"If you've ever worked with a veteran before, you probably already know their tolerance for nonsense is low," says Garrett Sorensen of AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust (and an Army veteran himself). In spite of that low tolerance, many of the over 19.5 million veterans currently in the United States have had to deal with "nonsense" in the form of difficulties obtaining employment, housing, and educational assistance. Although the U.S. Department of Labor reported the 3.1% veteran unemployment rate in 2019 as "the lowest in 19 years," that rate has since increased to 5.9% as of October 2020. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs most recent count of homeless vets reached 37,085 in 2019. So where are the most ideal states in the nation for veterans to live where that low tolerance for nonsense won't be sorely tested? A new study from WalletHub has some suggestions. Related: 4 key tips and considerations for advising military veterans in retirement For their survey, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities using four key criteria: Employment, Economy, Quality of Life, and Health. Those criteria included metrics such as share of military skill-related jobs, housing affordability, retiree friendliness, and WalletHub's own "States with the Best Health Infrastructure for Coronavirus" ranking. Much of the current veteran unemployment is due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think the biggest issue facing veterans today is successfully transitioning from military life to civilian life," says Daryl Griffin, co-manager and veterans advisor for Veterans Services Resource Center at CUNY LaGuardia Community College. "The most important thing for veterans when transitioning is knowing what benefits are available to them. When I transitioned, I had no clue what I had access to. I knew that I was eligible for something but I didn't know how to access it. It was like playing darts blindfolded." Kimberly Bloodgood, director of the Office for Veterans and Military Personnel at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, says, "In my opinion, veterans need to go where the jobs are. If they are going home to be near family and there are not any jobs that will assist them in maintaining their lifestyle then they will be truly disappointed. During military orientation, I tell my students that I drive 74 miles one way to get to work not only because I love what I do, but you have to go where the jobs are. If that means living 74 miles so that I can have peace and serenity then so be it." See WalletHub's top ten best cities for veterans above, and click here for the full study.
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