Bill would aid unemployed veterans

More than 20 percent of 18- to 24-year-old military veterans nationwide are out of work -- a number that's more than twice the national unemployment average, according to federal figures.

Sunday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) announced legislation that would try to ease young veteran joblessness by smoothing the transition from active duty to civilian status.

"We're offering this legislation because our young vets have the highest unemployment rate of all groups right now," Gillibrand said.

The many-pronged approach to the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 includes mandatory transitional training for military personnel while still on active duty and competitive grants for nonprofits like the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, whose goal is to prepare veterans for the civilian workplace. The legislation would also streamline requirements for veterans who have extensive training in an area, but can't pursue it at home because of certification obstacles.

"We'll have members who are Navy corpsmen, and they can do just about everything in the combat field as far as saving someone's life, and then they come back here and aren't even qualified to drive an ambulance," said Huntington resident Tireak Tulloch, 31, of the Marine Corps Reserve, who attended yesterday's news conference.

One of the keys, Gillibrand said, is changing the language of veterans' resumes and cover letters to reflect the ways their military training might benefit a potential employer.

"Sometimes they're not as good at translating what they've done," she said. "We just have to help them write their resumes in a way that translates their skill sets effectively."

Gillibrand said she expects the legislation to pass the Senate "overwhelmingly," and estimated the cost at a few hundred million dollars to implement.