Many states and cities have undertaken the challenge from the federal government to end homelessness among veterans within their borders. While there have been varying degrees of success in this regard over the last year-plus, there are a number of superlative success stories, and Connecticut is the latest.

Earlier this month, the state of Connecticut received official certification from the federal government that there were effectively no homeless veterans living there, according to a report from the office of Gov. Dannel Malloy. This came about rather quickly, because the state only announced it had ended chronic veteran homelessness last summer, so to have effectively ended it altogether was a big step as well.

"This milestone is a major one – we have been a national leader on so many issues and today is yet another reflection," Malloy said. "We have a responsibility to take care of our veterans, to ensure that veterans have access to housing, quality health care, education, and career opportunities. We're proud to have achieved this ambitious goal."

Connecticut took on the challenge of ending veteran homelessness in 2014, the report said. At that time, the state did not even have a Department of Housing, but now, with the help of other agencies, nonprofit organizations, and more, the goal has been reached. After a review from a number of federal agencies including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the VA, the state received a congratulatory letter from first lady Michelle Obama to commemorate the milestone.

As more cities and states ramp up their efforts in partnership with nonprofits, these efforts could reach thousands more veterans nationwide and provide them with the stability that anti-homelessness programs can provide.

Across the country, many veterans may have pressing legal needs, but no real wherewithal to deal with those issues themselves. Fortunately, the state of Virginia will soon hold free legal clinics to help advise former service members about any legal questions they may have.

The first four days in March will feature one-day clinics all around Virginia, put on by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, the state attorney general, and the Virginia State Bar, according to a report from the attorney general's office. These will be focused on helping low-income veterans plan their estates, including the writing of wills, delegating powers of attorney, and giving medical directives. Veterans can sign up on the attorney general's website, in person at DVS offices, or by mail.

"Wills, powers of attorney, and advance medical directives are really important documents that can provide veterans, their partners, and families with peace of mind and planning for the future," said Attorney General Mark Herring.

Veterans need to be able to look out for and tap any services that can help them in their daily lives, because there are so many organizations which exist solely to better serve former service members nationwide.

While many organizations exist to help veterans get access to more military benefits, some still struggle to get all the assistance they need. To that end, one university in Virginia is taking an extra step to help former service members access the health care they need.

Old Dominion University in Norfolk will soon hold its first Health Fair for Veterans, where it will provide many different types of health care, according to a report from Norfolk television station ABC 13. That includes general physical, women's, and mental health services, as well as access to specialists in the fields of podiatry, vision, hearing, dentistry, and even chiropractors.

In addition, there will also be workers from nonprofits and local organizations who can help veterans get other kinds of assistance, including advice when trying to claim outstanding military benefits, the report said. This kind of help is also available for families of veterans.

Veterans should always try to be on the lookout for these kinds of events and programs, as they provide much-needed guidance that can improve the daily life of any former service member.

Military veterans making the transition back into civilian life need support. Fortunately, there are myriad resources they can turn to when things get difficult.

Look to fellow members of the military
Often, veterans struggling with life after service rely on the very men and women they served with, reported The New York Times. Many former soldiers form loose support networks and help fellow veterans adjust everyday life. They also provide aid in crisis situations.

“The guys we served with, they are the only ones we can really talk to,” Manny Bojorquez, a Marine veteran and a member of one of these networks, told The Times.

Others have established legitimate support organizations. One such group, called Team Rubicon, recruits veterans for international humanitarian missions. William McNulty, a Marine veteran and co-founder of Team Rubicon, says the organization helps ex-military members connect and focus on something bigger than themselves.

“Veterans believe in a team environment,” he told The Times. “They want to be part of a team bigger than themselves.”

Tap into traditional services
Despite its recent failings, the Department of Veterans Affairs does offer a variety of valuable services. The GI Bill has provided educational resources to millions of veterans since its establishment in 1944. And, the post-9/11 iteration of the program offers extra services, including vocational and technical training, tutorial assistance and on-the-job training.

According to U.S. News & World Report, over half of veterans who take advantage of the GI Bill and other comparable resources thrive after school. Almost a million former members of the military used education benefits programs in 2012.

Find third-party organizations
Many third-party groups offer assistance to veterans. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America provides a social media network catered to former members of the military and hosts hundreds of events across the country each year. It also lobbies Congress to take action on issues impacting active duty personnel and veterans, reported The Times.

