Veteran's Day: Where vets can go for assistance in finding work

If you're one of the 35,000 veterans in Western new York struggling to make the transition from military to civilian life there's local organizations helping to solve those issues every day. Both the Buffalo VA Medical Center and Veteran One-Stop Center of WNY offer programs to assist veterans with an array of services. 

”If you look at a military service member, they’re trained to take care of themselves and their brothers and sisters. So for them to admit that they need some help is very difficult sometimes on their part," President of the Veterans One-Stop Center, Chuck Marra, says. 

He says the tough transition can be attributed to rigid military structure which doesn't translate well to civilian life where people are forced to dozens of choices each day. One-stop offers case management, peer mentoring, accredited benefits counseling among other services. 

“We have a veterans opportunities center on the third floor here where employees assist veterans with computer skills, resume building, and we also have a program called the compensated wort therapy program," Evangeline Conley, Public Affairs Officer at the Buffalo VA, says. “These are opportunities that have training skills where people can work and learn new skills possibly and get back into the routine to get into the work force.” 

Not only does the VA offer veterans programs to ultimately land them jobs, but the VA offers jobs to veterans as well. 

If you're interested in attending events this month in honor of WNY veterans, visit the Veterans One-Stop Center's website or the Buffalo VA Medical Center's website. 

Have a news tip, question or comment?