Latest news with #VeteransCrisisLine
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Kent County Veterans Services giving away gun locks
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Kent County Veterans Services will start handing out free firearm cable locks Wednesday as part of an effort to prevent suicide. About 400 locks, the result of a donation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, are available at the Veterans Services office on Fuller Avenue NE north of I-196. The county said the locks are a 'simple but powerful tool' to keep people in crisis from accessing a gun, saying they may allow for a 'critical pause.' 'Even one life lost is too many,' Veterans Services Director Ryan Grams said in a Tuesday statement. 'These gun locks are a small but potentially life-saving resource. We encourage veterans and their families to take advantage of this free tool as part of a broader approach to safety and wellness.' The agency urged contacting the Veteran Crisis Line if you or anyone you know is in crisis, by dialing 988 and pressing 1. Texting is also available at 838255 or you can chat with soneone online at the Veterans Crisis Line. KCVS can be reached at 616.632.5722 for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
New Dems ready to move party and country beyond Trump chaos
Good people across the country are angry at Washington – and for good reason. From North Carolina and Nebraska to Washington and Georgia, people of all political backgrounds are demanding an explanation for the chaos created and the damage caused in just the first two months of the second Donald Trump presidency. They are decrying Elon Musk's dismantling of government programs and agencies, and fearful about the Administration's efforts to undermine our Constitution. And they are outraged at the amateurish incompetence of many of Trump's closet advisors, as exemplified in the clumsy, dangerous sharing of war plans on an unsecured Signal chat chain that was not only an embarrassment for our intelligence and defense apparatus, but also a serious threat to our security. At home, families are struggling with rising prices directly caused by Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs, many levied against our closest allies. The whiplash of the president's daily deluge of chaos has killed job growth, with layoffs increasing 245% in February alone – levels not seen since the Great Recession. The country is facing dual measles and bird flu outbreaks that threaten the lives of children and livelihoods of farmers as vaccine-denying crockpot Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismantles public health. Meanwhile, thousands of veterans have lost their jobs as Musk arbitrarily hacks away at the federal workforce – nearly one-third of whom are veterans. Furthermore, Musk's plan to lay off 80,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees would disrupt critical services like the Veterans Crisis Line, compensation for disabilities, and cancer treatments for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. As the costs of Trump's chaos economy become increasingly clear, Americans are looking to congressional Democrats to fight for them. They want us to defend the balance and powers established in our Constitution, to uphold the rule of law, and, importantly, to offer an alternative vision for a better path forward. That is exactly what the New Democrat Coalition – a group of 115 pragmatic, center-left House Democrats dedicated to finding commonsense solutions – is offering. As a growing majority in the House Democratic Caucus, New Dems are prepared to lead from the center with strong voices and bold policy ideas. We are championing a unity agenda for our party and the country that can rally Americans across the political spectrum. What does this mean in practice? Our vision for the path forward is grounded on three pillars: economic growth and lowering costs, healthy and safe communities, and strong national security and defense. First, New Dems are working to create an abundance of new, well-paying jobs, to raise the nation's standard of living, and to help Americans achieve financial freedom – not just to make ends meet, but to get ahead. Working families should be able to comfortably afford a nice home. Students should be able to get an education without taking on mountains of debt. And everyone should be able to plan for a secure and dignified retirement. Second, we are committed to ensuring people feel safe and secure in their homes and on their way to work, school and play. New Dems are working to protect communities from crime and violence while ensuring every American has access to clean air and water, affordable housing, education and more. Finally, we are determined to finally fix our broken immigration system and secure our borders. We are working to modernize our defense, diplomatic and development capabilities to advance American interests at home and abroad. And we are actively responding to a rapidly changing climate by improving the resiliency of critical infrastructure and investing in the clean energies of the future. The 2024 election was about lowering costs and helping people get ahead, securing our border and protecting our communities, and strengthening our national defense and Americans' security. People want a government that listens to them, understands their needs and priorities, clears barriers, and opens pathways to opportunity. That's the vision of the New Dems. Our nation is at a critical crossroads, and New Dems are steeled for a long fight. We will not shy away from confronting the president and congressional Republicans to defend our values and protect our democracy. Nor will we hesitate to work together for the good of the nation. As Sun Tzu famously said in The Art of War, "In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity." He also said, "It is the unemotional, reserved, calm, detached warrior who wins, not the hothead seeking vengeance and not the ambitious seeker of fortune."