The War Writers’ Campaign hosts writing workshops for veterans and provides financial support to those looking to publish their work.

“The mission right now is to promote social change surrounding veterans’ issues through written awareness,” Ryan Weemer, a Marine veteran and the group’s co-founder, said in an interview with The Times. “We feel that writing has that healing process. Therapy through communication.”

Families of military members and veterans certainly do not always have it easy, but organizations exist to help them with the various issues they face. To that end, a home in Nevada that will provide plenty of comfort in the coming years to those families will soon open.

The Fisher House in North Las Vegas is located near the VA hospital in the city, and is designed to provide temporary housing to families of active military members and veterans while they are being treated at the health care facility, according to a report from the Las Vegas Sun. The "comfort home," as these facilities are called, is the 69th to be opened in the U.S., and this one came in well ahead of schedule.

Crews weren't even supposed to begin construction on the building until next year, but the public fundraising goal of $3 million was met far more quickly than anyone expected, the report said. As a result, only a few last-minute touches need to be made before families can start moving in temporarily. The home will have 16 suites, including private bathrooms, in addition to communal amenities like kitchens, living rooms, patio, and so on.

"Over its lifetime, this home will serve thousands of warriors and their families, and that is something of which we should all be Nevada proud," Scott Bensing, president of the Nevada Military Support Alliance, told the newspaper.

These types of facilities are starting to crop up all over the country, and as such they are able to provide significant peace of mind to current military members, veterans, and their families as they go through difficult times. The more that can be done to provide this kind of help, the better off former service members and their loved ones will be.

Many cities and states across the country are now doing more to make sure veterans are getting the attention and military benefits they both need and deserve. However, the efforts being made in Rhode Island do not go far enough for the tastes of many veterans living there.

As a consequence, the state government is now close to hiring someone to oversee veteran affairs, and that job will likely have a concentration on outreach, especially when it relates to veterans benefits, according to a report from the Associated Press. Neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut both have multiple state officials whose work is focused in this area, so Rhode Island has plenty of catching up to do.

This lack of centralized help in the state seems to be related to a widespread problem many veterans run into: Even if they are eligible for certain benefits, they may not know about it, the report said. To that end, the state is actually looking to hire two caseworkers with salaries of about $56,000 each, specifically to deal with this issue. Those positions have been budgeted since 2014, but other things related to the jobs weren't approved until last July. The director's position has likewise been unfilled since it was funded last year.

''[Veterans] just don't know what's available to them,'' David Smith, commander of the Disabled American Veterans of Rhode Island, told the news organization. ''And I don't know if all the veterans' groups know all the information.''

Veterans who aren't receiving benefits, or who believe they're not receiving as much as they should, may want to reach out to organizations both public and private to determine whether they're due any assistance in this regard. Those benefits can go a long way toward helping them in their everyday lives.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 11 introduced legislation that would end the Selective Service System, reported The Wall Street Journal. This proposal comes amidst controversy surrounding the decision by Defense Secretary Ash Carter to open all combat positions in the U.S. military to women.

Reps. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Jared Polis, D-Colo. and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., sponsored the bill.

"Now that women are eligible to serve in combat roles and Congress debates how to proceed on the issue of draft inclusion, we should consider a full repeal of the draft and the abolition of the Selective Service," Coffman said in an interview with the newspaper.

Confronting controversy
Carter's decision in December forced Defense Department officials and legislators to reevaluate long-established military practices, including conscription. The Selective Service System currently requires male citizens and permanent residents 18-25 years of age to register.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., both veterans, proposed separate legislation earlier this month that would make women subject to conscription, reported The Washington Post. According to its authors, the bill was merely symbolic – a legislative protest against Carter's unilateral decision to open all combat positions to women.   

"If this Administration wants to send 18-20 year old women into combat, to serve and fight on the front lines, then the American people deserve to have this discussion through their elected representatives," Hunter said in a statement. "This discussion should have occurred before decision making of any type, but the fact that it didn't now compels Congress to take a honest and thorough look at the issue."

Hunter plans to vote against his own legislation.

According to NPR, top military officials have mixed views on the issue. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a recent hearing he would support legislation requiring women to register for the draft. Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps, said he would also support such a change.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus was less certain and called for more discussion on the matter. 

"This needs to be looked at as part of a national debate, given the changed circumstances," he said. 

