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First Lady Michelle Obama announces measures to increase support for caregivers of wounded, ill and injured service members at the Labor Department in Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2012. These proposed rules would, in part, enable more military family members to take the time they need to care for their loved ones without fear of career repercussions. DOD photo by Elaine Sanchez

First Lady Michelle Obama today announced a series of measures intended to increase the nation’s support for caregivers of wounded, ill and injured service members.

Joined by Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis and senior military leaders, Obama announced the Labor Department’s proposal to expand military family leave protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

These proposed rules will, in part, enable more military family members to take the time they need to care for their loved ones without fear of career repercussions, the first lady said.

The Labor Department’s proposed expansions of the Family and Medical Leave Act will help more caregivers of troops and veterans tend to their wounded loved ones, Solis explained. FMLA, enacted in 1993, enables eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons.

The proposal will, in part:

• Extend the 26-week unpaid leave entitlement to family members caring for recent veterans with a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty, including conditions that may arise up to five years after leaving the military;
• Allow family members to take time off from work before, during or after a spouse, child or parent’s deployment to tend to service-related matters, such as military briefings or making financial and legal arrangements; and
• Increase the amount of time an employee may take to spend with a loved one who is on rest or recuperation leave from five days to up to 15 days.

The Labor Department’s proposal is just a few of many steps the Obama administration is taking to support caregivers, the first lady noted, citing legislation the president signed to help caregivers receive stipends, training, counseling and other assistance. The Defense and Labor departments also have strengthened their caregiver support, she said, working together to support caregivers whose loved ones are dealing with TBIs and post-traumatic stress.

Additionally, she added, the VA has helped caregivers receive health insurance and helps connect them with support coordinators who can direct them to resources.

But the government can’t do it alone, Mrs. Obama said, citing examples of how other individuals and organizations are stepping up to help.

Building on successful pilot programs at Fort Belvoir, Va., and Fort Carson, Colo., the USO, Hire Heroes USA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce plan to host 14 career opportunity days focused on the employment of wounded, ill and injured warriors, their spouses and caregivers.

The Chamber of Commerce’s new Military Spouse Business Alliance has committed to hosting a career forum and hiring fair exclusively for wounded warriors, their spouses and caregivers at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., in May.

Finally, Operation Homefront and the Semper Fi Fund, both nonprofit organizations, have added volunteer opportunities that support caregivers and their families to the Joining Forces website.

Read the full release from the Department of Defense.

There’s a lot of information out there about which schools to go to — whether you’re using your G.I. Bill benefits or just looking for more information on colleges in general. Check out this tool provided by the Institute of Education Sciences:

Find the right college for you: College Navigator

This tool allows you to:

•  Refine your search with More Search Options to select additional search criteria.
•  Build a list of schools using My Favorites for side-by-side comparisons.
• Pinpoint school locations with an interactive map.
• Export search results into a spreadsheet.
• Save your session including search options and favorites.

Want to nominate your employer? You still have time:

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Defense Department agency, is calling on Guard and Reserve members to nominate their supportive employers for the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award before the January 16 deadline. The Freedom Award is the Defense Department’s highest recognition for civilian employers supporting Guard and Reserve members. All employers – large, small and public – are eligible to receive the honor. Guard and Reserve members, or a family member acting on their behalf, may nominate their employers at www.FreedomAward.mil.

“Even as our nation scales down our combat missions abroad, Guard and Reserve members and their employers remain a critical component in our national security equation,” said James Rebholz, ESGR National Chair. “Just as our country has heavily relied on the more than one million men and women of the Guard and Reserve, these service members have counted on their employers for support and encouragement. I encourage all Guardsmen and Reservists to nominate their supportive employers today, so our Nation may acknowledge their extraordinary efforts.”

This year, ESGR’s Freedom Award website provides additional guidance to make it easier and faster for Guardsmen and Reservists to submit information about their supportive employers. Suggestions include ways for a service member to best tell the story of their employer’s support. Service members who have previously nominated their employers for the Freedom Award are encouraged to do so again. The Department of Defense recognizes nominees, semi-finalists and finalists each year, and all employers who have not received the award in the past ten years are eligible. One Freedom Award recipient was recognized as a semi-finalist or finalist for three years prior to being honored as a recipient last year.

