I WANT IT ALL!! Little Known Veteran Benefits

This information was found at http://militarybenefits.info/10-veterans-benefits-you-may-not-know-about/#ixzz4Rb2Ohn7j.  On Monday I will share information about the Aid & Attention benefits.

Have a great weekend and as always thank you for your support.

TTYL- Be blessed.

Many veterans know about the basic health care and education benefits available to them through the Department of Veterans Affairs: Tricare and the GI Bill.­­­ While these benefits alone are substantial, numerous other programs help provide more benefits to veterans and their families. Even within the health care and education programs are little-known benefits to improve the lives of veterans and help ease the financial burden of medical care or other expenses. Here are 10 veterans benefits you may have not heard about that all veterans should see if they qualify for.

1.     Long-term Care
Long-term care is expensive, but often necessary to provide care for aging relatives. Through the Aid and Attendance program, many veterans are eligible to receive money to cover the cost of nursing homes, assisted living programs and other long-term care options. With the ability for couples to receive up to $25,020 a year, the Aid & Attendance benefit will help take care of a significant portion of long-term care costs. Surviving spouses of veterans are also eligible to receive up to $13,560 a year to cover their long-term care costs.

2.     Caregiver Support
Should you choose to take care of an ailing Veteran at home, the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a caregiver support program. While this program does not offer any monetary support to caregivers, they are provided with a free support line and a caregiver support coordinator to help navigate military benefits and the stress of care giving.

3.     Death Benefits
When a veteran dies, families have a few unique benefits available to them. A U.S. flag may be requested to drape over the casket and families may request a Presidential Memorial Certificate to honor the deceased loved ones service. The Department of Veterans Affairs also provides free headstones or grave markers.

4.     Certification Programs
In addition to receiving credits to use toward a college degree, the GI Bill offers up to $2,000 to help cover the cost of certification courses or other vocational training programs. This benefit will work well for veterans who wish to change careers or pursue a career path that does not require a college degree.

5.    Transferring GI Bill Credits
Unused credits through the GI Bill may be transferred to spouses and dependents of veterans. There are service limits required to transfer the benefits.

6.    Free Tax Preparation
Veterans and their family have access to free tax preparation services through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance offices on military bases. The individuals who work in the offices have expertise working with the complicated nature of military-related tax issues.

7.    Life Insurance
Many veterans have trouble obtaining traditional life insurance, particularly if they sustained an injury during their time of service. Through the Servicemembers’ and Veterans’ Group Life Insurance program, veterans may receive up to $400,000 in life insurance. This program also offers competitive premium rates.

8.    Mortgage Help
Veterans having trouble making their mortgage payments are eligible for repayment assistance through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Options for help include special repayment plans, loan forbearance and loan modification programs. Additional benefits are available for veterans with VA loans and for homeless veterans.

9.    VA Foreclosures
The VA maintains a list of homes serviced by VA loans that have gone into foreclosures. Veterans have the ability to search the list of VA acquired properties and purchase homes at a discount. You do not have to be a veteran to search the properties, but all properties qualify for VA financing.

10.    American Corporate Partners
American Corporate Partners connects veterans with top companies to help them obtain a job after their time of service. Along with being connected to job opportunities, veterans have the opportunity to receive one-on-one mentoring and other career development services.

FAQ

How do I get life insurance as discussed above?

Visit the VA’s Servicemembers’ & Veterans’ Group Life Insurance website. It provides everything you need to know.  http://www.benefits.va.gov/insurance/vgli.asp

1. Long-term Care, – “With the ability for couples to receive up to $25,020 a year, the pension;” does pension here mean a Vet must be receiving a military pension to be eligible for this benefit?

You must establish eligibility for basic VA pension first. However, this enhanced pension is based on a higher income limit so even if you’re not eligible for the VA basic pension you may still be eligible the  A & A program. The VA Pension for Veterans programs is a benefit paid to wartime Veterans who have limited or no income, and who are age 65 or older, or, under 65, and are permanently and totally disabled, or, a patient in a nursing home, or, are receiving Social Security disability payments.