A different conversation
Coffman and his co-sponsors on the bill to drop the draft are steering clear of the women-in-combat controversy altogether and addressing the Selective Service System on its own merits. He believes the concept of conscription itself is antiquated. Additionally, selective service enrollment is required for many government employment and loan programs which means those who don't sign up miss out valuable economic resources. 

"Not only will abolishing the selective service save the U.S. taxpayers money, it will remove an undue burden on our nation's young people," DeFazio told The Wall Street Journal. "We haven't utilized the draft since 1973, yet young men who don't register for the selective service are still penalized by the U.S. government, particularly with regards to their federal student loans." 

Selective service costs over $20 million each year.

Many veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder may find themselves in trouble with the authorities for a variety of reasons, and experts say that simply sending them to jail can set them back in their recovery process. Now, a U.S. lawmaker is looking to help deal with that issue.

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, introduced by U.S. Senator Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, would help set up Veterans Treatment Courts that would put former service members through an intensive recovery program after they are convicted, rather than sending them to jail, according to a report from the Columbus Dispatch. The bill recently passed committee hearings with unanimous support, and is now on its way to passing Congress.

"I think we should get it on the House floor relatively soon and with the support it has from both sides, I think we can get it on the president's desk," Portman told the newspaper.

This is one of many things that can be done at the local, state, or federal level to help veterans deal with the often invisible scars they carry after returning from service.

After service, veterans are typically entitled to a number of military benefits through the VA. However, many don't actually end up collecting them for one reason or another, and now a new group in California exists specifically to help them in this regard.

In Napa Valley, California, a group called Vet Connect gets together every month to help educate other former service members about the benefits to which they are entitled, according to a report from the Napa Valley Register. This is important work because, of the 11,000 or so veterans in the county, fewer than 1 in 5 are getting any such benefits at all.

"There are things available, probably things they didn't even realize," Larry Jackson, a Vietnam veteran who volunteers his time every month to help out with the event, told the newspaper. "I didn't know anything was available for 30 or 40 years. I didn't think anybody even cared."

The more veterans can do to understand the benefits they should be receiving, the better off they're going to be in terms of dealing with some of the common problems they and others like them may run into.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 9 passed a handful of veterans bills, reported the Military Times. The legislation addresses education, health and regulatory issues impacting former members of the military.

VA reform continues
In May 2014, federal investigators discovered that administrators at the Department of Veterans Affairs had manipulated waiting lists at a veterans medical center in Phoenix to cover up abnormally long wait times, reported The New York Times. As many as 1,700 patients failed to receive treatment as a result. This revelation set off a nationwide controversy over the department's seemingly mangled inner workings. Further investigations uncovered widespread internal disarray. Approximately 57,000 veterans had been waiting for treatment for at least three months and another 64,000 had never even seen a doctor despite requesting appointments for a decade.

Legislators promised to address the issue.

"It's time to put the partisanship aside and focus on what's right for our veterans," Sen. John Walsh of Montana told The Times.

In August 2014, President Barack Obama signed into law the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act which gave the VA $16 billion to overhaul its infrastructure, reported Politico.

On Feb. 9, the House added to the 2014 reform bill by passing an additional measure that would enable federal entities like the Army Corps of Engineers to oversee large-scale VA construction projects, reported The Times. According to Stars and Stripes, the VA is currently managing ongoing projects totaling $100 million. The House passed another bill that would require the department to assign specialized administrative teams to medical facilities that fail to meet regulatory expectations.

Addressing health concerns
According to the Los Angeles Times, legislators put through a piece of legislation that would fund suicide prevention programs for female veterans. The bill was designed to complement the Clay Hunt SAV Act, a 2015 law that requires the VA to periodically review its mental health guidelines. It would also require the VA and other government agencies to develop special mental health standards for veterans who took on classified combat roles. 

"This is an important first step," Rep. Julia Brownley of California, the bill's sponsor, said in an interview with the paper. "It's pretty simple and straightforward, but it's also a really important direction that the VA needs to go in." 

The House addressed benefits disbursement, passing legislation that would automate veterans' cost-of-living adjustments.

Improvements to the GI bill
Representatives passed another bill that would require higher education programs eligible for payment under the GI bill to obtain state accreditation and report on veteran enrollment.

"I strongly believe that we should take whatever steps necessary to simplify the veterans' education benefits our service members earned," Rep. Ken Calvert of California, the bill's sponsor, said in a statement.