As veteran unemployment hovers above the national average, some lawmakers are pushing for the creation of a Veterans Job Corp.
Democrat Senator Charles Schumer from New York says the veteran corp. would be similar to the already established AmeriCorp program.
Vets would be given one year of paid employment working for local governments or non-profits.
"Our heroes, who spent the first parts of their career protecting our national security, now will be put to work protecting our federal lands and local communities," Schumer said.
The senator says it’s all in the name of helping vets transition back into civilian life.
"Veterans and their families are often uprooted; they’re forced to move around the country. Or they’re unaware of or don’t qualify for employment assistance programs, particularly when they’re still overseas," said Schumer. "So they come here and they have to start from scratch. That’s flat out unacceptable."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists veterans’ unemployment at 12.1 percent. In central New York there were 2,602 veterans out of work in 2010, according to Schumer.
The Veterans Corp would be paid for through tax delinquency fees collected by the IRS.