Who should be contacted in regards to American Corporate Partners for job employment / training?

Here is the American Corporate Partners website link to contact them. http://www.acp-usa.org/

How can you acquire a list of VA Foreclosed homes & properties?

Find local Veterans Affairs offices here. http://www.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp?isflash=1

After the VA acquires a foreclosed property they are added to the local Multiple Listing Systems or MLS which local veterans affairs offices and/or real estate agents have access to.

PCs & PJs - Work From Home Opportunities

I'm sorry this is so late today but I had an appointment at the VA today and well, it took a little bit longer than I thought.  But that's a story for another day.  Today I would like to share with you some viable work at home and entrepreneur opportunities for veterans and their spouses.  The list below is from militarybenefits.com.

I did check Xerox and Uhaul and they both have remote positions open.  Other companies include Dell Amazon, Discover Bank, Aetna and Humana.  Also take a look at "The Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) and Work from Home Jobs – Over 200 companies have pledged to expand employment opportunities for military spouses through the MSEP."

Today I received an email from AT&T and they have a new program where they have pledged to hire 20,000 veterans by 2020.  You can watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZOwGdWbaYs&sns=em.

I hope that this information has been helpful.

As always, thank you for your support.

TTYL - Be blessed!!

Work for a Major Corporation – Companies like Xerox offer work from home opportunities including customer care, administrative support, data entry, software programming and much.  The even have a program called Heroes@Home that seeks qualified veterans and military spouses.  Uhaul and many other corporations have opportunities as well.

Prepared Meals/Dinners – Cook meals for neighborhood families and optionally deliver for families that don’t have time to cook on their own every night. The best part is that you can set the frequency such as daily, every Thursday night or several times a week. The profits can add up quickly, for instance if you have 15 families/orders at $30 a meal that’s $450 less your food cost. Plus, your families dinner is cooked and ready as well. Take it to another level with parent and kids meals, healthy, organic and/or gluten free.  For more information read “How to Start a Meals to Go Business“.

Travel Agent – If you love to travel you can partner with an accredited host agency to plan travel for others.  American Express has many work at home positions available and so do many other travel agencies.

Call Center Representative – An emerging trend is “home shore” representatives and companies like Alpine Access are specifically offering employment to military spouses.

Medical Transcriptionist – Transcribe recorded messages from medical professionals to written medical documents.

Recruiter – Get affiliated with a Human Resource recruiting agency and work independently from home.  There are thousands of them.

Teach or Tutor Online – Companies such as Kaplan, Tutor.com and many others offer positions as tutors and online instructors.  Typically the same qualifications and educational requirements need to be met as traditional tutors and teachers.

Article Writing – Write articles about your travels at different duty stations. On base magazines and military websites are often times looking for these articles, especially in OCONUS areas.

Freelance Work – Try websites such as Elance.com and Odesk.com that connect people with companies that pay for personal assistance, data entry, article writing, graphic design, translators and much more.

Start a Blog – Blog writing can be fun and profitable while writing about things you love.  Once successful you can join blog networks such as BlogHer to further increase your income and have a successful website such as ArmyWife101.  Some of these military wives make thousands of dollars every month.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE!!!

Yesterday I said that I would talk about at home jobs for veterans, but as those of you who read my blog on a daily basis know, I am prone to shift course depending on what I read or think about throughout my day.  I did share with you about the services that are offered through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, as well a link to learn more, www.doleta.gov/wioa, and to find your local office.

However, as I was thinking about one of the biggest barriers I had to employment when coming out of the military it had more to do with who I was and how I interacted with others than on actually being able to find a job.  I’ve been out for quite a few years now so I have assimilated somewhat to the life of a civilian.  To this day I still can’t carry my purse on my right shoulder.  I’m so used to keeping that hand free for saluting. JAs I thought about when I first came out of the military I started to remember some of the things that people would say to me regarding my behavior.  Some of the things they noticed were small, such as the way I walk, shoulders straight, some of them were a lot more serious and had a larger impact on my ability to hold onto a job.

