National Resource Directory for Wounded Warriors, Returning Service Members,Veterans

The US Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs are pleased to introduce the re-designed and enhanced National Resource Directory (NRD) website: www.NationalResourceDirectory.gov. Created for wounded warriors, transitioning Service Members, Veterans, and their families and caregivers, the new NRD has proved to be a useful tool for service providers who support the military and Veteran communities. The NRD provides access to thousands of services and resources at the national, state and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration. We are proud to assure our users they can trust the content on the NRD as resources are reviewed regularly by a content management team that includes several Veterans and subject matter experts. A few features of the new website include a faster, more robust search engine; a Bookmark & Share capability to spread the word on Facebook, Twitter etc; and an "In the News" feature that provides links to news and updates about Wounded Warrior and Veterans issues. Also included is an expanded Homeless Assistance section where users can find information on programs and benefits designed to help homeless Veterans live as independently as possible.

Opening Doors Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has released a comprehensive federal plan that will serve as a roadmap to prevent and end homelessness. The plan notes that in 2009 forty-three percent of adults without families in shelters or transitional housing had a disability. The plan calls for ending Veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015, and to ending homelessness among children, family and youth by 2020. Opening Doors includes strategies based on the fact that housing, health, education and human service programs must be coordinated to end homelessness. The plan also calls for increased access to stable and affordable housing and permanent supportive housing.

Benefits & Employment Services for Veterans with Disabilities

Benefits & Employment Services for Veterans with Disabilities Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project (HVRP) Fact Sheet #9 http://www.hvrp.org/resources/content.cfm/879 There are a variety of benefit programs and employment services available to veterans who experience a disability that play a critical role in making meaningful employment happen. In the process of pursuing employment it is important to identify the current benefits (cash benefits and health insurance) a veteran is utilizing, to plan out any changes that might occur once working, if any, and identify special work rules those benefit programs may have that support work. Additionally, there are several employment programs that assist veterans in securing and maintaining employment. These programs can provide crucial support in developing a plan for employment and accessing needed services and support. This paper provides an overview of the main employment services and benefits available to veterans with disabilities.

America’s Heroes at Work

America’s Heroes at Work http://www.americasheroesatwork.gov/ America’s Heroes at Work addresses the employment challenges of returning Service Members living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Designed for employers and the workforce development system, this website is your link to information and tools to help returning Service Members living with TBI and/or PTSD succeed in the workplace - particularly Service Members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The website was recently updated and revamped with several new features and sections. • A new “For Employers” Tab allows employers to find everything they need quickly and easily. From fact sheets and reference guides to presentations and training tools, all employer resources are centrally located for simple reference. • Employer and Veteran success stories are now highlighted in a new section as well. Visitors will find impressive stories about America's heroes in the workplace – and their satisfied employers. • Visitors can connect with and share the America's Heroes at Work site through the new "Stay Connected" feature. This function is located throughout the site and allows users to bookmark pages, share resources through email and social networking sites, join the LinkedIn group, and subscribe to the America's Heroes at Work Newsletter. • Finally, the "En Espa?ol" page features several translated America’s Heroes at Work resources as well as links to additional resources from the Job Accommodation Network, BrainLine.org, and more.

Green Jobs Employment Opportunities-Resources

The Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA) has a Green Jobs Initiative (http://www.doleta.gov/brg/GreenJobs/) to foster a greener economy and a green-educated workforce. ETA is positioned to provide labor market intelligence and work with core-constituencies of labor, industry, and education to identify relevant Green Jobs skills and develop competency models leading to meaningful career ladders. This spotlight focuses on the green economy and shares some information and resources for workforce professionals to help get connected. The attached document includes general resources on green jobs, including green jobs for veterans and persons with challenges to employment.

ETA and VETS annoucement of new video and information brief on employment of disabled veterans

ETA and VETS, DOL, are announcing the availability of a new video and information brief to promote the employment of disabled veterans through the One-Stop Career Center system. Both are available on http://disability.workforce3one.org. Share these resources with your system's stakeholders. Related resources: http://disability.workforce3one.org/view/4200927374360810672/info

Social Security Disability Benefits to Wounded Warriors

Disability Benefits for Wounded Warriors Social Security Administration http://www.socialsecurity.gov/woundedwarriors/ Military service members can receive expedited processing of disability claims from Social Security. Benefits available through Social Security are different than those from the Department of Veterans Affairs and require a separate application. The expedited process is used for military service members who become disabled while on active military service on or after October 1, 2001, regardless of where the disability occurs. Access the website to link to the following questions that include answers to questions most people ask about applying for disability benefits. • What types of benefits can I receive? • What is Social Security’s definition of disability? I was disabled for a while several years ago and my health has now improved. • Can I receive disability benefits for the time that I was disabled? • How does military pay affect eligibility for disability benefits? • How do I apply? • What do I need to apply? • How does Social Security make the decision? • How long does it take for a decision? • Can I do anything to speed the decision? • Can my family get benefits? • How does Medicare affect my TRICARE benefits? • Contacting Social Security In addition, this website includes links to other useful information.

Veterans Green Jobs Web site

Veterans Green Jobs is a national organization providing returning military veterans with rapid training programs and deployment into meaningful jobs in the new energy economy. Leveraging the investments already made in military personnel, Veterans Green Jobs retools them for a new mission: working on the frontlines here at home to implement energy conservation, renewable energy and environmental restoration. In November 2009, Veterans Green Jobs, with Northern Virginia Community College and Virginia Tech, announced its Green Jobs Program for Veterans. This is its first East Coast green jobs training program. Visit the Web site: veteransgreenjobs.org

DOL Veterans Services National Resources

This resource highlights several DOL and other government programs that support disabled veterans to become employed. These are useful resources to connect with at the local, state, and/or regional levels.

