Mt. Prospect Area Veterans
Welcome to the Mt. Prospect Veterans blog. Here we will discuss information about military veteran’s events and information that we hope will be both interesting and provide value to you.Sunday, April 6, 2008
Timing is Everything for Veterans Benefits
There has been a lot of talk about providing support to veterans these days more than in past conflicts. Enhanced technologies such as streaming video, text messaging, cell phone cameras, and others has created heightened awareness of the activities of deployed military personnel. As a result people want to help our veterans. There are a variety of programs available at the federal and state level for veterans. In addition there are many grass root programs that are popping up all over the country, not to mention the scores of not-for-profit civic organizations. I am in favor of the warm generosity that the public is showing toward our veterans. The only problem is that the veterans are not taking advantage of these offerings.
The first reason is about transitioning. Service personnel who enter back into civilian life are thinking about being with their family and friends, and returning to a normal, relaxed pace.
The second reason is about order of need. Once the veteran has established a normal routine, they will seek out their immediate requirement such as employment first. As their basic needs are satisfied, they we then turn to higher order needs. Some of these higher order needs may take years before they are realized or even wanted. Some of these benefits are simply not needed until later in life.
The third reason is the one that is most overlooked; that is being aware of the benefit itself. Benefits offered by federal, state, and other groups provide brochures, flyers, websites, and even provide guidance counselors which describe the various opportunities. However, there are so many sources of information that it becomes impossible to identify and understand what actually is available. Case in point; I have been home from Viet Nam for over 30 years and it wasn’t until just last week that I learned that the State of Illinois will give me $100.00 for serving. Well, it isn’t much but at least I can take my wife out to a nice restaurant on the governor, assuming that I filled out the forms correctly.
To that end, I am drafting a plan to develop a web portal that could be tailored to the veteran’s needs, bringing together all of the information that is available on all of the other web sites. This would provide a single source of information available to the vet. I am talking to several technologists to determine how that would work effectively. This idea came from the Veterans meeting that I attended of the office of State Representative Rosemary Mulligan.
Outside of the technology, the best place for information is still the local VFW and American Legion Post. Only veterans can understand the needs of veterans. The posts offer a non threatening place to talk. These posts should be the initial point of entry for a returning vet, or even one that has been home for years. It is my hope that the posts across the country will continue to be a friendly place to welcome veterans.
There has been a lot of talk about providing support to veterans these days more than in past conflicts. Enhanced technologies such as streaming video, text messaging, cell phone cameras, and others has created heightened awareness of the activities of deployed military personnel. As a result people want to help our veterans. There are a variety of programs available at the federal and state level for veterans. In addition there are many grass root programs that are popping up all over the country, not to mention the scores of not-for-profit civic organizations. I am in favor of the warm generosity that the public is showing toward our veterans. The only problem is that the veterans are not taking advantage of these offerings.
The first reason is about transitioning. Service personnel who enter back into civilian life are thinking about being with their family and friends, and returning to a normal, relaxed pace.
The second reason is about order of need. Once the veteran has established a normal routine, they will seek out their immediate requirement such as employment first. As their basic needs are satisfied, they we then turn to higher order needs. Some of these higher order needs may take years before they are realized or even wanted. Some of these benefits are simply not needed until later in life.
The third reason is the one that is most overlooked; that is being aware of the benefit itself. Benefits offered by federal, state, and other groups provide brochures, flyers, websites, and even provide guidance counselors which describe the various opportunities. However, there are so many sources of information that it becomes impossible to identify and understand what actually is available. Case in point; I have been home from Viet Nam for over 30 years and it wasn’t until just last week that I learned that the State of Illinois will give me $100.00 for serving. Well, it isn’t much but at least I can take my wife out to a nice restaurant on the governor, assuming that I filled out the forms correctly.
To that end, I am drafting a plan to develop a web portal that could be tailored to the veteran’s needs, bringing together all of the information that is available on all of the other web sites. This would provide a single source of information available to the vet. I am talking to several technologists to determine how that would work effectively. This idea came from the Veterans meeting that I attended of the office of State Representative Rosemary Mulligan.
Outside of the technology, the best place for information is still the local VFW and American Legion Post. Only veterans can understand the needs of veterans. The posts offer a non threatening place to talk. These posts should be the initial point of entry for a returning vet, or even one that has been home for years. It is my hope that the posts across the country will continue to be a friendly place to welcome veterans.
Labels: Timing is Everything for Veterans Benefits
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