The US Senate’s Joint Economic Committee says veterans from the post 9/11 era are having a hard time finding and keeping jobs. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania who chairs the committee released the report “Meeting the Needs of Veterans in Today’s Labor Force” yesterday.
The report found that the unemployment rate among Post-9/11 veterans in April was 10.9 percent, compared to the overall veteran-unemployment rate of 7.7 percent. The report goes on to note that nearly 2.5 million men and women have left active duty in the Armed Forces since September 2001
Of the Post-9/11 veterans who are employed more than two-thirds work in the private sector. However the report finds that federal programs aimed at helping vets transition into the civilian workforce must be improved.
Casey has introduced legislation that he said would modernize the Department of Labor’s Veteran’s Employment and Training Service program. Another bill aimed at boosting federal services to vets is also making its way through the upper chamber. Casey said he was pleased to be a co-sponsor for the “Hiring Heroes Act” introduced last month.
Showing posts with label Veterans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Veterans. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Memorial Day Service at Science Center
A Memorial Day service will be held on the deck of the Carnegie Science Center submarine, the U.S.S. Requin.
Science Center Curator of Historic Exhibits Patty Rogers says the ceremony will begin with a prayer and opening remarks.
Then, Rogers says veterans who served on submarines will toll a bell for each U.S. submarine that has been sunk, and cast flower petals onto the water.
The Marine color guard from the Three Rivers Leatherneck Detachment 310 will give a gun salute, and weather permitting, spectators will see a flyby of a vintage Stearman World War II biplane.
Rogers says visitors are welcome to mingle with the veterans after the service, and encouraged to explore the submarine.
The ceremony is free to the public and will begin at 10 a.m., lasting about one hour. Admission to the U.S.S. Requin is free for the remainder of the day.
Science Center Curator of Historic Exhibits Patty Rogers says the ceremony will begin with a prayer and opening remarks.
Then, Rogers says veterans who served on submarines will toll a bell for each U.S. submarine that has been sunk, and cast flower petals onto the water.
The Marine color guard from the Three Rivers Leatherneck Detachment 310 will give a gun salute, and weather permitting, spectators will see a flyby of a vintage Stearman World War II biplane.
Rogers says visitors are welcome to mingle with the veterans after the service, and encouraged to explore the submarine.
The ceremony is free to the public and will begin at 10 a.m., lasting about one hour. Admission to the U.S.S. Requin is free for the remainder of the day.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Pennsylvania Veteran Population in Decline
New research shows that the number of veterans in Pennsylvania have declined in past nine years. The Pennsylvania State Data Center came out with new information regarding veteran statistics in honor of this Veterans Day. According to Kevin McCullough, Manager of Data Services at the Data Center, the veteran population has decreased by 22.9%. McCullough says that nationally there has been a drop of around 17% and Allegheny County has seen a 30% decline.
McCullough says that the percentage of Pennsylvania adults who are veterans is lagging behind other states. "Our 10.1% ranks us 33rd among the states. It's above the national average of 9.5% but 33rd overall. We're behind several other states, the top three states are Alaska with 14.1%, Montana with 12.9%, and Maine with 12.7%."
Pennsylvania ranks 5th among states in terms of total veterans being home to 988,006 former service members. California leads the states followed by Florida, Texas and New York.
McCullough says that the percentage of Pennsylvania adults who are veterans is lagging behind other states. "Our 10.1% ranks us 33rd among the states. It's above the national average of 9.5% but 33rd overall. We're behind several other states, the top three states are Alaska with 14.1%, Montana with 12.9%, and Maine with 12.7%."
Pennsylvania ranks 5th among states in terms of total veterans being home to 988,006 former service members. California leads the states followed by Florida, Texas and New York.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Arts Show At The VA
An Arts Show at The VA of Pittsburgh showcased the skills of local veterans.
When Vietnam-era Army Veteran Richard Sobek won an award for his painting on Wednesday he wasn’t there to receive it – he has PTSD and when he’s in crowds, he is prone to panic attacks.
He came after the show, when the crowd had thinned out. Although he spent years working as a professional artist, he said he’s drawn to painting because its theraputic.
"For myself, when I draw, I take my mind off of my problems and pain and it puts you in a very quiet place cause yr doing nothing but focusing on every stroke, every brushstroke, every detail," he said.
Artwork helps a lot of the veterans in recovery says Marci Gaither, a psychologist at the VA who has organized the event for the last few years.
"Basically we just wanted to provide an opportunity for veterans to display some of their creative abilities and display a different part of themselves. Not just a veteran with mental illness but a veteran who is an artist," she said.
