Administration Urges Governors to "Ramp Up" Veterans' Support

As well as for Military spouses and families

First Lady Michelle Obama Challenges Governors of all 50 States to Ease Service Members' Transition to Civilian Work Force

February 25, 2013 - Too often the talented men and women who have served our country face barriers that make it difficult to find jobs that capitalize on the skills they have gained through their military education and experience. Many service members and veterans are required to repeat education or training in order to receive industry certifications and state occupational licenses, even though much, and in some cases, all, of their military training and experience overlaps with credential requirements.

The members of our Armed Forces and their families make great sacrifices, and when their service is concluded, we owe it to our veterans and their families to help them accomplish a successful transition to the civilian labor force. That is why over the past year and a half, President Obama has taken significant action to create a “career-ready military” and streamline the transition process. read more>>>

Published on Feb 25, 2013 - First Lady Michelle Obama, speaking to the nation's governors, urged them to support efforts to help veterans transition to civilian life.

First Lady Asks Governors to Aid Certification for Veterans

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2013 – As the war in Afghanistan winds down and more than 1 million veterans return to civilian life, the nation’s responsibility to help them in that transition will ramp up, First Lady Michelle Obama told the National Governors Association at the White House today.

Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, spoke to the nation’s governors to seek their help with the “Joining Forces” initiative to foster support for service members and their families.

The first lady noted that President Barack Obama created a task force to help service members obtain the national certification that they need to fill high-demand civilian jobs with the manufacturing industry. read more>>>

Dr. Biden Urges Governors to Help Military Spouses

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2013 – Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, today urged the nation’s governors to get behind the effort to allow military spouses to transfer professional licenses from state to state.

Speaking to the National Governors Association at the White House as part of the “Joining Forces” initiative that she and First Lady Michelle Obama have championed, Biden noted that 28 states have passed laws to facilitate license portability for teachers, nurses, social workers and other professionals licensed in one state but who have to move to another when their military spouse gets a new assignment.

Military spouses move 10 times more often than their civilian counterparts, Biden said, and 35 percent of those spouses have jobs that require professional licenses. read more>>>

* * * Special Report: Military Family Support * * *

Troops, Vets Want ‘Fair Shot’ at Employment, Battaglia Says

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2013 – Service members and veterans are more than prepared to transition into civilian employment, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

Following the release today of a report by the Executive Office of the President titled “The Fast Track to Civilian Employment: Streamlining Credentialing and Licensing for Service Members, Veterans and their Spouses,” Marine Corps Sgt. Major Bryan B. Battaglia told reporters in a conference call with White House officials that the skills, dedication and discipline conferred by military service makes veterans an asset to any civilian employer.

In February 2012, only 11 states had legislation intended to assist military spouses in transferring their licenses or certifications when they moved to a new state, said Tina Tchen, chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama. In part due to the efforts of the “Joining Forces” initiative championed by the first lady and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden -- along with the president’s military credentialing and licensing task force, 28 states now have such legislation, she said, and more are working toward that goal. read more>>>

Holly Petraeus On Saving for an Emergency

Published on Feb 25, 2013 - Holly Petraeus, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Office of Servicemember Affairs, speaks with a military reporter about the importance of having money put away for an emergency, and where they can go for assistance if they have a consumer financial service complaint. For more about how to start a personal savings plan visit: Military Saves

To learn more about the CFPB's Office of Servicemember Affairs visit: Information for servicemembers

‘Military Saves Week’ Highlights Personal Finance Issues

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2013 – Defense Department officials have designated this week as “Military Saves Week” to highlight the need for military families to reduce debt and save for the future, something Pentagon officials emphasize is key to force readiness.

The event is part of the yearlong Military Saves campaign, an opportunity for leaders to stress the importance of good financial habits to all members of the force and their families to encourage saving, reducing debt and building wealth, officials said. read more>>>

* * * Joining Forces * * *

VA protected from sequester cuts, but veterans will feel the pain And it isn't only this so called 'sequestration', it's what's going to be coming after worse then the decades preceding, even more obstruction in especially the congressional budget talks as to the decades long underfunded VA, not only that agency, and the tepub long wish of privatizing but on the public dime, corporate welfare, for bottom line profit, like the wars!!