The POPVOX Blog

Articles Tagged veterans,

1. Weekly Bill Round Up: Week of 12/27

   by rachna on January 3, 2012

   Happy New Year! Congress isn't in session, but here's what caught the attention of the POPVOX team and POPVOXnation this past week. Have a bill you'd like spotlighted on POPVOX's Bill Page? Send me an email at rachna@popvox.com

   Round Up: Week of 12/27

   • HR 3758 The Social Security Safety Dividend Act ensures that seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who receive Social Security and certain other Federal benefits receive a $250 payment in the event that no cost-of-living adjustment is payable in a calendar year. (Just introduced.)
   • HR 3755 The Freedom to Mourn in Peace Act prohibits demonstrations at places of mourning during a funeral, memorial service, or other bereavement ceremony honoring a deceased veteran. (Just introduced.)
   • HR 3738 HR 3738 increases from 1 to 2 years the post employment restrictions on Members of the House of Representatives. (Just introduced.)
   • HR 3761 The Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and their Families Act allows active duty soldiers and veterans who serve honorably to expedite the citizenship of their family members. (Just introduced.)
   • HR 3753 The Fairness in Restrooms Existing in Stations (FIRE Stations) Act establishes a grant program to encourage fire stations to establish or upgrade restroom, shower and changing facilities to create more equitable conditions for women firefighters. (Just introduced.)
   • HR 3748 The America RISING Act establishes a grant program for stipends to assist in the cost of compensation paid by employers to certain recent college graduates and to provide funding for their further education in subjects relating to mathematics, science, engineering, and technology. (Just introduced.)

   Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn't imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we're simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of an overwhelmingly complex legislative system.

2. Issue Spotlight: Honoring Veterans Day

   by rachna on November 9, 2011

   In honor of Veterans Day, Nov. 11, POPVOX is spotlighting veterans legislation. We hope you will take a moment to review this list of bills (it’s divided by issue areas) and weigh in. POPVOX will deliver your comments to your Members of Congress.

   Veterans Employment

   • HR 2433 The Veterans Opportunity to Work Act makes certain improvements in the laws relating to the employment and training of veterans
   • S 745 S 745 protects certain veterans who would otherwise be subject to a reduction in educational assistance benefits
   • HR 1941 The Hiring Heroes Act (and S 951) improves the provision of Federal transition, rehabilitation, vocational, and unemployment benefits to members of the Armed Forces and veterans

   Honoring Veterans

   • S 402 The Cold War Service Medal Act (and HR 1968) awards military service medals for having served honorably during the Cold War
   • HRes 184 H.Res. 184 expresses support for a designation of a “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day”
   • HR 1025 The Honor America's Guard and Reserve Retirees Act (and S 491) recognizes the service in the reserve components of certain persons by honoring them with status as veterans under law

   Veterans Health

   • HR 198 The Veterans Dog Training Therapy Act directs the V.A. to carry out a pilot program on dog training therapy
   • HR 396 The TBI Treatment Act creates a pilot program to make payments for traumatic brain injury treatment
   • HR 2052 The Fort McClellan Health Registry Act directs the V.A. to establish a registry of certain veterans who were stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama
   • S 1629 The Agent Orange Equity Act (and HR 812) clarifies presumptions relating to the exposure of certain veterans who served in the vicinity of Vietnam
   • HR 814 The Medicare VA Reimbursement Act provides Medicare payments to V.A. medical facilities for items and services provided to Medicare-eligible veterans for non-service-connected conditions
   • HR 329 The Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act provides chiropractic care and services to veterans at all V.A. medical centers
   • S 277 The Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act furnishes hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to veterans who were stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC, while the water was contaminated there
   • HR 1742 The Janey Ensminger Act establishes a presumption of service connection for illnesses associated with contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune, NC, and provides health care to family members of veterans who lived there while the water was contaminated
   • HR 2074 The Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention and Health Care Enhancement Act requires a comprehensive policy on reporting and tracking sexual assault incidents that occur at V.A. medical facilities and improves rehabilitative services for veterans with traumatic brain injury
   • S 1689 The Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention Act requires a comprehensive policy on reporting sexual assault incidents that occur at V.A. medical facilities
   • HR 930 HR 930 improves the disability compensation evaluation procedure for veterans related to military sexual trauma