The 2012 recipients will be announced in early summer and honored in Washington, D.C. during a special ceremony in the fall. Past recipients have met with the President of the United States and Secretary of Defense.

Because who doesn’t love puppies?!

Following the spectacular reception of the inaugural “American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards” – taped before a live audience on October 1, 2011 – American Humane Association and Hallmark Channel are pleased to announce that nominations are officially open for the second annual installment of the program.

Dog lovers are encouraged to visit www.herodogawards.org to nominate their heroic canines in any one of eight categories:

• Law Enforcement/Arson;
• Service;
• Therapy;
• Military;
• Guides;
• Search and Rescue;
• Hearing;
•  and Emerging Hero Dogs, a category reserved for ordinary pets who do extraordinary things

After all the nominations are in, each category will be narrowed down to one finalist through online voting. The eight category winners and their human companions will be flown to Los Angeles for the main event, the 2012 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards, on October 6th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the winning American Hero Dog will be announced.

The Hero Dog Awards celebrate the powerful relationship between dogs and people and help to raise much-needed resources to support the vital work of American Humane Association – the nation’s voice for the protection of children and animals. In 2011, American Humane Association’s charity partners, which include The Pine Street Foundation, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Dogs for the Deaf, National Fire Dog Monument, U.S. War Dog Association, National Search Dog Alliance, Canine Companions for Independence, and Paws & Effect were granted a total of $50,000 as a result of the Hero Dog Awards. Cesar(R) Canine Cuisine made a $200,000 donation to American Humane Association, which the organization will put toward supporting the role of therapy dogs in helping Americans in need.

MOAA chapters are often out in their community, helping fellow veterans or others in need. With the spirit of the holiday season, we’re mentioning just a few here:

• The Dover Delaware chapter of MOAA donated a truckload of toys to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program!
• The MOAA Camp Pendleton chapter donated $1,000 to the  Marine Expeditionary Force Family Readiness Office, which comes out to twenty $50 Walmart gift cards that will be presented to families of deployed U.S. Marines.
• MOAA’s Central Carolina chapter donated a significant gift to three local veterans disabled after 9/11,  so that they could provide their families with a good Christmas.

MOAA has over 400 chapters around the country – make a resolution for 2012 to find one near you and get involved!

Vets Prevail is an innovative new online mental health tool that is tailored specifically to today’s veterans, helping ease transition to life after military service and tackle post deployment re-adjustment challenges.

Employing cutting edge technology, the program creates engagement through dynamically tailored interactions. The core content is rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the standard of care for treatment of symptoms related to PTSD and depression. The program incorporates interactive multimedia e-learning lessons, peer support, diagnostic self-assessments, and proprietary software for scheduling and tracking user activities, thoughts, and feelings.

Vets Prevail was founded by veterans and developed over a period of 18 months through the collaboration of mental health researchers and clinicians at top universities and hospitals with the backing of the National Science Foundation and The McCormick Foundation.

Read the NY Times story on Vets Prevail from last year, and follow the story of Cpl. Ricoh Danielson, who was encouraged to get the treatment he needed after finding Vets Prevail online: Veterans Reaching Out For Help Online.

Tis the season for giving and this holiday season the USO is offering Americans a unique way to spread cheer and give gifts that matter, with the launch of its first-ever alternative giving website, the USO Wishbook.

A first of its kind, the USO Wishbook is the most comprehensive alternative giving website that solely supports U.S. troops and their families. USOWishbook.org features dozens of symbolic gift items our troops and their families need the most. Consumers can find a gift that not only supports our brave men and women in the military, but also to honor their own friends and relatives with a gift.

With gifts to suit every budget, the USO Wishbook offers items priced from $15 up to $5,000 for extraordinary gifts. For $25 or less, you can purchase a care package that helps get a service member through the initial days of deployment, a kit to help a military child cope with the stresses of military life, or a calling card to keep a service member and their family connected.

Visitors to the site can easily browse gifts in multiple ways: across price ranges; gifts that benefit deployed troops, military families or wounded warriors; and gifts for him, for her, for kids, and for colleagues. USO Wishbook provides an affordable and easy way to give unique gifts and say thank you to the troops this holiday season.

