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PDHRA (Post Deployment Health Reassessment) held at Ft Mc Henry, MD.
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The PDHRA Team, Veterans
Affairs, Vet Center, LCDR (USN Res) Akil King, & TRICARE reps cycled 75 Sailors through
the PDHRA evolution during three sessions encompassing all day
Saturday and Sunday morning, 20-21 Jan., 2007. The event was a part of the PDHRA held at Ft. Mc Henry, MD.
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| LCDR (USN Res) Akil King, and a MD ESGR member, give an
ESGR briefing to sailors at the Ft McHenry Naval Reserve Center. |
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The Maryland ESGR
Committee
is Very Busy "Getting the Word Out"
The volunteer members of the
Maryland ESGR Committee stay busy all year round, contacting
employers and briefing Guard and Reserve units on their rights
and responsibilities under the law when employees are called to
military duty. They want to be sure that this difficult
situation for both employers and employees is weathered as
smoothly as possible. Our nation depends on--and
appreciates--the sacrifices of both groups. Below are
pictures of some of the highlights of the committee's activities
so far thus year.
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On February
21st, Smith-Barney and the Calvert County
Chamber of Commerce signed ESGR 5-Star Statements of
Support in Dunkirk, MD. Shown at left (L-to-R)
are Col. Ben Jablecki, Executive Director of the
Maryland ESGR Committee; Bill Chambers, VP of the
Calvert County Chamber of Commerce; John Wilt,
Smith-Barney employee and Major, US Army Reserve;
Thomas Bird, Sr. VP of Investments for Smith-Barney;
George Owens, Secretary of the Maryland Department
of Veterans Affairs. MAJ Wilt was
deployed to Afghanistan for 12 months and he
nominated his employer and the Chamber of Commerce
for ESGR awards for the support they provided while
he served overseas. |
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The Howard
County Chamber of Commerce signed a 5-Star Statement
of Support during their Annual Meeting on May 3,
2006. At left, Chamber Chairman is
congratulated by MD-ESGR Member Lisa Oliveri.
At right, MD-ESGR Employer Outreach Chair Roger
Weaver congratulates Chamber President Pam Kahlr.
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MD-ESGR Member
Butch Hensel (R) and Maryland Air National Guard
Chief Master Sergeant Mark Maselli (not pictured)
gave an ESGR presentation to over 250 Papa Johns
Pizza store owners, franchisers and managers in
Atlantic City, NJ on May 24th. A 5-Star
Statement of Support was awarded to the group.
Plans are being made for Papa John's founder to sign
a corporate 5-Star Statement of Support in September
at the Nationwide Owners Meeting.
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At left, GEICO
Vice President for Human Resources David Schnidler
signs a 5-Star Statement of Support at GEICO's Chevy
Chase headquarters on May 26th. Looking on
(R-to-L) are Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Boyd Cook, Chairman
of the Maryland ESGR Committee; Roger Weaver,
Employer Outreach Chair of the Maryland Committee;
and MAJ Larry Guenther, Northeast Regional Deputy
Director of the National ESGR Committee. At
right, Gen. Cook talks ESGR issues with retired
Sergeant Major of the Army Richard Kidd who is
currently a GEICO Vice President. |
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Baltimore County Executive Receives
ESGR 7-Seals Award and Signs
5-Star Statement of Support
On December 8,
2005, Brig. Gen. Art Pulket (MD ARNG, Ret.), Vice Chairman of
the Maryland ESGR Committee, presented the Seven Seals Award to
Baltimore County Executive James Smith for his support of
Baltimore County Employees that are members of the Guard and
Reserve. Before the ceremony, County Executive Smith signed the
5-Star ESGR Statement of Support.
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| Left to right: Brig.
Gen. (Ret) Art Pulket, MD ESGR Committee Vice Chair
and Awards Chairman; Col. Ben Jablecki, MD ESGR
Executive Director; Col. (Ret) Rick Knauer, MD ESGR
Baltimore County Chair; Baltimore County Executive
Jim Smith; Lt. Col. Butch Hensel, MD ESGR
Program Support Specialist; and Lt. Col. Mike Comeau,
MD Army National Guard and Assistant Baltimore
County Attorney. |
County Executive Smith
was nominated for the award by Lt. Col. Mike Comeau, a member of
the Maryland Army National Guard, for introducing and sponsoring
legislation (Baltimore County Bill 107-05) to pay salary
differential and extend health care benefits to Baltimore County
employees that are called to federal or state active duty. The
legislation increased coverage for county employees that were
called or volunteered for active duty to assist in support of
clean up operations from hurricane Katrina and Rita.
Mike Comeau is a
Baltimore County employee and a member of the Maryland Army
National Guard. He has deployed to Afghanistan and to Louisiana
in support of various missions.
Governor Ehrlich
Asks Employers to
Support the Guard and Reserve
Maryland
Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. has sent the following letter to
over 137,000 private sector employers in Maryland with a copy of
the Department of Labor's
United Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
poster:
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Dear Employer:
As
governor,
I am
responsible for the health and welfare of thousands
of employees throughout the State of Maryland,
including those who have chosen to serve in
Maryland’s National Guard, Reserves and/or Armed
Services.
It is
important for all Americans to support our uniformed
men and women who often must leave their places of
employment to serve our Country at home or abroad in
the noble effort to protect, defend, and restore
freedom around the world. Accordingly, I have asked
all state managers and supervisors to post the
enclosed Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) poster in their
offices. I now ask you, as a private sector
employer, to assist in this supportive effort by
posting the information in your workplace.
The Veterans Benefits Improvement Act, enacted by
Congress in December 2004 and administered by the
U.S. Department of Labor, mandates that employers
provide the notice to “all persons entitled to
rights and benefits under USERRA.” Employers may
meet this obligation by posting it in a prominent
place where employees customarily check for such
information. For more information about USERRA,
call 1-866-4-USA-DOL or visit
www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra/.
The Maryland
Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve (ESGR) can be a great partner and resource
to you in improving your understanding of these
valuable and necessary military employees. They can
provide free education, consultation, and if
necessary, mediation for employers of Guard and
Reserve employees. The Maryland ESGR Committee may
be reached by calling 410-234-3809 or visiting their
website at
www.mdesgr.org.
I
join Congress, the Labor Department, and ESGR in
their commitment
to ensure that our military men and
women have the opportunities they deserve when they
return to civilian life, and I encourage you to
share this poster with your employees.
Thank you for your assistance in this necessary
endeavor.
Best
regards.
Very truly yours,
Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.
Governor |
Social
Security Administration Signs On for ESGR
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Social Security
Administration Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart (seated center)
signs an ESGR 5-Star State of Support. She is joined
at the table by Maryland ESGR Chair Maj. Gen. (Ret) Boyd Cook (left) and
Mary Dougherty, a retired reservist employee of the SSA who
was named by Commissioner Barnhart to be the official SSA
contact for ombudsman problems in the Administration. Ms.
Dougherty also became a Maryland ESGR Committee volunteer at
the signing. Included in the ceremony were a number of SSA
employee members of the Guard and Reserve (standing). |
ESGR Volunteer Volunteers to "Re-serve"
 Montgomery
County ESGR Chairman, Lt. Col. Mike Sternfeld, US Army Reserve
(Retired), has volunteered for recall to active duty. He
reported to the US Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Affairs
Command at Fort Bragg, NC, in April 2005, and is scheduled to
deploy to Iraq in June. Mike (left) is pictured receiving a Seven
Seals Award from State Chairman Maj. Gen. (Ret) Boyd Cook in 2004
for his work with AMTRAK employee-reservists.
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2004 Starts, Ends on
High Notes as Governor
Signs Support Statement, Keynotes Employer Luncheon
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| Committee Chair Maj. Gen.
(Ret.) Boyd Cook , Governor Robert Ehrlich, and Maj. Gen.
Bruce Tuxill, Maryland’s Adjutant General (seated, left to
right), at Proclamation signing. Behind are representatives
of Maryland’s military services. |
The
year 2004 started off on a high note after Maryland Governor Robert
Ehrlich signed a statement of support in late 2003 and ended on a high
note in December as the Governor delivered a keynote address at a
luncheon honoring Maryland employers on December 10. Much of the year
was spent providing assistance to units and individuals called up in
support of the war effort. A bosslift in June took more than 30
employers to the Seattle/Tacoma area for a three-day exploration of
Reserve/Guard activities in Washington. In April, members of the
Maryland committee attended a regional training conference in Maine
sponsored by the National ESGR Committee at which a featured speaker was
Maryland’s own Gen. (Ret.) Dana Tawes. Several new members were added to
the Maryland Committee roster during the year, and a new staff member
joined the Committee as full-time staff. Toward year’s end, Ombudsman
Chair Fred Samuelson passed on the chairmanship to a successor. Local
committees were active throughout 2004, and Maryland Chair Maj. Gen. (Ret.)
Boyd Cook and Executive Director Col. Ben Jablelcki brought the ESGR
message to many Marylanders as they met with groups and associations.
Served In Iraq? Come Work For Us
Reservists -- and the skills they've honed -- are in
demand at a slew of big companies
(from Business Week - December 13, 2004)
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