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U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown...
Supporting
Ohio’s Veterans
May 12, 2012
Joe
Halicker, a WWII Veteran from Northwest Ohio, recently participated in
an Honor
Flight visit to the WWII Memorial in the nation’s capital. After
liberating
Lorient, France from Nazi occupation, Mr. Halicker returned home to a
grateful
nation with the resources needed to provide for his three children.
Today,
young veterans often return to their communities and struggle to access
the
benefits they’ve earned. Whether it’s mental health services,
assistance with
obtaining disability benefits, vocational rehabilitation, or employment
support, too many veterans encounter excessive delays in getting a
response
from the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA).
After
hearing of wait times in excess of more than an hour, I tasked my staff
with
calling the Veterans Support Hotline at 1-800-827-1000. The wait times
my staff
experienced ranged from a minimum of 28 minutes to nearly an hour. Ohio
veterans should not be put on hold when calling the Veterans’ service
hotline.
These men and women put their lives on hold to protect our country; and
they
should have been stuck on hold when they try to access the resources
they need
to meet their needs. That’s why I recently sent a letter to VA
Secretary Eric
Shinseki to make sure veterans can get the help they need – when they
need it.
Many
veterans who rely on the hotline live in areas – especially rural,
Appalachian
communities – without immediate access to a VA center. That’s why I’ve
introduced legislation, the Veterans Outreach Enhancement Act, which
would
create a partnership between the Appalachian Regional Commission and
the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs. This effort can improve access to VA
and other
government services such as: technical support for veterans applying
for Small
Business Administration resources and other federal loans. This is
about
improving the lives of veterans in Appalachia – and throughout Ohio.
And our
efforts shouldn’t wait until veterans are in their twilight years.
Young
veterans seeking to use their GI Bill benefits – to study fuel cell
manufacturing at Hocking College, engineering at Cleveland State,
mathematics
at The Ohio State University, or nursing at Cincinnati State – should
be able
to do so with confidence that they will get the support they need.
However,
when veterans seek to use their GI Bill education benefits, they are
too often
subjected to overly aggressive and misleading marketing tactics from
some
fly-by-night educational institutions. Some institutions are more
concerned
with their own bottom lines than with helping veterans who served on
the front
lines.
That’s why
I am a proud sponsor of legislation to restrict misleading marketing
practices
targeted at Ohio veterans. The GI Consumer Bill Awareness Act would
complement
veterans’ educational assistance programs by requiring the VA to
provide
beneficiaries with easy-to-understand, jargon-free information about
schools
that are approved for GI Bill use.
Servicemembers
– already armed with the discipline and skills needed to strengthen the
21st
century economy – should not have to struggle to find a job when their
military
service ends. Yet more than 20 percent of our nation’s veterans between
the
ages of 20 and 24 years old are unemployed.
We all have
a responsibility to help America’s veterans find the resources needed
to resume
their civilian lives. The VOW to Hire Heroes Act – a new law that
provides tax
credits for employers who hire unemployed veterans and helps connect
veterans
with job opportunities – moves us closer to fulfilling that obligation.
But we can
do even more. That’s why I recently worked to connect veterans seeking
jobs
with officials from the Chesapeake Energy Corporation at a jobs fair
held at
the University Center at Kent State University’s Stark campus in North
Canton.
Last
summer, I also helped launch the Solar by Soldiers program, which
connects
servicemembers with one of the fastest growing industries in the United
States
– clean energy development.
Our nation
owes its freedom to people who answered the call of duty and risked
their lives
for their families, neighbors, and nation. Whenever they need
assistance – be
it for medical care as they age or a student loan as they enter the
next phase
of their lives – they deserve a system that works with, not against
them.
If you’re interested
in joining our efforts, contact my office at 888-896-OHIO (6446) or
visit
www.brown.senate.gov for additional information on how we can help end
high
unemployment among America’s veterans.
Sincerely,
Sherrod
Brown
U.S.
Senator
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