News
Protect Our Defenders Released 2017 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military
Thursday, February 1, 2018 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - ME
Protect Our Defenders (POD) recently released its 2017 Annual Report, “Harnessing This Tipping Point Moment.” POD states:
“2017 was a pivotal year in the movement to hold perpetrators accountable for sexual violence. More and more survivors came forward and the public listened in a way it hadn’t in the past. As the #MeToo movement grew, so did our national outrage. From Hollywood to the halls of Congress, sexual predators were beginning to at last be exposed and held to account. These institutions had no choice but to respond to public pressure. But while the culture of silence and denial was broken for many, military service members are legally silenced, giving up their freedoms to protect ours.”
POD, established on 2011, is a human rights organization founded and dedicated solely to raise awareness and prevent sexual harassment and violence within the United States military. They pursue change through individual advocacy, public education, and congressional legislative actiion.
VA Says It Will Not Study Effects Of Medical Marijuana On PTSD And Chronic Pain
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 | Category: Health Care - ME
Minnesota Representative Tim Walz received a “no can do” response to his request for the VA to research veteran use of medical marijuana. James Clark of Task & Purpose reported: “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says it will not conduct research into the effects of medical cannabis on post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain, some of the very ailments veteran patients rely on the drug to treat. In a Dec. 21 letter to Minnesota Democrat Rep. Tim Walz, VA Secretary David Shulkin said that the department is unable to research medical cannabis due to federal restrictions.”
Former Head of Marines Sexual Assault and Prevention Unit Joins Protect Our Defenders as CEO In Response to Marines United Scandal
Tuesday, January 9, 2018 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - ME
Scott Jensen, retired Marine Corps colonel and Marine Corps sexual assault and prevention unit, recently became the Chief Executive Officer for Protect Our Defenders, a nonprofit human rights organization advocating for servicewomen and men. They are focused on military justice reform to ensure an unbiased, more transparent federal agency legal system that operates independently from the civil legal system. They continue to challenge the Department of Defense’s (the largest employer in the world) efforts to recognize, deter, and litigate sexual assault and harassment within their ranks and to protect victims/survivors of sexual assault and harassment from retaliation and retribution. Protect Our Defenders offers pro bono legal services.
Vet to Vet Program Volunteers in Southern Maine Seeking Aging/Disabled Women Veterans to Visit
Monday, December 4, 2017 | Category: Advocacy/Outreach - ME
The Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging “Vet to Vet Program” has volunteers looking for women veterans to visit.
Susan Gold, Vet to Vet Program Coordinator writes, “We have three wonderful women Vet to Vet volunteers who would like to visit aging and/or disabled women veterans in their homes on a regular basis. The volunteers provide companionship and links to other services when needed. We have had difficulty finding women veterans who could use a friend. If you know of anyone who could benefit from receiving visits from another woman veteran, please contact me. Our volunteers are located in Biddeford, Kennebunk, Portland. If this is outside of your area please forward this message to contacts in those geographical areas. We like to make matches within 15-20 miles of each other. Thank you!”
Contact Susan Gold at: Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging, sgold@smaaa.org, 207-396-6521 or 1-800-427-7411.
See a video about the program at the “article” link below.
White House VA Hotline Now Fully Staffed and Operational Around the Clock to Serve Nation’s Veterans (1-855-948-2311)
Wednesday, November 29, 2017 | Category: Advocacy/Outreach - ME
Hotline Phone Number: 1-855-948-2311
The White House hotline “is VA’s first non-clinical, non-emergency around-the-clock call center. It provides Veterans a supplemental option to report issues if they are not being addressed through VA’s normal customer service channel.” It is staffed by veterans and veteran family members 365 days a year, 24 hours a Day.
As the Number of Female Veterans Grows, Options for Services and Support Must Evolve
Friday, November 10, 2017 | Category: Advocacy/Outreach - ME
On the eve of Veterans Day 2017, the Portland Press Herald engaged several veteran federal, state, and community advocates to discuss the nation’s women veterans and the services available to them today as well as future needs.
Community Compass: A New Home for Women Veterans
Thursday, November 2, 2017 | Category: Housing/Experiencing Homelessness - ME
Andrew Breault, a veteran and advocate, penned this column announcing the opening of the Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope in Augusta, Maine. The Home, the first and only in Maine and northern New England, will serve several women veterans and their children who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. If a woman who served in the military needs transitional housing assistance, contact the Home at: www.betsyannrosshouseofhope.org.
Third Annual Hire-A-Vet Campaign Open Through December 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017 | Category: Employment - ME
The Maine Department of Labor along with their sponsors kicked off their third "Hire-A-Vet" campaign on September 1st. The 2016 Hire-A-Vet campaign goal is at least 100 employers commiting to hire 100 veterans in 100 days. In 2016, 147 employers participated in hiring 197 veterans and in 2015, 135 employers participated in hiring 259 veterans. For more information, visit the Maine Department of Labor website.
2017 National Women Veterans Summit in Houston, TX August 25, 2017
Tuesday, June 6, 2017 | Category: Advocacy/Outreach - ME
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is hosting a national women veterans summit in Houston, Texas on August 25, 2017 (August 26th cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey) . The summit intends to provide a venue for women veterans, caregivers, private industry, nonprofit organizations, government, innovators, and researchers to identify challenges, opportunities, and best practices to inform future health and benefits for women with military service. Training, information, and guidance about navigating VA and community resources will also be offered.
Women veterans share many of the same challenges as male veterans along with some differing experiences. Today 10% of veterans are women and expected to increase to 15% by 2030. They are younger and more ethnically diverse than their male peers.
The VA's most recent women veterans summit was hosted in Washington D.C. in 2011.
White House Launched Veterans' Complaint Hotline: Call 855-948-2311
Wednesday, May 31, 2017 | Category: Health Care - ME
Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs Shulkin announced the White House "soft launch" of their veterans' complaint phone line on June 1st. Veterans can call 855-948-2311 to voice their concerns. The Secretary noted that the intent of the phone line is to allow "veterans to call in their complaints and concerns about conditions at the Department of Veterans Affairs."
An official launch will occur by August 15, 2017.