{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://amo.house.gov/press-release/osdri-wins-100000-federal-grant-to-assist-veterans-and-military-spouses-with-career-counseling-transitional-services", "OSDRI Wins $100,000 Federal Grant to Assist Veterans and Military Spouses with Career Counseling & Transitional Services", "2024-09-24", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "Gabe Amo", "A000380", "amo.house.gov", "amo", "https://amo.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "VA awards federal grants through first-of-its-kind program to help veterans and their spouses make employment transition from military service\n\nJOHNSTON, RI \u2014 Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse along with Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo saluted Operation Stand Down Rhode Island\u2019s (OSDRI) for winning a new $100,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through its new Veteran and Spouse Transitional Assistance Grant Program.\n\nThis federal funding will help OSDRI target employment-based assistance to support recently separated members of the Armed Forces and their spouses. The funding may be used for a variety of activities, such as: resume assistance, interview training, job recruitment training, employment placement services, employment education and training, and referrals to employment.\n\n\u201cI salute Operation Stand Down Rhode Island for empowering those who serve and their families. I am excited that OSDRI will be among the first non-profits to partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on this new program aimed at expanding job counseling services and enhancing the post-service transition experience for veterans and military spouses. The men and women of our Armed Forces and their families make tremendous sacrifices to defend our freedom. It\u2019s important that we help them effectively transition to civilian life,\u201d said Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Milcon-VA, who attended OSDRI\u2019s annual veterans outreach event last week. \u201cOSDRI does a great job offering tailored support to military families to help people achieve their career and life goals. This new federal grant will help them extend their reach and help more veterans and their spouses make a smooth transition from service to success.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have a sacred commitment to honor and support our veterans long after they return home,\u201d said Senator Whitehouse. \u201cThis new funding for Operation Stand Down Rhode Island will provide veterans and their spouses with resources to land well-paying jobs and achieve their career goals. Well done to the team at Operation Stand Down Rhode Island for all of their work to help veterans adjust to civilian life.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is our solemn duty to take care of veterans who have bravely answered the call to serve,\u201d said Rep. Seth Magaziner. \u201cOperation Stand Down Rhode Island has long been a vital resource for veterans and their families, and as a testament to their work, they are among the first organizations in the country to receive this federal funding that will help connect veterans to good-paying jobs and improve the transition to civilian life.\u201d\n\n\u201cI applaud Operation Stand Down Rhode Island for securing these federal funds to bolster their work as a key partner and a critical lifeline for veterans and military families.\u201d said Congressman Gabe Amo. \u201cAs they heroically strive to ease the transition from service to civilian life, their selection by the Department of Veterans Affairs for this first-in-the-nation grant is an endorsement of their proven track record of success in our state.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis award represents crucially needed employment-based resources and tools to support recently separated Rhode Islanders of the Armed Forces and, notably, for the first time, their spouses as well. OSDRI\u2019s employment and training program is a crucial part of its wraparound services intended to provide veterans a \u201chand up \u2013 not a handout.\u201d Being able to help unemployed and underemployed members of the veteran household helps secure a promising and self-sustaining future for those who have placed the needs of our nation ahead of their own and their families,\u201d said Erik B. Wallin, Executive Director of Operation Stand Down Rhode Island.\n\nOver 200,000 men and women leave U.S. military service every year and transition to civilian life. The Veteran and Spouse Transitional Assistance Grant Program is a first-of-its kind grant program that is being extended to support the spouses of veterans.\n\nOSDRI is one of 13 organizations to be awarded funding under this program aimed at enhancing career stability and expanding employment resources for veteran and military families, including improving transition assistance support for spouses. These grants require a 1 to 1 local match.\n\nIn addition to OSDRI, the other inaugural grant recipients that provide transition services to former members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are separated, retired, or discharged and their spouses, include:\n\nAmerican Corporate Partners\n\nCorporate America Supports You\n\nGreater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board\n\nJacksonville State University\n\nJewish Vocational Service\n\nKansas City Scholars Inc.\n\nNational University\n\nOperation Stand Down Tennessee\n\nOrange County United Way\n\nThe Commit Foundation\n\nThe Houston Launch Pad\n\nUniversity Of Massachusetts\n\nThe Veteran and Spouse Transitional Assistance Grant Program is made possible thanks to the bipartisan Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act (P.L. 116\u2013315), which was enacted in 2021.\n\nSeparating troops and their spouses who need assistance navigating the transition to civilian life may access Military OneSource services through the U.S. Department of Defense for one year after they leave the service.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://amo.house.gov/press-release/osdri-wins-100000-federal-grant-to-assist-veterans-and-military-spouses-with-career-counseling-transitional-services"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9250561706721783, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}