Proposed Legislation Could Help SC Veterans Return to Work
A new piece of legislation moving through the State Senate could put more veterans in South Carolina back to work.
A federal survey from the first week of April showed that, although members of Congress often urge federal agencies and private businesses to hire veterans, employers rarely follow that advice. Now, a new bill moving through South Carolina’s senate could encourage employers to hire more veterans and help return former soldiers to civilian life.
The survey, conducted by HillVets, showed that 3% of Congressional staff were veterans. Slightly more than half of Congressional offices responded to the survey. In response to the survey, however, federal lawmakers held a press conference on Tuesday, April 8th, to unveil a new fellowship program aimed at hiring more veterans in federal offices.
“‘You’ve got to hire veterans. Let’s hire veterans. This is our duty.’ You hear it on the floor a lot,” Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, said. “When we found out the percentage of veterans on this Hill, I was disgusted.”
The South Carolina veterans’ bill would also extend preference to spouses of veterans who have permanent disabilities.
In order to qualify for veterans’ preference, veterans must have served more than 180 days of active duty with an honorable discharge, or have a discharge from a service-related disability for serving fewer than 180 days.
The bill’s supporters say that other states have similar laws to help veterans return to work.
“Put them at the head of the line. We’ve done that in terms of sending them off to war, now they’re back home and in many cases just trying to get their lives back together. Once the military checks stop coming, of course they gotta start paying their bills and move back to living a normal life,” said Sen. John Scott.
The bill has cleared the House, and is now in a senate committee.
Establishing a Claim for Veteran’s Benefits through the Social Security Administration
To be entitled to service-connected benefits, a veteran must prove that his disability was the result of military service or medical treatment by the VA hospital and was not the result of his own willful misconduct.
Unlike many actual disabilities, disability ratings determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are not permanent. If you think that an initial disability rating given to you by the VA is too low, there are steps you can take to appeal the decision and have it changed. Likewise, there is also a process in place to address the needs of disabled veterans whose disabilities have grown worse over time.
To talk about your veterans’ disability benefits, your current disability rating, or what our lawyers can accomplish for you contact us today for a free consultation. All veterans’ disability and benefits cases are handled on a contingent fee basis. We receive no attorneys’ fees unless we are able to get your rating and your veterans’ disability payments increased.
The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Social Security Benefits Claim for Disability, Retirement, or Veterans Benefits
Applying for Veterans Benefits can be complex. However, we understand that you need your benefits and we will put our years of experience to work for you to ensure that you have the representation necessary to actively pursue your claim. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm have experience with Veterans Benefits, Social Security Disability, and Social Security Insurance claims. We will be glad to discuss any questions you may have during our free, confidential consultation. Call the experienced attorneys at the Strom Law Firm at (803)252-4800.
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