A new bill that would provide permanent funding for the VA’s VET TEC program has been introduced in Congress.

Our second California Veterans news roundup for May 2023 includes updates on efforts to build permanent housing for homeless, at-risk, and low-income Veterans in Los Angeles; a new bill that would permanently fund the VA’s VET TEC program, and more.

Readers can send Veterans-related stories to news@calegion.org. 

Statewide: California Veterans news

• The VA has partnered with several firms in its continued expansion of telehealth services available to Veterans in rural communities across the United States, including California’s inland communities where convenient access to in-person VA medical care is sometimes lacking. The exact timetable of this rollout is unclear, but ongoing improvements are expected over the next several years.
• A bill co-authored by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) would permanently fund the VA’s VET TEC program, which funds training for select fields such as data processing or programming as an alternative to the GI Bill. To date, VET TEC has existed as a pilot program and has helped thousands of Veterans advance their careers in high-technology fields.

Los Angeles County Veterans news

• The West Los Angeles VA campus has opened 120 new units for homeless or at-risk Veterans. Veterans can call the Los Angeles VA’s housing hotline at 310-268-3350 to apply.
• In North Hollywood, Homes 4 Families and CalVet broke ground on a new 12 new townhomes meant for low-income Veteran families. Once complete, eligible Veterans will be allowed to purchase one of the homes via low-income-friendly loans. Support services, such as financial literacy classes, will also be made available to Veteran families who purchase a home. Two of the townhomes are being designed for a full-ADA rating.

Napa Veterans news

• Napa American Legion Post 113 held a Stand Down event last Wednesday to connect local Veterans with a variety of Veterans services — including job training, education, and medical care — along with free haircuts and lunch.

San Diego Veterans news

• A Congressional hearing conducted by the bipartisan House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Veterans homelessness highlighted that homeless and at-risk Veterans are often unaware of the programs designed to help them or have limited access to obtain benefits. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) was among several U.S. Representatives who noted the need for a bill that would eliminate or reduce barriers to program assistance. More information on the committee hearing can be found here.

San Luis Obispo County Veterans news

• This Memorial Weekend, over two dozen wineries across SLO County and the Central Coast will be participating in Vino for Vets to raise funds for Honor Flight Central Coast. A full list of participating wineries can be found here.

Recent Veterans articles & videos from California American Legion

• News: VA offers PACT Act implementation update, over $1 billion in benefits awarded since January 1
• Letter from the Commander, Jere Romano
• News: VA criticizes bill touted by Speaker McCarthy that would ‘threaten critical services for Veterans’ with deep budget cuts
• News: Palo Alto HRB study session ends with all sides agreeing to pursue a collaborative path forward for Memorial Flagpole’s restoration

Important Veterans & Military holidays in May

• May 1 — silver star service banner day
• The Friday before Mother’s Day — Military Spouse Appreciation Day
• May 8 — Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (World War II)
• The last Monday in Day — Memorial Day

Author: Christian Southards

Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.