Veterans and the franchise industry: a success story
As part of the franchising industry’s support of the White House Joining Forces initiative, International Franchise Association President & CEO Steve Caldeira joined President Obama, Vice President Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden on April 30th to mark the hiring of 290,000 veterans and military spouses who have been hired or trained since the launch of the initiative in 2011..See Story

Best for Vets 2013: Employers
Military Times EDGE surveyed more than 1,000 major companies and top government contractors with a detailed questionnaire about their recruiting and hiring policies, social recognition for veterans and pay and benefits for reservists. They looked for companies that didn’t just talk about how much they support the military but had in place tangible policies and programs to help veterans get in the door and feel welcome once inside. Here are the companies doing the most for you and yours:.See Story

Bills introduced to help VA reduce claims backlog
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee announced a coordinated legislative effort to help the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in its efforts to address the growing backlog of disability claims. The 10 pieces of legislation seek to help VA accomplish its goal to eliminate the backlog by 2015. See Story

Nearly half of U.S. veterans found with blast concussions might have hormone deficiencies
According to Science Daily, up to 20 percent of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced at least one blast concussion. New research suggests that nearly half these veterans may have a problem — so under-recognized that even military physicians may fail to look for it. See Story

VA budget examined by Veterans' Affairs Committee

The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs this week questioned Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki at a hearing on President Barack Obama’s proposed $153 billion budget for the VA in 2014.See Story

At least 2,061 US military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001

As of Tuesday, March 26, 2013, at least 2,061 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S. -led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count.See Story

YOUNG VETERANS WANT IN ON VFW ACTION

The VFW’s advocacy and service efforts are making an impact on America’s newest generation of war veterans and they want in on the action. Just this past weekend, thirty young veterans were sworn in as the newest members of Post 2940 in Buffalo, N.Y.See Story

The American Legion: Always fighting for relevancy

A March 16 New York Times article described an American Legion post near Chicago that is struggling to attract young members. The article used that post as an example to advance a broader theory about the nation’s largest veterans service organization. The headline read: “An Aging American Legion Fights for Relevancy.”See Story

Small city’s major claim to fame

The Alabama city of Leeds has nicknamed itself “City of Valor,” according to its website. At first glance, the declaration may seem like a boast. However, there is merit to the title: Leeds, a suburb of Birmingham with a population under 12,000, is believed to have the highest rate of Medal of Honor recipients per capita of any U.S. city.A memorial, dedicated in the city’s historical park in 2002, honors the three heroes: Staff Sgt. Henry E. “Red” Erwin, who served in the Army during World War II; Pfc. Alford L. McLaughlin, a Marine who served in the Korean War; and 1st Lt. William R. Lawley, Army, World War II.See Story

Medal of Honor recipients laud citizen heroes

On Medal of Honor Day, March 25, 21 Medal of Honor recipients helped bestow honors upon four valorous civilians in Washington. The group from among America’s greatest military heroes nearly duplicated The American Legion’s recent “Salute to Heroes” guest roster.See Story

Veteran Weekly News March 25, 2013

Here is your weekly news for March 25, 2013See Story

Many Iraqis Prefer to Ignore 10th Anniversary of War

So as historians, pundits and former government officials in Washington and London produce a wave of reminiscences on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the invasion of — symposiums have been held, books written, new studies published on the conflict’s toll, human and financial — Iraqis are more concerned with the present.See Story

Veterans summit focuses on jobs

The number of veterans in Charlotte who have served since 9/11 is expected to double in the next several years, growing by 7,000 people, according to a Department of Defense projection. See Story

U.S. still making payments to relatives of Civil War veterans

Juanita Tudor Lowrey received government benefits tied to her father, a Civil War veteran.(Charlie Riedel/AP)Ten years after the launch of the Iraq War, a number of critics and analysts have been pointing to war’s extravagant financial cost—to say nothing of its toll on human lives. But a surprising report shows that nearly 150 years after the Civil War’s conclusion, the U.S. government is still paying relatives of veterans. See Story

Whistle-blowers allege wrongdoing at Miss. VA center – U.S.

