On September 27th CareerSource Pinellas Released aPress Release regarding the Victories for Veterans Grant, Today I would like to share with you the opportunities available to Veterans you are working with that may qualify for funds through this grant.

Under this Grant CareerSource Pinellas is issuing up to $100 to Veterans who are in need of Clothing for interviews, Clothing/Uniforms for Full/Part-time Employment, Boots, and Transportation assistance.

Vic for Vet Supported Service Program:

Limited supported services are available under the Victory for Veteran’s grant.  There are restrictions and caps on issuance.  Issuance can be in the form of a bank visa card.

Additional Eligibility for Supported Services

• Must be Veteran with Significant Barrier to Employment (SBE) as defined by the Department of Labor
• Must be active in Intensive Case Management with a CareerSource Pinellas DVOP
• Must be approved and justified by the DVOP via an Employ Florida Marketplace Case Note
• Must be document resident in the EFM residential address field.

Documentation required:

• SBE assessment must be on file or completed prior to issuance
• A Statement of Need must be completed, signed by the DVOP and efiled.
• It is recommended that the Vet customer be provided a copy to take to the center Supported Services staff who issue supported services to expedite the request
• The DVOP will walk or direct the SBE Vet to the supported services staff on the appropriate date and times when center issuance is done.

If you should have any additional questions, Please call 727-524-4344 and request to speak to your nearest DVOP.

Congressman Gus Bilirakis

Invites You and Your Family to his

Holiday Open House

Monday, December 12th

1 P.M. – 3 P.M. 

North Pinellas Congressional District Office

38500 U.S. Highway 19 North, Tarpon Springs

Room BB-038 of the Michael & Evelyn Bilirakis Building on

the Tarpon Springs Campus of St. Petersburg College

Please R.S.V.P. to FL12.RSVP@mail.house.gov

or (727) 940-5860

On Oct. 21, the Defense Department launched a new call and outreach center that offers confidential peer support to active duty service members, National Guardsmen, reservists and Family members through 24/7 chat, phone and text. The DoD “BeThere” peer support call and outreach center is staffed by peers who are veteran service members and family members of veterans, and aims to provide support for everyday problem-solving of career and general life challenges

* For free confidential help with any area of life, service members and Family members can call   844-357-PEER (7337)   or text  480-360-6188.

Find more information and services at https://www.betherepeersupport.com/

 The Able Trust Foundation Investment Funds Abilities Training Initiative 

PINELLAS COUNTY (November 22, 2016) – CareerSouce Pinellas is now accepting applications for the Abilities Training Initiative. Funded with a $250,000 grant awarded by the Able Trust Foundation, the program will create career pathways for individuals with barriers to employment due to a disability.

This grant program will focus on providing workers with disabilities the skills for a pathway to a career in manufacturing. The program includes assessment, career planning, case management, skills training, employability skills training and work experience. The implementation of this initiative is in direct response to the needs of individuals with disabilities who are seeking career-oriented employment opportunities and the needs of the business community in the Tampa Bay area.  The potential impact is critical and life changing providing the opportunity to gain a good job and career that can lead to better self-supporting future.

Current offerings include:

·         Certified Production Technician

·         Construction

·         Cyber Security

·         Industrial Machine Maintenance

·         Irrigation

·         Manufacturing Specialist

·         Soldering & Cabling

By tapping into the energy and motivation of individuals with disabilities, and linking them to the needs in the manufacturing industry, it is possible to positively impact the talent pipeline and provide viable, high-quality jobs. 

Participants must be 18 years old and unemployed or underemployed with barriers to training and employment due to a disability. Additional eligibility requirements apply. CareerSource Pinellas is now accepting applications for the program. For more information about participating in the Abilities Training Initiative, please visit http://bit.ly/Abilities_Initiative. 

About CareerSource Tampa Bay and CareerSource Pinellas

CareerSource Tampa Bay and CareerSource Pinellas establish workforce development and training policies for Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. For more information on our valuable, no cost resources for businesses and job seekers, please visit www.careersourcetampabay.com or www.careersourcepinellas.com. CareerSource Tampa Bay and CareerSource Pinellas are equal opportunity employers/programs. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this document may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment via the Florida Relay Service at 711.

Follow CareerSource Tampa Bay on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Follow CareerSource Pinellas on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

The Following letter/message was received by the Veterans Services Department of St. Petersburg College and is posted here for the information of all Veterans:

On behalf of Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (BPVAHCS), I would like to invite all veterans attending St. Petersburg College and receiving educational benefits to our Veterans’ Work Study Program.  The Federal Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Work Study Allowance Program is a program that gives the opportunity to veterans receiving educational benefits to also earn additional pay for working as part of the VA while being enrolled in an approved program.

The Work-Study Allowance Program offers an additional non-taxable allowance to students in return for performing VA-related activities. It serves as a supplemental VA education benefit and often provides the additional funding for students to pursue and accomplish educational goals.

To participate in the Work-Study Allowance Program, the student must be receiving benefits under one of the following education programs:

•             Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 30: The Montgomery GI Bill

•             Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 31: Vocational Rehabilitation

•             Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 32: The Post-Vietnam Era Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program

•             Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 33: The Post-9/11 GI Bill / Fry Scholarship

•             Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 35: Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program

•             Title 10, U.S.C., Chapter 1606: The Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserve

•             Title 10, U.S.C., Chapter 1607: The Reserve Educational Assistance Program

•             VOW/VRAP benefits are not eligible for the Work-Study Allowance Program

To qualify for the Work Study Allowance Program, the student must be enrolled in an approved college degree, vocational or professional program of education at a rate of ¾ time or greater. Please forward the attached documents to any and all students wanting to participate in this program.

