Before you go to sleep at night, if you are watching the news on TV or listening to radio and/or reading the Wall Street Journal you will see, hear or read news about unemployment, and lay offs across the board. Many people are not buying homes, cars nor stocks, just delaying any purchases until they feel safe in the job at the company where they are employed or see some stability in the small businesses they own and manager. Others see the present time as the wrong time to start or expand their business. Including for-profit, not-for-profit called 501(c)3 among, other names and numbers.

While others are busy starting, expanding and revamping their businesses, with the goal to be prepared to take advantage of the demands from the pinup needed created by the lack of buying over the pass 12 months. If you have the attitude, I taught to my grandchildren: and that is “when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” you are busy starting or expanding your business. Not because you are unaware or unwise, rather you are determining to continue to pursue your dreams, Knowing that many small companies started and expanded in down-times. Apple, “to name just one! (Read my notes) If you are just planing or starting your business. Companies requiring bricks and mortal building should talk to the person leasing the building, with full knowledge, that the location can be the best location in the nation for your business, but you should remain aware that you are the best thing that happen to the person, who is leasing the building, because if you both agree to the lease, you are going to put money in his/her bank account. So, please, give the person the opportunity to help themselves by asking for three to six months before the rent start to get your business open and ready for the public, Help himself? Yes, because he or she can use the status as the owner to aid in a smooth and less painful move into the building, thus, getting it occupied, maybe for the first time this year.

Compile and stockpile all the resources available to aid and support your business. This should include the following list of places and names.

Fox Business:

On Saturday, 12 noon to 2pm in the New Jersey area, check the time in your neck of the woods. I have witnessed this program, actually seeking funding and making sales for Small businesses while on-the-air!

Stimulus Package:

This is a list of things available, both now and in the future, for your business or charity.

Microsoft:

It is reported in the news that Microsoft will give a copy of its office suite to business organizations, startup and small companies. And remember, Mr. and Mrs. Gates control, maybe, the world largest charity funds, just waiting for your application.

Mark Cuban:

List companies on his Website and observe them over time to decide the one he will fund.

You will Probable know him because he owns a sports team.

My opportunities and Opinions:

I have posted my factual opinions here, because I will not post any more opinions on this blog.

This is the process I used to get my medical records from the private doctors that treated me for eyes, ears, noses and throat. In a letter, I included the information in the paragraphs below. If you are applying for your military records, you should apply to your branch of service, (Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy) or the NPRC, National Personnel Records Center, where you can apply on line.

In the first paragraph, I told the doctor I need my medical records and why I needed them. I told them what records I needed and gave them the date, month and year if I had that information intact, (I keep all medical receipts, hospital records, so I just look at the date on them and include them in my request.) If not, I gave them the reason I visited the doctor and asked them to please send the records of that visit. Within fifteen days I received medical records from two doctors, when I called the third doctor the lady on the phone said my records are available but I would have to pay for them. When I told her that it would have been nice if she had used the phone and call me within the thirty days and told me I had to pay for my medical records, before I could finish she said “if your doctor or the VA request them by fax, we will fax them and there is no charge” So veterans, make sure your request is to get the records at no cost if possible!

In the second paragraph I told them why I need those records and that I had a claim with the VA or (Veterans Administration) and needed any records that related to the treatment I received for that ailment or sickness. And I told them that my claim was to get compensation for an injury I received in combat. In the letter I told the doctors that the records should include any treatment or visits for my eyes.  Make sure you enclose a copy of the page where the VA list the medical information they need from you in your letter of request!

I used the third paragraph to thank the doctor in advance and explain that, I will stop by in the next thirty days to pick up the records or they could be mailed to my home

This procedure is best because it gets the records to the VA in thirty or forty days, not six months or a year. Now, another concern can be addressed, and that is the fact that the doctors at the VA Medical Centers tell me that they cannot get copies of my medical records from the VA when they request them, or the process is slow too never! Well, I just made a copy for my VA doctors and took them in on my next appointment or mail or fax to that Medical Center. In my case, I will reduce the time it takes to process my claims in half!

