Veterans get VIP treatment for career assistance -- Career Center Blog

November 8, 2012

Veterans get VIP treatment for career assistance

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By Randy Woods
NWjobs

To be a soldier, one must develop the discipline and endurance to take on any challenge. It also means you are part of a team that always has your back. U.S. Army veteran Ryan Shannon of West Seattle learned these lessons twice in his military career -- once while serving two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and again after he returned in 2010 to face a series of personal hardships and a tough job search.

Shannon, a Michigan native, had served in the 2nd Ranger Battalion deployed out of Fort Lewis. As is the case for many veterans, Shannon's transition to civilian life wasn't easy. He was discharged when his marriage fell apart while he was overseas, forcing him to return to the Seattle area to take custody of his two children. Then, in September 2010, Shannon suffered a horrific injury, severing four fingers and a portion of his hand in a table-saw accident at his home.

Shannon faced the daunting challenge of raising two kids as a single dad while coping with a severe disability in a terrible job market. "Since I was already out of the Army, I was left in a position where I thought no one could help me," he says. "I was stressed out and had no place to go."

While he was undergoing physical therapy, however, Shannon met Ric Price, manager of the Veterans Innovation Program (VIP), administered through the Washington state Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA). Since 2007, Price says, VIP has helped more than 1,000 Washington state veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with $2.6 million in direct assistance and educational grants.

VIP is set up as a two-pronged program: The Defender's Fund, a one-time emergency grant of up to $1,000 per veteran, and The Individual Grant Program, a series of competitively bid grants to help veterans and their families find living-wage jobs. Funds are available in the form of on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs, tuition payment for certifications and reimbursement of various monthly bills.

VIP funds, Price explains, can range from a few hundred dollars to pay the next month's rent to up to $3,500 to pay for food, fuel, vehicle maintenance, credit card debt, supplies, education tuition and other major expenditures.

Right off the bat, Shannon says, the VIP folks put him at ease. "They told me, 'Don't worry, take the time to heal and be a parent.' " VIP funds paid for six months' rent and significant repairs to his truck, and covered expenses including gas money. "They even helped me buy Christmas presents for my family," he adds.

The key to VIP's success, Price says, is that it's not just a government handout. "The funds coming from the Individual Grant Program are competitively bid -- they're not entitlements," he says. "We're very serious about getting a good return on our investment." The jobs found through the program pay nearly $16 per hour, on average, and have returned about $19 million to the state's economy since 2007, he adds.

After about two months in the program, Shannon met with VIP counselors to set an educational course and learn new skill sets to overcome his disability. In 2011, he enrolled at Evergreen State College using funds from VIP and the GI Bill to take classes in forensic science. He later transferred to South Seattle Community College to pursue a degree in general sciences, and helped establish a Veterans Club at the college.

Today, Shannon, now 30 and applying through the VA for a prosthesis on his injured hand, is just a few days away from becoming certified as a personal fitness trainer through the International Sports Sciences Association. Eventually, he wants to attend the University of Washington and go into the medical profession.

About 140 veterans are served by VIP each year, many of whom are in the National Guard or Army Reserve, which tends to have older personnel. "A lot of employers don't like to hire 40- to 50-year-olds," Price says. "We've seen a large group of older engineers and technical specialists coming back [from Iraq and Afghanistan] who have had lots of injuries to their knees and back from regular mission stresses."

You can help the VIP the same way it helped Ryan Shannon and so many other local vets. In honor of Veteran's Day (Nov. 11), the WDVA and the Washington Lottery are sponsoring a Veterans Raffle to raise funds for the program. From Sunday through Jan. 1, participants can buy raffle tickets for $10 apiece. Winners will be drawn on Jan. 2, with cash prizes ranging from $100 to $1 million. Last year the raffle raised more than $247,000 for the VIP, Price says.

"This is a life-changing program," Shannon adds. "I really can't say enough good things about it. They brought me back from the darkest days of my life, and now I'm looking up at the stars."

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.