I remember one of my first jobs when I came out was working at the American Red Cross in Virginia Beach, VA, as a temporary employee.  I had made friends with a young lady and over the course of time we because quite close.  One day we were out to lunch and she just stopped and looked at me.  I asked her what was wrong and what she said had a profound effect on me.  She looked me in the eyes and asked me, “Why is it that you cuss so much?  You really don’t have to say those types of words to get your point across.”  I was truly dumbfounded.  Having been in the Navy, I literally cussed like a sailor.  It never occurred to me that this type of language was unacceptable because it was pretty much second nature for me to pepper my speech with a few well-placed cuss words.  I’m not going to say that this was the moment I used my last cuss word, but it was the moment that I became more aware of the differences between military and civilian life.  I truly think this was one of the reasons that when the job I was doing became permanent they didn’t offer it to me, even though they all felt that I was doing a great job.

While that may seem a petty reason to some of you, as it has been shown in study after study, being able to fit into the culture of a company is very important.  You either adapt, change the culture, or leave the company.  When I first came to my current company we had an open position that we were interviewing for.  One of the interviewees was an ex-Army guy and the other was not.  After we completed the interviews I wanted to go with the ex-military guy but the other two in the room did not.  They felt that he was too rigid and didn’t have much of a sense of humor or personality, both of which are very important for the job that we were recruiting for.  I tried to explain to them that he was conducting himself in the manner of a disciplined, career soldier.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get them to change their minds.  They ended up hiring the other guy and firing him after only a couple of months.  Unfortunately, all too often veterans are passed over because of the perception of employers, and those characteristics that are unique to us.   

I came across an organization that is doing great work to help veterans transition into civilian life and gain employment.  Their websites are PatrioticHearts.org and HirePatriots.com.  Please visit them to see if there are any services they offer that may be of assistance to you.

Also, if anything I am saying is helping or hurting you please leave me a comment.  I appreciate all feedback whether it is positive or negative.

As always, thank you for your support.

TTYL- Be blessed.

I NEED A JOB!!!

I remember when I first got out of the Navy that I didn't give working with the Federal Government a single thought.  I actually started looking for jobs in the private sector and was blessed to get a great job with Frito Lay.  Unfortunately, when I left Virginia and moved to Georgia, Frito Lay didn't have anything available that matched my skillset.  Somehow I ended up working with AT&T, Publix Supermarket, and Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo).  I truly had no idea what I wanted to do.  By the time I realized that I would really love a Federal job it was too late.  My little veterans points didn't do much to help me get in, even though I am still trying.  Currently, 1 in 3 Federal employees are veterans so it may be a bit easier for me now.

In the meantime, I applied for a job that I had no idea what it was.  All I knew was that it was a County job and I liked the idea of working for my local County.  Imagine my surprise when I found that it was the perfect fit for me.  I now had a job that would allow me to help others, while also preparing me for that coveted Federal job I'm going to get soon.  :-)

I don't know how many of you have ever heard of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014.  It has been around for several years with different names but now it is known as WIOA.  Under this act we are given funds to assist individuals with getting back to work.  And as veterans you will receive "priority of service".  The act also has several programs that help you go back to school.  This is really good for those of you who may have skills in a certain area but are not certified.  You can also complete your Bachelors degree if you are within 2-years of completion.

We also work with youth between the ages of 16-24 who are unemployed or under-employed.  If they don't have their high schoool diploma or GED we can help them study for those, as well as pay for the test. We can also help adults in obtaining their GED as well.

I work in the Business Services side.  I work with businesses who have open positions and I assist them in filling those positions.  We offer them On-the-Job training opportunities, where we reimburse them a portion of an individuals salary, and we can help them train their current workers, as long as they are upskilling them.

The great part about this program is that it is totally free to the participant.  Of course there are eligibility requirements but if you are unemployed, under-employed, or have been laid off from your job through no fault of your own, you are pretty much assured of being eligible.  Here is the link to the website if you want to learn more - https://www.doleta.gov/wioa/.  This is a Federal program so it is available in all states and United States territories.  You can Google your local WIOA office to locate the one closest to you.