Different studies have shown that the creative process helps people cope with problems, develop interpersonal skills, reduce stress and increase their self-esteem.
Other artwork at the show also included woodworking, needlepoint, stained glass and photography. To have the work displayed, the veterans have to be receiving treatment at the VA – for either physical or mental issues. Many are there for both.
A permanent rotating art exhibit featuring the artwork of veterans will be installed at the VA Hospital on University Drive later this month.
When Vietnam-era Army Veteran Richard Sobek won an award for his painting on Wednesday he wasn’t there to receive it – he has PTSD and when he’s in crowds, he is prone to panic attacks.
He came after the show, when the crowd had thinned out. Although he spent years working as a professional artist, he said he’s drawn to painting because its theraputic.
"For myself, when I draw, I take my mind off of my problems and pain and it puts you in a very quiet place cause yr doing nothing but focusing on every stroke, every brushstroke, every detail," he said.
Artwork helps a lot of the veterans in recovery says Marci Gaither, a psychologist at the VA who has organized the event for the last few years.
"Basically we just wanted to provide an opportunity for veterans to display some of their creative abilities and display a different part of themselves. Not just a veteran with mental illness but a veteran who is an artist," she said.
Different studies have shown that the creative process helps people cope with problems, develop interpersonal skills, reduce stress and increase their self-esteem.
Other artwork at the show also included woodworking, needlepoint, stained glass and photography. To have the work displayed, the veterans have to be receiving treatment at the VA – for either physical or mental issues. Many are there for both.
A permanent rotating art exhibit featuring the artwork of veterans will be installed at the VA Hospital on University Drive later this month.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Services for Vets
On Saturday August 21st, the Veteran's Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania and a few dozen other organizations will host StandDown 2010, an outreach event for homeless veterans. The event will be held at Shepard's Heart in Uptown and will help people with essential medical exams, housing, employment assistance, peer mentoring, legal services, food, showers, haircuts and more.
The event will be held from 8am to 6pm.
Al Mercer, Executive Director of the Veteran's Leadership Program of Western PA says this concept comes from the military term for Stand Down where troops are provided a
safe retreat when they return from combat operations. At secure base camp areas, they take showers, eat and get their medical needs taken care of by other troops.
The event will be held from 8am to 6pm.
Al Mercer, Executive Director of the Veteran's Leadership Program of Western PA says this concept comes from the military term for Stand Down where troops are provided a
safe retreat when they return from combat operations. At secure base camp areas, they take showers, eat and get their medical needs taken care of by other troops.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Department of Defense Partners with McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine
The organizations are partnering to support treatments for battlefield injuries.
The two-year, $12 million dollar contract will push forward human trials for three research programs that will place healthy tissue in place of damaged tissue.
One program will replace muscle tissue with one’s own stem cells and to evaluate the injection of human connective tissue cells into contracted burn scars to allow greater freedom of movement.
Dr. Bernard J. Costello is Chief of Craniofacial and Cleft Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine. He will be examining the effectiveness of a material to facilitate new bone formation in cranio-facial defects using a calcium phosphate cement. He showed an audience at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall how it would work on Tuesday.
Costello says it’s an upgrade of technology that’s already FDA approved. It will be custom-tailored regenerative material that will turn into the patients own tissue.
"We can then get away from bone and soft tissue substitutes but really turn into designer materials that are regenerative, not replacement so we can get away from the carpentry of surgery and really get into the next stage of designing specific tissues that are for those types of problems," he said.
Eighty patients will be seen during the trials. 40 will be in Pittsburgh, the remaining at other locations. At least half of them will be soldiers.
The two-year, $12 million dollar contract will push forward human trials for three research programs that will place healthy tissue in place of damaged tissue.
One program will replace muscle tissue with one’s own stem cells and to evaluate the injection of human connective tissue cells into contracted burn scars to allow greater freedom of movement.
Dr. Bernard J. Costello is Chief of Craniofacial and Cleft Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine. He will be examining the effectiveness of a material to facilitate new bone formation in cranio-facial defects using a calcium phosphate cement. He showed an audience at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall how it would work on Tuesday.
Costello says it’s an upgrade of technology that’s already FDA approved. It will be custom-tailored regenerative material that will turn into the patients own tissue.
"We can then get away from bone and soft tissue substitutes but really turn into designer materials that are regenerative, not replacement so we can get away from the carpentry of surgery and really get into the next stage of designing specific tissues that are for those types of problems," he said.
Eighty patients will be seen during the trials. 40 will be in Pittsburgh, the remaining at other locations. At least half of them will be soldiers.
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