WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today joined Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) at a press conference with veterans struggling to find work, veterans service organizations, and employers, to discuss aggressive new legislation that will address rising unemployment among our nation’s veterans. The Hire America’s Heroes Act will be introduced today.

“After they fought for our freedom abroad, our veterans shouldn’t then have to fight just to get a job at home,” Senator Coons said. “Especially during this difficult economic recovery, it is more important than ever to equip our veterans with the resources necessary to successfully reenter civilian life. We must make it a priority to connect returning soldiers with job training and job opportunities. It’s not enough for us to bring them home — it’s our duty and responsibility to give them the tools and training to be as successful in civilian life as they were while they were deployed.”

The Hire America’s Heroes Act does the following:

  • Extends part of the Wounded Warrior Act for job training for severely injured or ill members of Armed Services until 2014
  • Allows the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to begin on-the-job training payments for employers earlier
  • Provides solutions for veterans with service-connected disabilities who have exhausted state or Federal unemployment benefits
  • Makes it mandatory for the Dept. of Defense to provide the Transition Assistance Program to all eligible personnel
  • Provides for follow-up contact after job training programs to gauge effectiveness for the program and assist veterans
  • Establishes $4.5 million in grants for a collaborative veterans training mentoring and placement program with non-profit organizations
  • Puts in place several programs to help establish for employers, the government, and veterans equivalencies in skills and credentials developed in the Armed Forces with the civilian public and private sector
  • Makes it easier for the Federal government to hire veterans after an honorable discharge

Ed Scully, the vice president of Middletown-based Summit Aviation, which aggressively seeks to hire veterans for its openings in Delaware, is a supporter of the Hire America’s Heroes Act.

“The transition from the military to civilian workforce is a significant challenge and these heroes deserve all the help we can provide,” Scully said. “Veterans should not be pigeon-holed into a group that can only perform service type occupations. Given an opportunity, they will excel in any field. Summit Aviation has found that veterans bring a professional can-do attitude to the workplace, and that is priceless. The sign at the entrance to Summit Aviation says it all for us ‘Summit Aviation Supports Our Troops’ and they deserve the support of the nation they serve.”

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