The American Legion is having a Small Business Expo in Phoenix, I have a strong urge to attend and would like to be present because this would put me in a face to face meeting with people I will have to talk with later. As I consider, I look at the long list of jobs waiting to get on the conveyer to move toward completion. Most of my time is spent trying to locate files that give me a clue as to date and time I went to see a doctor and what did I have an appointment for. And if it was my eye, was it just an infection or a recurring symptom from Korea? . And If it is and infection is it worse because of my eye injury in Korea. Some times I feel like a detective instead of a veteran.
During the last year and six months I have visited many small businesses and talked with the owners, managers, employees and customers about the benefits, rewards, decisions involved in owning and managing a small business. I can recall a phone conversation with a VSO or veteran service office, President, as we talk about veterans and small business ownership, when the VSO President stated “no one is going in business around here but these foreigners.” After we completed the talk, I started to consider why that is the case in many towns, cities and states in this country. One reason, the people new to this country have a source where they can obtain capital that is not available to the average American citizen, because the source is the country of origin and the group of people that identify with them and relate to their desire to achieve the American dream.

I recall one day I spent $50 for gas just driving around the area between West Windsor and East Orange New Jersey, stopping for lunch, buying gas, seeking the direction and asking questions like “why so few people know the directions from one area to the other or one city to the other and being told the same thing, almost, in every town, and that is “I live right down the street and I come to work and go home when I get of work” Or “I moved here and got this job and I have no need to go any place else” This increase in people from foreigner countries are happening with all delivery speed and it is bringing with it, drastic changes for those Americans that travel from place to place by Car, bus, train or in an airplane, because the help you enjoyed in the pass will be missing in the future even if you are willing to pay for it you can still expect less service because the knowledge and know how is not being taught to the new workers. Though, all of this is true, we are still reporting a shortage in the number of veterans owning small businesses and efforts like that of the American Legion and a number of States have ongoing support for the veteran that desire to own his or her business. And that really is good news!

You can tell this is live and not made up because nothing happens every day. This is a report on my efforts to get benefits from the VA or Veterans Administration as a veteran of the Korean War. I am back in Ohio to get medical records from all the primary care doctors that treated or referred me for treatment on my eyes. These are the same doctors I submitted on the VA Form 21-526 and no one at the VA contacted them, so I have another year to get this information into the VA, I plan to have it in within the next two months.

Last week I ask a Veteran Service Officer where would I look for medical records for treatments more than fifty years old? He said “that will be impossible to do unless the doctor sold the practice to a young doctor and he maintains them with his own practice”. He said he “cannot see why the VA would expect the veteran to find them anyway”. This Service Officer works in the Cuyahoga County VSO or Veteran Service Office. I am now aware that most counties in the USA have VSO offices and provide service to the veterans living in that county. Cuyahoga County, for those that don’t live in these parts and plan to visit some day. The city of Cleveland is located in Cuyahoga County and the CAVs play in that county (Go LaBron) Although I told him (the service officer) that I lived in Lake County and had moved out of his county long ago, he still answered the question for me. Another available service, and another good reason; to seek help from a VSO and get them supporting you in your efforts to acquire your benefits from the VA. In my case with the doctor performing an in-office operation on my nasal passages, No records have been found to date. Therefore, I am telling the VA I have no need to lie and will gladly take a Polygraph Test! For all veterans there are always VSOs and the Board of Veteran’s Appeals. And I am sure work records will support a lot of claims veterans make when they apply for benefits.

The good news is, the one who perseveres and seeks help will always get the benefits they are qualified to receive. Another good reason to apply now even if you don’t want or need the benefits now you will have already qualified if and when you need them! I know I sound like a broken-record, but wait until you reach my age and call an office and ask for or about a doctor and the person answering say “Dr. Who?” indicating they have no ideal whom you are speaking about, and that person no longer provides service at that business.

This is a long one because before I was just trying to inform, now I am trying to help. I find all my problems are with VA Form 21-526. And I discussed the impasse I have encountered and the best bypass and my decisions may help someone with the same problems, I truly hope, it will give some aid in your efforts to apply for your VA benefits. I was raised with my first cousin that seemed like my brother: almost everyone though we were brothers. And we had a meeting at his house: We got in a discussing about veterans benefits, why, because in the group or many first cousins and their offsprings we have many veterans, both male and females. In fact the highest ranking in the group is a female. She either became a General or was bought-out or whatever you call it when they (the military) offer you money to leave the service and retire. Then we added in the mix his wife’s relatives that have received a discharge from the arm services. And that gave us a good discussion about the rights of a veteran once discharged from the military.

