NPR: Recent Veterans Find Higher Jobless Rates On Return

On December 1, IAVA Senior Legislative Associate Tom Tarantino joined NPR's Morning Edition to discuss the high rates of unemployment in the veteran community. The unemployment rate for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan was 11.1 percent in November 2011, well above the 8.6 percent national average. IAVA Member Veteran Nick Workman also spoke about the difficulty of finding a job after serving for four years in Iraq as an infantryman. According to Tarantino, apathy is one of the greatest challenges facing new veterans. "What worries me, what does keep me up at night, is that the American people are going to stop paying attention," he said.

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In just the last year, IAVA has connected hundreds of veterans with employers through career fairs, helped over 10,000 veterans go to college on the new GI Bill, and provided mental health support to over 50,000 veterans—all at no cost to Member Veterans. Programs like these are only made possible through your generous support. Fight for those who fought for us and help us keep these resources and benefits completely free for new veterans and their families.

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