The economy overall. Now veterans groups are moving number are a signal of a new upward trend in veterans unemployment. Were turningind, our first 45 minutes today over to the issue of veterans unemployment. We want to hear your stories about military veterans a job. Ng for or finding well put up our phone lines a little differently today. Veterans fghanistan the number is 2027488000. Other veterans 2027488001. And military families 2027488002. And a special line for employers. 2027488003. On can all catch up with us social media. You. Wednesday morning to we begin today talking about this issue of veterans unemployment. From military times reporter leo shane after those umbers came out earlier this month. Talking about the 4. 7 Unemployment Rate for veterans overall. That represents nearly 500,000 veterans looking for work in the United States. Second highest monthly rate in the last year. Was 4. 4 . At number for he number higher even iraq and afghanistan veterans as military. Com points out in their story. The jobless rate for post 9 11 up from 4. 4 . 9 in june. And 4 in may. 9 11 vets Unemployment Rate of 5. 8 in july, while 9 11 vets t Unemployment Rate of 7 . The Research Director for iraq and afghanistan veterans of against autioning drawing too many conclusions from the latest statistics. He said while one month does not a trend make, it will be important in the next two months to monitor whether unemployment newest generation goes back down and unemployment continues to be a primary among iava members according to that story in military. Com. A little phone lines differently this morning as we focus on this issue of veterans unemployment. Iraq and afghanistan vet 20s 27488000. Veterans 2027488001. 2027488002. Lies employers 2027488003. Other point on the numbers regarding post 9 11 iraq and veterans, the Unemployment Rate for those individuals has been on a, the , wild ride since bureau of labor statistics began to track them back in september of 2008. According to the military times story on the numbers from last year. 7. 5 average in 2008. 9 11 veterans unemployment climbed to double digits in 2009 to 2011. 11. 6 , 12. 0 0. 2 , overall for those three years. Then in 2012, the average of the nemployment rate was brought under 10 following a drop into 2013. 7. 2 . 14rate was then in 2015, it was the best veterans. Ost 9 11 that number 5. 8 for the year. After coming down, it has ticked back up to 5. 9 . So we want to hear your stories. Stories of searching for a job. Your stories about finding a job. About military members. William is up first. Thanks for calling the journal. Caller good morning. Jobs that are offers are mostly truck driver jobs. Kind of job do you want, william . Wantat the kind of job you to do . Caller id say trying to get loans and everything for school, its just been pretty tough. I have been taking odd jobs when i can get work. I take it. Get work, host when did you get out of william . Tary, caller that was 2006. You got out, when how easy was it you said its been tough to take these loans. Are you talking about the loans through veterans programs or separate private loans . Through tried to go the veteran administration. They give you the run around. Its been pretty tough. Host what do you mean by run around . Been tough for you . Caller i dont know what the problem is. Host if you could have any job, william, what would you want to do . Caller i wanted to go to school for medical. I wanted to get into the medical field. Host what do you want to do in that field . Get benefits. Host william, good luck with your search. N that line for all other veterans, lisa calling in from farmington, new mexico. Lisa, good morning. Youre on the washington journal. Caller good morning. Ost tell us about your job search, lisa. Caller im calling about the veterans. Talking about jobs. First. Ed Mental Health job. E they can even hold a host did you serve in the military . That no, i have family did. And another thing. Becoming bias. You put donald trump on all the ime, but you dont put on Hillary Clinton. Host lisa, keep watching our show. Talk a lot about both candidates. We try not to be bias here. Talking about both sides today later in our program. We want to focus on iraq and veterans, and the job search thats going on. Some concern about those numbers. Numbers. Nemployment 4. 7 in july. The nation overall the number 4. 9 . So the numbers were overall lower than the nation overall. But for iraq and afghanistan was the number in july. On that line for iraq and bjs nistan veterans, calling in cambridge, massachusetts. Good morning. Go ahead. Sorry. thanks for putting on the show and for this topic. Its important. Just wanted to say a couple words. I got out of the marine corps in iraq. After two tours in i am fully employed now after about three years at an boston. Nt school here in it was made possible by both the ew gi bill, which is a fantastic program that a lot of my fellow veterans took of, but all a matching program by Tufts University. A lot of other schools have similar programs, try to do similar programs to kind of the gi bill gives, which is much better than it was world war ii era but still sometimes inadequate as tuition now, rising cost, room and board and fees. Mind talking about your numbers . People hear about the gi bill. Can you talk about specifically the numbers . Helped you . How much did it give you in terms of trying to pursue this education . Yeah. so massachusetts, the gi bill basically matches for any school the highest level of in state tuition for the most expensive public university. So Tufts University overall elite s one of these schools thats somewhere near 60,000 for full room and board. Gi bill covered a decent amount of that. Tufts university matched a good well. Of that as the rest was supplemented by loans and other help. Living gives stipend for expenses so that returning veterans who are often times oing to school at 22, 23, 24 years old arent stuck in dorms with 18yearold kids which is a to be able to do. A it really does provide really good cushion and any kind