Wounded Warrior Program
The Wounded Warrior Program was established to create fellowships that will provide employment opportunities for wounded or disabled veterans within the House of Representatives. Positions may become available in Member, committee and leadership offices in Washington, DC and in district offices nationwide. Wherever possible, those selected for the program will be given the opportunity to transition into full time employment. However, full time employment is not guaranteed at the conclusion of the two year fellowship.
The positions will be filled by veterans with a 30 percent or greater service connected disability rating from either a military Physical Evaluation Board or the Department of Veterans Affairs. If a fellowship is located within a Member’s district, the appointment is contingent on the Representative’s continuous representation of that district.
- Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions below to learn how to be considered for one of these fellowships.
- Learn about the new Director of the Wounded Warrior Program, Patricia Orsini.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I apply to the House’s Wounded Warrior Program?
A. Applicants must be referred to the House’s Wounded Warrior program by a representative of one of the organizations listed below or any Veterans Service Organization recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Department of Veterans Affairs
Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Program
Send your resume and cover letter to the VA Regional Office that maintains your VA Claim to the attention of the VRE Officer/Employment Coordinator, indicating that you wish to be considered for employment with the U. S. House of Representatives’ Wounded Warrior Program.U. S. Marine Corps
U. S. Army
www.usmc.mil
Go to the Marine Services tab
Go to Wounded Warrior Regiment and click on Wounded Warrior Hot Jobs
U. S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2)
www.AW2.army.milSeriously injured soldiers who meet the criteria set forth on the AW2 website may register and submit a resume there. On the AW2 website, soldiers should also request consideration for the House’s Wounded Warrior Program. All other disabled soldiers with a rating of 30 percent or greater should contact their AW2 Advocate to submit a resume for positions with the U.S. House of Representatives.
U. S. Navy
Navy Safe Harbor Program
Email: safeharbor@navy.mil
Website: www.npc.navy.mil/comandsupport/safeharborU. S. Air Force
U. S. Coast Guard
Air Force Wounded Warrior Program
afwounded.warrior@randolph.af.mil
Coast Guard personnel pending medical discharge and former Coast Guard personnel with disabilities of 30 percent or greater, should send a resume and cover letter requesting consideration for the House’s program to the following address:Coast Guard Personnel Command
Physical Evaluation Board
4200 Wilson Blvd
Suite 950
Arlington, VA 22203Veterans of Foreign Wars
vfw@vfw.org
Q. What is the definition of a “Wounded Warrior” as it relates to the House’s Wounded Warrior Program?
A. Any disabled veteran who has received either a Memorandum Rating of 30 percent or greater from their service Physical Evaluation Board or a VA service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or greater will be eligible to apply for positions with this program. Candidates for employment must have been honorably discharged and possess a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Q. What if I do not know my rating?
A. All military personnel discharged through the Disability Evaluation System for service incurred injuries or illnesses receive a determination of findings. If you have not received that finding or have misplaced your letter, you should contact your appropriate service headquarters. If you have misplaced your disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs, you may obtain a letter from your VA Regional Benefits Office that confirms your disability rating.
Q. If I am referred by one of the above agencies for a position with the House’s Wounded Warrior Program, how will I be contacted and when will I start working?
A. After the program receives your referral and resume you will be contacted directly by a representative of the Wounded Warrior Program. Starting dates will be dependant upon when vacancies become available.
Q. How much will I be paid as a Wounded Warrior Fellow?
A. Salaries will vary from job to job, depending on the duties and recommendations from the office or Congressional Member that has hired the wounded warrior.
Q. Will all fellowship positions lead to full time work?
A. Fellowship positions are not a guarantee of continued employment. However, the opportunity for full time employment may arise.
Q. Is there reimbursement for relocation expenses?
A. Reimbursement will NOT be paid to veterans who accept a position that requires relocation.
Q. Are all Wounded Warrior Fellowships located in Washington, D. C. area?
A. While most positions will be located in Washington, D.C., we expect that positions will also be available nationwide, in the district offices of Members of Congress.
Wounded Warrior Program Director: Patricia Orsini
New Director of the House's Wounded Warrior
Program, Retired Master Gunnery Sergeant
Patricia Orsini
As the director of the Wounded Warrior Program at the House of Representatives, Orsini will continue to answer the call to service, helping to establish and supervise the House’s new program aimed at finding wounded veterans jobs working in the House.
Chief Administrative Officer Daniel P. Beard said Orsini was chosen to head the $5 million program in part because of her experience in developing similar, successful programs in support of veterans.
“Patricia’s extensive experience will be invaluable because she not only understands the needs of wounded warriors, but she also understands what it means to be a veteran,” Beard said.
Orsini’s goal is to develop a program that will employ as many as 50 veterans to work with Members of Congress, Committees, Leadership offices and in support services.
She has served more than 24 years in the U.S. Marine Corps in a variety of positions, including assisting active duty and reserve Marines with medical benefits. After retiring from active duty in 2002, she worked for the American Legion as deputy director for health care services and for the Veterans Administration as a service representative.
In 2004, Patricia was re-called to active duty in support Operation Iraqi Freedom at Quantico with the Marine for Life Injured Support Program. The goal of the program was to create and manage a “medical hold” process to assist injured reservists. Last year, she helped establish the Wounded Warrior Regiment within the Marine Corps.
Throughout her career, Orsini has played a unique and emotional role, she said, in taking care of the nation’s veterans. She has escorted the bodies of fallen Marines in airplanes bound for home and played the bugle at many of her comrades’ funerals. “Those are the times when I’ve had the most empathy for the dedication our veterans have to our country,” she said.
Orsini said she is looking forward to the challenge that establishing the program will bring.
“I’m excited to put together this wonderful program, which will find jobs for wounded warriors at a time when they most need the support of the nation they fought for — when they return from war,” Orsini said.
The House Wounded Warrior program was established at the direction of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Committee on House Administration Chairman Rep. Robert Brady. They directed Beard to develop the program in a letter dated November 7, 2007: “From our visits with our wounded military over the past several years, we are well aware that these service men and women possess a wide range of valuable skills and experiences, as well as enthusiasm for hard work, which would be enormously valuable to any employer,” the lawmakers wrote.
Pelosi, Hoyer and Brady are currently formulating the final elements of the program, which will be announced shortly.
