Maine Insights » Veterans

Job Fair for Manufacturers and Veterans

Ramona Du Houx — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:47:33 +0000

According to the Maine Department of Labor, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have an unemployment rate of 8.7 percent, compared to 7.2 percent overall.

Congressman Mike Michaud and Husson University will host a job fair next month to connect Maine’s manufacturers with veterans in search of employment.

“As I travel the state, manufacturers often tell me that they often struggle to find workers with the skills they need. Meanwhile, our veterans are having a difficult time finding work when they come home,” said Michaud. “I hope that this job fair will benefit both our returning veterans and our manufacturers in need of qualified employees.”

The Manufacturers and Veterans Job Fair will be held at the Husson University Campus Center at 1 College Circle in Bangor from 8:30am to 12:30pm on Thursday, June 14th. Manufacturers interested in participating should register through the online registration form here or by calling (202) 225-6306.

Pingree says defense bill should send strong message about military sexual assault

Ramona Du Houx — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:13:22 +0000

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act today that calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense to reform policy around sexual assault in the military.

“Congress should pass this amendment and send a strong signal to the VA and to the Pentagon that we recognize what a serious problem sexual assault in the military is,” Pingree said. “But mostly it sends a message to the victims that we recognize what they have gone through and we won’t stand for it.”

Pingree has been pushing the Department of Veterans Affairs to relax the standards of proof for victims of sexual assault who are seeking benefits, and has introduced a bill with bipartisan support to force the VA to make those changes.

Pingree says VA officials claim to have already eased standards of proof for victims, but she’s heard from many veterans who are having a very different experience.

“Even when victims of sexual assault have ample evidence that they are suffering from PTSD because of the attack, the VA is often demanding unreasonable levels of proof before granting benefits. They are asking for court martial convictions or documentation that just doesn’t exist,” Pingree said. “We know that many victims don’t report the attacks for fear of retribution and even when they do the perpetrators often don’t get prosecuted. But that doesn’t mean those victims don’t still deserve benefits.”

Pingree, a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced the amendment to the defense authorization bill today. The amendment creates a Congressional resolution telling the VA to allow alternative forms of evidence for sexual assault victims. Although not a binding measure, the amendment will put continued pressure on the VA to make it easier for victims to get benefits.

“I met with Secretary Panetta recently and I know he understands the problem and I’ve met with VA officials and I know they do, too,” Pingree said. “But we can’t just call that good enough and we really have to keep up the pressure.”

Pingree is also a cosponsor of an amendment to today’s defense bill that provides oversight of the way in which the Pentagon deals with the problem of military sexual assault.

A vote on the amendment and the National Defense Authorization Act is expected later today.

Pingree speaks at opening of conference on sexual assault in military

Ramona Du Houx — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:57:32 +0000

This morning in Washington, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree talked to hundreds of veterans from around the country who had been victim of sexual assault in the military. Pingree congratulated the veterans, who had gathered at a conference put on by the Service Women’s Action Network, for speaking out.

“I know this is a deeply emotional issue for you, and you should be congratulated for having the courage to come here today and tell your stories. By going to Capitol Hill and talking to Members of Congress directly about your story, you will help bring about real change,” said Pingree.

The meeting, called “Truth and Justice: The 2012 Summit on Military Sexual Violence,” included victims of sexual assault from Maine who had traveled to Washington to participate and tell their story.

Jennifer Norris from Rumford is a 15-year veteran of the Air National Guard who said she was raped and sexually assaulted soon after joining the military.

“I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me, I had lost my purpose in life. And when I started to see other people who were victims I realized it was my duty to speak out and bring attention to this problem,” said Norris. “It gives me a sense of purpose. I’m a soldier again, but now for a new cause.”

Pingree has sponsored legislation that would make it easier for veterans diagnosed with PTSD from sexual assault to get benefits. Currently veterans are often denied benefits because records of an assault are incomplete or unclear, and Pingree’s legislation would address those cases by lowering the standard of proof that the victims are required to provide.

After meetings and panel discussions this morning, veterans at today’s conference were headed to the U.S. Capitol to ask their local members of Congress to support Pingree’s bill and raise awareness around the issue.

Pingree recently met with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who agreed to make several changes to Pentagon policy regarding sexual assault in the military, including the establishment of a special victims unit and mandatory training for all personnel within two weeks of joining the military.

Pingree also praised Senator Susan Collins for her work on the issue.

“This is an issue that cuts across party lines. It’s not conservative or liberal or Democratic or Republican, it’s about basic decency and fairness for the men and women who serve our country in uniform,” said Pingree.

Collins, along with Senator John Kerry, helped pass an amendment to a defense policy bill that expands legal rights and protections for service members who have been victims of sexual assault.

Special Maine Silver Commemorative Coins to be awarded to women veterans today

Ramona Du Houx — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:24:03 +0000

For a number of years male veterans have been honored with commemorative coins. Now Maine Women veterans are being honored with State of Maine Silver Commemorative Coins in a ceremony at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough.

These commemorative coins have the same image of the Women Veterans Plaque that hangs in the Hall of Flags Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta. The effort to highlight the service of women to our country began in 2009. The coins will be presented to eight women who are veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and Persian Gulf War. There will be other women veterans honored, in the same way, throughout the state in the coming years. Donations to keep the project going can be made.

President Obama Takes Action to Stop Deceptive and Misleading Practices by Educational Institutions that Target Veterans, and their Families

Ramona Du Houx — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:55:19 +0000

On Friday, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will visit Fort Stewart in Georgia where the President will sign an Executive Order to help ensure all of America’s service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members have the information they need to make informed educational decisions and are protected from aggressive and deceptive targeting by educational institutions. We have a sacred trust with those who serve and protect our nation. It’s a commitment that begins at enlistment, and it must never end. That’s why President Obama is committed to ensuring veterans and service members have the chance to get a college education and can find work when they return from service.

Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill became law, there have been reports of aggressive and deceptive targeting of service members, veterans, and their families by educational institutions, particularly for-profit career colleges. For example, some institutions have recruited veterans with serious brain injuries and emotional vulnerabilities without providing academic support and counseling; encouraged service members, veterans, and their families to take out costly institutional loans rather than encouraging them to apply for Federal student aid first; engaged in misleading recruiting practices on military installations; and have not disclosed meaningful information that allows potential students to determine whether the institution has a good record of graduating service members, veterans, and their families and positioning them for success in the workforce.

Members of Congress have introduced legislation to address these issues, but the Administration believes we must do all we can administratively to protect veterans from these deceptive practices by improving the quality of information and services that these schools must provide. These steps will help ensure that Federal military and veteran education dollars are well spent. Today’s Executive Order will apply to a variety of military and veteran education benefits, including the GI Bill, Tuition Assistance Program, and Military Spouse Career Advancement Account Program (MyCAA).

Today’s Executive Order will:

· Help Ensure Military and Veteran Students Have the Information They Need: The Executive Order will require that colleges provide more transparent information about their outcomes and financial aid options for students, which will help ensure that students are aware of the true cost and likelihood of completion prior to enrolling. According to the Senate HELP Committee, of the ten educational institutions collecting the most Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits between 2009 and 2011, eight were for-profit schools. Six of these schools had bachelor student withdrawal rates above 50 percent. The Executive Order will require that the Know Before You Owe financial aid form, developed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Department of Education (ED), is made available to every college student that participates in the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Tuition Assistance program (nearly 2,000 schools). The Executive Order will also direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to encourage all schools—roughly 6,000 in total—participating in the GI Bill program to provide the Know Before You Owe form. This form provides students with critical information on tuition and fees, the availability of federal financial aid, estimated student loan debt upon graduation, and information about student outcomes like graduation rates. Further, the Executive Order will require that students are provided additional critical information, including school performance information over time, consumer protection information, and key financial aid documents, prior to the use of their benefits through the eBenefits portal. The VA will publically post on their website if schools who receive GI Bill benefits agree to adhere to the Executive Order.

Keep Bad Actors Off of Military Installations: There have been numerous reports of some institutions of higher education aggressively and inappropriately targeting military students. The Executive Order will require the Department of Defense to set forth rules for how educational institutions gain access to military installations in the first place, so that service members are not targeted by institutions known for a history of poor behavior in recruiting and marketing practices.

Crack Down on Improper Online Recruiting Practices: The Executive Order will direct the VA to initiate a process to register the term “GI Bill,” so that external websites and programs are not deceptively and fraudulently marketing educational services and benefits to program beneficiaries. For instance, some companies have set up websites that suggest that veterans’ benefits are only available at a subset of schools. The websites are also set up to resemble official government sites, and are marketed heavily at military installations and at separating service members.

Provide Veterans with a Complaint System: The Executive Order will require VA, DoD, and ED, in consultation with the CFPB and Department of Justice, to create a centralized complaint system for students receiving military and veterans’ educational benefits. Currently, when military and veteran students feel that their school has acted fraudulently, they have no centralized system to file complaints, and federal agencies often lack access to information that will allow for follow-up enforcement or regulatory actions.

Improve Support Services for Service Members and Veterans: The Executive Order will require that colleges participating in the military and veterans education benefit programs do more to meet the needs of military and veteran students by providing clear educational plans for students, academic and financial aid counseling services with staff that are familiar with the VA and DoD programs, and the ability of service members to more easily re-enroll and/or receive a refund if they must leave school for service-related reasons.

Provide Students with Better Data on Educational Institutions: The Executive Order will require DoD, VA, and Ed to develop improved student outcome measures, such as completion rates for veterans, and a plan for collecting this data, which will be made available on Ed’s College Navigator website . Currently, retention and completion rates cannot be broken down by veteran or service member status. Given the unique educational needs of veterans, active-duty service members, and their family members, it is important to provide them with a more accurate picture of what success looks like for students like them. The Executive Order will also require better reporting on the extent to which colleges rely on various types of federal benefits for operational support.

Strengthen Enforcement of Student Protections: The Executive Order will require that VA and DoD strengthen the enforcement and compliance functions of the VA and DoD, so that, working in conjunction with the Department of Education, DOJ, and the CFPB, agencies (including law enforcement agencies with responsibility over fraud investigations) can effectively act on complaints of improper activity.

