Veterans have hard time finding work, services fall short

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People walk past a homeless war veteran explaining his plight hoping for assistance while standing along Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, on August 22, 2012. The US Congress's budget analysts said today that current plans designed to slash the budget deficit after January 1 will plunge the country into recession and push up joblessness.

The report, released by the University of Southern California, finds a quarter of veterans are unemployed and, among those with jobs, many work for meager wages.

California has more than 1.8 million service members, the highest of any state. And, each year, about 12,000 more veterans settle in Los Angeles County.

After more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the transition to civilian life remains tough for many — even services that are supposed to help veterans are falling short, according to a report from the University of Southern California School of Social Work.

"Our veterans today seem to be struggling more with employment, and the psychological and physical health," says Anthony Hassan, director of the school's Center for Innovation and Research for Veterans and Military Families. He's the co-author of the report, which found a quarter of veterans are unemployed and, among those with jobs, many work for meager wages.

Read the full story: Survey finds many LA veterans unemployed or earning poverty wages