News

The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments approved the final version of Phase II of the Fort Carson Regional Growth Plan.  You can download the plan on the PACG website here.

National Resource Directory

The US Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs are pleased to introduce the re-designed and enhanced National Resource Directory (NRD) website, www.NationalResourceDirectory.gov.

Created for wounded warriors, transitioning Service Members, Veterans, and their families and caregivers, the new NRD has proved to be a useful tool for service providers who support the military and Veteran communities.

The NRD provides access to thousands of services and resources at the national, state and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration. We are proud to assure our users they can trust the content on the NRD as resources are reviewed regularly by a content management team that includes several Veterans and subject matter experts.

A few features of the new website include a faster, more robust search engine; a Bookmark & Share capability to spread the word on Facebook, Twitter etc; and an "In the News" feature that provides links to news and updates about Wounded Warrior and Veterans issues. Also included is an expanded Homeless Assistance section where users can find information on programs and benefits designed to help homeless Veterans live as independently as possible.

KeyBank Foundation

The KeyBank Foundation primarily provides support to nonprofit organizations that foster economic self-sufficiency in the communities where KeyBank operates in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Idaho,Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. The Foundation’s Financial Education category supports programs that foster effective financial management and understanding of financial services and tools. The Workforce Development category supports programs that provide training and placement for people to access job opportunities for a stronger and better prepared workforce. The Diversity category supports programs that employ systemic changes to improve the access of individuals of diverse backgrounds and encourage them to realize their full potential. Requests may be submitted throughout the year. Visit the Foundation’s website to download the proposal guidelines and forms.

New Study Released on Readjustment of Returning Service Members and Families

Nearly 1.9 million U.S. troops have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since October 2001. Many service members and veterans face serious challenges in readjusting to normal life after returning home. In response to the growing needs of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) active duty service members, veterans, and families, Congress, in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY08, called for a study of the physical and mental health and other readjustment needs of this population. This initial report, entitled Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan: Preliminary Assessment of Readjustment Needs of Veterans, Service Members, and Their Families, presents findings on the most critical challenges and lays out the blueprint for the second phase of the study to determine how best to meet the needs of returning troops and their families. It was conducted by the Institute of Medicine.

Included in the study is the recommendation that the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and other federal agencies fund research on the social and economic effects of deployment and multiple deployments on families. The committee also recommended that DoD and the VA oversee coordination and communication of the multitude of programs created in response to OEF and OIF in order to maximize the programs' reach and effectiveness for service members, veterans, and families. Also recommended is an independent evaluation of these programs with standardized evaluation designs and assessments of outcomes. The National Mlitary Family Association supports these recommendations and has endorsed these concepts for several years. We are pleased that many agencies are focusing on the effects of deployments on families for their research and we look forward to their further recommendations and additions to the body of knowledge for enhancing military family readiness.