In the letter sent Monday to the White House and Congress, the Office of Special Counsel said an initial 2009 report by a whistle-blower employee at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., alleged that the staff routinely failed to properly clean and sterilize reusable medical equipment such as scalpels and bone cutters. See Story

Top weekly veteran news stories compiled from popular media sources

Read from a variety of topics and issues related to our the military, DOD, Veteran Affairs and more See Story

House moves to give VA funding some predictability

WASHINGTON — Despite the fiscal pressures facing the country, Rep. Jeff Miller believes his fellow lawmakers will continue to protect funding for veterans programsSee Story

Top Ten Jobs for Vets

The verdict is in: Military veterans make great employees. Whether it’s a position in construction, transportation, financial services or engineering, some of the top companies in the United States are currently recruiting military service members to get the job done.See Story

Officials: Cuts, Unstable Budget Threaten Intelligence Mission
Along with al-Qaida, nuclear proliferation and cyber threats, budget instability and the prospect of further deep spending cuts are among the nation’s most pressing national security challenges, top defense intelligence officials told a congressional panel.See Story

Biometrics Certification Training Company to Provide Scholarships to Qualified U. S Veterans

Biocertification.com enables qualified U.S. veterans to receive Biometrics & CompTIA Security+ training, free of charge.
See Story

Commander welcomes home returning vets

American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz responded to President Obama’s State of the Union Address Tuesday with a word of welcome to 34,000 troops the president said would be coming home from Afghanistan this year.See Story

Army veteran’s kind last act comforts grieving family | Fox News

GREEN BAY, Wis. – After watching their son survive a pair of military stints in Kuwait and Afghanistan, Andrew Steiner’s parents were devastated when he was killed helping the victims of a minor Brown County traffic crash last month. But Douglas and Nicole Steiner took solace in one fact: Steiner died the way he lived, helping other people.See Story

Army vet receives Medal of Honor for Afghan fight| UTSanDiego.com

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has bestowed the Medal of Honor upon an Army veteran for his courageous leadership during a daylong firefight in Afghanistan.See Story

Unseen wounds:

Leaving the war is half the battle. Leaving the war behind is the other. How everyday efforts can help veterans be civilians again.See Story

Miller: VA claims backlog must go | FLORIDA TODAY | floridatoday.com

WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Jeff Miller, the Pensacola-area Republican who chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, wants to speed up the time it takes to process veterans disability claims.See Story

VA offers $3 million prize if you can design its new scheduling software

The $3 million is yours if you can help the Veteran’s Administration figure out its decades-old problem of computerized appointment scheduling.See Story

US military veteran suicides rise, one dies every 65 minutes

The study released on Fri. by the Department of Veterans Affairs covered suicides from 1999 to 2010 and compared with a previous, less precise VA estimate that there were roughly 18 veteran deaths a day in the United States. Reuters last year obtained less-detailed data for the 2005-to-2010 period from 32 states, also showing a significant rise in the number of suicides among the country’s 23 million veterans.See Story

VA embracing digital age

In September, Hartford became the first VA office in the country to switch to the Veterans Benefits Management System, or VBMS. The digital, paperless system now used in 18 locations around the nation, is to be fielded in all 56 offices by the end of the year.See Story

Suicide bomber kills guard at US Embassy in Turkey

In the second deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic post in five months, a suicide bomber struck the American Embassy in Ankara on Friday, killing a Turkish security guard in what the White House described as a terrorist attack.See Story

Sophisticated cyber-attack hits Energy Department, China possible suspect

Computer networks at the Energy Department were attacked by sophisticated hackers in a major cyber incident two weeks ago and personal information on several hundred employees was compromised by the intruders. See Story

Top Veteran stories of the week found on the web.

Enjoy a recap summary of the most relevant military and veteran stories found on the web See Story

Suicide rates increase with Veterans and general population

"There is a perception that we have a veterans' suicide epidemic on our hands. I don't think that is true," said Robert Bossarte.See Story

VA overpaid disabled vets nearly $1B, audit finds

Unspectors say the most stubborn, chronic mistake made by Veterans Affairs claims examiners while trying to dig their way out of a growing backlog of cases is overcompensating some veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs overpaid 12,800 veterans $943 million from 1993 to 2009, according to projections by the VA’s Office of Inspector General.See Story

Defense chief Panetta to clear women for combat roles

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has decided to clear the way for women to serve in many combat positions in the U.S. armed forces, a senior defense official told NBC News on Wednesday afternoon.See Story

Marine Corps: Poor tests score should not delay F-35′s Beaufort arrival

BEAUFORT, S.C. — The U.S. military’s next-generation aircraft should arrive on time in Beaufort County, despite falling short of testing goals, a Marine Corps official said Monday.
The Pentagon’s chief weapons tester sent Congress a report Friday describing more problems for the program that has been marked by delays and cost increases.See Story