Respectfully,

Marlenny Trigg
Human Resources Specialist (TCF Intern)

C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center (516/05)

Bay Pines VA Healthcare System

P.O. Box 5005, Bay Pines, FL  33744

Phone:  (727) 398-6661 ext. 15501

Fax:  (727) 398-9505

Tube: 810

When the VA Secretary first started evaluating business and customer service practices across VA to improve the Veteran experience, the need for a revamped phone system was clear. Instead of navigating dozens of automated phone trees with no guarantee of success, Veterans needed one place to call to get connected to the right place quickly

VA is introducing 1-844-MyVA311 (1-844-698-2311) as a go-to source for Veterans and their families who don’t know what number to call. This new national toll-free number will help eliminate the feeling of frustration and confusion that Veterans and their families have expressed when navigating the 1000-plus phone numbers that currently exist. 

With 1-844-MyVA311, Veterans, families, and caregivers can access information about VA services like disability, pension, healthcare eligibility, enrollment, and burial benefits, in addition to a self-service locator to find the nearest VA facility. And if they’re looking for immediate assistance with housing or are having a mental health crisis, MyVA311 will route callers to the Homeless Veteran help line and the Veterans Crisis Line.

If you know what number you’re calling – keep calling it.  None of the existing VA numbers will go away. The future vision is that 1-844-MyVA311 will become a 24/7 one-stop information service platform for all VA services.

Veteran feedback has been instrumental helping us streamline the way we get callers routed to the right place at VA. VA is also making improvements to the overall Veteran experience eliminating blocked calls and hiring more people to reduce wait times. We will continue to gather feedback from our Veterans to ensure VA is meeting their needs.

The new MyVA311 phone number is just one step in a larger effort to modernize VA contact centers so Veterans have a seamless, positive experience when reaching out VA.  In the coming months, we will be sharing more on additional steps as we continue to improve the Veterans experience.

Michael Hill with Pinellas County Veterans Services passes this along to us for the information of all concerned:

A turkey give away for Disabled Veterans being sponsored by Bosley and Bratch will be held this coming Monday, November 21st, 10AM to 2PM in Clearwater.

 Please see the flyer below for details:

turkey-giveaway-flyer-final

In celebration of our Veterans the SPC Tarpon Springs campus have several events taking place tomorrow, Thursday, November 10th.

They are:

1. Veteran’s Resource & Career Fair – Agora Courtyard – 11:30 am – 2 pm
2. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the “Remember Florida’s Fallen” – noon Fine Arts Building  fl-fallen-flyer-2016
3. Star Spangled Art Event – on going – FA 132

BAY PINES, FL – The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) will host its annual Veterans Day Ceremony on Friday, November 11, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. The ceremony will take place in the courtyard positioned between buildings 2 and 37 on the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center campus located at 10,000 Bay Pines Blvd., Bay Pines, Fla. 33744.  The event is open to all Veterans, their family and friends, and the general public.

Highlights of the ceremony will include speakers from the Bay Pines VAHCS, St. Petersburg VA Regional Office, Bay Pines National Cemetery and U.S. Rep. David W. Jolly, 13th Congressional District of Florida. Keynote speaker for the event will by U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. (retired) Arnold Fields.  Maj. Gen. Fields serves on the staff of the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration.

During his 34-year career as an active duty officer, he held numerous military commands to include Deputy Commander of Marine Corps Forces in Europe and Africa; Director of the Marine Corps Headquarters Staff at the Pentagon; Commanding General of all Marine Corps Bases in Hawaii, with dual responsibilities as Deputy Commanding General 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force; Commander of U.S. Central Command’s Forward Headquarters in the Middle East; and Inspector General of U.S. Central Command.

The event will also include musical performances by the Keswick Christian School Choir; a special parade of colors provided by local Veteran Service Organizations; and traditional military presentations to include the posting and retiring of the U.S. Flag, a firing salute, and a taps performance. Emmy award-winning local evening news anchor Mark Wilson, Fox 13, will be the master of ceremonies for the event.

Vietnam Veterans who attend the ceremony will receive a special lapel pin and other special items as part of the Bay Pines VA’s continued commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.  For more information about the commemorative lapel pin, click here.

Signage will be posted on the medical center campus to direct visitors to the venue.  Reserved and general parking will be available nearby.  A shuttle service will also be available to provide transportation for guests from parking lots to the ceremony area. The event will take place outdoors. The Bay Pines VAHCS encourages all attendees to dress appropriately in the event of inclement weather.  For driving directions, campus maps and more please visit: www.baypines.va.gov/locations/directions.asp.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jason W. Dangel Public Affairs Officer Bay Pines VA Healthcare System 727.398.9531 | jason.dangel@va.gov

You are invited to attend the 3^rd Annual City of St. Petersburg Veterans Day Celebration on November 11, 2016 at 8:00 AM at the Veterans Memorial in Williams Park. This year’s Honored Veteran is Michael Jernigan. Please see the attached flyer (below) for additional information. I hope you will join us in honoring Michael Jernigan, and all of our veterans, for their service to our great nation.

vets-day-celebration-2016-flyer-002