News Blog

LVMAC Tidbit — Permanent Employment for the Chronically Unemployed?

Lehigh Conf of ChurchesOne of the smaller, gold-nugget programs we help fund as part of our effort to assist veterans is Lehigh Conferences of Church’s Permanent Employment Program (PEP) because its vision entails assisting “chronically unemployed individuals to search for, and obtain, meaningful employment by providing barrier assessment, education, case management, and subsidized work experiences in the Lehigh Valley” – in other words, a holistic, work-oriented approach. In so doing, it can take a veteran who was once unemployed to a state of self-sufficiency through meaningful, permanent employment which does not have to be subsidized. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — PTSD/Co-Occurring Disorder Vet Grant Opportunity, Short Notice

Frankly, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania seems poor in distributing word or notifying of grant opportunities in the veterans arena.  As a consequence, this grant opportunity has been extended beyond its original 13 or 14 February deadline.  So, we are taking the unusual step of trying to spread the word, since they have only extended the deadline to 27 February.

An extension has been given to the following grant:

The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) is announcing the availability of up to $750,000 in competitive grants from funds appropriated for Veterans outreach and shall be used for programs providing treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring disorders such as substance abuse for Veterans. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC News — Are You Transitioning? A’s for Vets Has an Education Fair for You

Soldier Grad 3The key purposes of a GI Bill are to assist a returning military veteran in readjusting and retraining for new employment.  While not all veterans have the need or seek the use of their educational benefits, approximately 25 per cent of returning veterans do within two years of discharge.  It therefore behooves us to pay attention to their needs for us to reap the biggest gain for our society.  Academics for Veterans, or A’s for Vets, intends to do just that; and it is about to conduct its first major event with that intention.  The LVMAC alliance will conduct an education fair for military veterans and their families  on 28 February, beginning at 8 a.m., at Moravian College’s Haupert Union Building.  Click here for the details and on how to register while space is available. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

Forward Observer — VA Perhaps Takes a Significant Step Towards Future Reforms Under MyVA Initiative

VA Announces Single Regional Framework under MyVA Initiative

Internal Organizations to Realign Their Existing Structures

LVMAC Poster Art 2005As a result of last year’s scandals, Washington Headquarters announced on 26 January that is taking the first steps under the MyVA initiative to realign its many organizational maps into one map with five regions utilizing state boundaries to better serve military veterans.  We will be part of Region 1 (the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and a couple of South Atlantic states). (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC News — Our Healthcare Task Force Makes Progress

Newspaper Logo 70%We are late in posting this.  So much has been happening since …  For the video of the Press Conference, to hear more of what was said, click here.

VALLEY’S VETERAN HEALTH CARE PROJECT RECOGNIZED AS MODEL MILITARY/VETERAN HEALTH CARE COALITION AND LAUNCHED AS STATEWIDE HOSPITAL INITIATIVE FOR VETS

Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council to Update on “Health Care in Our Community” Initiative

 LEHIGH VALLEY, PA; November 11, 2014 – The Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council’s (LVMAC’s) Health Care in our Community Task Force announced its readiness for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) purchased care programs outlined in H.R. 3230, Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 (as passed July 30, 2014). The LVMAC project is cited by regional, state and federal agencies along with private sector organizations and academic institutions as a coalition model worthy of replication. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

Forward Observer — “Go Southeast, Young Man.” (PhillyVet 2015 Job Challenge)

LVMAC Poster Art 2005Although we in the Lehigh Valley do not consider ourselves part of Greater Philadelphia, many of us seek employment wherever we can find it — finding good jobs is always an issue.  Recently Veterans Recruiting (an organization that had worked with USAA in the past using its virtual job fair technology) has teamed up the with Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network and MedVeteran in an effort to help at least 2,015 veterans find meaningful jobs in 2015.  The effort is called the Philly Veterans 2015 Challenge. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago