Where to fit in? It seems impossible to figure it out sometimes!
As a disabled army veteran finding myself one paycheck away from being out of my newly rented apt, and then unemployed right after that last paycheck...i was seriously desperate!
Perhaps this will help someone else in a similar position:
I had been hon. discharged with disability back in 97, gotten the voc rehab right after that, went on and hadn't thought of any benefits or re-evaluation of them since then. Well, long story short... lost the decent job due to the economy, hurt my back (which is my disability) worse to the point of no return, and had no hopes of being able to even do a gas station job. Ironically, the billboard right across from my apartment building asked "Are you getting the benefits you deserve?" and a phone number to the local VA rep office. After getting very lucky and seeing Vicki Ruiz, who is the job placement specialist at the Clermont Cty, OH VA office, (and will go way above and beyond to help in any way possible!), i found out that vets are eligible for "helps" for each year of service! They saved me!!! I was able to apply for financial aid (which are the "helps"), see a counselor, and since i was working on finding employment and in the middle of investigating serious surgery for my back, was eligible for my rent to be paid and a grocery voucher for all the good stuff a food card doesn't cover! (Toilet paper is a nice thing to have!!!) What a life saver!!! I honestly don't know where my son and I would've been without their help; obviously not in the apartment we are still in...
It's worth a shot calling one of the VA rep centers if you need some sort of assistance; i had never even heard of that until i talked with them. There's so many more programs, etc. out there now for all of us vets - it makes me even more proud to have been able to serve our country! It is absolutely wonderful to hear a "thank you" for something I feel so honored to be a part of!
