Denham Co-Sponsors Veteran Opportunity to Work Act

Press Release

Representative Jeff Denham, member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, co-sponsored comprehensive legislation to help stem the rising unemployment rate among America's veteran population, which stands at nearly 1 million. The Veteran Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act of 2011 (H.R. 2433) is a 360 degree approach that incorporates education, training, protections, and eliminates roadblocks in the current VA system to provide veterans with the opportunity to compete in a 21st century economy.

"We all know the economic crisis facing our country and how hard it is to find work; the same is true for our Veterans. Many times the struggles of our service members are forgotten but we need to welcome these men and women home with open arms and empower them to use the skills they have to get jobs," said Rep. Denham.

This legislation provides long-term solutions to help our Veterans understand the skills they have and assist them in finding the best jobs they can. With increased knowledge of the programs and services available to them, our brave men and women will be better equipped when returning home from service and transitioning back into their communities.

Currently two-thirds of unemployed veterans are between the ages of 35-64, while one-third of veterans who are out of work are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. One of the hardest challenges for Veterans is taking the skills they have gained in the military and applying those skills to civilian jobs. This legislation will help ease this process and will further improve the educational and employment benefits our Veterans currently receive so that they can integrate into the civilian workforce.

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