of soft landing after such from ent experiences obviously the rest of the country. Important to have that collusion and cooperation between both government between gi bill and the veterans dministration, as well as the private sector in terms of loans and Job Opportunities and for veterans and Higher Education institutions that are recognizing that these students, and others, need some some cushion some way, help, some support, but who can thrive just as well as anybody had those snt experience and those challenges. Thanks for the call. Arkel is waiting on that same line. Good morning. Having trouble hitting the button. Caller good morning. First off, i just want to thank ou for having this line available and having this conversation available. My story is that it seems as i wasnt able to find any work with the Veterans Administration. Job Search Program didnt really help me very much. More so even than the one in my own home town. It wasnt until i left memphis, tennessee, and headed off to washington, d. C. That i was able find any type of employment. And that was through friends and etworking with programs like linked in and just trying to figure out the job market that way. What kind of job do you do now . Is it private sector, Public Sector . Its private sector. Yeah. T wasnt until i actually had to come back from my deployment that i got in touch with a couple of friends here in d. C. Moved up here to d. C. That i was actually able to find any type of employment. Your own networking process and not anything from the various programs that are out there . Caller right, right. That ly it goes to show the va job search whatever programs that they have available now, as far as my goes with it, hasnt been very much help for me. Currently, ist now but i have done active duty in afghanistan. I have got a friend now who just came off deployment in iraq. Hes been living in memphis, tennessee, for a couple years now. Hasnt had any help with the va job search. He had to get on active orders he was able to get any type of employment that would be gainful for him. Story. Hanks for the earlier this month president obama spoke at the National Disabled american veterans. And he talked a bit about administration has done to try to help veterans get jobs both in the federal to encourage private Sector Companies to hire veterans. He he federal government noted that nearly one in three federal workers is now a veteran. Veterans applying for jobs in the federal government can called from the so veterans preference hiring federal in the government. Theres ef forts under way to change that practice. For more on that we turn to lundy for the government executive website. Senior correspondent there. Kelly, good morning. Can you explain the veterans preference hiring practice in government. Sure. Basically gets those who serve in the armed forces an extra when applying for many jobs. It gives them up to ten extra on their federal application so that they have another advantage to sort of the list of at to top candidates when hr staff and putting nagers are together their final list. And, you know, they do have to mentally qualified for the job as advertised. Are the same, s depending on whether you are a disabled veteran, they get the most preference. They would get ten points going in. T can also apply under certain circumstances to veteran spouse, a widow or parent. Been around in some form since the civil war. And a longstanding benefit incentive for veterans that the federal government has used to and retain veterans from the federal government. You wrote stories on this and changes proposed earlier this summer. Ou described it adds a confusing and often controversial factor in hiring. Controversial . Its a very complex system in part because there have been been passed t have over the years to changes. So other rules have sort of been previous rules. So its very difficult for hr it f to sort of understand and apply it correctly. Also, agencies that have a lot of how bility in terms they advertise and post jobs, so they can use different means so preference doesnt always apply. Really and nonvets dont understand the system because its not explained well. An unfairness on how federal agencies implement veterans preference. The changes are proposed that are working their congress now guest the Defense Authorization bill that was passed earlier provision ncludes a that says veterans preference would only apply to a vets first service. Ederal now vets can use, can benefit veterans preference with as many jobs as they apply for in the government. Happens, change, if it thats where you receive the additional points that veterans for rence confers only their first jobs in federal government and not for any the e positions within Competitive Service that they might apply for. Now, the house and the va, the bill to the senate bill, doesnt contain a similar provision. The kers are working out final version of that bill right ow sort of a twist to all of this is separately an amendment was added to a different house that l in the would prohibit funds from being used to change the current policy. Provision is at trying to block the provision hat was changed in the senate bill. I think ultimately given sort of the controversy over this right the provisions changing the rules will get dropped ultimately from the Defense Authorization bill once its hammered out by both chambers. Administration expressed support one way or the changes . R these guest they havent said much about it. Congress especially on the house side have come out nd said they dont support changing it. Part of the reason people have itd that they are opposed to is critics of the program feel it was quietly slipped into the bill. Se senate there wasnt a lot of debate about it and theyre worried hat because there hasnt been public debate, there hasnt been that any change ould introduce some unintended consequences to the benefit essentially diluting it and articularly harming the recruitment of disabled veterans into government. Well see what happens when comes back in session. Thanks so