Veterans News

Week of January 30, 2012

New Report Addresses VA Difficulties

A recently released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report shows that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has had difficulty in planning for and meeting the unique needs of a growing number of homeless women veterans. The study is one of the first of its kind to examine the troubling rise in homelessness among women who have served. The full report is available on the GAO website.

For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center.

Navy to Dump BCG Eyeglasses

Servicemembers will soon say goodbye to old BCG's as the Navy replaces the '90s era "birth control glasses" with an arguably more stylish Buddy Holly style frame.

The U.S. Navy recently announced that all active duty and Reserve personnel, including recruits will soon have a new standard issue eyeglass frame available. Effective Jan. 1, the current cellulose acetate spectacle frame provided at all Armed Forces initial entry training sites began the transition from male and female, brown "S9" spectacles to a new, unisex, black "5A" frame. Within six months, the 5A frame will be made available to all active duty and Reserve servicemembers with full implementation expected to be completed over a two-year period. Retirees are currently eligible to receive standard issue S9, S91A and Half-Eye frames, and there will be no change to this authorization.  

(http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2012/01/navy-to-replace-birth-control-glasses/) See the new glasses on the Military Advantage blog. 

Top 15 High-paying Jobs for Vets

The 15 most common, well-paid and quickly growing professions veterans choose include: Management Consultant, IT Program Manager, Systems Analyst, FBI Agent, Field Service Engineer, Systems Engineer, IT Consultant, Intelligence Analyst, Helicopter Pilot, IT Network Engineer, Construction Project Manager, Technical Writer, Business Development Manager, IT Network Administrator, HVAC Service Technician, and Fireman. (http://jobsforveterans.military.com/489/top-15-high-paying-jobs-veterans/?ESRC=mrvr.nl) See Median Salaries and Projected Growth for each.

(http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs?ESRC=mrvr.nl) Search for Career Opportunities in the above fields on Military.com

VA Offers Free Credit Monitoring

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is offering free credit monitoring to more than 2,200 veterans whose personal information, including social security numbers, was posted on Ancestry.com following the mistaken release of data through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Veterans who believe they may have been affected by this incident who have not been notified by VA may verify whether their information was involved by writing to: Department of Veterans Affairs, OIT Privacy Officer (005R1A), 810 Vermont Ave., NW Washington DC 20420, (Attn: Garnett Best). Affected veterans can request a free credit report for one year from one or more of the three national credit bureaus by calling 1-877-322-8228 or by visiting  (http://www.annualcreditreport.com/) www.annualcreditreport.com. Information about this and other protections is available by calling the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at its toll free number, 1-877-438-4338.

For more tips on credit and saving, visit the (http://www.military.com/money) Military.com Money Center.

Veterans Receive COLA Increase

Veterans, their families, and survivors receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began receiving a 3.6 percent increase in their compensation and pension benefits on January 1. The cost of living adjustments (COLAs) also apply to disability and death pension recipients, survivors receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, disabled Veterans receiving automobile and clothing allowances, and other benefits.  The full rates are available on the Internet at  (http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates/#BM01) www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates/#BM01. For more information about VA benefits or (http://www.military.com/benefits/content/veterans-health-care/va-disability-compensation-rates.html) new 2012 payment rates, visit  (http://www.military.com/benefits/content/veteran-benefits/veterans-benefits-explained.html) Military.com or call 1-800-827-1000.