LVER Doing Great Work with Veterans - Patrick Martinez is a Snohomish County LVER in the Washington State Employment Security Department. He has been instrumental in designing, launching, and managing his community's Veterans Employment through a VETS Initiative to expand and enhance the range of services available to veterans. Through his commitment and dedication, the community was able to obtain a Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program grant. Since launching the VETS Initiative in October 2003, Martinez and his staff have enrolled and assisted 494 homeless veterans with individual job search assistance, vocational counseling, pre-employment services, and specialized referrals to partner services. To date, over 190 homeless veterans have found employment through these efforts. Additionally, the 90-day job retention rate is one of the best in the nation, proving that Martinez and his staff have been successful in finding homeless veterans jobs. Martinez was recently honored by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans at their 15th Anniversary National Conference. Kudos to Patrick and his staff! Photo information: Patrick Martinez, center, was presented the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Department of Labor Staff Award at the NCHV 2005 National Conference in Washington, D.C., on June 3. Presenting the award were DOL Deputy Assistant Secretary Charles “Chick” Ciccolella of VETS, left, and Dr. Charles Haenlein, President of the NCHV Board of Directors.

Tips for Employers - More National Guard and Reserve members are on active duty than ever before. To help civilian employers learn about their roles and responsibilities to those employees, direct them to the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) web site which contains plenty of information. Check out this link for specific information for employers.

Don't Forget "The Buzz" - Remember to check out The Buzz feature on NVTI's homepage. Every couple of weeks or so it's updated with news and valuable information you can use today!

What's the Latest in Veterans' Legislation? - Curious to know what's happening on Capitol Hill concerning veterans' issues? Check out the press releases from The House Committee on Veterans Affairs and U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs for the latest news.

VA and Army Sign Training Pact - Recently leaders of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Walter Reed Army Medical Center signed an agreement giving severely injured service members practical help in landing civilian jobs. Under the "Vet IT" agreement, VA will offer vocational training and temporary jobs at it's Washington headquarters to service members recovering from traumatic injuries at the Army facility. More than 30 Walter Reed patients have already received similar on-the-job experience at VA headquarters since a test of the program began in September 2004.

Wrap Up of 60th Anniversary of the LVER - Tacoma, Washington LVER Sal Cantu wanted to provide a final report on the efforts to get the story of the 60th Anniversary of the LVER out across the country from last year. National Proclamations from the VFW and The American Legion were secured, as well as support from other national organizations. Twenty-five state proclamations were issued and 13 other states were in the process of securing proclamations. The U.S. Senate commemorated the event on June 22, 2004 by signing a proclamation ont he 60th anniversary date. If you'd like further information, e-mail Sal Cantu. Thank you, Sal and all the other veterans' representatives across the country for your efforts!

Recognizing Women Veterans - In March, Washington State, Pierce County vets set up a Women's History Month Job Fair. The even honored women veterans and recognized women serving in Iraq and stationed around the world. Approximately 76 employers and over 900 veterans and job seekers attended the event. Great news!

Successful Stand Down - Glenn Conor of the WorkOne Hammond office in Illinois reports on a very successful Stand Down held last October. Over 100 veterans received services from various agencies and businesses, including VA, Workforce Development, Goodwill, American Red Cross, United Way, Merrillville Beauty college, Southlake Barber School and others. Conor said the event had few problems and was a rousing success. NVTI has a hard copy of the detailed after action report if others would like a copy. E-mail your request for it here. It's always great to hear of events like this!

Keep us Informed! Did you recently change offices or job positions? Do you know that a co-worker left or retired? We want to know too! We'll update our database and make sure the DVOP/LVER Locator is made current. We don't know unless you let us know. Update here.

And what's YOUR good news? Tell us about it at vetsnet@nvti.cudenver.edu.