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Recent Blog Posts
Your Loved One Has Bedsores, Who can Help?
Imagine visiting your mother or father at the nursing home and seeing strange marks on their skin. Discovering these bedsores can be stressful and can cause confusion about what to do. Bedsores can become extremely painful and even require extensive surgery if left untreated.
A patient's bedsores are a sign of neglect and knowing how to deal with them is vital. A caregiver's priority to someone who is enduring bedsores is to stop the neglect and restore their well-being. Holding medical staff responsible helps remedy the ailment which begins with seeking proper support.
So, what do you do? Performing the two steps below can save your loved one's life and help compensate them for the cost inflicted by their pain and suffering.
1. Alert the nursing staff or attending physician immediately
Your loved one's health is a priority and alerting the staff as soon as possible can prevent serious injury. (Click here for more information on preventing bedsores.) Do not be afraid to be persistent. Staff members may be difficult to deal with because the damages caused by bedsores may be extremely costly to the medical facilities, or they do not want to be held accountable. Nursing homes may even try to transfer your loved one out of their care to reduce liability. To prevent further suffering, promptly notify the nursing home staff.
A Veteran’s Guide to Renting vs. Buying
Renting versus Buying, a battle for the ages? Let me first start off by saying that home ownership is not appropriate for everyone. I am not here to convince you to purchase a home if that is not your desire. There are many factors as to why it would not be a wise choice at the time. If you are looking to buy or are on the "fence" allow me to explain why homeownership is more advantageous than renting. (Home buyers should be confident in job security and not looking to relocate in the near future)
The biggest benefits to home ownership include capital appreciation of property, property tax write-offs, and mortgage interest deductions. As a renter, you will NEVER build up equity in the place you are renting. All you are doing is paying down your landlords' mortgage while helping them build up equity.
A good way to further this argument is to address many of the concerns I hear point by point:
- I can't afford the down payment!
- You can purchase a home with as little as 3% down for conventional loans and NO down payment for qualified veterans.
What is the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Program and How Does a Veteran Qualify?
The VA offers a program called Vocational Rehabilitation &Employment (VR&E) that is intended to rehabilitate and train disabled veterans whose disabilities affect their ability to prepare for, obtain, and retain employment.
What benefits does Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment provide?
VR&E provides for:
- A complete evaluation to determine the veteran's abilities, skills, and interests for employment
- Vocational counseling and rehabilitation planning for employment services
- Employment services such as job training, resume development, and other work-readiness support
- Help to find and keep a job, including the use of special employer incentives and job accommodations
- On-the-Job Training (OJT), apprenticeships, and non-paid work experiences
- Post-secondary training at a college, vocational, technical, or business school
- Supportive rehabilitation services including case management, counseling, and medical referrals
Preventing Bed Sores in the Nursing Home Setting
Making the decision to put a loved one in a nursing home may be one of the hardest decisions that a family will ever make. The level of care that a loved one requires on a daily basis usually prompts such a decision by their family.
Sometimes, our loved ones become limited in their ability to move their upper and lower body. This may be as a result of age, effects from ailments such as a stroke, or general muscle weakness. Regardless, such limitations inherently affect an individual's ability to move around while in bed, as well as while getting in and out of bed. Consequently, when in a nursing home, individuals with such limitations require the help of nursing home staff to help them move on a regular basis.
While in bed, it is crucial that individuals who struggle to move, are helped to move from side to side and off the more bony parts of their body to avoid extended periods of pressure on those areas. Extended pressure on one particular area of the body can lead to skin breakdown, including the development of bedsores.
Veteran Wants to Change the Reenlistment or Separation Code on Their DD-214
When a service member is discharged, the veteran receives a DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD-214). Many employers ask to see the DD-214 when considering a veteran for employment. The DD-214 not only contains favorable information but may also contain potentially unfavorable information. Adverse or erroneous reenlistment codes (RE Code) or codes indicating the reason for discharge (SPN code) may have an adverse impact on a veteran's employment, even those who were discharged honorably.
Since 1978, a DD Form 214 has been prepared with eight copies. DD Form 214 Service Member Copy 1 does not contain the RE or SPN code. However, providing an employer with Service Member Copy 1 may potentially be a problem. The employer may conclude that a veteran has something to hide when he or she submits a DD-214 that does not contain any reference to these codes. DD Form 214 Service Member Copy 4 contains the RE or SPN code.
Can a Veteran Receive Military Retirement Pay and VA Disability Compensation at the Same Time?
For many years, veterans who were entitled to retirement pay from the military (either longevity retirement pay for twenty or more years of service or disability retirement pay for those medically discharged because they were found unfit for continued military service) were not permitted to receive their full military retirement pay and full VA compensation benefits at the same time. Veterans entitled to both had to either elect one of the benefits or waive the amount of retirement pay that equaled the amount of VA disability compensation to which they were entitled. That prohibition does not always apply today.
There are currently two programs that help mitigate the loss of income that results from the prohibition against receipt of military retirement pay and VA disability compensation: Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) and Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC).
Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP)
Discharge Upgrades vs. VA Character of Service Determination
A veteran with a less than fully honorable discharge has three forums that they can petition to make them eligible for VA benefits. Two of the forums are part of the military service departments. Each military service branch has a Discharge Review Board (DRB). The Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard have a Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR), and the Navy and Marine Corps have a joint Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR). The last forum is the VA, which can determine that the veteran is not barred from VA benefits through a process called a character of discharge determination.
Where board should a veteran apply to get a discharge upgrade?
If a veteran is primarily interested in a discharge upgrade, an application should be filed with the Discharge Review Board or the Board of Corrections.
1. The Discharge Review Boards: The DRB has limited powers. It can upgrade a discharge except for a Bad Conduct Discharge or Dishonorable Discharge issued by a general court-martial. In other words, the DRBs can review a General Discharge, an Other Than Honorable, and a Bad Conduct Discharge issued by a special court-martial. It can also change the reason for a discharge.
Upgrading a Discharge for Veterans with PTSD or TBI
Since 2014, significant changes have occurred in the discharge upgrade criteria involving veterans which greatly increase a veteran's likelihood of success in obtaining a discharge upgrade. A veteran should be familiar with these changes, so they can submit the best argument on their behalf. If the circumstances of a veteran's discharge were the result of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or related conditions such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), the veteran's request may be eligible for "liberal consideration" under the "Hagel Memo." Similarly, if the circumstances of a veteran's discharge were the result of a mental health condition (including PTSD), TBI, or sexual assault or harassment, a veteran may be able to strengthen their application by submitting special types of evidence, in addition to military service records, that will also be given liberal consideration under the "Kurta Memo."
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