How it works:

Log on to: www.usowishbook.org

• Browse the catalog
• Select and purchase a gift
• Choose to send gift recipient an e-card informing them they have been honored with a USO gift
• Receive your receipt for tax-deductible donation to the USO

DC Dunkin’ is proud to announce their donation program benefiting the USO-METRO, serving the dedicated troops and their families who reside in DC, MD and NoVa. For every new “Like” that they receive on their Facebook page between December 1st – December 15th, Dunkin’ Donuts Washington Metro Area will donate $1 to benefit USO-METRO, with a total donation of up to $2,500.

Please help spread the word as we salute those who keep our country running!

Since 1961, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) has raised nearly $7 billion to help feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, protect the planet, cure diseases and change countless lives across the nation and around the world. Through the ups and downs of the American economy, more than 1 million Federal employees have continued to selflessly donate money and time to help those in need. In fact, despite the worst economy in decades, the CFC raised more than $281 million last year alone.

This Military Family Month and Veterans Day, the CFC and more than 150 benefitting charities that make a difference in the lives of military families across the country and around the world reaffirm their commitment to ensuring that service members and military families receive the care, support and resources they need and deserve. With the pending return of our Iraq war veterans and the ongoing hardships and uncertainties brought on by the nation’s current economic situation, the need for compassion, dedication and generosity has rarely been as great as it is now.

“Every day, our Armed Forces and their families are forced to make extraordinary sacrifices in service of our country,” said CFC Foundation Chair Kalman Stein. “As the CFC celebrates its golden anniversary, we hope such courage and devotion strengthens our commitment to these selfless individuals and inspires a new generation of Federal donors to usher in a vibrant new era of giving.”

The following “U Can Do It” with the USO Checklist lists 11 ways that are guaranteed to jumpstart your Veterans Day and keep our troops, veterans and their families top of mind this Veterans Day:

11 WAYS “U CAN DO IT” WITH THE USO VETERANS DAY CHECKLIST

1. General Mills/Cheerios (10/14/ – 11/20) Send “Cheer” postcards to military families found on Cheerios boxes. www.cheerios.com/Products/Cheerios/Send-Cheer-to-Military-Families
2. American Airlines (11/7/- 11/11) Donate your AAdvantage points and raise funds to support our veterans at joinus.aa.com/military, stop by an American Airlines gate and celebrate “Yellow Ribbon Day” by wearing yellow to show your gratitude and share messages of support at www.facebook.com/AA
3. Papa John’s (11/7- 11/20)  Spread the word about USO meal deals that support the troops and their families. www.papajohns.com
4. ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Rise & Honor A Veterans Day Special with EIF (11/11/11 & 11/14/11) Tune in Friday, November 11th at 8pm EST/7pm CST on ABC for a one hour Veterans Day Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Special with stars like Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and hosts Ty Pennington and Jewel. Also this episode will run on 11/14/11 on Armed Forces Network (AFN) for troops and their families to watch overseas. www.riseandhonor.org
5. P&G / Wal-Mart Operation Family Connect (10/14-12/10) View and share the stories of military families at: www.youtube.com/standunited
6. Bass Pro Shops (11/11-12/31) Stop by a Bass Pro Shop and check out Reelin’ It In For the Troops. www.basspro.com
7. NBC Universal’s feature film BATTLESHIP 11/11/11 Submit your story of a military hero at the Battleship or USO Facebook tabs. www.facebook.com/theUSO
8. Gillette (11/11-12/18) Share a story about a military service member in your life on Facebook with Gillette. www.facebook.com/gillette
9. ESPN (11/5-11/11) Watch ESPN, tweet #espn4USO and visit www.espn.com because the USO is ESPN’s Charity of Choice. www.giveuso.org
10. Coca-Cola (11/ – 12/17) Download a coupon and tell a servicemember about how they can get their Free Coke®. www.uso.org/coca-cola
11. 7- Eleven (11/11) Free small Slurpee on 11/11/11 for from 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Offer good to all current and former military members. ID or proof of service required. www.7-eleven.com/Only-at-7-Eleven/Promotions/Donate-$1-to-the-USO/Default.aspx