GI Bill and the Vietnam Era GI Bill). These new programs were primarily, if not exclusively, funded by the federal government and were intended to support veterans returning from war.

This report reviews the evolution of veterans' education benefit programs prior to the enactment of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. It also examines how changes in the estimated value of those benefits compares with changes in average college prices, and provides a discussion of the interaction between veterans' education benefits and federal student aid benefits made available under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended.

Posted by Info Center at 1:31 PM in Benefits | Education | Higher Education | Veterans | Permalink

Source: Carol D. Davis, Sidath Viranga Panangala, and Christine Scott¸ Congressional Research Service, RS22902, June 25, 2008

From a summary:
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers a wide range of benefits and services to eligible veterans, members of their families, and survivors of deceased veterans. VA programs include disability compensation and pensions, readjustment benefits, and health care programs. The VA also provides life insurance, burial benefits, housing and other loan guaranty programs, and special counseling and outreach programs. While eligibility for specific benefits varies, veterans generally must meet requirements related to discharge type and length of active duty military service. This report provides an overview of major VA benefits and the VA budget. It will be updated as events warrant.

Posted by Info Center at 6:06 PM in Benefits | Veterans | Permalink

Source: NOW, PBS, 6/13/2008

Of the thousands of U.S. troops getting discharged from the Army each year, many who are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and brain injuries aren't getting the vital care they need. The Army claims these soldiers have pre-existing mental illnesses or are guilty of misconduct. But advocates say this is a way for the Army to get rid of "problem" soldiers quickly, without giving them the treatment and benefits to which they're entitled.
See also:
• Transcript
• Soldier Stories
• Resources for Soldiers and Vets

Posted by Info Center at 5:40 PM in Veterans | Permalink

Source: Angelle Bergeron, with Debra Rubin, ENR, 05/14/2008

Since 2003, when the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Dept. (BCTD) and nine construction employer groups founded Helmets to Hardhats, or H2H, to transition military personnel into industry craft jobs, the continuing Iraq war has added a new crop of veterans and, as Memorial Day approaches, a poignant dimension to the union recruiting and training program.

Posted by Info Center at 1:16 PM in Labor Unions | Veterans | Workforce | Permalink

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

From Summary:
In 2007, the unemployment rate among veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces since September 2001 was 6.1 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. About 17 percent of these veterans, also called Gulf War-era II veterans, had a service-connected disability in August 2007. The jobless rate for veterans of all eras combined was 3.8 percent in 2007. About 12 percent of all veterans had a service-connected disability in August 2007.

Full report

Posted by William at 10:27 AM in Veterans | Permalink

Source: Dan Van Bogaert, Employee Relations Law Journal, Vol. 33, no. 4, Spring 2008

More than a quarter of a million soldiers have returned from military service to their previous civilian jobs in recent years. What this means is employers need to pay closer attention to the recruitment, selection, and retention of employees with military backgrounds. Because of the pervasive scope military conflict throughout the world today, there are increasing numbers of employees and job applicants with military service backgrounds. Therefore, most employers are affected by this circumstance, even those organizations that may not currently employ workers who are on military leave.

Although some of the concerns regarding post traumatic stress disorder have been exaggerated, employers still face many challenges relating to employees returning from military leave. This article thoroughly examines these challenges and related legal responsibilities of employers, and offers practical guidelines for human resources management.

Posted by Info Center at 5:04 PM in Employment Screening | Military | Veterans | Permalink

Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, Press release, February 12, 2008

An increasing number of military service members and U.S. contractors working abroad are being discriminated against on the job and are left with little ability to hold their employers accountable for it, witnesses told the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions today.
"If a worker is wronged while on the job, then that employee should have every opportunity to be made whole under the law," said Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ), chairman of the subcommittee. "Unfortunately, there are too many loopholes in the law today and we have the responsibility to not allow any instance of discrimination to go unchecked."

Reserve troops returning home from active duty in places like Iraq and Afghanistan are finding it difficult to get their jobs back, government statistics show. According to a U.S. Defense Department report, more than 33,000 reserve service members from 2001 to 2005 have complained to the agency that their employers failed to give them their jobs back - as required by law - or received a reduction in pay and benefits.

▪ Witness testimonies from hearing

Posted by Info Center at 12:40 PM in Discrimination | Laws/Legislation | Military | Veterans | Permalink

Source: Congressional Budget Office

With the return of veterans having served in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and with a much larger number of veterans from earlier eras turning to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for at least a portion of their health care, the department is now treating over 5 million veterans each year. Many observers have suggested that the quality of that care has been bolstered by advances in health information technology as well as in other areas such as the coordination of care and the management of chronic diseases, which may have implications for other components of the nation's health care system.