Everyone maintained that we have a right to the benefits as long as we qualify for them or become qualified for them in the course of living our life as veterans. One thing we are all convinced about is you must stay on the VA or Veteran administrations’ case or you will probably not receive any benefits. My cousin, I will call her Gene said that her Brother aids veterans in their efforts to obtain benefits from the VA. The VA once threatened to throw him out of the office for pressing the veteran’s case with demands. And he says, You cannot let up and you should never give up until the highs office review your claim and denier you benefit. And if you are qualified for a pension make sure you apply for compensation, sure they will not pay you both, but they will pay you the highs. I can assure you the VA is not going to check to determine if you are eligible. Even after your claim is denied, you can request to have your claim reopened if you find new information that is compelling. In my personnel case (ongoing) I waited fifty-four years before my Army medical records were found and the case is reopened.

To get your claim or claims to the VA, it seems you start with VA Form 21-526, and in my opinion this is the form that contributes to the delay because some information required on the form is difficult or impossible to find. Example: do you know the place your wife married her second husband, if you are the third, and where was your adopted son born, and the list goes without end it seems? With the instructions they send you can complete the form, the headaches come when you get it in the hand of the VA, it is at this point things start to go wrong. My claim went to the Regional office in Cleveland OH, while in process the VA setup the Tiger Team, also located in Cleveland, OH. The Tiger Team was started to benefits old men like me by speeding up the process and decrease the length of time it takes to get a veteran his benefits. While many felt, the Tiger Team did its job the process slow to a snail’s pace once in the hand of other departments. So in reality not much is accomplished. My major problem is with the medical part of VA Form 21-526, the part you complete and the VA mail it with your request for your medical records from your doctors, hospitals and clinical. You should ask the doctor, hospital or clinical for the treatment that occurred on a date, month and year and what she or he treated you for and the number of times you saw them for that ailment. I tell you to do what I did, yet in two cases I got no result after calling the hospital three or four-time telling them not to send medical records about one stay in the hospital, but the other record is surely needed. The hospital sent the wrong records and the private company sent nothing of value to my case. That is according to the Rating Board. My private doctors did not receive any requests for information because the VA at the Cleveland office transferred the claim to the Tiger Team and the two failed to communicate so no one sends the requests to my private doctors. I am in Ohio to walk them through myself. This time I assure you they will be in the report.

Me the veterans have not seen any of this information, I am going by the report from the Rating Board. The doctors that are examining me told me, “we are not going to get a lot of your medical records unless you get them yourself.” They also told me that the “VA starts these groups, like the Tiger Team, and they work well at first but as soon as the information gets back in the main stream it gets delayed or not forwarded at all”. Now for those attempting to guess which group of doctors made the above statements, you can stop guessing because it is not that group, it is the other group. The power is in my hand I can’t keep you from guessing but I can keep you from knowing! I have been examined in three different hospitals and one clinic, and in two states and four cities. Medical service? I give the VA an A, as far as patient care is concern. For processing claims for benefits and compensation I will grade them, C-, only because some claims are approved with the help of the VSOs or Veterans Service Organizations. Some say without these organizations many more veterans would be suffering and in deep despair! Personally, I become very much concern when my earned rights and benefits are delayed for no apparent reason and the government will learn that I quickly mimic the Apostle Paul, in that I demand to see the President of these United States. Thereby making myself seems to be a bigger fool than I am known to be. But people that know me quickly inform them that I laugh and joke, but I do not play. I will beg you with tears in my eyes, but I will have rock in my Jaws. Before I enrolled in the VA Medical Center, my private insurance was two third of my monthly social security check. And increasing annually, yet paid only 15 percent or less, of my medical bills. With insurance and dental bills which the VA will not pay, my medical bills increased. Once I get the things I plan to sell on my e-store site I should be able to retire my debt or this effort get the result I need, and I am rated as a disabled veteran and can pursue a contract via the federal government, I will be back-in-the-saddle again. We have the company now we need the contract. At this pace, we will qualify as a veteran owned company and get a contract by been in business for two years.
Here are things I am willing to fight for, one. A veteran should know what benefits she of he can receive, the day they receive a Discharge. 2. The veteran should be asked to upgrade that information every two years. 3. To insure dignity, after age 75 a veteran should receive a pension regardless of income below $30 thousand per year.

After receiving my report from the Rating Board, last week, I spent two days reading and reviewing it, as I called for information and clarification about the decision they rendered. Some key doctors and medical records were not reviewed by the Rating Board, or they failed to include them on my copy of the report. To make sure all records that support my claims are in the hands of the VA or Veterans Administration so the decision is fair and just I will work with VSOs or Veterans Service Organization and other individuals and organizations that are tasked or willing to support veterans in the efforts to file a claim for benefits.

