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If you know a veteran, please forward this issue to him or her as it provides important updates, resources, and information.
RSVP for My Veterans Appreciation Breakfast
I will be hosting a Veterans Appreciation Breakfast on Monday, Nov. 4, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. in the Presidential Ballroom of the Eden Resort, 222 Eden Road, Lancaster. It is always my honor to thank the brave men and women who have served our country. The breakfast will feature a special presentation by the Red Rose Veterans Honor Guard. The Keynote Speaker will be Brigadier General John R. Pippy, Pennsylvania’s acting adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). Please register for the breakfast here. Recent Real Estate Industry Changes Could Affect How VA Home Loan Benefit is Used
I mentioned in July this change was coming, and as of Aug. 17, changes to buyer-broker fees in real estate transactions are now in effect. In preparation for those changes, and to ensure the VA’s programs continue to promote access to homeownership, the VA, starting on Aug. 10, began allowing eligible veterans, active-duty service members, and surviving spouses to use their VA home loan benefits to pay for certain real estate buyer-broker fees when purchasing a home. In the VA’s program, it has been common practice for sellers to pay for the veteran’s buyer-broker fees; without the changes made by the VA, veterans could have been at a disadvantage in the evolving homebuying market. The VA encourages veterans to negotiate buyer-broker fees with their real estate professionals. Veterans can also still ask sellers to cover the buyer-broker fees at closing. In addition to other safeguards, all buyer-broker fees charged to veterans using the VA home loan benefit must be reasonable and customary within local markets. The update to the use of VA home loan benefits was made in response to a settlement reached in March by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) in a class-action lawsuit that requires NAR to change its brokerage fee rules. The settlement requires two big changes to how buyers and sellers negotiate service from a buyer’s agent. The first of those changes prevents agents from including the buyer’s agent’s compensation when listing a home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) platform. The MLS is the listing program that buyers’ brokers and listing brokers use to share information about properties for sale. The other major change requires buyers to enter into written agreements with realtors before touring a home, and the agreement must include terms about their own agent’s fee. For more about how this might affect homebuyers, and specifically veteran homebuyers, click here. WellSpan Hiring Event in Ephrata on Oct. 30WellSpan Health is hosting a hiring event on Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at multiple locations. Locally, it will be held at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital, Ephrata Health Pavilion, Conference Rooms A and B, 175 Martin Ave., Ephrata. Register for the event here. There are full-time and part-time positions with flexible schedules. Open positions include diagnostic imaging, EMS, laboratory, nursing (LPN and RN), nursing assistant, pharmacist, rehabilitation services, respiratory therapy, and surgical technology. Veterans are welcome. WellSpan has many civilian career opportunities that match military background, skills, and interest. New VA Grant Program Awards $4.5 Million to Help with Transition from Military to Civilian Life
A new grant program to help service members and their spouses transition from military to civilian life has awarded $4.5 million to organizations providing employment-based resources and tools. Recently separated service members and their spouses may sign up for the services starting in early 2025. The 13 organizations will each receive up to $500,000 through the Veteran and Spouse Transitional Assistance Grant Program to offer services such as resume assistance, interview training, job recruitment training, employment placement services, employment education and training, and referrals for employment. Some of the organizations are more regionally focused, but others make their services available nationally: American Corporate Partners, Corporate America Supports You, Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Jacksonville State University, Jewish Vocational Service, Kansas City Scholars Inc., National University, Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, Operation Stand Down Tennessee, Orange County United Way, The Commit Foundation, The Houston Launch Pad, and the University of Massachusetts. Learn more about this grant program. The VA also offers additional services to help veterans, transitioning service members, and spouses find and keep jobs through programs such as Personalized Career Planning and Guidance and Veteran Readiness and Employment. These programs provide career counseling, assessment, and education planning tailored to veteran needs. U.S. Army Captain Alyssa Pennycuick Visits PA Senate
It was a true honor to meet U.S. Army Captain Alyssa Pennycuick, daughter of Sen. Tracy Pennycuick and Rick Pennycuick (both veterans), on the Senate floor this month. Alyssa recently graduated with Commandant’s List honors from the Military Intelligence Captains Career Course, she earned her Senior Jumpmaster wings, and holds the unique distinction of being the shortest Jumpmaster in Alaska. Alyssa has been assigned as an Intelligence Officer to the 1-10th Mountain Light Infantry Division, where she will aid and oversee the coordination, analysis, and dissemination of information across American and Allied forces stationed in the Middle East, including Kuwait, Iraq, and Syria. She will be deploying to Iraq shortly to join her division and begin her assignment. Alyssa graduated from the University of New Hampshire, with a bachelor’s in political science and Russian, which she and her dog, Mishka, are fluent speakers. I’m always inspired when meeting this new generation of military leaders! Free Entrepreneur Training and Mentorship for Post-9/11 Veterans
American Corporate Partners (ACP) and its new ACP Ventures program provides veteran entrepreneurs with one-on-one year-long mentorship, on-demand resources, and access to other veteran entrepreneurs and industry experts with the goal of assisting veterans and eligible spouses on their path toward fulfilling, long-term careers – whether the veteran is job searching or newly employed. Learn more about the program here and here. Veterans Honor Park of Lancaster County to Host Annual Veterans Day CeremonyThe Veterans Honor Park of Lancaster County invites you to join them for their annual Veterans Day Ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m., behind the Lititz Public Library, 651 Kissel Hill Road, Lititz. The ceremony is intended to thank and honor all those who have served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime – for their service and their contributions and sacrifices to our nation’s security. The keynote speaker will be Josh Parsons, Lancaster County Commissioner and decorated Army infantry officer and veteran. No RSVP is required. Additional information can be found here. Veterans Job Listing
Every week, the Pennsylvania Nation Guard Associations updates its free job board with good openings for National Guard members, veterans, and their families across Pennsylvania and in nearby states. The board features nearly 10,000 employment and internship postings. What are Vet Centers?
VA vet centers provide free and confidential readjustment counseling for war-zone veterans and their families, from World War II to the current Global War on Terror. Vet centers are small, non-medical, counseling centers conveniently located in our region. They’re staffed by highly trained counselors and team members dedicated to seeing you through the challenges that come with managing life during and after the military. Our region is served by the Lancaster Vet Center, which is one of 12 vet centers in Pennsylvania and more than 300 across the country. Whether you come in for one-on-one counseling or to participate in a group session, at vet centers you can form social connections, try new things and build a support system with people who understand you and want to help you succeed. Who is Eligible to Receive Services at Vet Centers?Vet center services are available to veterans at no cost, regardless of discharge character, and without the need to be enrolled in VA health care or having a service-connected disability. If you are a veteran or service member, including members of the National Guard and Reserve, you can access vet center services if you:
Contacting Your Local Vet CenterEven if you are unsure if you meet the criteria to receive services from a vet center, please contact a center. Center services are also available to family members when their participation would support the growth and goals of the veteran or active-duty service member. If you consider them family, so does your local center. Bereavement services are also available to family members of veterans who were receiving vet center services at the time of the veteran’s death, and to the families of service members who died while serving on active duty. The Lancaster Vet Center, located at 1817 Olde Homestead Lane, Suite 207, Lancaster, PA 17601, can be contacted at 717-283-0735 or toll free 24/7 at 1-877-WAR-VETS (927-8387). The other vet center locations in Pennsylvania are:
For more information, please visit www.vetcenter.va.gov. |
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