VA, Army Sign Walter Reed Training Pact

VA, Army Sign Walter Reed Training Pact

WASHINGTON – Leaders of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Walter Reed Army Medical Center signed an agreement today giving severely injured service members practical help landing civilian jobs.

"Our newest generation of combat heroes deserves the best this nation can offer," said the Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "But what they want is a helping hand, not a hand-out."

Under the "Vet IT" agreement signed by Nicholson and the Walter Reed commander, Army Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Farmer Jr., VA will offer vocational training and temporary jobs at its Washington headquarters to service members recovering at the Army facility from traumatic injuries.

More than 30 Walter Reed patients have already received similar on-the-job experience at VA headquarters since a test of the program began in September 2004. So far, 15 have been hired permanently by VA.

VA is the nation's second-largest Cabinet Department, and one of the nation's largest employers of disabled veterans, with about 20,000 disabled workers among its workforce of more than 230,000.

With a current budget of more than $68 billion, VA gives health care to more than 5.2 million patients yearly and provides monthly disability compensation to nearly 2.7 million veterans, while operating 120 national cemeteries, providing educational assistance to nearly 500,000 and administering insurance programs that cover more than 7.2 million beneficiaries.

"As VA enters its 75th anniversary year, I'm proud that our new Vet IT program continues our long tradition of helping disabled veterans through vocational training and educational benefits," said Secretary Nicholson.

SOURCE: Department of Veterans Affairs # # # June 6, 2005