WEBVTT 00:00:04.809 --> 00:00:08.630 All across America and around the world, this 00:00:08.630 --> 00:00:14.990 is Veterans Radio. This is Veterans Radio. And 00:00:14.990 --> 00:00:19.089 now, your host for today's program, Dale Throneberry. 00:00:22.690 --> 00:00:25.210 Happy New Year everybody and welcome to Veterans 00:00:25.210 --> 00:00:27.309 Radio. It's the first Sunday of the month and 00:00:27.309 --> 00:00:29.820 we're really excited to have you here. This is 00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:32.560 our monthly benefits program, and we've got our 00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:35.820 experts all lined up in a row here. Actually, 00:00:35.979 --> 00:00:39.240 it's the two Falsones are here. We've got retired 00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:42.560 Brigadier General Carol Ann Falsone, United States 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:45.240 Air Force, and we've got Jim Falsone from Legal 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:46.899 Health for Veterans. And we're going to be here 00:00:46.899 --> 00:00:49.840 kind of talking about maybe your wish list of 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:52.380 what you'd like in the new year. I think that 00:00:52.380 --> 00:00:54.140 might be interesting. And also, I think what 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:56.140 we want to talk about is we want to make sure 00:00:56.140 --> 00:01:00.119 that we kind of review what benefits may be changing 00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:03.219 a little bit in the new year and maybe some benefits 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:05.939 that we still don't really think about all the 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:09.060 time until it's really needed. So those are the 00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:12.260 things that we want to get into in just a little 00:01:12.260 --> 00:01:15.659 bit. We're also going to be highlighting the 00:01:15.659 --> 00:01:18.359 Medal of Honor this year and the Medal of Honor 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:20.819 Society is actually having their annual convention 00:01:20.819 --> 00:01:25.629 in Detroit at the end of September and so Every 00:01:25.629 --> 00:01:27.969 month we are going to be highlighting the Medal 00:01:27.969 --> 00:01:30.890 of Honor. Of course, we do that every week, but 00:01:30.890 --> 00:01:34.310 also we are going to be trying to get interviews 00:01:34.310 --> 00:01:37.890 with as many of the 61 living Medal of Honor 00:01:37.890 --> 00:01:41.510 recipients as we can so that we can play them 00:01:41.510 --> 00:01:45.129 for you. I wanted to remind you all that you 00:01:45.129 --> 00:01:49.129 can listen to Veterans Radio not only where you 00:01:49.129 --> 00:01:53.870 are right now on broadcast format where we're 00:01:53.870 --> 00:01:56.290 on a couple of stations here in Michigan. But 00:01:56.290 --> 00:02:00.250 you can also pick up our archives at veteransradio 00:02:00.250 --> 00:02:03.290 .org. You can also listen to our podcasts on 00:02:03.290 --> 00:02:06.349 Spotify, iTunes, all those other different platforms 00:02:06.349 --> 00:02:09.169 that are out there. And we normally do posting 00:02:09.169 --> 00:02:11.969 of our programs on Monday and I believe it's 00:02:11.969 --> 00:02:14.770 on Wednesday. And we're trying to get other people 00:02:14.770 --> 00:02:18.469 that would like to join us and upload more stories 00:02:18.469 --> 00:02:21.150 and so forth about the veteran community that 00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:24.139 is out there. Before we get started talking about 00:02:24.139 --> 00:02:26.500 these things, I want to make sure that we do 00:02:26.500 --> 00:02:28.939 thank our sponsors because we can't do this program 00:02:28.939 --> 00:02:32.400 without their support. And that starts off with 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:34.879 Legal Help for Veterans. Legal Help for Veterans 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:37.879 specializes in veterans disability claims. Give 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:42.520 Legal Help for Veterans a call at 800 -693 -4800 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:46.560 or go to their website legalhelpforveterans .com. 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:49.280 The National Veterans Business Development Council, 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:52.750 better known as NVBDC. is the nation's leading 00:02:52.750 --> 00:02:55.349 third -party authority for certification of veteran 00:02:55.349 --> 00:02:57.729 -owned businesses. For more information, you 00:02:57.729 --> 00:03:01.349 can go to their website, ndbdc .org, or give 00:03:01.349 --> 00:03:06.590 them a call at 888 -237 -8433. And I always talk 00:03:06.590 --> 00:03:09.789 about this when I talk about NDBDC. If you are 00:03:09.789 --> 00:03:12.509 a veteran -owned business, small or big, if you 00:03:12.509 --> 00:03:14.210 want to do business with the federal government 00:03:14.210 --> 00:03:16.669 or with many corporations these days, you need 00:03:16.669 --> 00:03:19.969 to be certified as a real live veteran -owned 00:03:19.969 --> 00:03:22.289 business. There are rules and regulations that 00:03:22.289 --> 00:03:24.650 go along with these things. You can't just have 00:03:24.650 --> 00:03:26.789 a guy sit in a corner who is a veteran and say 00:03:26.789 --> 00:03:29.330 it's a veteran -owned business. So these are 00:03:29.330 --> 00:03:31.490 the folks that you need to contact. Again, that's 00:03:31.490 --> 00:03:36.189 nvbdc .org. They'll run you through the whole 00:03:36.189 --> 00:03:40.729 program of how to get certified. Locally, we 00:03:40.729 --> 00:03:42.689 want to thank the Irwin Prescor and American 00:03:42.689 --> 00:03:46.219 Legion Post 46. and the Charles S. Kettles Vietnam 00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:49.400 Veterans of America Chapter 310, both of Ann 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:51.900 Arbor, Michigan. Hey, if you'd like to support 00:03:51.900 --> 00:03:55.939 Veterans Radio, and we're always looking for 00:03:55.939 --> 00:03:58.960 that support and help, please go to our website, 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.680 veteransradio .org, click on the donate button. 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:05.219 All right. Thank you for your support in advance. 00:04:05.610 --> 00:04:08.849 on to the program. So joining me now on the air 00:04:08.849 --> 00:04:12.150 is our good friends, my good friends, and now 00:04:12.150 --> 00:04:14.610 we've got a group of good friends here. We've 00:04:14.610 --> 00:04:17.850 got retired, as I said, retired Air Force Brigadier 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:21.089 General Carol Ann Faustone. Welcome back, Carol 00:04:21.089 --> 00:04:25.430 Ann. Thank you, Dale, and happy new year to our 00:04:25.430 --> 00:04:29.850 listening audience. I can't believe it's 2026. 00:04:30.069 --> 00:04:34.180 I think I just did this yesterday and said 2025, 00:04:34.180 --> 00:04:37.779 but the year is gone. And so we have to move 00:04:37.779 --> 00:04:41.920 on. So thank you very much. Right. And also the 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:45.399 founder of Legal Help for Veterans, and that 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:47.860 is Jim Falzone. So Jim, welcome back. Jim is 00:04:47.860 --> 00:04:51.079 also my partner here on Veterans Radio, does 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:53.720 one program a month, going to try and talk him 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:57.639 in to do more. Also, he does a weekly podcast 00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:00.399 of Veterans Stories. So Jim, welcome to the program 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:03.040 today. Thanks. Hey Dale, good to see you and 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:07.639 yes I spend time every week recording for our 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:11.839 Veterans Radio podcast which is put up on Tuesdays 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:16.569 at 11 a .m. and goes out on the rss .com feed 00:05:16.569 --> 00:05:21.589 to all the major social media podcast platforms 00:05:21.589 --> 00:05:24.829 and we'd encourage folks to go find that and 00:05:24.829 --> 00:05:27.750 quote veterans radio close quote that's that 00:05:27.750 --> 00:05:30.029 way I'll get rid of all the all the other chaff 00:05:30.029 --> 00:05:32.930 and you'll find our podcasts and we're always 00:05:32.930 --> 00:05:36.110 got something new and exciting to put on to the 00:05:36.110 --> 00:05:39.610 listeners you know we've been doing this now 00:05:39.610 --> 00:05:43.899 for we can't even count that high anymore I know, 00:05:44.019 --> 00:05:46.699 I know like 22 plus years because I can't figure 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:49.699 out how many it's been. Right, 22 plus years 00:05:49.699 --> 00:05:54.800 going into our 23rd year which is pretty remarkable 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:58.600 when you think about it. When Gary and Gary Lilly 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:02.339 and Bob Gould and Ken Rogan and I sat down at 00:06:02.339 --> 00:06:04.779 the Bomber restaurant in Ypsilanti, Michigan 00:06:04.779 --> 00:06:07.180 and talked this whole thing out and said hey 00:06:07.180 --> 00:06:11.660 let's do this. little did we know. Well, and 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:15.079 that's a good plug. If you're local and you haven't 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:16.800 been to the bomber restaurant and you're just 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:19.600 landing for breakfast, go, you won't be disappointed. 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:22.459 No, and there's a whole bunch of distractions. 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:28.000 Every type of aircraft in the history of mankind, 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:30.519 I think, is hanging from their ceiling. Great 00:06:30.519 --> 00:06:33.660 military photos, uniforms, all kinds of good 00:06:33.660 --> 00:06:37.379 stuff. And the food's good. The food is great. 00:06:37.740 --> 00:06:41.420 And Gail, I can't believe in that 22 plus, we 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:44.759 haven't done veterans radio live there. I think 00:06:44.759 --> 00:06:48.639 we could bring in a great crowd. But they close 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:51.980 by five o 'clock. Yes, they do, unfortunately. 00:06:52.379 --> 00:06:55.100 When we first started off this whole thing, we 00:06:55.100 --> 00:06:59.279 were... For a long time we were on at 9 o 'clock 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:03.019 in the morning Wow When we were on WDEO and that 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:04.740 would that worked out well because we were able 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:08.399 to do arm, you know remotes that restaurants 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:11.519 and You know the Yankee Air Museum and all kinds 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:13.540 of other places that we've that we've gone to 00:07:13.540 --> 00:07:15.459 it and that's another thing that we want to try 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:17.420 and do this year is to get down on the road a 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:20.959 little bit more and See if we can spread the 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:24.439 word get some more stories bring in some more 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:27.079 storytellers. That would be what I think is really 00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:34.860 fun. Let's give a shout out to our host station, 00:07:34.980 --> 00:07:39.800 live station, WAAM radio. We've been at for decades 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:43.220 now and I know you were transitioning into sort 00:07:43.220 --> 00:07:47.379 of a New Year's resolution discussion. So let's 00:07:47.379 --> 00:07:50.000 thank all those folks that helped make this possible. 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:54.019 I can do that. We can thank WAM. We can thank 00:07:54.019 --> 00:07:57.579 Derek Stone, who is our board operator and gets 00:07:57.579 --> 00:08:00.259 the sound out across the country, because we're 00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:05.319 also on WDTK in Detroit, Michigan, and KMET out 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:08.180 in California, and some other people out there 00:08:08.180 --> 00:08:09.959 that I think are pirating our program, because 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:11.899 everybody says, oh, I've heard about Veterans 00:08:11.899 --> 00:08:17.899 Radio. I listen to it every week. Really? Where 00:08:17.899 --> 00:08:20.439 are you listening to this program? But yeah, 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:24.160 the transition now is to talk about a couple 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:27.920 of things that are, well, I guess I'll go to 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:30.639 Carolyn, because we don't have our hospital representative 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:34.620 with us yet. We're still working on that. And 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:37.659 I think that I heard that Virginia might be available 00:08:37.659 --> 00:08:43.320 in February, I'm hoping. Great. So what do you 00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:46.340 think we should be? What New Year's type of resolutions 00:08:46.340 --> 00:08:49.950 would you like to see? as far as the VA is concerned 00:08:49.950 --> 00:08:51.850 and what our veterans should be watching out 00:08:51.850 --> 00:08:55.679 for. Well, I'd like to start out by saying, if 00:08:55.679 --> 00:08:59.179 you do not have your DD -214, you know, the critical 00:08:59.179 --> 00:09:03.179 pieces of paperwork, put them in an area, a folder, 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:06.700 a strong box, where, if God forbid, something 00:09:06.700 --> 00:09:09.480 happens to the veteran, the family could get 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:13.759 at it easily. You're entitled, if you've served 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:16.679 during a wartime era, to be buried in a national 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:20.080 cemetery, and what a great honor. But you can't 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:22.279 get buried there if you don't have the DD -214. 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:24.919 I was going to ask you about that. Does it need 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:28.299 to be the original? No, it does not need to be 00:09:28.299 --> 00:09:31.139 the original. And matter of fact, what I encourage 00:09:31.139 --> 00:09:35.940 people to do is take that DD214, copy it, give 00:09:35.940 --> 00:09:38.820 it to your kids, write it down where it is in 00:09:38.820 --> 00:09:41.399 the second drawer, in the bureau, in the bedroom. 00:09:42.700 --> 00:09:45.340 Communicate with as many as possible, because 00:09:45.340 --> 00:09:52.269 that is your grave. from birth to grave, I say 00:09:52.269 --> 00:09:55.570 from service, it tells your whole story. It tells 00:09:55.570 --> 00:09:58.590 where you came in, the years you've served, the 00:09:58.590 --> 00:10:02.129 awards. So it is the most important document 00:10:02.129 --> 00:10:06.029 you could ever find. So with that, if you're 00:10:06.029 --> 00:10:08.110 married, I would put your marriage certificate 00:10:08.110 --> 00:10:13.200 there. I would also... Put if you have children, 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:18.679 your dependents in that box, just a list. And 00:10:18.679 --> 00:10:22.820 make sure the family knows your wishes. Sometimes 00:10:22.820 --> 00:10:25.720 it becomes the last minute. So as long as we're 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:28.840 talking about the burial and the DD -214, if 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:32.269 you're in an area. ahead of time, you could go 00:10:32.269 --> 00:10:34.990 and visit a national cemetery, say like the Great 00:10:34.990 --> 00:10:38.750 Lakes or Fort Custer, and you could arrange, 00:10:39.049 --> 00:10:42.269 pre -arrange that you're going to go there. And 00:10:42.269 --> 00:10:44.789 that would really help your family out immensely. 00:10:45.629 --> 00:10:48.990 Because when the time comes, planning is very 00:10:48.990 --> 00:10:51.710 important. And I can't tell you enough about 00:10:51.710 --> 00:10:55.330 that. And so when you're planning, if a veteran 00:10:55.330 --> 00:10:58.919 passes and they are getting disability, benefits. 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:01.659 I just dealt with this yesterday. You need to 00:11:01.659 --> 00:11:05.539 notify the VA that the veteran has passed because 00:11:05.539 --> 00:11:08.879 they'll keep sending you money unless you notify 00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:12.259 them or it comes across social security. But 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:15.639 then you need to repay all of that. So why put 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:19.799 that on a family if you don't have to? The family, 00:11:20.019 --> 00:11:24.419 the widow, you know, they're stressed out enough. 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:27.750 So if you have a funeral home, that you rely 00:11:27.750 --> 00:11:30.870 on, that has had the training, that they should 00:11:30.870 --> 00:11:34.970 have your DD214, they could execute your wishes. 00:11:35.289 --> 00:11:39.929 So make it easy on your family. That to me is 00:11:39.929 --> 00:11:42.809 the most important thing. And also along with 00:11:42.809 --> 00:11:47.559 that, then I would say even if... They tell you, 00:11:47.559 --> 00:11:50.600 you're a millionaire, you have too much money. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:54.220 Enroll in the VA because you never know what's 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:57.460 going to happen. If you have a disability benefit, 00:11:57.860 --> 00:12:00.919 even at 0%, you don't have to enroll. You're 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:04.460 already in the system. But for those that do 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:07.679 not have a disability benefit, enroll in the 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:11.080 VA. It's the greatest health care system in the 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:19.509 world. I think so. So if the person on disability 00:12:19.509 --> 00:12:23.059 does die, and they're not working with even working 00:12:23.059 --> 00:12:25.440 with a funeral home who would they contact on 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:28.899 that call the VA if you if you don't even have 00:12:28.899 --> 00:12:31.600 a um if you don't have a funeral home let's say 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:34.480 you have a veteran service rep um like legal 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:37.539 help for veterans or a veteran service organization 00:12:37.539 --> 00:12:41.700 or um our david sams you know a county counselor 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:45.480 in washtenaw but notify or just call the 1 -800 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:49.960 number with VA um you know, and tell them that 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:53.120 your loved one has passed. You can actually, 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:56.159 Dale, just walk into whatever funeral home you're 00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:58.240 going to use. You're going to use one or another 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:00.240 because you can't get buried in the backyard. 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:04.580 You can just walk in and explain to the funeral 00:13:04.580 --> 00:13:08.620 home director that, hey, dad, mom was a veteran 00:13:08.620 --> 00:13:12.759 and years are DD214. And then they will make 00:13:12.909 --> 00:13:15.149 the arrangements. They'll make the phone call 00:13:15.149 --> 00:13:18.950 to the VA burial services, line all that up for 00:13:18.950 --> 00:13:21.730 you. But again, it starts with not just telling 00:13:21.730 --> 00:13:24.889 them that dad was a veteran, but actually having 00:13:24.889 --> 00:13:28.129 the DD -214 because they'll need that paperwork. 00:13:28.750 --> 00:13:30.750 Right, yeah. That's the thing, you know, it's 00:13:30.750 --> 00:13:33.570 kind of like the passport into the VA is the 00:13:33.570 --> 00:13:38.809 DD -214 and, you know, it's like your diploma. 00:13:40.769 --> 00:13:44.340 Passport's a great Great way to think about it. 00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:50.159 That's an excellent thought. Since we're kind 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:52.539 of doing some resolutions here, I want to give 00:13:52.539 --> 00:13:54.720 out another resolution that I think veterans 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:57.100 should have beyond Carol Ann's Identified. Get 00:13:57.100 --> 00:14:02.049 your paperwork together. That paperwork would 00:14:02.049 --> 00:14:05.029 probably include other things beyond the DD -214. 00:14:05.629 --> 00:14:08.990 She mentioned some of them. And there are some 00:14:08.990 --> 00:14:10.710 e -books. She has an e -book. Actually, Caroline 00:14:10.710 --> 00:14:12.710 wrote an e -book on getting your paperwork together 00:14:12.710 --> 00:14:15.610 that you can find on the legalhelpforveterans 00:14:15.610 --> 00:14:19.169 .com site. But it's also a good time of the year 00:14:19.169 --> 00:14:21.470 to think about, eh, maybe I need to check in 00:14:21.470 --> 00:14:25.129 with VA. Maybe I've got to make sure my address 00:14:25.129 --> 00:14:27.809 is right. maybe I've got to make sure I talk 00:14:27.809 --> 00:14:32.509 to my veteran service officer or my county counselor 00:14:32.509 --> 00:14:36.789 or my attorney who's helping me. All too often 00:14:36.789 --> 00:14:40.190 we let changes in life go on. We don't tell anybody 00:14:40.190 --> 00:14:42.309 and later on it's a problem and that might be 00:14:42.309 --> 00:14:45.129 a marriage or a divorce, might be dependence, 00:14:45.389 --> 00:14:50.169 their ages. So just, you know, veterans put on 00:14:50.169 --> 00:14:55.320 your list. Check my information with VA, and 00:14:55.320 --> 00:14:57.419 I think that's a good thing for everybody to 00:14:57.419 --> 00:14:59.899 do, particularly if they say, really, I haven't 00:14:59.899 --> 00:15:02.039 done it in a long time. Now's the time to do 00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:05.320 it. You know what, Jim? You just brought up a 00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:07.700 great point in the sense of, I don't think our 00:15:07.700 --> 00:15:13.480 veterans, what if your spouse dies or a child 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:15.919 who's dependent and you've been getting money, 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:19.679 you need to notify them on that end too because 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:23.379 they'll keep sending you the money and it's your 00:15:23.379 --> 00:15:27.120 responsibility to notify them that that individual 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:30.179 has passed also. And if you keep getting that 00:15:30.179 --> 00:15:33.120 money, we call that fraud nowadays, right? Yes, 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:39.419 they don't like that. No. They don't. The other 00:15:39.419 --> 00:15:42.340 suggestion that I had was to, when you go to 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:44.220 the VA, if you're not getting 100 % of your care 00:15:44.220 --> 00:15:46.840 at the VA, or you're getting treated for something 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:53.419 other than what your disability is, bring in 00:15:53.419 --> 00:16:00.159 your new insurance card. Obviously the vast majority. 00:16:01.009 --> 00:16:04.590 The veterans that I see at our local VA or are 00:16:04.590 --> 00:16:07.470 you know over 65? But you still need to bring 00:16:07.470 --> 00:16:11.149 in that insurance card I don't know how many 00:16:11.149 --> 00:16:14.950 drugs I'm on anymore, but It's you know it only 00:16:14.950 --> 00:16:17.850 comes out to be about $15 a month or 20 bucks 00:16:17.850 --> 00:16:20.389 a month or something along those lines But those 00:16:20.389 --> 00:16:23.309 are there are some costs that are not covered 00:16:23.309 --> 00:16:26.750 You know 100 % so if you show me your insurance 00:16:26.750 --> 00:16:29.330 card Maybe you've got some coverage there that 00:16:29.330 --> 00:16:31.789 could take care of whatever your deductible is 00:16:31.789 --> 00:16:34.289 or whatever Usually it's just the medication 00:16:34.289 --> 00:16:38.029 that they end up Billing you for it seems of 00:16:38.029 --> 00:16:40.669 the way my experience has been that's you know, 00:16:40.669 --> 00:16:42.330 that's the thing and then you know That's Carol 00:16:42.330 --> 00:16:45.090 Ann pointed out get that folder together with 00:16:45.090 --> 00:16:47.850 your DD 214 your insurance card your marriage 00:16:47.850 --> 00:16:51.070 license your children's Names and Social Security 00:16:51.070 --> 00:16:53.529 numbers and so forth, you know, especially if 00:16:53.529 --> 00:16:56.169 they're eligible Especially if they're younger 00:16:57.189 --> 00:16:59.669 And, you know, because those are the questions 00:16:59.669 --> 00:17:01.669 they're going to ask you anyway, and start gathering 00:17:01.669 --> 00:17:03.649 up your medical records if you think that you 00:17:03.649 --> 00:17:06.470 have a claim to make. Because they are making 00:17:06.470 --> 00:17:12.509 some, not drastic changes to the disability format, 00:17:12.529 --> 00:17:14.609 but they are encouraging more and more people, 00:17:14.609 --> 00:17:17.730 and we've talked about this before, of trying 00:17:17.730 --> 00:17:20.630 to do these claims online, and we encourage you 00:17:20.630 --> 00:17:23.690 not to do that. At least, you know, before you 00:17:23.690 --> 00:17:27.490 do it, get some, you know, expertise and some 00:17:27.490 --> 00:17:29.930 advice out there that could really help you out. 00:17:30.369 --> 00:17:35.069 I agree with that, Dale, because I not so often 00:17:35.069 --> 00:17:38.650 will get a call that somebody says, hey, I put 00:17:38.650 --> 00:17:42.150 in this paperwork 11 months ago and I haven't 00:17:42.150 --> 00:17:45.009 heard a word. Well, the problem was they filled 00:17:45.009 --> 00:17:48.529 it out incorrectly and they didn't realize it, 00:17:48.529 --> 00:17:51.410 but it was sent back. They didn't realize it 00:17:51.410 --> 00:17:55.849 and their claim is going nowhere. So it's always 00:17:55.849 --> 00:17:59.670 good to get somebody with expertise, maybe to 00:17:59.670 --> 00:18:02.210 help you out, fill that out. But I want to go 00:18:02.210 --> 00:18:04.569 back for a second in our folder. You know, we 00:18:04.569 --> 00:18:07.289 developed this folder in a checklist. Another 00:18:07.289 --> 00:18:10.150 thing I would put in there that I think is absolutely 00:18:10.150 --> 00:18:14.250 critical, it's the piece of paper that a veteran 00:18:14.250 --> 00:18:19.180 gets say, November, December timeline. It lists 00:18:19.180 --> 00:18:22.500 your benefits. It lists your number. It comes 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:26.500 from the VA. And it indicates what you're entitled 00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:30.000 to. And I think that's very critical to stick 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.839 that in the folder so that the family also knows 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:38.579 whether you have a 10%, a 50%, a 100 % because 00:18:38.579 --> 00:18:42.750 along with the 100 % please turn in and go to 00:18:42.750 --> 00:18:46.970 your tax assessor if you are eligible for the 00:18:46.970 --> 00:18:50.250 tax exemption. You have to do that every year. 00:18:50.329 --> 00:18:53.950 It just doesn't come automatically. So know where 00:18:53.950 --> 00:18:57.509 you're living and find out what month you have 00:18:57.509 --> 00:19:00.750 to apply that. So there's another New Year's 00:19:00.750 --> 00:19:03.210 resolution I had on my list to point out for 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:07.130 folks and I'll let Carolyn expand on it. But 00:19:07.130 --> 00:19:11.339 depending on what state you're in, they have 00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:15.440 tax exemptions for veterans with disability ratings. 00:19:16.059 --> 00:19:18.940 Some states only give you that exemption if you're 00:19:18.940 --> 00:19:21.380 100%, that's the state of Michigan for example, 00:19:22.059 --> 00:19:25.559 but other states are much more generous and much 00:19:25.559 --> 00:19:29.759 more supportive of veterans and you might get 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:33.980 a break on your taxes at 10 % or 30 % or 50%. 