We also work very closely with the State Department of Labor offices.  They also offer employment assistance.  There are Local Veteran Employment Reps (LVERS) and Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists (DVOPS) onsite.  In my current role I send them the open jobs that I get and they forward the information to the qualified veteran.

I would encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities if you find that you are having a hard time obtaining employment.  There are some great resources out there but many people just don't know where to go to find them.

Tomorrow I'm going to share with you some great work at home jobs.  These are great for those of you who are unable to leave your home or if you just want to earn some additonal income.

As always, thank you for your support.

TTYL - Be blessed!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Today I would like to take this time to wish each and every one of you a wonderful and happy THANKSGIVING!!

While this is a specific day set aside for giving thanks, I truly believe that every day that we are allowed to wake up is a day to give thanks.  I know that some of you, and myself on some days, waking up means waking up to pain.  Whatever your pain is, whether it be mental or physical, know that you are not alone and that there are those of us who pray for your strength everyday.

I started this blog as a means to share information about various veteran programs and benefits but it has evolved into so much more.  I have learned so much about the struggles of others and how what I think is a big deal is really just a drop in the bucket compared to those of you whose stories I've had the opportunity to read.

I know that sometimes it gets hard to see the good when there is so much bad in our lives.  As I shared before I suffer from fibromyalgia and one of the symptoms is depression.  Some days I wake up with such a heavy cloud of depression over my head that I don't know how I'm going to get enough energy to get out of the bed, let alone make it through the whole day.  Now, I have to be open and honest here, I do have reasons to be sad.  Not everything in my life is going as smooth as I would like it to go and I know that some of you have these same types of issues going on in your life.

How do I move past this?  Believe me it is not simple but it is essential.  In order for me to move forward I have to find those reasons that make me want to go on.  When the cloud of depression weighs heavy, before I even get out of the bed, I take the time to go through my mind and list all of the positive things in my life.  And I know that some of you may think that you don't have anything positive but I promise you that you do.  If you are able to read this post then that means you are alive, you have access to a computer or smart phone, you have shelter, you have your sight, and you have your right mind.  There are so many others who didn't wake up or who did and have no idea where they are.

So today, on this day of Thanksgiving I challenge each of you to come up with those things in your life that put a smile on your face.  And if you can't think of anything, know that despite what it looks like I am praying for you, and I have some really powerful prayers.  So even if you don't believe in prayer, believe that there will be a better day for you if you just hold on.

As always, thank you for your support and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

TTYL - Be blessed!!

THEY HEARD MY CRY!!!

Last week I did a post about finding the good in the individuals who are tasked with providing customer service to us, through the Veterans Administration.  This was aimed at both those in the medical side, as well as the benefits side.  A friend and fellow vet posted that she couldn’t think of anything and to me this was really sad.  And for this particular person to say this really says a lot about our VA services.  She is one of the most kind-hearted people I know and always seeks to find the good in everyone and every situation.

Well hopefully today I will give her at least a small glimmer of hope that there are those who really have a heart for serving veterans.  Those who are closes to me, and some who aren’t, know that I am a writer.  And when I say writer, I’m not talking about blogs, books, poetry, or anything of that sort.  I’m talking about writing to let someone know that I did not receive the level of service that I feel that I should have.  I have written to the White House, the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Robert McDonald, and to the local VA Director here in Atlanta. 

Now one would think that just writing to the Director would get you some response, but alas that is not so.  The quickest turn around I have received is from writing to the White House and to Secretary McDonald.  And while this is not a political statement, I do want to share that Secretary McDonald has made his email public (robert.a.mcdonald@va.gov), I’m not so sure that this will be the case when a new Secretary is appointed, so I suggest you send your requests to him immediately.  You will usually get a response from someone within 5-10 business days.

That is an excellent segue into what I want to share with you today.  I wrote to Secretary McDonald on November 7, 2016 because I was getting some shady, in my opinion, responses to my disability claims.  Shady is code word for “denied” (lol).  Anyway, I received a call from Kimberly Robinson yesterday and when I say she was a breath of fresh air, I truly mean it.  I missed her first call and before I could even call her back, after listening to her message, she was calling me again.  Mind you it was already 4:50pm and she knew that she would be speaking with me for a while.  She was so funny because she told me that this is what she does best and she just loves talking and helping people.

