All posts by Scott Cole

Help End Domestic Violence

Help end domestic violence

Too many women Veterans suffer in silence

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One-third of all female Veterans report experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

Every single day in the United States, approximately three women are killed by an intimate partner.

Domestic violence impacts women, men, and children of every age, background, and belief. Nearly one in four women and one in seven men in the United States have suffered severe physical violence by an intimate partner. Veterans who experience domestic violence or intimate partner violence are deprived of their autonomy, liberty, and security, and face tremendous threats to their health and safety.

VA cares about Veterans affected by Domestic Violence (DV) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). We recognize the impact this has on Veterans, family members and caregivers and we are working hard to help Veterans and their families affected by this silent epidemic.

“I came here two years ago and there was nothing, but this last time they called and really helped.”  – Veteran patient

I want to assure all Veterans and their families that VA is committed to fulfilling its promise by establishing and implementing the National IPV Assistance Program. We will provide Veterans who are struggling with IPV with the best available care and treatment in support of their health, well-being and safety.

If you are a female Veteran and need information or resources about intimate partner violence or help with any other issue, please visit www.womenshealth.va.gov or call 1.855.VA.WOMEN.

Intimate partner violence includes physical violence, sexual violence, stalking and psychological aggression, including coercive tactics, by a current or former intimate partner such as a spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, dating partner, or ongoing sexual partner. Partners may or may not be living together and may be the same or opposite sex. Domestic violence refers more broadly to any violence that occurs in the home.

“The program has helped me get into a shelter and get my kids with me.” – Veteran patient

Research has shown that Veterans are at greater risk for using and/or experiencing violence than their civilian counterparts, given the unique stressors posed by military life. In particular, those who have served in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan may be at even higher risk, given the higher rates of mental health concerns, including posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol misuse.

What are some of the warning signs of intimate partner violence?

  • Unexplained injuries
  • Delay in seeking care
  • Injuries during pregnancy
  • Suicide attempts
  • Excessive substance use

If you see one or more of these in a friend and you suspect he or she needs help, please encourage your friend to visit www.thehotline.org or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

In his Presidential Proclamation, President Barack Obama says, “During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we reaffirm our dedication to forging an America where no one suffers the hurt and hardship that domestic violence causes and we recommit to doing everything in our power to uphold the basic human right to be free from violence and abuse.

“While physical marks may often be the most obvious signs of the harm caused by domestic violence, the true extent of the pain goes much deeper. Victims not only face abuse, but often find themselves left with significant financial insecurity. And children who witness domestic violence often experience lifelong trauma. These heinous acts go against all we know to be humane and decent, and they insult our most fundamental ideals. We all have a responsibility to try to end this grave problem.”

“I am hoping I will get HUDVASH and be able to get back on my feet again.” – Veteran patient

During October, VA would like to raise awareness of the serious and widespread problem of intimate partner violence. There is a smartphone app to encourage healthy relationships and provide resources for anyone who might be experiencing domestic violence. Download the One Love My Plan app today here: www.joinonelove.org.


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About the Author: Laura Taylor, LCSW, was appointed as the National Director, Social Work in May 2014. In this role, she serves as the principal advisor on Social Work Professional Practice, including providing guidance to the Chief Consultant, Care Management and Social Work Services. She is responsible for the professional practice of 11,000 masters prepared VHA Social Workers, the largest single employer of Social Workers in the United States of America. Taylor also develops national policy for Professional Social Work for VA Central Office, VISN and medical center leaders.

 

Click here for the original article.

Now Recruiting!

2016 Global Banking & Markets Veterans Associate Program Now Recruiting!

Are you a Veteran interested in transitioning to a career within financial services? Do you know a Veteran who would be great in a banking and markets role?

Our Global Banking & Markets (GBAM) business is offering candidates a unique opportunity to take part in a 10 week, tailored program for transitioning Veterans that allows participants to hone their skills to work while exploring a new career in the financial services industry. The program, now in its fourth year, includes formal training in addition to on-the-job training and development, access to senior leaders, networking activities, market compensation and a rare insight into the day-to-day as an employee within one of the world’s leading financial institutions. Following the program candidates will be eligible to be considered for full time opportunities.

The program will take place in New York City from February 22 to April 22 2016.

Full details of the program and eligibility requirements are now on our website, where applications are now open at http://go.bofaml.com/GBAM_VAP  Applications close November 13, 2015.