00:19:33.980 --> 00:19:37.109 So you have to know the state you're in. But 00:19:37.109 --> 00:19:39.230 as Carol Ann just mentioned, there's a time of 00:19:39.230 --> 00:19:41.730 the year when you have to do this. So January's 00:19:41.730 --> 00:19:46.230 a great time to figure out, hey, what do I need 00:19:46.230 --> 00:19:49.190 to do to get that real property tax exemption? 00:19:50.069 --> 00:19:52.829 And talk to your local tax assessor and work 00:19:52.829 --> 00:19:57.480 that out. As I say, Carol Ann, has talked to 00:19:57.480 --> 00:19:59.619 a lot of guys about this over the years and they 00:19:59.619 --> 00:20:02.420 all, you know, they all ask after their local 00:20:02.420 --> 00:20:04.200 deadline, oh, what can I do now? Well, you got 00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:06.220 to wait a year because you missed the deadline. 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:10.880 Normally, you have to go down to your tax office 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:13.599 or whatever it is and take that letter that they 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:18.460 gave you. Yes. In November or so and take it 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:20.319 down there and get that I know I have a friend 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:23.599 well In my age now, I've got to the point where 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:26.720 I have a lot of friends Yeah percent that are 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:28.799 you know, they're I think they go down by the 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:33.759 busload but To to make sure that they you know, 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:36.259 that's a great benefit when you think about it, 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:40.299 especially if you live in a more Expensive area 00:20:40.299 --> 00:20:42.339 of the country to live in. I mean, I know here 00:20:42.339 --> 00:20:48.589 in Ann Arbor taxes run a lot. And it would be 00:20:48.589 --> 00:20:52.730 nice to check off that $6 ,000, $7 ,000, $9 ,000, 00:20:52.730 --> 00:20:56.470 $10 ,000 a year. That's kind of a good thing. 00:20:56.509 --> 00:20:59.849 That helps, Dale, because down here in Florida, 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:04.000 believe it or not, they started 10%. And we just 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:07.180 had a veteran recently who was so ecstatic. He 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:10.420 finally, after I want to say four or five years, 00:21:10.599 --> 00:21:14.240 got his hearing. And his hearing got rated at 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:18.819 20%. And then he had another rating on top of 00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:22.000 that, something he was, let's say me, that he 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:26.799 was going in and we were appealing. So he got 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:32.240 30%. He called me a few weeks ago and he was 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:36.380 like just elated because he went and he found 00:21:36.380 --> 00:21:39.279 out in Florida he's gonna get something like 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:44.559 $4 ,000 back on his taxes because of the 30%. 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:47.920 Florida is one of those states. that incrementally 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:51.539 will give you a tax relief. And so I think there's 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:54.200 only like four or five in the entire country. 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:58.660 I have an e -book out on that too. So under the 00:21:58.660 --> 00:22:01.359 tax exemption. And we have a list of all the 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:05.099 states. Or you could just pull it up, you know, 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:09.720 go to Google. Google knows everything. Sometimes 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:12.680 too much. Is that Ben Google or Al Google? I 00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:17.720 think it's AI Google. That's the one that we're 00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:23.099 talking about, right? We're going to take a break 00:22:23.099 --> 00:22:27.259 here and play our Medal of Honor segment for 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:30.420 today. Today's Medal of Honor is Ed Freeman. 00:22:31.420 --> 00:22:33.579 Ed Freeman was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, 00:22:33.819 --> 00:22:37.220 which was near and dear to my heart. But he was 00:22:37.220 --> 00:22:40.099 mentioned in the book, We Were Soldiers, once 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:44.960 in Young. And his daring escapade took place 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:49.059 during the Eye -Drawing Valley battle in November 00:22:49.059 --> 00:22:56.039 of 1965. So we'll be back after this. You're 00:22:56.039 --> 00:23:00.119 listening to Veterans Radio. Don't go away. The 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:01.960 Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:03.940 in combat given a member of the Armed Forces 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:06.099 of the United States. There have been over 3 00:23:06.099 --> 00:23:08.880 ,400 recipients of the nation's highest award. 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:12.279 This is one of them. Army Captain Ed Freeman 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:15.500 flew 14 rescue missions under intense enemy fire, 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:18.859 saving 30 seriously wounded soldiers. Details 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:22.980 after this. If you have a VA claim denied by 00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:24.940 the Board of Veterans' Appeals, contact Legal 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:29.579 Help for Veterans at 1 -800 -693 -4800. They're 00:23:29.579 --> 00:23:31.680 experts in handling cases before the U .S. Court 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:33.680 of Appeals for Veterans' claims. Their number 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:38.380 again, 1 -800 -693 -4800. As a flight leader, 00:23:38.599 --> 00:23:40.980 Freeman supported a heavily engaged American 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:43.480 infantry battalion in the Ai Trang Valley in 00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:46.420 the Republic of Vietnam. The unit was almost 00:23:46.420 --> 00:23:48.619 out of ammunition after taking some of the heaviest 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:51.319 casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:53.880 attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:57.140 enemy force. When the infantry commander closed 00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:59.779 the helicopter landing zone due to intense direct 00:23:59.779 --> 00:24:03.160 enemy fire, Freeman risked his own life by flying 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:05.980 his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of 00:24:05.980 --> 00:24:09.359 enemy fire time after time. delivering critically 00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:12.000 needed ammunition, water, and medical supplies 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:15.220 to the besieged battalion. His flights had a 00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:18.180 direct impact on the battle's outcome by providing 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:20.980 the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition 00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:24.539 critical to their survival. After medical evacuation 00:24:24.539 --> 00:24:27.339 helicopters refused to fly into the area due 00:24:27.339 --> 00:24:31.200 to intense enemy fire, Captain Freeman flew 14 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:33.880 separate rescue missions, providing life -saving 00:24:33.880 --> 00:24:36.319 evacuation of an estimated 30 seriously wounded 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:39.240 soldiers. some of whom would not have survived 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:42.220 had he not acted. All flights were made into 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:45.259 a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:48.119 200 yards of the defensive perimeter where heavily 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:50.960 committed units were perilously holding off the 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:53.220 attacking elements. The Medal of Honor series 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:57.980 is a production of Veterans Radio. Military veterans 00:24:57.980 --> 00:25:00.400 touch everyone's life. I'm guessing right now 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:02.940 you're thinking of a veteran, a close friend, 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:06.569 relative. Maybe it's you. Even the toughest of 00:25:06.569 --> 00:25:08.930 us sometimes need help, but don't know where 00:25:08.930 --> 00:25:11.509 to turn for support. You don't need special training 00:25:11.509 --> 00:25:13.789 to help a veteran in your life. We can all help 00:25:13.789 --> 00:25:16.029 someone going through a difficult time. Learn 00:25:16.029 --> 00:25:19.589 how you can be there for veterans. Visit VeteransCrisisLine 00:25:19.589 --> 00:25:23.789 .net VeteransCrisisLine .net A message from the 00:25:23.789 --> 00:25:31.049 U .S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We're back 00:25:31.049 --> 00:25:33.230 here on Veterans Radio and our first benefits 00:25:33.230 --> 00:25:40.029 program of 2026. I got it right. I've been practicing 00:25:40.029 --> 00:25:44.529 for the last couple of hours. Excellent. All 00:25:44.529 --> 00:25:46.869 right. We were just kind of talking about a wish 00:25:46.869 --> 00:25:50.049 list or a New Year's resolution as far as what 00:25:50.049 --> 00:25:53.210 we may need to find, what we may need to have 00:25:53.210 --> 00:25:57.869 as far as, you know, our working with the VA. 00:25:58.170 --> 00:26:00.369 to see what benefits that we're entitled to. 00:26:00.589 --> 00:26:01.930 Because everybody out there that's listening 00:26:01.930 --> 00:26:04.690 that was in the military, that you got out with 00:26:04.690 --> 00:26:07.809 an honorable or even less than honorable discharge, 00:26:09.269 --> 00:26:12.549 as long as it wasn't dishonorable, you are entitled 00:26:12.549 --> 00:26:16.009 to benefits through the VA system. There are 00:26:16.009 --> 00:26:19.210 two legs to this. Actually, there's three legs 00:26:19.210 --> 00:26:23.190 to this. It's kind of a... a stool, you know, 00:26:23.250 --> 00:26:25.329 a three -legged stool. But you've got the healthcare 00:26:25.329 --> 00:26:27.430 side, you've got the disability side, and you've 00:26:27.430 --> 00:26:32.529 got the burial side. And I don't know how much 00:26:32.529 --> 00:26:36.130 the healthcare side is going to change. You know, 00:26:36.130 --> 00:26:38.210 they're still working on that. I know that they're 00:26:38.210 --> 00:26:42.809 putting together, you know, a new business plan. 00:26:42.890 --> 00:26:45.490 I guess it's almost like a business plan of how 00:26:45.490 --> 00:26:47.130 they want to work. They want to make it smoother 00:26:47.130 --> 00:26:49.670 for us. They want to make it easier for you to 00:26:49.670 --> 00:26:52.980 get in and out of the system. They want to make 00:26:52.980 --> 00:26:56.160 it that you could use outside medical facilities 00:26:56.160 --> 00:26:58.759 easier, especially if you're out in the middle 00:26:58.759 --> 00:27:02.000 of nowhere and there's not a VA clinic or VA 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:05.140 hospital, you know, anywhere near you, you know, 00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:07.019 out in the middle of the country, unfortunately. 00:27:07.519 --> 00:27:09.759 So there are a lot of things that they're trying 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:13.259 to do. They've also gotten a nice influx and 00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:18.720 infusion of more money in their budget. So, yeah, 00:27:19.099 --> 00:27:22.490 either one of you like a gym? Yeah, I think this 00:27:22.490 --> 00:27:26.190 is important because I think sometimes we veterans 00:27:26.190 --> 00:27:29.650 just sort of get fixated on, well, I know what's 00:27:29.650 --> 00:27:32.289 going on and I don't like it, you know, sort 00:27:32.289 --> 00:27:36.190 of thing. Or it's too far away. One of the things 00:27:36.190 --> 00:27:39.470 that over the last probably five or six years, 00:27:39.730 --> 00:27:43.410 and it continues that VA is doing, is expanding 00:27:43.410 --> 00:27:47.730 its clinics out in the community, farther away 00:27:47.730 --> 00:27:51.349 from their hospital centers and if you sort of 00:27:51.349 --> 00:27:54.869 have a mind stuck like, well that's just 100 00:27:54.869 --> 00:27:57.029 miles away, I can't even think about that. You 00:27:57.029 --> 00:27:59.170 need to check it out because you may find that 00:27:59.170 --> 00:28:05.349 they've now put a clinic 60 miles away from the 00:28:05.349 --> 00:28:08.009 hospital, which they do a lot, so that you don't 00:28:08.009 --> 00:28:11.809 have to drive so far for routine stuff. This 00:28:11.809 --> 00:28:15.329 won't be a surgery center, but for your basic 00:28:15.329 --> 00:28:19.339 outpatient clinic. blood draws and tests and 00:28:19.339 --> 00:28:22.039 checking in with the primary and that sort of 00:28:22.039 --> 00:28:26.619 thing. We've seen a lot of clinics developed 00:28:26.619 --> 00:28:30.720 as well as an expansion of telehealth to address 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:33.099 the problem that you talk about, Dale, that hey, 00:28:33.099 --> 00:28:35.660 a lot of veterans don't settle in urban areas. 00:28:35.900 --> 00:28:41.019 They're up in more rural areas. Carol Ann, you've 00:28:41.019 --> 00:28:45.730 seen this a lot. Yes, I have seen it. I think 00:28:45.730 --> 00:28:48.950 the interesting thing, too, is the clinics you 00:28:48.950 --> 00:28:51.950 talk about, Jim, for instance, Ann Arbor. They've 00:28:51.950 --> 00:28:54.809 just opened up Finley and Chelsea, and they've 00:28:54.809 --> 00:28:57.950 got one at Selfridge. All of those belong to 00:28:57.950 --> 00:29:01.250 a VA medical center. And so if you get treatment, 00:29:02.170 --> 00:29:06.019 let's say at Jackson. That belongs to the VA, 00:29:06.380 --> 00:29:09.299 the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. So all of your 00:29:09.299 --> 00:29:12.279 records, everything gets back there. If you need 00:29:12.279 --> 00:29:15.660 a continuity of care, it will happen because 00:29:15.660 --> 00:29:18.819 it's being recorded. The other beautiful thing 00:29:18.819 --> 00:29:22.559 you alluded to, besides the clinics, Jim, is 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:26.079 that they are expanding community care. If we 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:29.700 remember back, I want to say 10, 15 years ago, 00:29:30.009 --> 00:29:33.130 there was the program called Choice. It's very 00:29:33.130 --> 00:29:35.549 similar to community care, and people were going 00:29:35.549 --> 00:29:38.910 out, selecting their physicians, getting surgery, 00:29:39.049 --> 00:29:41.890 but then, oh, by the way, they had to pay the 00:29:41.890 --> 00:29:45.089 bill because they didn't go back to the big VA 00:29:45.089 --> 00:29:48.910 and ask, Mother, may I? So that's what community 00:29:48.910 --> 00:29:53.609 care is also. You've got to get a referral, whether 00:29:53.609 --> 00:29:57.230 it's DERM, orthopedics, or whatever, and if they 00:29:57.230 --> 00:30:01.579 can't treat you, at your medical center or a 00:30:01.579 --> 00:30:04.740 local facility, you the veteran could say, could 00:30:04.740 --> 00:30:09.000 I go to, let's say, University of Michigan? They 00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:11.880 will go to community care and give them that 00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:15.380 referral to be scheduled. That is so beautiful 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:18.240 and you need to follow up with that because the 00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:21.900 bills will be paid by community care and the 00:30:21.900 --> 00:30:25.920 VA. You don't have to pay. So when you get these 00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:29.740 odd bills from the institution that you went 00:30:29.740 --> 00:30:34.079 to or the physician out of system, do not pay 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:37.460 those bills. Call back community care. You have 00:30:37.460 --> 00:30:40.980 a number for your service and usually it's good 00:30:40.980 --> 00:30:45.029 for one year. Yeah, that's one of the new things 00:30:45.029 --> 00:30:47.430 they did this year is they extended those referrals 00:30:47.430 --> 00:30:50.269 for a full year rather than every time I got 00:30:50.269 --> 00:30:53.829 to go back and get a referral. In a lot of those 00:30:53.829 --> 00:31:00.390 clinics, in entities, endocrinology, derm, orthopedics, 00:31:00.670 --> 00:31:03.109 you had to go back every three months and get 00:31:03.109 --> 00:31:06.250 your referral renewed. Now, as Jim said, and 00:31:06.250 --> 00:31:09.839 it's wonderful, it's good for one year. Well, 00:31:09.859 --> 00:31:12.140 the thing I like about the VA and I don't know 00:31:12.140 --> 00:31:14.339 how many people are I'm sure the people are aware 00:31:14.339 --> 00:31:17.079 of this But if you have a serious medical condition 00:31:17.079 --> 00:31:20.839 that they cannot handle Inside of your VA wherever 00:31:20.839 --> 00:31:24.099 that might be You can then get a referral out 00:31:24.099 --> 00:31:27.980 to the Mayo Clinic the Cleveland Clinic You know 00:31:27.980 --> 00:31:30.380 Loma Linda out in California wherever it might 00:31:30.380 --> 00:31:32.819 be and the VA is still going to cover those costs 00:31:32.819 --> 00:31:35.259 You know if you are entitled to those benefits, 00:31:35.259 --> 00:31:38.369 obviously But I want to make sure that people 00:31:38.369 --> 00:31:44.069 understand that. It's not an old -fashioned HMO. 00:31:44.529 --> 00:31:49.190 You have some flexibility with the VA, and especially 00:31:49.190 --> 00:31:53.170 that flexibility is becoming even more flexible 00:31:53.170 --> 00:31:58.940 as we're into the future, I'm hoping. Yeah, in 00:31:58.940 --> 00:32:02.420 that same vein, they keep expanding the services 00:32:02.420 --> 00:32:05.519 they do offer. One of the ones I'm always surprised 00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:10.400 at is acupuncture, chiropractic care. You know, 00:32:10.599 --> 00:32:12.700 some of those ancillary services, you say, well, 00:32:12.700 --> 00:32:15.900 they don't do that. They just do surgery. No, 00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:19.920 there's all kinds of mental health treatment 00:32:19.920 --> 00:32:24.960 facilities. And as I say, acupuncture, who would 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:28.680 have thunk? And we know people who've used it 00:32:28.680 --> 00:32:30.680 and said, man, it's really been good for my pain 00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:36.019 relief. But everything starts with your team, 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:39.220 your primary care team. That's who will get you 00:32:39.220 --> 00:32:42.460 the referral. And so that's another good thing. 