Comments on: Asset Building for Veterans: We Should do More http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/76 Asset Building Blog Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:16:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Maria Thayer http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/76/comment-page-1#comment-7570 Maria Thayer Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:01:05 +0000 http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/76#comment-7570 Very interesting and informative. It\'s clear that we\'ll be living with the repercussions of this war for many, many years. Very interesting and informative. It\’s clear that we\’ll be living with the repercussions of this war for many, many years.

]]> By: Peggy Stephan http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/76/comment-page-1#comment-7305 Peggy Stephan Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:12:46 +0000 http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/76#comment-7305 As a Navy Reservist (9 years active duty), and practicing CFP, I have been working on bringing financial planning resources to military families. The challenges include distrust of financial services professionals, which is now codified in DOD policy which limits who can provide services. This is a reaction to the policies of the 1990\'s, when commanders let predatory practitioners come onto bases in a misguided effort to get some financial education for their troops. The pendulum has swung, and now you need to be a 501(c)3 organization specifically approved by the service secretary to provide services on base, even pro bono. Veterans hospitals are a good way to reach out to returning warriors. There is a great VA facility in Palo Alto with a PTSD program that has had amazing results for sailors I know. I also met a woman who works at the Palo Alto VA, and she said returnees often need help if they are disabled, about to receive a stipend and/or lump sum and have no idea how to manage it, or fail to grasp that they will need resources to provide them with special housing and transportation etc. Coordinating delivery of services through the hospital makes a lot of sense in that there is a specific need for education under those circumstances. The PTSD sufferers especially benefit from education that helps them in developing goals and focus. The good news is that the military has initiated some programs to help, starting with active duty and now it looks like they are reaching out to deploying reservists, but less focus at this point on returning vets. It seems likely what systems are in place will become a bit overwhelmed with so many severely injured veterans returning, and some of them will have been financially damaged by the problems in the housing market. I think the VA hospitals would be a good place to start helping. As a Navy Reservist (9 years active duty), and practicing CFP, I have been working on bringing financial planning resources to military families. The challenges include distrust of financial services professionals, which is now codified in DOD policy which limits who can provide services. This is a reaction to the policies of the 1990\’s, when commanders let predatory practitioners come onto bases in a misguided effort to get some financial education for their troops. The pendulum has swung, and now you need to be a 501(c)3 organization specifically approved by the service secretary to provide services on base, even pro bono.

Veterans hospitals are a good way to reach out to returning warriors. There is a great VA facility in Palo Alto with a PTSD program that has had amazing results for sailors I know. I also met a woman who works at the Palo Alto VA, and she said returnees often need help if they are disabled, about to receive a stipend and/or lump sum and have no idea how to manage it, or fail to grasp that they will need resources to provide them with special housing and transportation etc. Coordinating delivery of services through the hospital makes a lot of sense in that there is a specific need for education under those circumstances. The PTSD sufferers especially benefit from education that helps them in developing goals and focus.

The good news is that the military has initiated some programs to help, starting with active duty and now it looks like they are reaching out to deploying reservists, but less focus at this point on returning vets. It seems likely what systems are in place will become a bit overwhelmed with so many severely injured veterans returning, and some of them will have been financially damaged by the problems in the housing market. I think the VA hospitals would be a good place to start helping.

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