much for the time lunney government executive Senior Correspondent there. Guest thank you. Host head back to the phones. Were talking about job prospects for veterans. Your experiences. Lines for iraq and afghanistan veterans. Lines for family members. Special line for employers as well. Stories about ur hiring veterans. Dean is in louisville, kentucky. Dean, good morning. Caller good morning. About you all talking benefits. Lot of homeless people, veterans. About education for veterans. If the government makes all colleges have to have Free Education to go to college, you no military. People going to the military to get that education. Just go skip the military part of it. You wont have people in the ilitary if you give Free Education. Host are you a veteran . Caller i am a veteran. The va, talk about veterans. Job, retired from my didnt have insurance. On pills and so four its a joke. Your new health care. Luck. Just out of host chris is in debarry texas also on that line for all other veterans. Chris, good morning. Morning. Good thank everybody for their service. Im a vietnam veteran. A truck driver in nam in 70, 71. Home. I was treating my ptsd with alcohol. Involved in recovery rograms in the va, inpatient and outpatient. Sobered up, it was just and sy for me to get a job work. One, using my mos as a truck ability as a soldier to be able to travel and to around the country different places. If theres no work where youre and youre like me, i dont have a problem loading up and is, you where the work know . We were deployed all over the world. Trained with the best soldiers in the world. Theres nothing we cant do if, were sober. So everything opened up for me when i sobered up. Va. Still involved in the still go to groups and meetings. Check in and accountable with them. Me. Has been real good for i have shown up and done the work. Ou cant just lay out for ten years and show up all of a instantnd expect to get help. I mean, youve got to get involved. Youve got to stay somewhat involved. Got to get your primary care. Going, whether youre there four, five times a year at least. Suggestions have worked out well for me. Thank you. Ost thanks for sharing your story. Good luck to you. A few tweets. Jody writes in, i have to wonder ptsd has made it so veterans have a hard time rejoining the civilian world. And nine tours. Madman across the water writes in anyone who has joined the last 40 years did so voluntarily if they cant find a job in the private need more be they skills. Edwin christian writes in personally as a veteran i feel the Unemployment Rate for vets rather than all people is counter productive. All need jobs. Again, the latest numbers, the that are the reason were doing this segment. Nation as a whole the was 4. 9 in rate july. For veterans 4. 7 . Thats up from 4. 2 in june. Nd for iraq and afghanistan veterans 5. 9 in july with the 4. 4 loyment rate, up from in june. We have special line for iraq and afghanistan vets to hear about looking for jobs and your job prospects. Others. R all line for military family members. And a line for employee members. Beckly, westing in virginia. Linda, good morning. Youre on the washington journal. Good morning. I just couldnt stand to listen guy at any more that last on how good they were. Years ago my husband, who was a quantico and my brother tommy that was in the got really both of them died right around the same area. A few months or so. They wouldnt pay anything for of them. E my sister and i had to take turns every month. Pay for nothing. And then now my young brother, family that n the was living in arizona. Do something for him. Live. Ot him a place to and a budget that he could live by. Died out there. They wont do anything for him. Have the money. To go t have the money down there. It. Iece had to pay for host when youre talking about these family members and talking how hard prospects, was it for these folks when they came home from war to reenter force . Vilian work can you talk about those experiences . My husband always worked. A drinking ve problem, much like maybe the guy just talked to. Yeah, they had their problems. Danny, bless his heart, the one that just died a few months ago, had problems. Like hed come out here and stay scream every so often. Years. Done it for i said go down to this va. He did. He kept going back. Back. Pt going had to walk. Even pills st kept giving him for pain. So finally thats when he came up here. He didnt have anybody. He didnt have anybody except us. He decided to go to arizona where it was warm. Got there. I said just go do it. What i told just you before. They did get him a place to live. Thats where he was found. Give it to him. He did pay. Thats where he died. linda, thanks for caller they had done the same thing. They wouldnt do anything. Giving him he wanted to see what was on his head and they just kept giving pills, pain pills. Host thanks for sharing your story. That line waiting on for iraq and afghanistan veterans. Vista, s in see era arizona. Good morning. Caller good morning, cspan. Of those ng to all listening. Analogy of a an jet and a glider. m gonna use a gulf stream 550 which is a High Performance whichate jet and a glider just can go anywhere it goes in the world. Years, the last 15 weve placed our Service Members very harsh conditions when theyve been deployed, short turn arounds. So in that sense, when they did their missions, they were in a 550. Stream wherever you want me to be decisions. E and death now they come back and they start leaving the service, now like a glider. Theyre drifting here. Theyre drifting there. To blame ptsd on them. Directed security information in the entire sitcom area. I left an Intelligence Center making 80,000. Go. Y didnt want me to saying we need you more importantly as a civilian there in going over uniform. But i had to go because i had hung up my uniform. Then when i came back as a a salaryveteran, i had that was 150 higher, thats with my va disability nd im coming back to an 80,000 job and trying to take care of my health. My civilian employer was totally no longer hadt he con