Hear from previous GBAM VAP participants:

Guillermo (Bill) Ravelo

(Associate, Americas Asset Management Services United States Army, Master Sergeant)

“My Veterans Associate Program experience was professionally life-changing. I met several colleagues and senior executives throughout the bank who not only made me feel welcomed but also ensured I was well-positioned to be impactful to the team. I chose to become a team member at Bank of America Merrill Lynch due to incredibly high quality of individuals and teams that I met. Only during my time as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment had I met such a dynamic group who strive for excellence.”

John Humphreys

(Associate, Global Research – Airfreight, Surface & Marine Transportation Team United States Marine Corps, Captain)

” Bank of America/Merrill Lynch’s Veteran Associate Program is an opportunity to prove your military experience adds value to one of the world’s premier financial institutions. Similar to the military, VAP selects those who show the potential to be leaders. Those who earned a position in VAP, and invested as much in their future as the firm did in them, have begun careers in some of the most competitive and rewarding areas of finance with a firm committed to supporting its next generation of leaders.”

Marvin Robertson Jr.
(Portfolio Management Officer, Global Commercial Banking: Specialized Industries United States Army, Infantry Captain)

“Having left the military, the additional insight and counseling provided by the MSAG members (BofAML internal employee Military Support and Advocate Group) really helped with my fast transition from the military lifestyle to a corporate lifestyle.  The bank has been tremendous in assisting me with translating my infantry leadership and austere environmental combat assignments into a language for corporate finance. I was proud of my military background and I wanted to transition into an organization as similar to it as possible and work with professionals who strive for success and are proud to be a part of the team.”

Visit http://go.bofaml.com/GBAM_VAP to learn more and make your application today!

 

 

After The Uniform

 

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Free Video Resource

 

This documentary video After the Uniform takes a look at the post-service lives of veterans.

 

Making the transition to life at home or to being a civilian can be difficult. 

 

The individuals profiled in this video will help audiences understand PTSD and other psychological issues veterans may face after their service or deployment ends.

 

This video is a great resource for veterans, their families, and anyone who may provide resources and support to the military.

Please watch and share this important video.

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Video produced by:

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This project was supported by Grant No. 2010-DD-BX-K018 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance to St. Petersburg College’s Center for Public Safety Innovation. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the SMART Office, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice.

 

Halloween Open House

All-State Halloween

OPEN HOUSE

OCT 30TH, 6PM TO 8PM

3200 34th Street South,

St. Petersburg, FL 33711

Information:

727-341-4532

727-614-7289

  •  Ghost Investigation stories
  •  Spooky Campus Tours
  •  Campus ‘Safe’ Trick or Treating
    • (Children 11 years old and under)
  • Learn more about our College programs
  • Food and Treats Throughout
  • Much, Much More!!

Allstate Halloween Open House

Transportation Security Jobs

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Jobs in Transportation Security

Representatives from the Transportation Security Administration are holding an information session/recruitment event on November 4th from 4:00-7:00 pm.

This is a great opportunity for part—time employment (25 hours with a lot of shift flexibility).

Plus, they provide benefits!

This is not a public safety job, it is entry-level and would be a good career option for anyone.

There is a 3-week full time training, plus on-the-job training once you are hired.

Candidates apply for a job online at usajobs.gov and must then pass a credit and criminal background check.

There is no physical abilities test, but a medical physical is required.

SVA 2015 Demographic Survey

Who are student veterans and military connected students?
How many student veterans are first-generation college students?
What percentage of student veterans is currently using the GI Bill?
Are student veterans at my school nationally representative?

Student Veterans of America (SVA) gets asked these questions from stake holders, policy makers, and the public and needs your help answering these questions.

To answer these questions, we are conducting our annual Demographic Survey–a short (about 5 minutes depending on responses) web survey that asks basic demographic questions.

This survey is for anyone currently serving in the U.S. Military and their dependents at your school and in your network.

They do not have to be currently enrolled to participate either; if they are taking a break from classes or an alumni they are also invited to take the survey.

They do not have to be attending a school with, belong to, or involved in an SVA chapter to participate.

You can take the survey by clicking here or here.

Results from this survey will be available on SVA’s website beginning in January, 2016.

VA Partners With TechShop

VA Center for Innovation partners with TechShop to cultivate creativity and entrepreneurship among Veterans

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Makerspaces, also called hackerspaces or fablabs are do-it-yourself spaces where people can create, invent, and learn in a social environment with the proper equipment. While longtime hubs for the hobbyist, or inventor,  these spaces have also become the birthplace of a variety of socially-good businesses and endeavors.

TechShop, the first, largest, and most popular makerspace with locations nationwide, collaborated with VA’s Center for Innovation (VACI) to provide 2,000 one-year memberships at its locations across the country.  The spaces afford Veterans an opportunity explore their ideas and make their dreams become reality by providing instruction as well as a wide array of equipment, such as milling, forming, cutting, welding, woodworking, electronics, and much more.

