Veterans and Military Service Organization Roundtable Meeting
July 22, 2004

The July meeting focused on three major areas. Dr. Marianne Mathewson-Chapman and Mr. Bobby Hite, discussed DoD/VA seamless transition, Mr. Jim Hoffman provided an overview of the Army Career and Alumni Program and Mr. Jim Weiskopf provided a briefing on the Fisher House.

Dr. Marianne Mathewson-Chapman discussed the efforts being done to assist service members moving from the Department of Defense to the VA for health care and benefits. The VA has been working hard to educated service members about the benefits available to them at the VA. Additionally, the VA has created a task force to improve collaboration between VHA/VBA and DoD, improve communication and to ensure the VA staff is educated.

Mr. Jim Hoffman discussed the Army Career and Alumni Program. The program assists service members leaving the military by providing them with skills and information to succeed in their next career. The Army Career and Alumni Program provides on-line access to job listings for service members and the ability for employers to manage job listings at no cost.

Mr. Jim Weiskopf provided information on current programs Fisher House is participating in. The Fisher House has made helping service members from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom their top priority. The Fisher House has formed a partnership with "Operation Hero Miles" and individual airlines to provide airline tickets to service members and their families.

The next VSO/MSO roundtable meeting is scheduled for September 9, 2004, at
10:00 a.m.