Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and David Connell, Cobb Chamber president and CEO, sit at the head of a veterans service organization roundtable discussion at the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce building in Atlanta, Sept. 30, 2014. The group is comprised of more than 30 veterans organization representatives, community leaders and government officials, and gathered to discuss issues effecting veterans. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Nathan Gallahan)
ATLANTA —
The Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff joined veterans service organizations, community leaders and government officials for a roundtable discussion on veterans' support at the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce Building here, Sept. 30.
"The greater Atlanta area is passionate about taking care of their 800,000 veterans," Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia said. "So I wanted to see how well their veteran employment and long-term healthcare programs are taking care of that veteran community. I also wanted to advocate for and talk about the Transition GPS program with the veterans service organizations and military service organizations."
The roundtable offered participants an opportunity to discuss a variety of topics directly with the SEAC.
"The organizations had a chance to share their concerns and to get some feedback from him on how to better take care of our veterans and find out what his concerns are and what we can do better and smarter," said Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Greene, senior enlisted leader for the Georgia National Guard. "They were also able to share some of their concerns that they have received from the veterans they deal with every day and push it to him knowing it's going to get to the very top."
One of the main topics of discussion was the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs eBenefits website, which is a central location for veterans, servicemembers, and their families to research, find, access, and manage their benefits and personal information.
"This was an eye opener today," said Lou Battaglia, an active member of the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association and host of the event. "I feel a lot of the veterans service organizations didn't know about the services offered on the eBenefits website until the SEAC talked about them today. Now that the VSO representatives know what's available, they'll implement them within their own service organizations to help veterans transitioning from military to civilian life."
Following the roundtable, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce organized a social that brought together a few Fortune 500 companies and the rest of the representatives. It gave them a chance to discuss what the companies are looking for and how best to link them into the community of veterans looking for jobs.
"They really expressed a desire to hire veterans because of their unique skill sets they bring to the workforce," Sgt. Maj. Battaglia said. "Now, we need to learn how to better educate the VSOs, MSOs and these companies on the tools and resources available to connect veterans with prospective employers. We do a good job within the Department of Defense, but we still have a way to go to spread the word though out communities like this."