00:32:42.599 --> 00:32:45.759 Make sure you always stay in contact with your 00:32:45.759 --> 00:32:50.140 team, your physician. probably has one or two 00:32:50.140 --> 00:32:54.460 nurses, your social work, if you need home care, 00:32:54.660 --> 00:32:58.559 if you need caregivers, all of that starts with 00:32:58.559 --> 00:33:01.299 your team. So please, as your condition gets 00:33:01.299 --> 00:33:04.359 worse, and I think we're all bad about that, 00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:07.779 we don't do a good job of communicating back 00:33:07.779 --> 00:33:10.920 to our primary team that you're having trouble. 00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:15.910 So. They can't read your mind. There's thousands 00:33:15.910 --> 00:33:18.829 of veterans they're responsible for. So please, 00:33:18.970 --> 00:33:21.670 if your condition gets worse, that goes for your 00:33:21.670 --> 00:33:25.609 disability rating too. You could reapply, submit 00:33:25.609 --> 00:33:30.009 the additional evidence to get an increase in 00:33:30.009 --> 00:33:32.349 your disability. But you've got to communicate 00:33:32.349 --> 00:33:35.599 with somebody that this is going on. This sort 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:37.660 of trick this sort of triggers one of the things 00:33:37.660 --> 00:33:40.339 I had on my New Year's resolution list for veterans 00:33:40.339 --> 00:33:44.420 which was don't suffer in silence There's no 00:33:44.420 --> 00:33:46.819 no value. You're not going to get a medal. There's 00:33:46.819 --> 00:33:51.740 no reward for just Complaining or suffering in 00:33:51.740 --> 00:33:55.900 silence Communicate as Carol Anne mentions. There's 00:33:55.900 --> 00:33:58.420 a lot of good services available that you may 00:33:58.420 --> 00:34:02.839 not even be aware of for your condition. And 00:34:02.839 --> 00:34:05.339 the only way you're going to find out for your 00:34:05.339 --> 00:34:10.639 specific situation is to talk to somebody. Right. 00:34:11.539 --> 00:34:15.320 And every one of us is different than the other. 00:34:15.920 --> 00:34:19.380 And one condition on one veteran might be a little 00:34:19.380 --> 00:34:22.099 bit different on another veteran. So we have 00:34:22.099 --> 00:34:23.719 to, you know, we have to be able to take advantage 00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:26.880 of the situations that are out there. I did want 00:34:26.880 --> 00:34:28.840 to kind of, oh, it just reminded me, you know, 00:34:28.900 --> 00:34:32.619 on the VA .gov website, you can send a message 00:34:32.619 --> 00:34:36.360 to pretty much any of your care doctors and clinics. 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:39.579 And I have found that they normally get back 00:34:39.579 --> 00:34:42.480 to you within two days, which is pretty good 00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:45.420 in the medical field, as far as I'm concerned. 00:34:45.659 --> 00:34:48.980 Yeah. You know, if you say that I'm having this 00:34:50.219 --> 00:34:52.780 problem that I hadn't even mentioned to my primary 00:34:52.780 --> 00:34:55.980 care person before, you know, the nurse normally 00:34:55.980 --> 00:34:58.079 will send you back a message, okay, I relayed 00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:01.119 this to a primary care physician, a day later, 00:35:01.159 --> 00:35:04.019 oh, by the way, she wants to see you, or he wants 00:35:04.019 --> 00:35:06.539 to see you, and they get you in as soon as they 00:35:06.539 --> 00:35:09.019 can, or they'll set up a, you know, a video conference, 00:35:09.539 --> 00:35:13.889 whatever it is, so take advantage of this. Men 00:35:13.889 --> 00:35:16.670 and women out there, ladies and gentlemen, you 00:35:16.670 --> 00:35:20.590 have got a wonderful facility available to you 00:35:20.590 --> 00:35:23.889 across the country. And there's nobody to blame 00:35:23.889 --> 00:35:27.469 if you don't get the care that you want. If you're 00:35:27.469 --> 00:35:30.570 not telling people as we've been harping on here 00:35:30.570 --> 00:35:32.449 right now, if you're not telling them about these 00:35:32.449 --> 00:35:36.469 conditions or if something flares up or anything, 00:35:37.590 --> 00:35:40.610 this is what we have to do. Yeah, another segment 00:35:40.610 --> 00:35:43.789 of that, Dale, which you mentioned and triggered 00:35:43.789 --> 00:35:46.110 in my mind is something that's changed over the 00:35:46.110 --> 00:35:48.530 last handful of years and a lot of money's going 00:35:48.530 --> 00:35:50.750 into to make it better, is to make sure that 00:35:50.750 --> 00:35:54.429 our women veterans are taken care of, that they 00:35:54.429 --> 00:35:57.909 have the right specialties to deal with female 00:35:57.909 --> 00:36:04.929 health related issues, specific clinics, whether 00:36:04.929 --> 00:36:07.949 it just be, there's no such thing as a routine 00:36:07.949 --> 00:36:10.949 medical health problem or something like MST. 00:36:12.139 --> 00:36:15.639 If you're a female veteran out there and you've 00:36:15.639 --> 00:36:17.980 just sort of backed away from the VA because 00:36:17.980 --> 00:36:21.159 it's just an old boy's network, you've got an 00:36:21.159 --> 00:36:24.280 old model in your head. That's not what it is 00:36:24.280 --> 00:36:26.780 anymore. I think that's something to point out 00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:30.980 that's important. Very important. You know what, 00:36:31.179 --> 00:36:34.579 Dale, we don't have a rep from the VHA side, 00:36:34.780 --> 00:36:37.340 the Veterans Health Administration side, but 00:36:37.340 --> 00:36:40.300 I would like to tell, and hopefully the audience 00:36:40.300 --> 00:36:44.059 knows this, coming in April, and we're very fortunate, 00:36:44.519 --> 00:36:49.289 the Ann Arbor VA, Lieutenant Colonel Charles 00:36:49.289 --> 00:36:53.190 S. Kettles, VA Medical Center, is one of them 00:36:53.190 --> 00:36:56.670 in the country that will be launching the brand 00:36:56.670 --> 00:37:01.670 new electronic record. And so that will occur 00:37:01.670 --> 00:37:04.670 in April. They're already starting. I was over 00:37:04.670 --> 00:37:06.570 there a couple weeks ago. They're starting to 00:37:06.570 --> 00:37:09.909 get training. There's a big training site for 00:37:09.909 --> 00:37:15.039 all the staff, how to utilize it. You know, we've 00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:17.440 been wanting this for years, Dale. It would have 00:37:17.440 --> 00:37:19.820 been awesome to have a system that when I went 00:37:19.820 --> 00:37:22.639 in, you went in, everything was being recorded 00:37:22.639 --> 00:37:25.780 in a record. So, you know, this paper chain that 00:37:25.780 --> 00:37:30.039 gets lost or it gets burnt and, you know, we 00:37:30.039 --> 00:37:34.300 can't find our records anywhere. I think long 00:37:34.300 --> 00:37:39.079 overdue, but the VA is starting this pilot system 00:37:39.079 --> 00:37:43.099 come April and it's in our backyard. Well, I 00:37:43.099 --> 00:37:45.500 think the idea of record -keeping with the VA 00:37:45.500 --> 00:37:48.360 I found it to be excellent because I can I can 00:37:48.360 --> 00:37:50.920 get a blood test on Tuesday and the results are 00:37:50.920 --> 00:37:55.199 on my site on Wednesday or sometimes even Tuesday 00:37:55.199 --> 00:37:59.480 night and I can access and I can download them 00:37:59.480 --> 00:38:03.079 if I've had any any surgical operations or I 00:38:03.079 --> 00:38:07.599 can get all of my records right there and you 00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:10.900 know one of the things that This is this is not 00:38:10.900 --> 00:38:14.300 an official, you know thing is the positions 00:38:14.300 --> 00:38:16.519 in a staff and everything at the VA are not going 00:38:16.519 --> 00:38:18.659 to tell you that your condition and you know, 00:38:18.659 --> 00:38:20.920 you know Hey, you maybe go talk to somebody about 00:38:20.920 --> 00:38:23.619 getting disability for this. They never mentioned 00:38:23.619 --> 00:38:27.559 that at all But there's a paper trail as Carol 00:38:27.559 --> 00:38:29.860 Anne just pointed out. Oh, guess what? You've 00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:34.099 been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Oh That's 00:38:34.099 --> 00:38:37.019 one of those presumptive conditions, you know 00:38:37.289 --> 00:38:43.829 under toxic exposure stuff. So don't sit back. 00:38:44.449 --> 00:38:47.289 Yeah, you have to be proactive. Contact that 00:38:47.289 --> 00:38:50.010 VSO wherever you live and say, hey, you know 00:38:50.010 --> 00:38:53.150 what? I was just diagnosed with high blood pressure 00:38:53.150 --> 00:38:55.030 and somebody mentioned to me that that might 00:38:55.030 --> 00:38:59.289 be a condition that makes me eligible for some 00:38:59.289 --> 00:39:04.539 sort of benefit. Well, yeah. Why not? Absolutely. 00:39:05.179 --> 00:39:07.679 Another thing that the VA, I think this is on 00:39:07.679 --> 00:39:09.840 the healthcare side, Carol Anne, you can confirm 00:39:09.840 --> 00:39:14.980 it, but I think people probably don't know this, 00:39:15.840 --> 00:39:20.460 but VA has a whole robust hospice program. And 00:39:20.460 --> 00:39:24.320 when you get to that point in life, again, there's 00:39:24.320 --> 00:39:27.559 a benefit you may not know is available to you. 00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:30.340 I believe, am I right, Carol Anne, is that on 00:39:30.340 --> 00:39:32.769 the healthcare side? Yep, it is on the healthcare 00:39:32.769 --> 00:39:36.630 side. They'll start with palliative as a step 00:39:36.630 --> 00:39:39.849 before, which is comfort care. But if remember, 00:39:40.170 --> 00:39:44.170 please, if you have a disability, 70 to 100%. 