Meehan Applauds Passage of Legislation to Help Veterans

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Patrick Meehan (PA-07) today applauded passage of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. The bipartisan bill, passed by the Senate last week, is expected to put nearly 1 million unemployed veterans back to work.

“We have made real progress with this legislation and I believe it will help out-of-work veterans,” said Meehan. “This bill makes opportunities more readily available, improves the transition into civilian life, and provides incentives for companies to hire veterans. I’m proud to support it. We should do all we can to support our veterans, particularly during the transition from service member to civilian life. This is an example of what we need more of in Washington – Democrats and Republicans in Congress working together with the President to pass common sense laws in America.”

“I supported this bill back on October 12^th when it passed the House the first time,” said Meehan. “I only wish the Senate had acted sooner, rather than taking 5 weeks to pass the bill while our veterans waited.”

The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011:

·         Expands education and training opportunities for older veterans by providing nearly 100,000 unemployed veterans of past eras and wars with up to 1-year of additional Montgomery GI benefits to go towards education or training programs at community colleges or technical schools for high-demand jobs.

·         Makes the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)—an interagency workshop coordinated by Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs—mandatory for most service members moving on to civilian life to help them secure jobs in the 21st Century.

·         Provides disabled veterans up to 1-year of additional Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits.

·         Works with the states to create licensing and credentialing standards to break down the barriers to find meaningful employment in their military occupations.

·         Allows service members to begin the federal employment process prior to separation in order to facilitate a truly seamless transition from the military.

·         Strengthens USERRA protections for service members in the workforce to clarify what constitutes a hostile work environment.

·         Provides a tax credit of up to $5,600 for hiring veterans who have been looking for a job for more than six months, as well as a $2,400 credit for veterans who are unemployed for more than 4 weeks, but less than 6 months. Also provides a tax credit of up to $9,600 for hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been looking for a job for more than six months.