(070930)
By Ron Organek
The Department of Veterans Affairs wants to know, do you know any former prisoners of war (POW) or their family members? If so, the VA needs your help.
VA is once again reaching out to former prisoners of war not currently using VA benefits and services, urging them to contact the Department to find out if they are eligible for health care, disability compensation and other services.
“One of VA’s highest priorities is meeting the needs of former prisoners of war,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “They are extraordinary men and women who have endured captivity, suffered extreme deprivation and sacrificed their own freedom to preserve the freedom of all Americans.”
VA estimates more than 25,000 former prisoners of war are alive today. VA is trying to contact the remaining POW’s not receiving any benefits or health care through an outreach program that includes asking citizens to pass the word to veterans they know.
VA also extends a helping hand to the surviving spouses and family members of former POWs, who may be eligible for certain benefits and services.
In recent years, VA has expanded benefits to all former POWs with strokes and certain common heart diseases. More than a dozen other diseases were already covered.
The government's effort to inform former POWs about improvements in benefits faces a particular hurdle with older veterans who may not have been in touch with VA for decades.
A majority of former POWs are veterans of World War II, and their military service was before the use of Social Security numbers as military "service numbers." As a result, it is difficult for VA to track down those who have not been in contact with the Department in recent years.
During recent years through a nationwide outreach campaign that included direct mailings and the help of news media and veterans organizations, VA has added hundreds of former POWs to its compensation rolls, people who had not previously been receiving benefits to which they were entitled.
If you know a former POW, please ask him or her to contact VA at 1-800-827-1000. Details about benefits and services available to former POWs and family members are available at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/POW/index.htm.
VA Honors Little Caesars Founder for Supporting Veterans in Business
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson presented a Secretary's Award to Little Caesars founder Michael Ilitch in recognition of his advancement of veterans in business through pizza franchise discounts.
Ilitch's restaurant franchise has a program to aid any veteran interested in starting a Little Caesars restaurant and also offers special opportunities with additional deep discounts, credit, training, and marketing support for those veterans who are service-disabled.
"Michael Ilitch recognizes the value of veterans in business," said Nicholson. "VA's Center for Veterans Enterprise will assist veterans seeking to become Little Caesars franchise owners and looks forward to helping veterans translate the leadership skills they learned while in uniform to business ownership and expansion."
In conjunction with the award ceremony, Ilitch, who is a former Marine, served pizza to homeless veterans at the VA headquarters in Washington from Little Caesars' "Love Kitchen," a pizza kitchen on wheels that travels across the U.S. and Canada to feed the homeless and disaster survivors.
To assist service-disabled veterans who want to open a Little Caesars restaurant, the program waives a $20,000 franchise fee on the first store, provides $10,000 credit on the initial equipment order, and provides a variety of marketing support and financing options and other benefits, which can total $68,000. For other veterans, the fee is reduced by $5,000 and the credit extended for equipment is $5,000.
Veterans are offered business opportunities by a variety of franchisers through the International Franchise Association's VetFran program. More information about the companies' special benefits for veterans is available at www.franchise.org and the VA Center for Veterans Enterprise's resource site to assist veteran entrepreneurs at www.vetbiz.gov
Information Taken from VA news releases
For information on veterans benefits call the V.A. toll free 1-800-827-1000. Comments and ideas for columns may be sent to Veterans Corner; P.O. Box 202; East Berlin, Ct. 06023. If a reply is requested, please send self addressed stamped business envelope.