00:39:44.840 --> 00:39:47.519 contact somebody because the VA will take care 00:39:47.519 --> 00:39:50.239 of your long -term care. They will pick that 00:39:50.239 --> 00:39:52.900 bill up, but they're not going to come to you 00:39:52.900 --> 00:39:55.619 and say, oh, we're going to pay your bill. You've 00:39:55.619 --> 00:39:58.820 got to request that. And we've seen movement, 00:40:00.039 --> 00:40:03.820 very good friend, individual family member was 00:40:03.820 --> 00:40:07.239 brought down from let's say Grand Rapids. And 00:40:07.239 --> 00:40:10.699 they are now in a center very close to their 00:40:10.699 --> 00:40:15.619 home in Lavonia. I think it's really important. 00:40:15.860 --> 00:40:21.519 And if you don't know, send a question to Dale 00:40:21.519 --> 00:40:24.860 through Veterans Radio. We'll help you get the 00:40:24.860 --> 00:40:27.900 answers. Call your county counselors. We are 00:40:27.900 --> 00:40:31.559 very fortunate in Michigan. Of the 83 counties, 00:40:32.139 --> 00:40:35.099 I've lost track. I think there's 72 counties 00:40:35.099 --> 00:40:38.260 that now, that will hire a county counselor or 00:40:38.260 --> 00:40:41.840 have that Veterans Affairs office. You know, 00:40:42.019 --> 00:40:45.840 VSOs, our veteran service officers, VFW, DAV, 00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:49.519 American Legion, reach out and ask the questions 00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:52.760 and we will help you. But if you don't reach 00:40:52.760 --> 00:40:58.900 out, We're not wizards We can't tell you know 00:40:58.900 --> 00:41:01.539 we all know all of our all the veterans out there 00:41:01.539 --> 00:41:04.420 Don't walk around with a big red V on their forehead 00:41:04.420 --> 00:41:10.880 Well, maybe we should do that but So yeah, can 00:41:10.880 --> 00:41:13.659 you you know we continue to encourage you to 00:41:13.659 --> 00:41:16.320 talk to people you know if you're the veteran 00:41:16.320 --> 00:41:20.099 talk to the VSO if you know of a veteran who 00:41:20.570 --> 00:41:23.289 for whatever reason, is housebound or something 00:41:23.289 --> 00:41:26.789 along those lines. The VA has got emergency numbers 00:41:26.789 --> 00:41:30.849 that can help you for homeless veterans. I was 00:41:30.849 --> 00:41:35.230 looking at a website this morning called Veteran 00:41:35.230 --> 00:41:39.610 Life, and they had a segment in there talking 00:41:39.610 --> 00:41:44.030 about the benefits veterans wish someone had 00:41:44.030 --> 00:41:47.710 told them about sooner. That's a good topic. 00:41:48.610 --> 00:41:50.610 Yeah, I mean, it's an important topic. One of 00:41:50.610 --> 00:41:51.949 the things that they talk about, and I know, 00:41:52.170 --> 00:41:55.389 Caroline, we've mentioned this before, and that 00:41:55.389 --> 00:41:59.750 is the Home Improvements and Structural Alterations 00:41:59.750 --> 00:42:04.429 program, HISA program, where it's, and I don't 00:42:04.429 --> 00:42:06.750 know what the percentages are, and you can correct 00:42:06.750 --> 00:42:09.690 me on this in a second, but if you are disabled 00:42:09.690 --> 00:42:13.469 and you cannot, your home doesn't work for you 00:42:13.469 --> 00:42:16.599 anymore, You don't necessarily have to move. 00:42:17.239 --> 00:42:20.440 The V .A. may come in and widen those doors, 00:42:20.900 --> 00:42:25.920 put in a roll -in bathroom, shower, put a ramp 00:42:25.920 --> 00:42:28.500 in front of us. Could you address that a little 00:42:28.500 --> 00:42:32.090 bit? Yep, but you know what? Once again, Dale, 00:42:32.349 --> 00:42:35.130 it's great communication with your primary care 00:42:35.130 --> 00:42:40.329 team that sends the referral to the big VA right 00:42:40.329 --> 00:42:43.949 there in Ann Arbor has a division. It's not called 00:42:43.949 --> 00:42:47.110 construction, but it's one of those benefits 00:42:47.110 --> 00:42:50.110 that they will say to you, okay, go out and get 00:42:50.110 --> 00:42:53.489 three estimates. Don't do the work ahead of time 00:42:53.489 --> 00:42:56.889 because they won't reimburse on the back end, 00:42:56.889 --> 00:43:02.469 but go to them housing, adaptive housing. And 00:43:02.469 --> 00:43:05.889 if approved with the referral from your physician, 00:43:06.210 --> 00:43:08.750 your team, they could come in and you could, 00:43:08.849 --> 00:43:12.210 as you said, get your bathroom done, get kitchen 00:43:12.210 --> 00:43:15.389 cabinets. So if you're in a wheelchair, I've 00:43:15.389 --> 00:43:19.090 seen that be done. And they will decide what 00:43:19.090 --> 00:43:21.349 and how much they're going to do and what they're 00:43:21.349 --> 00:43:24.010 going to grant. But they will request you to 00:43:24.010 --> 00:43:27.010 get three bids. And then they will come in and 00:43:27.010 --> 00:43:29.750 inspect. and then they will give you the okie 00:43:29.750 --> 00:43:35.530 dokie to go and do it and pay for it. You know, 00:43:35.869 --> 00:43:39.510 I sometimes hear these fundraisers, and I think 00:43:39.510 --> 00:43:43.369 it's wonderful for veterans, but it's money that 00:43:43.369 --> 00:43:46.949 could have gone to somebody else that doesn't 00:43:46.949 --> 00:43:49.710 have a disability, but they never went back to 00:43:49.710 --> 00:43:53.570 the VA and said, hey, could you build this or 00:43:53.570 --> 00:43:57.469 change this ramp? um instead of you know using 00:43:57.469 --> 00:44:00.789 the donated money that could go to another veteran 00:44:00.789 --> 00:44:06.170 yeah yeah i know we don't we don't i don't we 00:44:06.170 --> 00:44:08.809 don't talk about this enough and there's there's 00:44:08.809 --> 00:44:10.489 a lot of other things that are out there that 00:44:10.489 --> 00:44:12.530 we probably need to talk about i was looking 00:44:12.530 --> 00:44:14.710 at this list and it was you know they were talking 00:44:14.710 --> 00:44:18.250 about champ fa and try care and all of these 00:44:18.250 --> 00:44:20.130 things and they've all changed a little bit and 00:44:20.130 --> 00:44:22.690 since some of it isn't sort of like insurance 00:44:23.119 --> 00:44:25.340 Some of them are probably seeing an increase 00:44:25.340 --> 00:44:32.420 in their premiums. So let's talk about that a 00:44:32.420 --> 00:44:35.400 little bit for those who have access to Tricare. 00:44:36.739 --> 00:44:40.719 And there's a whole set of qualifications you 00:44:40.719 --> 00:44:43.840 have to do to get Tricare. But it goes back to, 00:44:44.400 --> 00:44:48.599 you can stack insurance. You can have VA support 00:44:48.599 --> 00:44:52.440 on some things. You might have Medicare on some 00:44:52.440 --> 00:44:54.320 other things. You might have Blue Cross Blue 00:44:54.320 --> 00:44:58.800 Shield. You might have Tricare. Tricare is the, 00:44:58.800 --> 00:45:01.320 what do they call it, Tertiary Careland Insurance 00:45:01.320 --> 00:45:03.619 in those situations. I know you've been on the 00:45:03.619 --> 00:45:06.920 phone and helped folks kind of work their way 00:45:06.920 --> 00:45:09.519 through. Right. And when you finally get the 00:45:09.519 --> 00:45:11.300 right person at Tricare, they're really helpful. 00:45:11.400 --> 00:45:15.260 Finding the right person is the challenge. I 00:45:15.260 --> 00:45:21.119 got a guy now. You shouldn't have to pay, you 00:45:21.119 --> 00:45:23.400 know, for these bills. You've got Medicare first, 00:45:23.420 --> 00:45:25.400 and then if you have Blue Cross and Blue Shield, 00:45:25.699 --> 00:45:29.500 and then the VA will come in. But if there's 00:45:29.500 --> 00:45:33.320 any excess that you need to get paid for, if 00:45:33.320 --> 00:45:35.960 you're a TRICARE for life, submit the bills. 00:45:36.039 --> 00:45:38.579 They will pick it up, and they will take care 00:45:38.579 --> 00:45:41.860 of your bills so that you have zero payments. 00:45:42.059 --> 00:45:45.559 I mean, it is a pass order. But what you find 00:45:45.559 --> 00:45:49.940 is that most medical providers, hospitals, doctor's 00:45:49.940 --> 00:45:52.760 office, pharmacy, whatever, they're not aware 00:45:52.760 --> 00:45:56.199 of TRICARE. So they don't submit it even when 00:45:56.199 --> 00:45:57.880 you tell them because they're like, yeah, we 00:45:57.880 --> 00:46:01.460 don't even know what the hell that is. So again, 00:46:01.579 --> 00:46:03.880 you have to advocate for yourself and point out, 00:46:04.079 --> 00:46:06.840 I've got this insurance as well. Right. But you 00:46:06.840 --> 00:46:09.360 have to, Jim, you brought up an awesome point. 00:46:09.559 --> 00:46:12.639 The last couple that I have advocated for, they 00:46:12.639 --> 00:46:15.400 never told the provider in the community that 00:46:15.400 --> 00:46:19.139 they had tried care. So, you know, I'm letting 00:46:19.139 --> 00:46:22.300 that provider off the hook. So then we had to 00:46:22.300 --> 00:46:26.199 rebuild because Medicare already paid. So we. 00:46:26.360 --> 00:46:29.619 sent it back to the provider, put TRICARE on 00:46:29.619 --> 00:46:33.960 his insurance or her insurance so that that provider 00:46:33.960 --> 00:46:37.539 knows. So that's another thing that I tell people. 