In response to requests from the Chairmen of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies of the House Committee on Appropriations, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has prepared this interim paper that describes the incentives for quality that VA has included in its management system and its uses of health information technology. A final paper, anticipated next year, will consider whether other government or private-sector health systems would benefit from adopting those and other practices by VA. In keeping with CBO's mandate to provide impartial analysis, this paper makes no recommendations.

Posted by Info Center at 11:57 AM in Veterans | Permalink

Source: Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission, October 2007

From the press release:
The Commission's report provides 113 recommendations that would help to ensure that the benefit fairly compensates the service-disabled veterans and their families, as well as help them live with dignity as they rehabilitate and reintegrate into civilian life.

Posted by Info Center at 5:46 PM in Americans With Disabilities Act | Benefits | Veterans | Permalink

Source: President’s Commission on Care for America’s Wounded Warriors, July 2007

From statement by committee co-chairs Bob Dole and Donna Shalala:
Our report is rooted in the work done by the Commission over the past three months plus the work of other Task Forces and Commissions that have been examining similar issues. This Commission has heard testimony at seven public meetings and has conducted 23 site visits to military bases, VA hospitals and treatment centers across the country. We have heard from experts on providing physical and mental health care, navigating health care and disability evaluation and compensation systems, members of Congress and their staff, and most importantly, service men and women, their families and the health care professionals charged with their care. The Commission is also conducting its own nationwide survey of service men and women and is currently analyzing the data.

As a Commission, we believe that honoring our injured service men and women means:
• Our nation must acknowledge the significant sacrifices of our wounded and injured service members.
• While in most cases service members receive excellent care, the care provided should meet the highest standards of quality.
• Improving the system of care where needed will benefit all veterans for generations to come.
• Our goal is that the care provided heal, to the greatest possible extent, the physical and mental wounds of our service members to enable them to achieve their maximum potential.
• It is imperative that we continue to value the significant contributions of family members in supporting the health and well-being of their loved ones.

See also:
Press release
Remarks By President Bush in the Oval Office

Posted by Info Center at 5:02 PM in Veterans | Permalink

Source: Steffie Woolhandler, Physicians for a National Health Program, Testimony Presented to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, June 20, 2007

In 2004, 1.8 million military veterans neither had health insurance nor received ongoing care at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals. Note that the surveys asked veterans if they had health insurance, and if they had veterans or military health care. We counted them as uninsured only if they answered no to both questions. The number of uninsured veterans has increased by 290,000 since 2000. The proportion of non-elderly veterans who were uninsured rose from less then one in ten (9.9%) in 2000 to more than one in eight (12.7%) in 2004.

An additional 3.8 million members of veterans’ households were also uninsured and ineligible for VHA care.

Virtually all Korean War and World War II veterans are over age 65 and hence covered by Medicare. However, 645,628 Vietnam-era veterans were uninsured (8.5% of the 7.56 million Vietnam-era vets). Among the 8.6 million veterans who served during “other eras” including the Persian Gulf War, 12.9% (1,105,891) lacked health coverage.

Almost two-thirds (64.3%) of uninsured veterans were employed and nearly nine out of ten (86.4%) had worked within the past year. Most uninsured veterans, like other uninsured Americans were in working families. Many earned too little to afford health insurance, but too much to qualify for free care under Medicaid or VA means testing.

Posted by Info Center at 5:05 PM in Health Care | Veterans | Permalink

Source: Healther Kleba, Governing, Vol. 20 no. 6, March 2007

A handful of large and small telehealth programs are finding that remote monitoring can curb the costs of long-term care.

Although there are obstacles to widespread use--mostly in terms of upfront costs and patients' acceptance--the technology is in place and the benefits are becoming clear. While the Alabama program is one of only a handful of experimental state and local efforts, there is already an impressive track record on remote monitoring. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been practicing telehealth for nearly five years, and the results suggest that the program could lower the cost of treating long-term and chronic-care patients. VA officials report that home-care monitoring has been cutting by about one-third the patient-care costs of those who are remotely monitored.

Posted by Info Center at 11:36 AM in Health Care | Veterans | Permalink

Source: Terry J. Allen, In These Times, Vol. 31 no. 5, May 2007

Soldiers returning from Iraq aren’t receiving their education stipends until it’s too late

…Many veterans who applied under the 1984 Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) say they faced black-hole bureaucracy and college costs that far exceeded benefits….

…Because many colleges require payment upfront, and benefit checks from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) typically arrive months after the semester begins, veterans often have to pony up thousands of dollars in tuition, fees and living expenses to enter school…

Posted by Info Center at 1:24 PM in Veterans | Permalink