Some TechShop members have created new products and businesses. Some members join specifically to turn their concepts into reality. Other members start without a specific concept in mind, but found direction and opportunity while working with the tools, learning new skills and interacting with other members.

Compass Coffee  and its Veteran owners, Michael Haft and Anthony Saurez, took advantage of this partnership.  The two Marine Veterans used TechShop’s cutting-edge  equipment and training to become more competitive in the job market or pursue entrepreneurial goals. Watch their story below.

Click here to watch a video.

Author

Ken McKinnon

Ken McKinnon is the video team leader on VA’s Digital Media Engagement team. He has a 45-year career in journalism and government service, 13 years with Florida newspapers, 10 as a press and communications director on Capitol Hill, and 22 with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. He is the proud son of a career Marine Master Sergeant who served in World War II and the Korean War.

Click here to read the original article.

VA, Med School Affiliations

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VA, medical school affiliations shape health care

Celebrating 70 years of academic affiliations

Click here to watch a video.

Dr. Karen Sanders, a long-time VA physician and deputy director of the department’s Office of Academic Affiliations, plays a large role in how the partnerships between VA and the nation’s medical school have developed and served Veterans for more than 30 years.

“The VA has a huge training mission right now,” Sanders explains in the video above.  Through the Office of Academic Affiliations, VA operates the largest largest health professions education program in the United States, including nearly 120,000 trainees annually in more than 40 different health professions.

Sanders’ first experience at the VA was as a medical student and it was an experience that changed her life.

“I walked into the VA in Providence, Rhode Island,” Sanders recalled. “They handed me a stack of cards, like 20 cards, and said ‘These are your patients, Doctor.’  That’s how I started in the VA. And here I am 30 some odd years later.  I was hooked.  I was hooked on Veterans. I was hooked on the VA system. I was hooked on the care we provided. I was hooked on the ability to teach and train and do research.”

VA’s academic affiliations strengthen VA’s healthcare systems, provide training for the nation’s healthcare workforce, and prepare many for healthcare careers. VA’s Office of Academic Affiliations continues to maintain and expand close relationships with institutions of higher learning to provide advanced clinical training in physician education, nursing, dentistry, psychology, social work, optometry, dietetics and nearly 40 other health care professions.

Author

Ken McKinnon

Ken McKinnon is the video team leader on VA’s Digital Media Engagement team. He has a 45-year career in journalism and government service, 13 years with Florida newspapers, 10 as a press and communications director on Capitol Hill, and 22 with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. He is the proud son of a career Marine Master Sergeant who served in World War II and the Korean War.

Click here to read the original article.

33: IMPORTANT CHANGE

IMPORTANT CHANGE FOR THE SPRING SEMSETER

The VA Regional Processing Office (RPO) has requested all schools assist in streamlining the backlog of processing education benefit claims.

SPC Veterans Services has reviewed the certification of benefits process to the VA RPO. The biggest problem that causes backlog both at SPC Veteran Services and at the RPO  is that students change schedules and resubmit a VA Schedule Verification, thus creating education benefit claims to the VA RPO to be reprocessed and at times causes VA debt issues for the student.

Each time a schedule verification is submitted by a student to Veterans Services, it must be reviewed for the changes, reprocessed and resubmitted to the VA RPO for final processing and approval. The RPO processes one claim at a time and does not make accounting adjustments. This can cause additional book stipends to be sent to the student, overpayments of BAH and generate erroneous payment to the college for tuition and fees.

In order to rectify the back log and debt management issues discovered during this review, SPC Veterans Services is implementing a new processing procedure that will take effect on October 26, 2015 at the start of early registration for the Spring semester.

It is requested by Veterans Services, that students using Veterans Education Benefits submit a Veterans Schedule Verification only once for the semester. The verification will be processed in the order received. The class schedule submitted will be reviewed, processed and certified to the VA RPO. Remember, classes need to be with in the program plan that is stated on the tuition and fee schedule. If you are taking classes outside of the program plan they will not be certified to the VA for benefits.

If a student adjusts the initial class schedule that was certified to the VA RPO, those adjustment will be recertified after the first week of classes also known as the “add/drop” period.

The best practice will be, that students submit veteran schedule verification only after the classes registered for are not going change. If there is a likely hood of changing a schedule do not submit verification, as this causes issues with processing of claims from the VA RPO. Which is causing backlog and debt issues. Central Processing will run a report after the add/drop timeframe and make adjustments accordingly.

If you have any questions please address them with any of the four SPC Veterans Services Centers on campus.

Thank you

Jeff Cavanagh

Director, Veterans Services