Please mark your calendars—

Hiring Our Heroes – Fayetteville and Charlotte, NC

Ladies and Gentlemen:

On February 10 in Fayetteville and on February 13 in Charlotte, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training (DOL VETS), and the North Carolina Committee of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve along with the local chambers of commerce will host hiring fairs for active duty military members, Guard and Reserve members and eligible spouses. These hiring events will be one-of a-kind FREE hiring fairs for both employers and job seekers. Read more...

PTSD Class Action Settled

The Sacramento Bee reports that a federal judge has approved a settlement which compels the Department of Defense to provide lifetime health care and post-exchange privileges to 2,100 veterans who have been medically discharged since 2002 with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The affected veterans had been discharged with disability ratings that were too low to entitle them to such benefits. The settlement provides lifetime disability retirement benefits to 1,029 veterans with PTSD who had been denied aid previously. An additional 1,066 will have their disability benefits increased. Another 2,200 potentially affected veterans did not opt in to the class-action lawsuit, though they might take individual legal action.

VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA AND CAMPAIGN ENDORSEMENTS

(Washington, D.C.)Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) President John Rowan said today that VVA cannot make any endorsements of political candidates for any elected office.

VVAs Constitution and our not-for-profit tax status strictly prohibit the national organization, as well as local VVA chapters and state councils, from making any such endorsements, Rowan said. Read more...

Changes coming to www.vva885.org

Currently, I am performing double duty publishing informative content on both the chapter web site and the state web site. Logically, I should be posting data to a common source for all the members in the state, while maintaing an area for each chapter for individual news stories and updates, but available for viewing by anyone so that others with the same interests can be aware of what's going on around them, and promote an awareness that "we are not alone." Read more...

VVA: DD-214s are NOW Online

It's official; DD-214's are NOW On-line.

The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following web site for veterans to gain access to their DD-214's on-line: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/

This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files. Read more...

New Address for NPRC

The National Personnel Records Center has a new address:

As a reminder, all retirees and Honorably Discharged veterans should ensure their family knows the location of their military Separation Document (DD Form 214).

Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2010

From 1962 to 1971, the U.S. military sprayed herbicides over Vietnam to strip the thick jungle canopy that could conceal opposition forces, to destroy crops that those forces might depend on, and to clear tall grasses and bushes from the perimeters of U.S. base camps and outlying fire-support bases.

In response to concerns and continuing uncertainty about the long-term health effects of the sprayed herbicides on Vietnam veterans, Veterans and Agent Orange provides a comprehensive evaluation of scientific and medical information regarding the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used in Vietnam. The 2008 report is the eighth volume in this series of biennial updates. It will be of interest to policy makers and physicians in the federal government, veterans and their families, veterans' organizations, researchers, and health professionals.

To view the report, click HERE.