Since I am in New Jersey therefore away from my home in Ohio, I called the VSOs here in New Jersey. Here in Mercer County, I called the office to talk with the people in the county that work on helping veterans: I got their phone number from the VA Regional office in Cleveland, Ohio. They are a county VSO or Veteran Service Office in this county. I am also a member of the American Legion, (but I am not in a post as this time) when I talked with the local VA office here they said that there are 14 American Legion Posts in this area. Just now, my job is to seek help with my claims, but if I find a Post that can use a good member I might consider become a member. In his effort to help me my son is using the computer to find local VSO Officers in this area, when he did a search the first name on the list was a local Congressman, naturally he called him first so we will talk with all these contacts next week.

I am positive. You are aware that all VSOs are not experts in every area of concern, in fact, some list themselves as experts in targeted area of concern to the veterans. (Filing claims, getting your service records, etc.) and any other requests from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Just be aware of this, it is your responsibility to make sure all the needed information is in the hand of the VA and it is your job to shepherd the information gathering process. To do this, I called the Doctors, Hospitals, Clinics, all places where I received treatment for the injury or illness I am filing a claim for benefits. I asked if they had my medical records and I told them that the VA would be requesting it in the next 30 days? (Tell them why the VA will need them!) And call back to determine if they are available, and when can they mail them to the VA? This will speed up the process and you can get your rating in 90 to 120 days, not a year and a half like it took me. But remember, I am going back 40-plus years, which mean some records will not be available because the doctor is dead, therefore, I am asking the state of Ohio if a copy is on file and available by state law. Oh and if you are approved for benefits you are paid starting on the date of your application, its just that you wait so long before getting a check!

VA Form 21-4138 is the Statement In Support Of Claims; you use this form to support your claim or claims for benefits. This form should be used to submit a claim for an increased evaluation of a current disability that has worsened. You can download a copy here and complete it using as many pages as you require. You could do as I did type the first page with enough information to cover the space provided for text, leaving the last line clear where it say (continue on reverse) paste the first page in place and make a copy then copy your second page on the back, Stated another way, print the second page on the reverse side. You are welcome to complete all parts by hand if you prefer.The page you will download come in two pages, so you can insert the second page into the printer and keep the pages on separate sheets. This will make sense and will appear easy when you see the form.

VA Form 21-526 is used to apply for Compensation and/or Pension, I started with this form after I made sure I was properly enrolled in the VA Medical System for all my health care need that is provided by the VA or Veterans Service Organization. The forms required to apply for medical service and drugs will be cover last although I would urge you to call VA Phone #(1-800-827-1000) and have the forms send in the mail or apply on line as soon as possible. You are not required to use a VA doctor, clinic or hospital, but once you enroll they are available to you all over the World— well wherever they are located. Locations like Korea, Japan, Germany and Italia, just to name some locations. I will cover this in another post and link to that post. Here I want to cover all the forms I used to apply for Compensation and/or Pension and Disability.
VA Form 21-526: I am glad I started with this form because it comes with seven pages of general instructions that aid you in determining and gathering all the documents and other information you will need to complete all the applications you want or need to complete. Again, in my case, I had to go back to year 1955 and work from there to the present, gathering all the doctors, clinic and hospital visits that pertained to all my ailments emanating from an injury that occurred in Korea. Once I had all that information in hand, I followed the instructions and completed the form.

Here is a “heads-up” to all veterans, well or disabled, get enrolled in the VA Medical System even if you have insurance coverage and can use civilians’ doctors and hospital facilities. Apply for everything you qualify for and if you are in doubt about your status apply and remove all doubt. I have members of my family that have spend more than a year waiting to get enough money to get medical treatments, when with their DD214 and a completed application they would have qualified for the treatment without paying a co-payment. If you need the benefits why wait to apply for them when you can get enrolled and use a private doctor or the VA medical doctors and clinic, if you wish. In other words, you are not required to use VA doctors just because you are qualified to do so. Another reason to enroll, after my treatment for cancer my private insurances increase to two-thirds of my social security check, although medicare paid 80 to 90 percent of the total cost. One day when talking to the insurance man he said you could go to the VA Medical Center for most of your medical needs. I called the VA 800 number and the man said “stay on the phone and let me get some information and I will mail you the package” Four days later I received the package and now I go to the VA Medical Center in Ohio and New Jersey or anyplace else I happen to be when I have a need for medical attention.

First I want to wish you a happy new year and I mean all year long!

Last year I used the twelve months reading and observing the things that are good about this country and the things that should be improved or changed. This year I will spend all year making an effort to effect those changes, starting with me.