IAVA Announces Support for Chairman Miller’s Jobs Legislation for Vets

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 14th, 2011

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IAVA Announces Support for Chairman Miller’s Jobs Legislation for Vets

As debt ceiling dominates DC, Iraq veteran Tom Tarantino to testify on urgency of bill as new veteran unemployment hits 13.3%

NEW YORK - Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, announced support for the recently introduced Veteran Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act (H.R. 2433), sponsored by Republican House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller of Florida. The bill will require programs to assist the transition from military to civilian life, strengthen job protections for deployed service members and help military personnel acquire civilian certifications.

“IAVA applauds Chairman Miller’s leadership in championing this critical legislation. This bill is a huge step towards lowering the unemployment rate for all generations of veterans. Right now, far too many Iraq and Afghanistan vets are coming home from war to unemployment checks instead of jobs,” said IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. “The VOW Act would open doors for new veterans by creating the job training needed to stay competitive in this economy. It would mandate Transition Assistance Programs (TAP) for all separating service members, and strengthen USERRA laws to protect Reservists and National Guardsmen who leave civilian jobs behind when they deploy.

Not a single jobs bill has passed out of Congress yet this year. Chairman Miller’s VOW legislation can and should be the first. We call on leaders from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill to swiftly pass this bill and the veterans’ jobs bill in the Senate. By the end of the summer, these bills should be on the President’s desk for his signature. In a time of war, our veterans deserve no less."

"The VOW Act is a comprehensive approach to stem the disturbing rise of unemployment among America's veterans. From providing education and training for veterans of past conflicts to upgrading the Transition Assistance Program, clarifying protections for National Guard and Reserve members, and defining licensing and certification requirements, the VOW Act would get veterans off the unemployment rolls and back to work," stated Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. "In just June alone, 60,000 more veterans found themselves out of work, bringing the total to well over 1 million. It is time to address this growing problem, and the VOW Act is pivotal in providing a solution today."

IAVA Senior Legislative Associate Tom Tarantino, an Iraq war veteran, will testify in support of the VOW Act before the House Veterans Affairs Committee at 10:00 am on Friday, July 15th in 334 Cannon House Office Building. He will be available to answer questions from the press after his testimony. IAVA Member Veterans from around the Washington, D.C. area will also be in attendance at the hearing. To watch the testimony live online and learn more about the Veteran Opportunity to Work Act, click here.

See the current list of cosponsors for the Veteran Opportunity to Work Act here.

To lower high rates of new veteran unemployment, IAVA has launched the Combat to Career initiative. This yearlong program brings the public and private sectors together to implement innovative solutions for reducing new veteran unemployment by Veterans Day 2011. To learn more about the Combat to Career program, click here.

If you are a member of the media who wishes to arrange an interview with IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff, Senior Legislative Associate Tom Tarantino or another IAVA Member Veteran, please contact Isabel Black at (212) 982-9699 or isabel@iava.org

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the country’s first and largest nonprofit, non-partisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has more than 200,000 Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide.

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