Swords to Plowshares

http://www.dantes.doded.mil/dantes_web/troopstoteachers/index.asp?Flag=True

Troops-to-Teachers provides Referral Assistance and Placement services to military personnel interested in beginning a second career in public education as a teacher. The DANTES Troops-to-Teachers office will help applicants identify teacher certification requirements, programs leading to certification and employment opportunities.

http://eeoc.gov/facts/veterans-disabilities-employers.html

Each year, thousands of military personnel stationed around the world leave active duty and seek to return to jobs they held before entering the service or look to find their first, or new, civilian jobs. According to government statistics, between October 2001 and February, 2008, more than 30,000 veterans returned home with service-connected disabilities (e.g., amputations, burns, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injuries).

At least two federal laws provide important protections for veterans with disabilities. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), which is enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), sets forth the requirements for reemploying veterans with and without service-connected disabilities. Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces, prohibits private and state and local government employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against individuals on the basis of disability. Title I of the ADA also generally requires covered employers to make reasonable accommodations – changes in the workplace or in the way things are usually done that provide individuals with disabilities equal employment opportunities. Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act applies the same standards of non-discrimination and reasonable accommodation as the ADA to Federal Executive Branch agencies and the United States Postal Service.

This guide briefly explains how protections for veterans with service-connected disabilities differ under USERRA and the ADA, and then describes how the ADA in particular applies to recruiting, hiring, and accommodating veterans with service-connected disabilities.

http://eeoc.gov/facts/veterans-disabilities.html

According to government statistics, between October 2001 and February, 2008, more than 30,000 veterans serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and surrounding duty stations have been wounded in action. Many of them have lost a hand or limb or been severely burned or blinded. Others have been diagnosed with hearing loss, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and other service-connected disabilities. Despite their injuries, many veterans who leave active duty are able to work.

This guide answers questions that veterans with service-connected disabilities may have about the protections they are entitled to when they seek to return to their former jobs or look to find their first, or new, civilian jobs. It also explains changes or adjustments that veterans may need, because of their injuries, to apply for, or perform, a job, or to enjoy equal access to the workplace. Finally, this guide includes resources on where veterans can find more information about the employment rights of individuals with disabilities.

The Next Step Center is a non-profit organization located on the VA grounds in Menlo Park and has provided comprehensive employment services to veterans since 1988. Using a “whole person” model approach to vocational rehabilitation, coupled with intensive case management, the Next Step Center has served thousands of veterans since its inception and placed them in a wide variety of positions throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. NSC provides area employers with qualified, pre-screened candidates for part-time, full-time, permanent and temporary employment.

The Point of Contact is:
Rose Sutton, Site Director
795 Willow Rd. (MS-116B-6)
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 566-0240
24 hr. (650) 326-4526
nextstep@nextstepjobs.org

www.nextstepjobs.org

www.esgr.org

DoD/volunteer organization – encourages employers to hire Guard and reserve, educates employers and reservists regarding USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act ) employment rights, and mediates disputes. ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee’s military commitment.

The ESGR Ombudsmen Services Program was established to address potential problems arising among the nation’s employers regarding the phasing out of the “draft” or conscription of people into the military by the Selective Service and the establishment of the all-volunteer force. There was concern that the nation’s employers, who were used to some of their employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve as an alternative to compulsory active duty service, might question the necessity of such service in a purely voluntary military system. The Ombudsmen Services Program was established in response. It provides information, counseling, and informal mediation of issues relating to compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

Trained ESGR volunteers and the Ombudsmen Services national staff are available to promptly respond to inquiries and conflicts presented by employees or employers. (see ESGR Resources page of the Web site, ESGR Committee Contacts section, for local contact listing; use 1-800-336-4590 or About ESGR page of the Web site, Our Staff section, to contact national staff.) More than 95 percent of all such requests for assistance are resolved in this informal process. Many problems result from poor communication between employers and their employees or from a lack of familiarization with the rights and responsibilities of each as defined by law.

www.veteransvillage.org

The mission of Patrick McCaffrey’s Foundation is to promote mental and holistic wellness and palliative care among veterans returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), by providing a live-in retreat village, wherein with the help of trained professional staff and volunteers, veterans will find inner healing and an eventual re-entry into society.

www.vvsd.net

Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD), also known as Vietnam Veterans of San Diego, is dedicated to extending assistance to needy and homeless veterans of all wars and eras and their families by providing housing, food, clothing, substance abuse recovery and mental health counseling, job training and job search assistance.

