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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMegan Ilnicky started as the programs manager in April. Previously, she served in the Marine Corps, separating from the service in 2004 and worked for the Congress\u2019s Chief Administration Office Wounded Warrior Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVeterans, current active military, family members, and spouses have faced unique challenges throughout their careers, particularly when starting a second career or transitioning to a new government agency,\u201d Ilnicky said. \u201cThey need assistance to help them manage this change, as well as guidance on how to navigate multiple government bureaucracies simultaneously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The program was created after a department initiative known as Talent Care and their veterans assistance working group conducted a survey of the veteran workface asking what is it they need. The answer was a single landing place for all their queries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While all the necessary information to answer their questions was accessible before the VSP was created, it was disjointed. The veterans either had to scourer the State Department\u2019s intranet or reach out to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The burden to find answers fell largely on the shoulders of the veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe biggest challenge I have observed has been helping veterans access their benefits and connect them with helpful resources,\u201d Ilnicky said. \u201cOften veterans are not sure where to turn for the information they need, and I help point them in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The program is broken down into three major areas of focus: guidance and support, advocacy and policy and partnership and collaberation. Information on Military Buy Back and Disabled Veteran Leave are just two examples of benefits with highly requested assistance, according to Ilnicky. And given the time constraints for both, if they are not handled properly, a veteran can loose their ability to use the entitlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The VSP is running a pilot program in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which has the largest percentage of veterans in its workforce. After the program is completed and best practices complied, it will be rolled out department-wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in September, the program will be holding a department-wide listening session in partnership with colleagues from other parts of the department in order to better align the new resources they have available to them now that the program is created with the needs of the veteran workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe positive impact of the Veteran Support Program cannot be overstated,\u201d Ilnicky said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Veterans Support Program at the State Department is a single touch-point for all veteran employees to access resources or ask questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":37775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":9,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3386],"class_list":["post-34465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-transition"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"CEPVES7UUVCAXOAO3WA2NXI6LE","arc_canonical_url":"\/management\/career\/2022\/08\/17\/us-state-department-creates-one-stop-shop-for-supporting-veterans\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n