Washington Post
30-03-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Veterans Crisis Line operators say they feel battered by Trump, DOGE
The roughly 1,100 people who pick up the phone at the Veterans Crisis Line comfort Americans who are in the midst of life's darkest moments. The Afghanistan war veteran who wakes up with nightmares and needs to talk to someone about them. The former soldier who plans to take his own life, shotgun sitting in his lap. The spouse who worries her intoxicated husband has been drinking and is now speeding down an interstate highway.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Homeless Veteran Healthcare
(WBRE/WYOU) Thursday, March 20, 2025: John Baum and Judge Tom Munley Homeless vets number From the VA We offer many programs and services that may help—including free health care and, in some cases, free limited dental care. We can also help you connect with resources in your community, like homeless shelters or faith-based organizations. Find the support you need: Call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You'll talk privately with a trained VA counselor for free. Contact your nearest VA medical center and ask to talk with the VA social worker. If you're a female Veteran, ask for the Women Veterans Program the nearest VA medical center Talk with someone right now: If you're a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, connect with our caring, qualified Veterans Crisis Line responders for confidential help. Many of them are Veterans themselves. This service is private, free, and available 24/ online with a trained VA staff member Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
18-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Maryland veterans express concern over federal workforce cuts during roundtable discussion
At a roundtable discussion hosted by Senator Van Hollen in Baltimore County Tuesday, veterans said they were disproportionately impacted by the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce. According to Van Hollen, the federal government employs more than 700,000 veterans, including 40,000 in Maryland - with a significant amount being disabled veterans. In Maryland, many veterans said they were shocked after losing their jobs, while others who were still employed said they were uncertain about their job security. In February, President Trump said the federal workforce was too big , describing it as "bloated", and being filled with "people that are unnecessary." An order instructing federal agencies to lay off all probationary federal employees who had not yet gained civil service protection followed Mr. Trump's remarks. Van Hollen said Tuesday that many terminated employees were told they were being fired for "poor performance", despite having excellent service records and strong performance evaluations. "In firing these veterans who were federal employees, they got notices claiming that they were fired for, quote, poor performance, when in fact, so many have gotten recent reviews and evaluations with glowing performance reports. So this was just a big lie." Some experts told CBS News that contrary to Mr. Trump's statements, the federal workforce has seen little growth since 1980, with agencies like the FAA suffering from ongoing staffing shortages. Senator Van Hollen said that an estimated "6,000 veterans across the country have lost their jobs" to date. Many of those 6,000 employees are receiving offers to get their jobs back after intervention from the Supreme Court. Earlier this month, the Veterans Affairs Department said it plans to cut more than 70,000 workers , returning the size of the agency to just under 400,000 employees as it was in 2019. Critics say that firing thousands of VA employees will have devastating impacts on veterans, potentially leading to longer wait times for medical care, slower processing of disability claims, and reduced access to the Veterans Crisis Line. "They are talking about 80,000 people being laid off by the Department of Veterans Affairs. These are people all over the country who help process benefits. They work in veterans' hospitals. So that would be a huge hit to the services that we provide to veterans as a country," Van Hollen said. Octavia Hayton, a Marine Corps veteran and former VA contractor, shared how she benefited from VA services and feared what would happen if those services were reduced. "The VA has helped support me with education benefits. I was able to get health care. I was able to get mental health support. I don't know where I would be without that support, genuinely," Hayton said. Vincent Camacho, a recently terminated veteran, says he was recently terminated after serving 24 years in the military. "How can my country now say, as I was told in my termination letter, 'The agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest'?" Camacho said. Camacho added that he received an email saying he was reinstated to his position, but "placed on administrative leave pending further guidance." "I'm not even sure when I'll be returning to work—or at this point if I'm even going to be returning to work," Camacho explained. Hayton said she experienced a sudden financial strain after she learned that her job was no longer going to be supported. "About three weeks ago, I got my notice that my job was no longer going to be supported and the contract had been canceled. Fortunately, my husband is still employed, so we're not without completely, but now he has more pressure on him," Hayton said. Hayton also said the layoffs add to the already difficult process of transitioning out of the military into civilian life. "The transition out of the military is very, very difficult… The military, being a Marine, being an airman, being a soldier, whatever—it's not a job. It's your life. When you change your whole life to now fit into the civilian world, it presents so many challenges," Hayton said. Some veteran support organizations say they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of veterans seeking help. "When you have groups that are meant to bolster the efforts of the VA getting to a point where they're just taking on so many constituents that they're now strained, it has an incredibly adverse impact on the veteran community," Patrick Taylor, from the Baltimore County Executive's Office noted. In a hearing on March 13, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said an estimated 30,000 federal workers in Maryland have been fired, eliminated, or resigned. Earlier this month, Maryland joined a 19-state lawsuit over the Trump administration's mass firings of federal probationary employees. In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argued that federal agencies were required to follow "Reduction in Force" protocols, which include giving preference to military veterans and providing state governments with at least 60 days' notice before laying off 50 or more employees. After the lawsuit, two federal judges independently ordered the Trump administration to rehire the fired probationary employees. With many veterans suddenly unemployed, Maryland's Department of Veteran and Military Families (DVMF) is stepping in to provide job fairs, employment support, and resource guides. We've been preparing resource guides and finding more information for veterans. We're going out to outreach every day. We have two job fairs tomorrow," Denise Nooe, the Deputy Director of the DVMF's Communications and Outreach & Advocacy Program said. Beyond government assistance, lawmakers are also pushing to expand support for veteran-owned businesses. Van Hollen pointed to past initiatives aimed at helping veterans transition into entrepreneurship, like the launch of the Veterans Institute for Procurement.