Veterans Day 2009: November 11

(Podcast) Disability Program Navigators: Coordinating Quality Employment Services in the One-Stop Career Centers To Disabled Veterans

This podcast will follow the preview showing of a video, Disability Program Navigators (DPNs): Coordinating Quality Employment Services to Disabled Veterans. The purpose of this video is to highlight how DPNs facilitated the One-Stop Career Center (Montgomery Works, Wheaton Maryland) becoming a universally accessible, welcoming services delivery site, where all people (including people with a range of disabilities) can feel welcome, receive seamless, integrated, accessible and quality services that ultimately results in quality jobs -- non-stereotypical, pays above minimum wage, provides career pathways, etc. The One-Stop Career Center customer featured in this video is a disabled veteran. The podcast interview will show the positive impact of the DPN on the: One-Stop Career Center system’s ability to serve customers with disabilities (e.g., through staff training, disseminating resource information, coordinating with other One-Stop partners, linking to community-based partners, outreach to employers, providing accessibility through assistive technology, accommodations, etc.); and customers with a disability -- a job. In addition, the interview will focus on promising practices that can be replicated throughout the One-Stop Career Center system.

(Podcast) Promising Practice: Quality Employment of Disabled Veterans

This podcast will follow a segment of a workforce3one webinar connected earlier this year on the Disability Program Navigators (DPNs) partnering with the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER) staff to provide access to the full array of services available to disabled veterans though the public workforce system. The Idaho State will be asked to provide follow-up on what has been happening in the state in this area since the Webinar aired almost a year ago. In addition, a newly released Information Brief on this topic will be posted and discussed. Gordon Graff has been the State Lead for the Idaho DPN project since it was initially funded three years ago. His position is locate din the Idaho Department of Labor. Idaho has used ARRA funds to supplement the funding for the DPN program. Gordon is an expert on developing local partnerships to coordinate and leverage resources to promote employment of customers with disabilities in the One-Stop Career Center system.

Promising Practices… Quality Employment for Disabled Veterans

According to the U.S. Census in 2007, of the 23.6 million military veterans in the United States, 6 million had disabilities. In addition, an increasing number of disabled veterans will be returning from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other mental and physical disabilities resulting from their tours of duty. If the One-Stop Career Centers are to meet the challenges of serving the increasing number of disabled veterans seeking employment services, there needs to be collaboration and coordination between the public workforce investment system and programs that serve disabled veterans. This information brief highlights DPNs successful strategies by partnering with the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program and Local Veterans Employment Representative staffing to provide access to the full array of services available to disabled veterans through the public workforce investment system.

Promising Practices… Quality employment for disabled veterans

This video highlights how the Disability Program Navigators facilitated the One-Stop Career Center (MontgomeryWorks, Wheaton, Maryland) becoming a universally accessible, welcoming services delivery site, where all people, including people with a range of disabilities and/or other multiple employment challenges can feel welcome, receive integrated, seamless, accessible, and quality services that provide education and career pathways, ultimately resulting in jobs that provide economic self-sufficiency. The video tells the story of on how a disabled veteran, with post-traumatic stress disorder and other disabilities, received services at the One-Stop Career Center that resulted in a job.

America’s Heroes at Work U.S. Department of Labor

This website is designed for employers and the workforce investment system to link to tools and resources to help returning service members affected by Traumatic Brain Inquiry (TBI) and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) succeed in the workplace-particularly service members returning from Iran and Afghanistan.

Mental Health 30 Second Trainings

The month of May has been designated as Mental Heath Month and this package was developed as a means to provide tools to promote Mental Health Month. There are five Mental Health 30 Second Trainings (one for each Friday in May) and each 30 Second Training covers a specific topic. Mental Health Month PPT Compassion Fatigue/Secondary Trauma PPT Mental Health Awareness for Youth Veterans and PTSD Schizophrenia

Promoting Entrepreneurship through the One-Stop Career Center system for Persons with Disabilities, Including Disabled Veterans

This Webinar will highlight emerging and promising practices in the One-Stop Career Center system that promotes entrepreneurship for people with disabilities, including veterans. The focus will be on combining business training with self-directed goals and supporting individual plan development to assist people to conceptualize, develop, and sustain their businesses. This Webinar describes how two programs located in Syracuse, New York are using principles and practices that combine person-centered planning, business training, and business development curricula to assist people with disabilities and veterans with disabilities to start and grow their own businesses.

Serving Disabled Veterans in the One-Stop Career Center System: Win-Win Partnerships Between the Disability Program Navigators, Disabled Outreach Program (DVOPs), and Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs).

The Idaho Disability Program Navigator project has developed and implemented successful strategies to build the workforce investment system’s capacity to provide more meaningful and effective employment opportunities to disabled veterans through the workforce investment system. Key to this success is the partnerships established and maintained between the DPNs, LVERs, and DVOPs, co-located in the One-Stop Career Centers. If the One-Stop Career Centers are to meet the challenges of effectively serving the increasing number of disabled veterans seeking employment services, there needs to be collaboration and coordination between the public workforce investment system and programs that serve disabled veterans. This Webinar will highlight promising practices for replication at the local levels between the DPNs, DVOPs, and LVERs to serve disabled veterans in the One-Stop Career Centers.