Living/working in Washington D.C. area?
I'm considering moving to the D.C. area, or the Virginia or Maryland suburbs as well. I'm looking for a job that pays decently, and was impressed with all the job listings for that area in the Washington Post. (Jobs suck where I live outside Pittsburgh.) Anybody who lives there, works there, been there, offer any advice to me? Currently I live about 4 hours away, but the closest to D.C. that I've been is Annapolis. Any impressions of that area appreciated.
How exactly does the hiring system work in the V.A. system?
Any tips for getting hired in the VA system & how does the hiring system work? I won't know this answer until someone returns a phone call to me from the hiring office. Until then, I'm curious about what other's may know on the subject. I found myself having the exact requirments for a particular VA position (if not more than qualified). I followed the instructions to the letter with regards to the application process, I double checked it and had someone help me make sure I had ALL of my transcripts ready to send days before the deadline. Suddenly two days later I get a computer generated email saying I did not qualify b/c they are looking to give it to veterans (veterans preference). I'm not sure who these are other veterans are who are eating up the jobs, but not a whole lot of people have these qualifications. I am a spouse of a military officer and daughter of a retired officer as well. I suppose the VA doesn't give that any preference. My previous VA experience was internship work before I completed graduate school and even still they will not accept letters of reference from prior employers of the VA system. I was told some so called "veterans" who only served 6mos to 1 year are taking advantage of the system. Hopefully this isn't true. Does any have any tips for applying through the VA system?
I work for a small business in VA and am leaving, will I be able to get my vacation hours paid to me when I leave or should I ask?
Under Federal and Virginia law, your vacation time is not required to be paid back to you if unused. Businesses can create their own policies, but my guess is that a small business would not want to pay you anything they aren't required to. Generally, fringe benefits like vacation time are “use it or lose it.” Unused sick days might be paid out at the end of each year, if the employer chooses, but certainly not if you quit.There are no laws in place in Virginia on this subject. It would be completely up to the individual employer. Read your employment contract, if you have one, and if it says nothing about paying out vacation time, then you are not entitled to what you've accrued. You should have used it.What I would do, and this may not be right for your situation, is request to use my vacation time before putting in my notice. Then I would put in my notice a month early rather than the standard 2 weeks. You wouldn't be coming back after your vacation, but still would give them time to find someone. They owe you your vacation time while you're an employee, but you forfeit it when you quit, unless your contract says otherwise. If it wouldn't give away your hand to ask, then ask your employer what their policy is.
Can one be 70% disabled through the VA and still work?
Can one be 70% disabled through the VA and still work? I applied for disability over a year ago, had not heard back from them till this week. I had since gotten a full time job (i would otherwise have been homeless if i did not work for a year) and been working for 6 months the VA does not know that I am working, should i just forfeit my disability cause I am now working or can I still collect the 70%? This is for PTSD-service connected. I have yet received any payments but should be getting a check in the mail of back pay sometime this week.
Do people who work as military contractors get military benefits?
Do not mistake a military contractor with a military service member. Even though a military contractor could (and in some cases can) be a service member, the military contractor is in no way entitled to any military benefits apart from those earned while actually in the military.In all ways that really matter a military contractor is just like any other corporate worker. They do many of the same jobs, at the same pay, with the same corporate BS that goes along with it. They get the added benefit of piling military BS along with it, extra paperwork, and sometimes a more extensive background check than a corporate job.CONUS:Unless you are prior military, as a military contractor you do not receive any of the military benefits. You might be carrying around a DOD CAC, but that doesn’t mean squat in the commissary or 99% of the other on-base unpaid amenities experienced by the military. The one exception might be the gym or on-base commercial restaurants. Don’t try to go to the Officer’s Club without an explicit invitation unless you are/wore an officer. (Geez) Anything CONUS that is provided (i.e. Government furnished equipment) is and has been negotiated as part of the contract between the government and the corporation. This would be spelled out in the statement of work.OCONUS:Can work in much the same was as CONUS, but many times you obtain a Letter of Authorization (LOA) that is similar to a service members orders. This LOA tells you what additional benefits you might receive as a military contractor working for the military overseas. This is very clear on your LOA:Regardless of what your LOA says or doesn’t say, and regardless of who you are the; the two things that the military will always provides are emergency medical and security. Note it will be emergency care (i.e. you’ve just had a heart attack or been shot), not primary care. If you need primary care, it’s up to the company/you and not the military to arrange and pay for it.
What jobs are like the military?
Sure, but they probably have physical requirements and medical tests that need to be passed to join up, too. They're not going to leave the job open to anyone and everyone who has a condition. Jobs like diplomatic security (US State Department), for instance, will require you to be in tip top shape. I don't know if they use the exact same standards for those jobs as the military, but I'm pretty confident in assuming they're close if not exactly the same.