Veterans for Common Sense

A heartfelt thanks to the First Lady of the United States for her efforts to aid our military families. 

—-

By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, April 4, 12:21 PM

WASHINGTON — Opening another front in her nearly year-old campaign to support service families, first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday unveiled a new push for jobs on or near military bases.

She also announced plans to mark the Joining Forces campaign’s first anniversary with a two-day, four-state swing next week that will include stops in election battleground states Pennsylvania and Florida and a chat with comedian Stephen Colbert on his show “The Colbert Report.”

The Joining Forces organization said it has lined up commitments for more than 15,000 jobs in the coming years. Most will come from telemarketing and customer support companies and will enable the spouses and veterans to work from home.

Mrs. Obama noted these jobs are especially helpful to military families because they move so often across state lines — about 10 times more often than the typical U.S. family.

“We’re trying to meet these spouses where they are,” she said in a conference call with reporters. “This will make such a huge difference … When the next set of orders comes in for these families, and they have to move across the country, they’ll be able to move these jobs with them.”

Ahead of the Joining Forces anniversary, the first lady was visiting Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to distribute Easter treats from the White House pastry shop to military families staying there.

Next week, after a White House celebration, she and Jill Biden, the vice president’s wife and her partner in Joining Forces, will make stops at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia to meet with nursing industry leaders; New York for Mrs. Obama’s Colbert taping; Shreveport, La., to mark the 50,000th veteran or service spouse hired under the campaign; and the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville, Fla.

So far, Mrs. Obama told reporters, the jobs component of Joining Forces has exceeded expectations. “The country is stepping up in ways both large and small,” she said.

If you are, or were, in the military and were wrongly foreclosed on, you could stand to gain at least $116,785.

Four banks — Ally, Bank of America, Citi and Wells Fargo – have agreed to review the cases of every service member they’ve foreclosed on since 2006 under a deal struck with the federal government.

They’ll also check to make sure they followed the rules of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which says banks must reduce to 6{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} the interest rate they charge anyone called to active duty.

Make sure you file with an attorney who has years of experience working in the field of bankruptcy, some law firms cover several specialties, rather than specialize in bankruptcy law. This can have a negative effect on your case if you file with an attorney who only deals with bankruptcy cases occasionally. Finding a seasoned attorney who understands the laws of the bankruptcy code in your state to file your case with will make a huge difference in the outcome. Also make sure the law firm or attorney are able to guarantee your case will be filed accurately.

If you’re filing for bankruptcy, you may be in for a long and complicated process with plenty of room for error. Thankfully, hiring a bankruptcy attorney can make the process easier, as they’ll walk you through each step and can provide you with all of the documentation you need to file your case. Click here if you want to know more about the Morristown bankruptcy lawyers.

Unfortunately, because the demand for bankruptcy lawyers has increased, so has the number of unprincipled and corrupt lawyers who want to exploit your need for qualified, honest representation for an affordable fee. So if you’re considering filing for bankruptcy, there are several things you should keep in mind to help you find a good bankruptcy attorney.

If an active-duty service member asks the bank to reduce his or her mortgage rate to 6{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} and the bank refuses, it will have to pay the service member three to four times the amount it wrongly charged or a minimum of $500.

If it turns out the bank made a mistake in a foreclosure, the service member will get $116,785 plus a payment equal to the home equity he or she lost, with interest.

JPMorgan Chase will provide any service member who was a victim of a wrongful foreclosure either his or her home free and clear of debt or the cash equivalent of the full value of the home at the time of the sale.

Chase had already compensated service members charged interest in excess of 6{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} on their mortgages as part of an earlier settlement.

Bank of America has completed a similar settlement to resolve wrongful foreclosures in states where a lender doesn’t have to appear in court to foreclose. It will tackle the rest of the states as part of this agreement.

The banks also agreed to:

Provide relief for some service members who had to sell their homes for less than they owed because of a permanent change in station. Pay $10 million into a Veterans Affairs fund that guarantees loans on favorable terms for veterans. Let the Department of Justice supervise their foreclosure case reviews.

In some cases, the service member’s case might also be reviewed by bank regulators. If those reviewers find a violation and order the bank to pay compensation to the former homeowner, the bank has to pay the higher of the two amounts.