Department of Veterans Affairs to add 1,900 mental health staff

Ramona Du Houx — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:46:37 +0000

Veteran returns home and greets his child

With 2.4 million U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars our nation faces many more challenges in assisting our warriors on the road to transitioning into civilian life. There are 150,000 veterans in Maine. Nationally, one in five veterans report symptoms of mental disorder.

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it would add approximately 1,600 mental health clinicians, including nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, as well as nearly 300 support staff to its existing workforce of 20,590 mental health staff. Congressman Mike Michaud, Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, applauded the move and wrote to the director of the VA New England Healthcare System (VISN 1) urging him to ensure Maine receives the staff they need to meet demand.

Six years ago mental health services were offered only in Togus, Bangor and Portland.VA Maine Healthcare System now includes Togus medical center outside Augusta and 10 outpatient clinics around the state which Gov. John Baldacci and the Congressional Delegation fought for. The system’s mental health staff serve about 39,500 veterans and has increased from 43 in 2006 to 90. VA Maine has added teleconferencing consultations for veterans living far from clinics, expanded the Togaus psychiatric wing, instituted an insomnia program and patient care teams which include mental health professionals. But with the increase of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars Maine needs more mental health professionals.

Some of the most common health problems for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder so mental health services are especially important.

“In recent years, lack of access to mental health services has had a very real and detrimental impact on the veterans of Maine,” wrote Michaud. “I have heard directly from veterans who must wait months in order to schedule basic mental health sessions. Too often, mental health care providers are overwhelmed by their high caseload and despite their best efforts, cannot give the individualized attention the patients deserve.”

Funding for the new staff will be allocated to all of VA’s Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) this month to begin recruitment immediately.

The full text of the letter Michaud sent today can be found below.

April 19, 2012

Dr. Michael F. Mayo-Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
Director
VA New England Healthcare System (VISN 1)
200 Springs Road, Building #61
Bedford, MA 01730

Dear Dr. Mayo-Smith:

I was pleased to hear of the VA’s recent commitment to increase mental health staff by 1,900 nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and support staff. I know how hard the mental health care staffers in VISN 1 work, and it reflects the VA’s commitment to the well-being of our veterans that additional clinicians and staffers will be added to help meet the growing demand for these services. As you begin to recruit these new employees, I urge you to ensure that the unique and growing demand for mental health services among Maine’s veteran population is met.

Maine has one of the highest percentages of veterans in the nation per capita, and as service members return from war the demand for treatment will only grow. As we all know, the signature need for these new veterans is treatment for substance abuse, trauma related mental health conditions and traumatic brain injury. The VA Maine Healthcare System desperately needs additional resources to provide timely and quality care for these veterans.

In recent years, lack of access to mental health services has had a very real and detrimental impact on the veterans of Maine. I have heard directly from veterans who must wait months in order to schedule basic mental health sessions. Too often, mental health care providers are overwhelmed by their high caseload and despite their best efforts, cannot give the individualized attention the patients deserve.

Despite a number of recent veteran suicides and violent deaths in Maine, the VA Maine Healthcare System has still not received the funding and support it needs to address these problems. I know that the entire VA Maine Healthcare System, including the community clinics, is eager to provide more of this care, and I urge you to support them in their efforts.

I appreciate your attention to this matter, and please do not hesitate to contact me as we continue to work together to give our veterans access to the best possible care.

Sincerely,

Michael H. Michaud
Member of Congress

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree says Pentagon changing policy on sexual assault

Ramona Du Houx — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:41:44 +0000

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree sits at the head of the conference table during a meeting with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta courtesy photo

In 2011 there were nearly 3,200 cases of sexual assault reported in the U.S. military, which was a 1 percent increase over 2010. The Pentagon estimates that 86 percent of sexual assaults go unreported. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta addressed the issue on April 9, 2012, announcing new steps to fight the problem. Before making the announcement, Panetta met with members of the House Armed Services Committee, including Democrat Chellie Pingree. Pingree met with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last night to discuss the proposed changes.

“These changes aren’t going to make sexual assault in the military go away, but they’re a good start and will give victims more of the protection they deserve,” said Pingree. “It’s also important that Secretary Panetta is speaking out on this issue. He couldn’t have been clearer when he talked to us last night. He said the rate of sexual assault in the military is totally unacceptable and I couldn’t agree with him more.”

During a meeting with Pingree and other members of the Military Sexual Assault (MST) Caucus last night in Washington, Secretary Panetta announced a number of changes to Pentagon policy:

* All MST cases will be dealt with at a special court martial proceeding, which would take charges of sexual assault out of the unit where the alleged abuse occurred.

* A Special Victims Unit will be created that is solely dedicated to investigating sexual assault. Sexual assault cases are unique in nature, so it’s critical to have specially trained investigators who can investigate these sensitive allegations.

* All personnel will be required to undergo training within fourteen days of joining the military and all units would be required to conduct an annual review to look at potential problems related to sexual assault.

Pingree said that these changes would also apply to the National Guard and Reserve who are serving in active duty capacity.