Huge Hiring Burst In January Of 517,000 Jobs Brings Down Vets' Unemployment Rate To 2.8%
The economy added a whopping 517,000 jobs in January, blowing way past Wall Street predictions of job growth of less than half that total and bringing the unemployment rate for the nation's more than 18 million veterans down to a remarkable 2.8% from 3.2% in December.
Oracle Exec: VA Health Records Overhaul Is Only Real Option For Vets
Developers of the embattled electronic health records system that Veterans Affairs officials hope to deploy in coming years are pushing back against accusations the software is an unfixable failure, asserting instead that it represents the only reasonable path ahead for veteran patients.
Military's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Lifted, But Litigation Lingers
Federal appeals court judges closely questioned a Biden administration attorney on Monday, on the consequences military personnel might face for refusing COVID-19 vaccinations, even though Biden’s vaccine mandate for military personnel has been rescinded.
Shortly Approaching Expiration: AFSA 2023 Total Force Survey!
The Total Force 2023 survey will expire soon on the HQAFSA.org website, just in case you missed it or haven't caught up. Please take the time to complete the survey so that our Military and Government Relations Team can best assist you. The survey this year is thorough and covers a variety of vital subjects for our members, such as an Active Component, Reserve Component, and more! Have any inquiries? Contact our M&G team by sending an email to milgov3@hqafsa.org.
VA Offers $30M In Grant Funding To Assist Formerly Homeless Veterans
By: VA Office Of Public Affairs | VA.Gov
As a part of ongoing efforts to prevent and end Veteran homelessness, the Department of Veterans Affairs is announcing $30 million in grant funding for organizations to help formerly homeless Veterans maintain their independence and housing stability.
This funding opportunity will give organizations the funding they need to hire case managers, who will help Veterans search for, obtain, and successfully transition to permanent housing; troubleshoot challenges and barriers to maintaining permanent housing; connect with services to address issues such as poor credit history, rent arrears, and legal issues; and more.
VA anticipates awarding 100 Case Management Grants for up to $300,000 each to support approximately 150 case manager positions nationwide. Awards will fund two years of operations, starting on Oct. 1, 2023, and ending Sept. 30, 2025. The funds are available through VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program.
Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority of VA and the entire Biden Administration. The number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has fallen by 11% since early 2020 and 55.3% since 2010. Additionally, during 2022, VA placed more than 40,000 homeless Veterans into permanent housing — exceeding VA’s goal by more than 6%. In late 2022, the Biden Administration released All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, which lays out the goal of reducing homelessness for all Americans by 25% by 2025.
“For many Veterans experiencing homelessness, moving into permanent housing is the first step toward the stability and independence they deserve,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “But our work doesn’t stop there — these case managers help ensure that once Veterans become housed, they get the resources they need to stay housed.”
VA’s efforts to combat Veteran homelessness are grounded in reaching out to homeless Veterans, understanding their unique needs, and addressing them. These efforts are built upon the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then provides the Veteran with the wraparound support they need to stay housed — including health care, job training, legal and education assistance and more.
Eligible entities, as described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, may apply for these Case Management Grants. Grant applications must be received by the GPD Program Office by 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 4, 2023. View theNOFO and learn more about GPD or email GPDGrants@va.gov.
If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838). Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
Several historic events occurred on Tuesday, the first day the 118th Congress met. Despite being a long list, these legislation addresses a larger variety of public policy objectives that fall under the purview of the seven main emphasis groups of our legislative platform. The bills are currently being introduced, and AFSA is striving to provide more details on the following:
H.R.254 – To amend title 10 United States Code, to improve the administration of the TRICARE program in Puerto Rico, and for other purposes.
H.R.236 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a week as “Battle Buddy Check Week” for the purpose of outreach and education concerning peer wellness checks for veterans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sheila Lee Jackson [D-TX-18]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.234 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide a burial allowance for certain veterans who die at home while in receipt of hospice care furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sponsor: Jack Bergman [R-MI-1]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.228 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to include a single comprehensive disability examination as part of the required Department of Defense physical examination for separating members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – House Armed Services, House Veterans Affairs
H.R.226 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to promote and encourage collaboration between the Department of Veterans Affairs and nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher learning that provide administrative assistance to veterans.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.221 – To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand eligibility for participation in the Federal Pell Grant program to certain trade schools.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – Education and Labor
H.R.214 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide eligibility for TRICARE selected for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Gregory W. Steube [R-FL-17]
Committees – House Armed Services, House Veterans Affairs
H.R.196 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modify the information technology systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for the automatic processing of claims for certain temporary disability ratings, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Matthew M. Rosendale Sr. [R-MT-2]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.129 – To require the Secretary of Defense to ensure drop boxes are maintained on military installations for the deposit of unused prescription drugs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Vern Buchanan [R-FL-16]
Committees – House Armed Services
H.R.105 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Sponsor: Andy Biggs [R-AZ-5]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.104 – To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to formally recognize caregivers of veterans, notify veterans and caregivers of clinical determinations relating to eligibility for caregiver programs, temporarily extend benefits for veterans who are determined ineligible for the family caregiver program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Andy Biggs [R-AZ-5]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.41 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure the timely scheduling of appointments for health care at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: James R. Baird [R-IN-4]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
If you have any additional questions on this specific issue, please e-mail our Military and Government Relations team at milgov3@hqafsa.org.
This edition features Port Mortuary and America’s Missing Heroes, Living with Bipolar Disorder in the Military, Fly-By Wire Defense and AFSA’s American Award Recipient – Don Ward. Read, download, print and share: https://www.hqafsa.org/fallmagazine.html
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We are pleased to share the AFSA Set-It-Forever/Auto Pay procedures and marketing materials to help share the process with our members, your membership and potential new recruits.
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Review the two ways to enroll, the benefits to using the auto-pay option, and the marketing materials to help share the details of this program and ensure its success.
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In sum, however, a rise in the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans from 3.0% in December to 3.8% in January partially overshadowed the overall favorable results in the monthly employment situation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which was released on Friday. The national unemployment rate for all Americans in January was 3.4%, the lowest level since 1969, and was higher than the 3.8% rate for post-9/11 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. This figure was down slightly from 3.5% in December.
Veterans organizations said the key takeaway from the BLS report was a plus for veterans going forward despite predictions of a recession in the second half of this year. It was the first time since January 2022 that the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was higher than the national average.
In addition,In a message published on Friday, Oracle Executive Vice President Ken Glueck insisted that officials are close to delivering "seamless" care for patients from the day they enlist in the military through their post-service health care needs and warned against abandoning the new Millennium records system project. The public relations campaign comes as more MPs have suggested reducing or further delaying the effort to modernize health records due to escalating software-related issues.
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, who chairs the technology subcommittee of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, filed legislation last month that would kill the program entirely. Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois, a Republican, chairs the full committee and is a co-sponsor of the legislation.
Legislation to halt further deployments until specific quality and transparency standards are reached has the support of eight additional MPs.
And lastly, due in part to the fact that decisions regarding deployments and assignments can still be made based on vaccination status, attorneys for a group of Navy SEALs and other personnel who choose not to receive the vaccine chose religious convictions told a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that federal court injunctions against the mandate are still required.
Following a decision in Congress to repeal the mandate in December, the Pentagon formally renounced the requirement in January. Vaccine opponents point out that, according to a directive signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last month, commanders can still decide how and when to deploy unvaccinated troops.
And that's the way it is for Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
Stay tuned for our next M&G-B, where we will continue to keep you in the loop on all things pertinent to the coronavirus, veterans, active-duty members, guards and reservists, and military family members. Stay happy, and stay healthy!
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