The White House says a service member who took out a $200,000 mortgage with a 7{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} interest rate and was wrongfully denied a request to lower the interest rate to 6{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} over a course of 18 months would get $9,000 plus interest.

The short-sale provisions of the plan would help a service member who bought a home between July 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2008, and then had to sell it at a loss when his or her duty station was permanently changed.

If you think you might qualify for the foreclosure compensation, you can visit the Justice Departmentwebsite or call (800) 896-7743.

If you think your Civil Relief Act rights were violated, you can contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Office.

VCS works to encourage  this sort of bi-partisan, common sense legislation that helps veterans. Our veterans’ economic opportunities must be enhanced and protected. Please let your elected officials know that you support this bill. 

—-

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Mark Begich (D-AK) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced legislation to provide veterans with additional opportunities to find employment and understand their VA benefits.

The TAP Modernization Act of 2012 would examine improvements to the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) by offering TAP classes for veterans and their spouses at temporary off-base locations. In addition the legislation would require the Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) to integrate job search experts to teach the classes.

“The TAP program is essential to veterans’ success after they separate from service,” Boozman said. “At the same time, once in civilian life many veterans wish they had attended TAP, or made it a greater priority during the process of separation. This program offers veterans and their spouses the opportunity to have this important experience should they happen to have missed out on TAP or need a refresher. It should never be too late for our veterans and their families to gain a better understanding of the transferability of their skills and the many programs available to help them succeed in civilian life.”

“Our service members trying to rejoin the civilian workforce bring skills that are exactly what employers want and need. They have a high work ethic, incredible know-how, and a commitment to get the job done. We must be committed to doing everything possible to connect these workers to the valuable employment that they need and deserve after serving our country. This bill will improve the transition to civilian life and the job market by providing off-base TAP classes and bring in job search experts to teach these classes for veterans and their spouses,” Begich said.

“We should do everything possible to honor the men and women who have served our country. This legislation not only honors our veterans, but also their families who sacrifice so much when they are overseas. I am proud to work with Senators Boozman and Begich to ensure our veterans and military families are helped with job training as they transition into civilian life,” Rubio said.

March 27, 2012 (National Mortgage Professional) – U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric K. Shinseki have announced that HUD will provide $72.6 million to public housing agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to supply permanent housing and case management for more than 10,000 homeless veterans. The permanent supportive housing assistance announced today is provided through HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH), a program administered by HUD, VA, and local housing agencies to provide permanent housing with case management and other supportive services for homeless veterans across the country.

“It’s a national disgrace that one out of every six men and women in our shelters once wore a uniform to serve our country,” said HUD Secretary Donovan. “But we know that by providing housing assistance and case management services, we can significantly reduce the number of veterans living on our streets.  Working together, HUD, VA and local housing agencies are making real progress toward ending veteran homelessness once and for all.”

This funding to local housing agencies is part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to end Veteran and long-term chronic homelessness by 2015. “Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness” serves as a roadmap for how the federal government will work with state and local agreements to confront the root causes of homelessness, especially among former servicemen and women. HUD’s annual “point in time” estimate of the number of homeless persons and families for 2011 found that veteran homelessness fell by nearly 12 percent (or 8,834 people) since January 2010.

“Under the leadership of President Obama, we have made significant progress in the fight to end homelessness among veterans, but more work remains,” said VA Secretary Shinseki. “The partnership between the federal government and community agencies across the country has strengthened all of our efforts to honor our veterans and keep us on track to prevent and eliminate veteran homelessness by 2015.”

The grants are part of $75 million appropriated for Fiscal Year 2012 to support the housing needs of homeless veterans.  VA Medical Centers (VAMC) provide supportive services and case management to eligible homeless veterans. This is the first of two rounds of the 2012 HUD-VASH funding.  HUD expects to announce the remaining funding by the end of this summer.

VAMCs work closely with homeless veterans then refer them to public housing agencies for these vouchers, based upon a variety of factors, most importantly the duration of the homelessness and the need for longer term more intensive support to obtain and maintain permanent housing.  The HUD-VASH program includes both the rental assistance the voucher provides and the comprehensive case management that VAMC staff provides.

Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately-owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent.  VA offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico.