Being a former Marine and current veteran, I've been interested in knowing the true benefit programs the government has for individuals such as myself. It it highly important to understand the resources that are available to you once your released from service. Usually Veterans come home with no immediate source of income or family to fall back on for that matter. These benefit programs that are created to service veterans to help get back on their feet and keep them stable coming out of service, is truly imperative. These programs assure that our veterans will not be abandoned and will be taken care of. So in my search of Veterans benefits I was discouraged to see that all Wikipedia had under this section was:
Many veterans rely on this information and The VA, through its Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), provides a variety of services for veterans including disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, life insurance, vocational, rehabilitation, survivors’ benefits, health care, and burial benefits.
In my journey I've come across many non-profit organizations that sponsor and hold veteran assistance and benefit programs that unfortunately don't receive a lot of recognition and are unfamiliar in the veteran world.The Department of Labor as well works closely with veterans and uphold a priority policy for veterans when issuing government grants for educational purposes. They get to work closely with a veterans representative, someone who is just like them who's experienced what they've gone through and can assist them in merging back into the civilian world. There is a not for profit agency that is derived from the Department of Labor called New Opportunities. They open there resources to all individuals and have exemplary veteran programs which include additional resources such as home visits for the ill, disabled, or otherwise healthy veterans, and the list continues. I recommend all veterans regardless of their age to check out this agency, it is very informative. I decided to add to the Wikipedia page in reference to this important matter and the information I have humbly gained:
The Department of Labor(DOL) provides job development and job training opportunities for disabled and other veterans through contacts with employers. A subsidiary agency associated with the Department of Labor called New Opportunities has a division solely for Veterans. Programs include:
The “Good Neighbor Program” (GNP) provides visits to home bound, ill, or otherwise isolated veterans. GNP is a cooperative effort between the Veterans Administration and RSVP. While training of the volunteers, who will be visiting with referred veterans in their homes, will be conducted by the VA, volunteer administrative support will be provided by RSVP staff. Volunteers wishing to work in the GNP will be required to complete a Veterans Administration Volunteer application, attend a one time VA volunteer orientation session, be finger printed, and pass a background check. “Outreach” - Volunteers for this part of this program will attend “stand downs”, Veteran Service Organizations events, or general community events to provide information to veterans and examine possible assistance for their needs. Volunteer will assess veteran needs and direct veterans to programs and services (government or civilian) that can meet those needs. Volunteer may also assist with the application process and/or following up on an application.
“Job Skill Mentoring” Volunteers working on this part of our program will take advantage of the volunteer’s career and job search experience and skills. Volunteers will provide coaching to veterans in the preparation of resumes, interviewing skills, networking, etc. to prepare the veteran to have a more positive experience when getting ready for job searching. Volunteers will also be able to refer the veteran to the career development programs (e.g.job placement, resume writing, etc.) at the CT Department of Labor (CTDOL). [16]
In creating this new addition I also created an account with Wikipedia to check for other areas I can add to with fundamental information. I encourage others who read this blog to do the same. This was an enlightening experience.
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