We actually stayed on the phone for about 30-minutes.  She took time to go through my claims and to explain to me what I could and should have done better.  She gave me all of the options that I had to get a better rating.  She also explained to me that even though the descriptions for your back are separate, they group them together when doing the rating.  This kept throwing me off because I didn’t understand that and I knew that my pain was in my entire back, and not just my lower back, which my initial rating is for.  That doesn’t make sense to me so my next goal is to try to get some change in how ratings are done.  If anyone is interested in joining me please let me know.

As always, I tend to drift a little but I’m back now.  As I was saying about Ms. Robinson, she explained many things about the claims process that I didn’t know.  She also told me that because it has been less than a year that I can do a “reconsideration” instead of doing a Notice of Disagreement” (NOD) and eventually an Appeal.  She is sending me all of the information that I need and she also advised that I go to a private doctor to have them fill out my DBQ.  I will keep you all posted on how that goes.  She’s also sending me all of her contact information and told me that I can call and email her personally.

While I appreciate all of the help that she is giving me the one thing about her that stood out the most was when she said to me, “Don’t worry.  There are still some of us who truly want to help”.  This gives me hope that eventually the good will spread and we will all get those who truly want to help.

As always, thank you for your support.

TTYL – Be blessed.

Oh yeah, I’m going to write a letter regarding the great service I received from Ms. Robinson today.  I'm an equal opportunity writer!!!

DO THEY KNOW?!!

Do they know that every morning it is a struggle for me to get up because of the pain in my back and entire body?  Do they know that if I don’t take at least 3, 200mg tablets of Ibruprofen before going to bed that the above struggle becomes next to impossible?  Do they know that I have to drive with a pillow behind my back because the pain is so great, beginning in my neck and ending at my lower back?

Do they know that you have had to have your knees, hips, and other joints replaced because of injuries you suffered while protecting their country, freedom, and liberty?  Do they know that sometimes you just want to end it all because of the horrors that you have had to witness on their behalf and that PTSD is real?  Do they know…?

My mind was so disturbed after I watched a video of a police officer who harassed a disabled veteran for parking in a handicapped parking spot because in his “informed” opinion, the veteran did not look disabled.  Mind you he had the disabled veteran license plate so I’m not sure exactly what else he needed.  The police officer approached him and had the nerve to tell him that because he walked up to the store and back that he wasn’t disabled.  He even got so angry with the veteran that he slapped his phone out of his hand for recording him.  You can hear the veteran letting him know that he was in an IED explosion while serving in the Middle East and the officer still continued to harass him.

While this is an extreme case, and luckily the officer is facing charges, incidents like this happen all the time.  I was actually thinking about getting the disabled veteran tag but this type of behavior gives me pause.  I don’t understand why there are those who assume that because you aren’t missing a limb or are in some other way visibly disabled that you aren’t.  Please don’t take this as a slight to those of you who have experienced the pain and anguish of losing a part of yourself, or that I am making light of it.  I truly appreciate your sacrifice and thank you from the bottom of my heart.  My point here is to simply point out that there are those of us who on the surface may not look like we have been designated as disabled, simply because you can’t see it.

If you have experienced this type of bias I am truly sorry.  As with everything the only thing we can do is educate those around us because unless they have X-ray vision they have know idea what is going on inside of another's body.  I read stories everyday about the pain that you all are suffering and how difficult it is just to make it through the day. And to have someone belittle or accuse you of faking, when they have never experienced what you are feeling, is adding insult to injury.  I think I’m going to create a t-shirt that says something like, “Careful around magnets – I’ve got metal replacement parts” or “Don’t Feed the Angry, Disabled Vet”.  Please don’t take me seriously.  I’m just trying to add a little humor to a situation where there truly is none.

As always, thank you for your support.

TTYL – Be Blessed!!