00:46:38.340 --> 00:46:40.679 List TRICARE. If you're doing Blue Cross and 00:46:40.679 --> 00:46:43.760 Blue Shield and all the others, TRICARE is also 00:46:43.760 --> 00:46:47.320 there and it's a huge benefit for you. It's one 00:46:47.320 --> 00:46:51.079 of those things where I can't remember the example 00:46:51.079 --> 00:46:53.219 I was thinking of was a friend of mine whose 00:46:53.219 --> 00:46:56.250 husband died of Agent Orange complications. and 00:46:56.250 --> 00:46:59.389 they offer her TRICARE for life and she says 00:46:59.389 --> 00:47:02.710 it works it works fine she says as long as you 00:47:02.710 --> 00:47:05.590 tell them and make sure they know that it's TRICARE 00:47:05.590 --> 00:47:08.389 you know it's just another insurance card right 00:47:08.389 --> 00:47:10.050 you know that you've got to make sure people 00:47:10.050 --> 00:47:12.329 are aware of and then you know that's kind of 00:47:12.329 --> 00:47:14.530 a interesting thing when you think about it that 00:47:14.530 --> 00:47:17.730 the dependents and survivors of the veteran can 00:47:17.730 --> 00:47:21.539 get lifetime health care as well Right. And that's 00:47:21.539 --> 00:47:23.460 something that we feel is really important to 00:47:23.460 --> 00:47:26.199 point out to you out there in the listening world 00:47:26.199 --> 00:47:30.139 is, again, if you have questions, contact us, 00:47:30.500 --> 00:47:34.340 contact that VSO, contact legal help, wherever 00:47:34.340 --> 00:47:37.340 the help is, walk into the VA hospital if you 00:47:37.340 --> 00:47:40.119 have to, and they'll direct you to a VSO and 00:47:40.119 --> 00:47:43.000 say, I got a question. Well, there's three or 00:47:43.000 --> 00:47:46.619 four VSOs normally there every week that can 00:47:46.619 --> 00:47:50.320 answer those questions. As the time's ticking 00:47:50.320 --> 00:47:51.940 along, I want to bring up one more thing that 00:47:51.940 --> 00:47:55.320 I put on my New Year's resolution list. We've 00:47:55.320 --> 00:47:58.099 got about three minutes before we need to do 00:47:58.099 --> 00:48:01.860 our little ending thing. And that is, I want 00:48:01.860 --> 00:48:04.000 to encourage all veterans who are listening and 00:48:04.000 --> 00:48:06.539 friends of veterans who are listening, maybe 00:48:06.539 --> 00:48:12.159 this is the year that you find a legitimate veteran 00:48:12.159 --> 00:48:16.690 organization to work with and support. Maybe 00:48:16.690 --> 00:48:19.929 it's DAV. Maybe it's VFW. Maybe it's somebody 00:48:19.929 --> 00:48:24.510 local. Don't go off for ones that just advertise 00:48:24.510 --> 00:48:30.010 on TV a lot or on radio a lot. Maybe talk with, 00:48:30.349 --> 00:48:34.070 walk into the post near you. They'll be friendly. 00:48:34.090 --> 00:48:36.789 They're not gonna bite and say, hey, how can 00:48:36.789 --> 00:48:40.170 I help out? Maybe it's gonna be resources. Maybe 00:48:40.170 --> 00:48:43.449 it's gonna be time. But I really think that if 00:48:43.449 --> 00:48:48.719 we all worked a little more together, and recognize 00:48:48.719 --> 00:48:50.900 that we don't want to leave our buddy behind, 00:48:51.719 --> 00:48:55.840 and did little things with a local organization, 00:48:56.000 --> 00:48:58.300 we'd all be a lot better off. So put that on 00:48:58.300 --> 00:49:01.860 your New Year's resolution to support the local 00:49:01.860 --> 00:49:05.099 veteran organizations. I agree. I mean, your 00:49:05.099 --> 00:49:08.539 local VA's, many of these organizations and the 00:49:08.539 --> 00:49:12.480 VA have food pantries. If you're being deprived, 00:49:12.920 --> 00:49:14.659 whatever, you know, you don't have enough money 00:49:14.659 --> 00:49:17.880 for food. The VA can help you out with that. 00:49:18.579 --> 00:49:20.900 Lots of organizations go to the VA. We've got 00:49:20.900 --> 00:49:24.039 a merchandise sale going on there. I think it's 00:49:24.039 --> 00:49:28.780 this week. And it's just another way of raising 00:49:28.780 --> 00:49:31.719 funds and getting involved. I can't remember 00:49:31.719 --> 00:49:33.619 the name of the Department of Social Service, 00:49:33.639 --> 00:49:37.179 I guess. You want to drive the little van for 00:49:37.179 --> 00:49:38.980 them? You want to drive the little golf cart 00:49:38.980 --> 00:49:43.130 around the hospital? And it may be something 00:49:43.130 --> 00:49:47.329 as simple, I know we did this locally, hey, get 00:49:47.329 --> 00:49:50.289 your church group or your card group or your 00:49:50.289 --> 00:49:54.570 bowling league, write notes to veterans, give 00:49:54.570 --> 00:49:58.289 them a Christmas card, give them an Easter card 00:49:58.289 --> 00:50:01.949 or just a thank you card. There are guys out 00:50:01.949 --> 00:50:04.110 there who don't get any mail, who don't have 00:50:04.110 --> 00:50:08.800 any family, who really feel isolated. It wouldn't 00:50:08.800 --> 00:50:10.960 be it wouldn't take a lot of your time to reach 00:50:10.960 --> 00:50:14.820 out and say we want to help You know there there 00:50:14.820 --> 00:50:18.860 are ways in which you can support them big and 00:50:18.860 --> 00:50:22.340 small and and again Kind of a big fan of making 00:50:22.340 --> 00:50:25.079 sure it stays local because that way you're impacting 00:50:25.079 --> 00:50:27.880 your own community, right? Right, you know I 00:50:27.880 --> 00:50:30.260 think it was the American Legion as buddy checks 00:50:30.260 --> 00:50:32.719 or buddy calls every month where they they just 00:50:32.719 --> 00:50:35.010 call every one of their members just to see how 00:50:35.010 --> 00:50:37.409 they're doing. We are coming up on about four 00:50:37.409 --> 00:50:41.730 minutes to go, Jim. And I know that we we we 00:50:41.730 --> 00:50:44.349 hate to add in this on a kind of a sad note. 00:50:45.130 --> 00:50:50.530 But Keith King, the founder and CEO of National 00:50:50.530 --> 00:50:52.989 Veterans Business Development Council, I said 00:50:52.989 --> 00:50:55.289 one of our sponsors for years and years and years 00:50:55.289 --> 00:50:59.909 passed away on New Year's Day. And Jim, I'm gonna 00:50:59.909 --> 00:51:05.579 let you go for that. Yeah, Keith was a hell of 00:51:05.579 --> 00:51:09.360 a veteran advocate. There wasn't a veteran cause 00:51:09.360 --> 00:51:12.599 he didn't support. He was born in Highland Park, 00:51:12.599 --> 00:51:17.820 Michigan, went into the Army at 19 years of age, 00:51:18.340 --> 00:51:22.300 was trained in the military police, went off 00:51:22.300 --> 00:51:24.980 to the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1970, 00:51:25.820 --> 00:51:29.400 did a couple of years in the Army, but it came 00:51:29.400 --> 00:51:34.460 back and it really he knew the sacrifice men 00:51:34.460 --> 00:51:41.579 had done and always wanted to return that, to 00:51:41.579 --> 00:51:47.039 return by helping his fellow veterans. In the 00:51:47.039 --> 00:51:49.659 last decade or so, we worked closely with him 00:51:49.659 --> 00:51:54.699 at NVBDC. He often was on veterans radio podcasts 00:51:54.699 --> 00:52:00.230 telling of what was happening lately. NVBC being 00:52:00.230 --> 00:52:04.150 the gold standard for veteran certification, 00:52:05.469 --> 00:52:09.550 his organization worked with the fortune of 500 00:52:09.550 --> 00:52:12.989 companies to make sure that veteran businesses 00:52:12.989 --> 00:52:16.590 got opportunities to bid on projects for all 00:52:16.590 --> 00:52:20.929 the big name companies in America. Ford, GM, 00:52:21.269 --> 00:52:24.550 Amazon, everybody that you can put on a list 00:52:24.550 --> 00:52:27.750 and he was the moving force behind that. But 00:52:27.750 --> 00:52:34.510 before that, he had spent a career in sales and 00:52:34.510 --> 00:52:38.230 advertising, had his own PR business for a long 00:52:38.230 --> 00:52:44.730 time. He was very involved with the Vietnam Veterans 00:52:44.730 --> 00:52:49.130 of America as their national PR guy for decades. 00:52:49.969 --> 00:52:52.329 I just can't say enough good things about Keith 00:52:52.329 --> 00:52:55.670 and how the veteran community really lost one 00:52:55.670 --> 00:53:01.300 of its champions. As far back as 2012, he was 00:53:01.300 --> 00:53:03.699 named the State of Michigan Midwest Regional 00:53:03.699 --> 00:53:06.739 and National Veterans Small Business Champion 00:53:06.739 --> 00:53:11.019 by the Small Business Association. And to this 00:53:11.019 --> 00:53:14.280 day, he's been working with the SBA to make sure 00:53:14.280 --> 00:53:17.579 that veterans business owners got their fair 00:53:17.579 --> 00:53:20.619 share, that they weren't aced out by different 00:53:20.619 --> 00:53:25.840 entities, groups, that folks paid attention to 00:53:25.840 --> 00:53:29.739 veteran businesses. So it's a great loss. to 00:53:29.739 --> 00:53:31.800 the state of Michigan, to the city of Detroit, 00:53:31.900 --> 00:53:35.780 where he lived, and really nationally to veteran 00:53:35.780 --> 00:53:38.780 business owners nationwide. He was a great supporter 00:53:38.780 --> 00:53:43.179 of Veterans Radio. He was inducted, I think it 00:53:43.179 --> 00:53:46.239 was in 2019, to the Michigan Military and Veterans 00:53:46.239 --> 00:53:50.760 Hall of Honor, which recognizes his overall importance 00:53:50.760 --> 00:53:57.820 to the community. Keith King, Keith Kelly King, 00:53:58.280 --> 00:54:03.800 really had a life with purpose and impacted so 00:54:03.800 --> 00:54:06.420 many people. We got to go. We got to go. Unfortunately, 00:54:06.500 --> 00:54:09.239 we're up the end of another program here on Veterans 00:54:09.239 --> 00:54:11.940 Radio. We want to thank everybody for tuning 00:54:11.940 --> 00:54:15.119 in and listening. Check out our website, veteransradio 00:54:15.119 --> 00:54:17.239 .org. I think you'll find some really interesting 00:54:17.239 --> 00:54:20.539 stories there. We're going to go out on God Bless 00:54:20.539 --> 00:54:47.699 America and it's going to dedicate this. God 00:54:47.699 --> 00:54:59.420 bless America. Land that I love Stand beside 00:54:59.420 --> 00:55:06.760 her and guide her Through the night with a light 00:55:06.760 --> 00:55:14.900 from above From the mountains to the prairies 00:55:14.900 --> 00:55:26.059 To the oceans wide with foam God bless America 00:55:26.059 --> 00:55:37.719 My home sweet home God bless America