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Groups praise Miller’s jobs bill for veterans

A comprehensive veterans’ employment bill sponsored by the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee won some key endorsements Friday — but a vocal opponent also surfaced.

In a major step forward for HR 2433, the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America said it likes many of the details and endorses the bill introduced July 7 by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla.

Tom Tarantino, IAVA’s senior legislative associate, said the bill would take “significant steps” to help boost veterans’ employment that includes improvements in transition programs and civilian certification processes.

The American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans’ group, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, the largest group for combat veterans, also support HR 2433.

The endorsements give Miller’s bill, called the VOW Act, equal attention to a rival bill, S 951, sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairwoman.

Tarantino said he expects a compromise bill will be prepared that draws from the best parts of the House and Senate proposals.

“With 13.3 percent unemployment for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in June 2011 and a rate of 12.3 percent for the year overall, unemployment is one of the single greatest challenges faced by veterans,” Tarantino said.

Robert Madden, assistant director of The American Legion’s national economic commission, said veterans clearly need help getting jobs in a tight economy.

“While unemployment seems to remain relatively steady for the general population, America’s veterans face unemployment that has continued to grow for the last several years,” Madden said.

Ryan Gallucci, deputy director of VFW’s national legislative service, said Miller’s bill has an important job retraining provision for older veterans that gives them one year of GI Bill study benefits to learn a skill to find a job.

“This is not enough to get a degree, or another degree, but it is enough to get some job skills if you don’t have them,” Gallucci said.

Madden also said he likes the retraining provision. “Older veterans who have fallen on tough times are forced to fend for themselves seeking alternative employment,” he said, noting these are most often veterans with families and financial responsibilities who are no longer eligible for transition and education programs but need to “redefine themselves and their employment.”

For all of those positive things said Friday about Miller’s bill, a significant opponent also arose, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., the former veterans’ committee chairman who is now the panel’s ranking Democratic member.

The VOW Act “is not a jobs bill where veterans can go get a job,” Filner said, calling it instead a “retraining bill” that “does very little to create jobs for veterans, regardless of how my Republican colleagues may portray it.”

Filner said he has concerns that the bill may hurt rather than help veterans find jobs. For example, one provision would require the Labor Department to completely contract out Transition Assistance Programs provided on military bases to separating service members, eliminating federal jobs that would be a natural fit for veterans.

Miller proposes to pay for the skill training and other benefits for the unemployed by blocking a proposed reduction in October in the fees charged on veterans’ home loans, which Filner said is unfair to veterans who are buying homes.

“By not allowing the higher loan fee rates to expire to much lower rates and by extending the higher rates for 10 years, we are effectively taxing a specific group of veterans for using a benefit,” he said. Filner noted that Republicans who control the House of Representatives have opposes raising taxes on others because of the weak economy but don’t seem to mind charging higher fees for some veterans to pay for better benefits for others.

“If this is the belief of our colleagues, then we must be consistent in how we apply these beliefs,” Filner said, calling the VOW Act funding mechanism a “shell game.”

Miller aides noted Filner twice voted for bills — which were later enacted — that increased home loan fees. One was the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003, which increased fees for the initial purchase of homes. The second was the Veterans’ Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006, which increased fees for the subsequent use of home loans.

It is not clear whether Filner’s objections are enough to derail the bill. A committee vote has not been scheduled, but veterans groups are pushing congressional leaders to pass employment legislation by no later than Veterans Day on Nov. 11.