www.newdirectionsinc.org

New Directions provides a wide variety of services for homeless veterans, including job training and placement, parenting and money management classes, legal and financial assistance, counseling, remedial education and resources for alumni. Residents leave New Directions with a job, housing, a savings account, computer skills, renewed self confidence and the support of mentors and peers. Such a transformation takes hard work, motivation and accountability, but the results are life-altering — and for many veterans, life-saving.

www.vetbiz.gov

A Veteran Resource Information web site designed to assist veteran entrepreneurs who want to start and expand their businesses in the Federal and private marketplace. This site provides up to the minute information from the Federal Government as it pertains to Service Disabled and Veteran Owned Small Businesses.

www.hirevetsfirst.gov

Comprehensive career website for hiring veterans of America’s military. Whether you’re a manager, human resources specialist, or veteran, you’ll find the resources you need for matching employment opportunities with veterans.

www.vetjobs.com

The VetJobs vision is to meet the shortage of qualified candidates in the civilian sector with highly trained veterans who can offer employers technical skills, management expertise and most importantly, leadership. VetJobs provides the tools necessary to make job searching easy for veterans and translating the military experience to civilian equivalents easier for employers.

www.helmetstohardhats.org

Helmets to Hardhats is a national program that connects National Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty military members with quality career training and employment opportunities within the construction industry.

www.recruitmilitary.com

For military veterans, including enlisted transitioning military personnel, as well as senior officers and junior military officers, they offer free comprehensive job search and career transition services. They connect these individuals with thousands of employers seeking quality candidates with the unique and well-rounded skill sets a military background provides. They assist our candidates with information about resumes, networking, and interviewing tips in our Career Center. They also provide veteran job fairs throughout the country.

www.hireheroesusa.org

Hire Heroes USA is the link to employment opportunities nationwide for disabled veterans returning home. We provide placement services to our wounded heroes with any level of disability as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Hire Heroes USA matches the career interests and skills of our nation’s heroes to the needs of companies who are partnering with us to fill job openings. We offer our services at no charge to veterans and employers. As a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, our program is supported through private and corporate donations. Hire Heroes USA is an initiative of the Health Careers Foundation, a non-profit healthcare organization established in 1990.

www.return2work.org

Return 2 Work advocates work, education and benefits for newly enabled Americans including injured soldiers returning home from combat in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world. R2W’s services include: evaluation, training, placement, supported employment, service learning for active duty members, financial counseling, home buyer education.

www.nchv.org

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization governed by a 13-member board of directors — is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based service providers and local, state and federal agencies that provide emergency and supportive housing, food, health services, job training and placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year.

Stephanie Buckley
500 North Hwy #89
Prescott, AZ 86313
Phone: 928-717-7581
Fax: 928-445-0117
E-Mail: sbuckley@usvetsinc.org

Brad Bridwell
804 East Jones Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85040
Phone: 602-305-8585
Fax: 602-305-6971
E-Mail: bbridwell@usvetsinc.org

Darryl Vincent
Bldg. 37, Shangrila
Kalaloa (Barbers Point), HI 96707
Phone: 808-682-9000
Fax: 808-682-9006
E-Mail: dvincent@usvetsinc.org

*currently substance abuse cases will be referred to partner agency

Stephanie Buckley
525 East Bonanza Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702.366.0456
Fax: 702.310.6862
E-Mail: sbuckley@usvetsinc.org

*also provides services for gambling addiction

Dwight Radcliff
1418 Preston Avenue
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 713-229-8122
Fax: 713-229-8648
E-Mail: dradcliff@usvetsinc.org

Greg McCormack
2001 River Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90810
Phone: 562.388.8016
Fax: 562.388.7991
E-Mail: gmccormack@usvetsinc.org

Dwight Radcliff
733 S. Hindry Ave.
Inglewood, CA 90301
Phone: 310-348-7600
Fax: 310-641-2661
E-Mail: dradcliff@usvetsinc.org

U.S. VETS National Headquarters
Emily Button
3700 North Capitol St. NW
PO BOX 1312 AFRH, Washington, District of Columbia, 20011
Ph: (202) 545-1660

Stephen Cunniff
17 Court Street
Boston, Massachusetts, 02108,
Ph: 617-371-1701
www.neshv.org

Sheryl Shaffer
P.O. Box 25540, San Mateo, California, 94402
www.vecsamnet.org