   Veterans Homelessness

   • S 1148 The Veterans Programs Improvement Act improves the provision of assistance to homeless veterans and the regulation of fiduciaries who represent individuals for purposes of receiving benefits under laws administered by the V.A.
   • HR 287 The Homes for Heroes provides housing assistance for very low-income veterans

   Other Veterans Bills

   • S 1707 The Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act clarifies the conditions under which certain persons may be treated as adjudicated mentally incompetent for certain purposes
   • HR 2985 The Veteran’s I.D. Card Act directs the V.A. to issue, upon request, veteran identification cards to certain veterans
   • HR 1484 The Veterans Appeals Improvement Act improves the V.A. appeals process

   Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn't imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we're simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of an overwhelmingly complex legislative system.

3. Issue Spotlight: Veterans' Unemployment

   by rachna on September 25, 2011

   A POPVOX user alerted me to some new unemployment statistics:  The unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans was 12.4 percent in July 2011 ( source ).

   So we're highlighting legislation related to veterans and employment. We hope you voice your point of view on these bills and share them with your friends, family and networks.

   • The Veterans Opportunity to Work Act (HR 2433) improves the employment and training of veterans; improves the Transition Assistance Program; gives governors the option of using up to 25% of the funding for direct training services for veterans; and strengthens USERRA protections. (Passed through House Committee.)
   • The Hiring Heroes Act (HR 1941 and S 951 ) improves the provision of Federal transition, rehabilitation, vocational, and unemployment benefits to members of the Armed Forces and veterans. (Passed through Senate Committee.)
   • The  Hire A Hero Act (S 367 and  HR 743 ) amends the tax code to allow the work opportunity credit to small businesses which hire individuals who are members of the Ready Reserve or National Guard
   • The Help Veterans Own Franchises Act (HR 2888 and S 1540 ) allows tax credits for the establishment of franchises with veterans
   • The Tax Credit to Hire Veterans Act (HR 2443) amends the tax code to increase the amount of depreciable business assets that an eligible small business can expense (i.e., deduct in the same taxable year) if such business employs certain unemployed veterans
   • HR 2046 ensures that members of the Armed Forces who are being separated from active duty receive comprehensive employment assistance, job training assistance, and other transitional services
   • The  Post 9/11 Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act (HR 1947) amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow members of the Armed Forces who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, to be eligible to participate in the Troops-to-Teachers Program
   • The  Jobs for Veterans Act (HR 1312) amends the tax code to allow an increased work opportunity credit with respect to recent veterans
   • The Veteran Employment Transition Act (HR 865) amends the tax code to extend the work opportunity credit to certain recently discharged veterans

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   About Issue Spotlights on POPVOX

   From time to time, we like to send POPVOX users an update of new bills by issue area. As in this example, if you weighed in on a bill about firearms, then you might receive an email from me alerting you to other firearms bills. (Full disclosure: while I think this idea is brilliant, it isn't mine. It was suggested by several POPVOX users -- so keep the suggestions coming!) I'll be posting these issue suggestions here, in addition to my bill picks for the day (as I explained in  an earlier post ).

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   Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn’t imply an endorsement in any way. Rather, we’re simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of an overwhelmingly complex legislative system. (Another way is to check out the “Trending Bills of the Week” .) As always, thanks for using POPVOX and I hope you stay in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter . If you'd these issue spotlights and other bill updates from POPVOX delivered to you via email, get started here to subscribe.

   

4. Entrepreneur Magazine--They've Got Your Backers

   by annalee on September 1, 2011

   They've Got Your Backers in Entrepreneur Magazine