|
Home | Forums | Gallery | Register | Video Directory | FAQ | Members List | Calendar | Games | Search | Today's Posts | Mark Forums Read | Chat Room |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Recent VA News Releases
To view and download VA news releases, please visit the following Internet address: <http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel> New Program Helps Vets with Franchises WASHINGTON (Nov. 20, 2002) - Owning a franchise operation is now more affordable for veterans, thanks to a program recently announced by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. The Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative, commonly known as "VetFran," allows veterans to acquire a franchise with a downpayment of 10 percent or less of the initial franchise cost, which generally ranges from $45,000 to $150,000 for a small business. Franchising companies absorb the difference. "Veterans are self-starters who possess an excellent work ethic. They are leaders who know how to manage others," Principi said. "The VetFran program provides veterans who want to be in business for themselves a wonderful opportunity to get their feet in the door." Dr. Leo S. Mackay Jr., VA's Deputy Secretary, was the featured speaker at a Sept. 24 meeting of the International Franchise Association (IFA), VetFran's sponsor, to launch the new initiative. Mackay also attended the annual convention in Orlando, Fla., earlier this year where the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that they will work to promote franchise opportunities for veterans. IFA's then-Chairman Jim Amos, President/CEO of Mail Boxes Etc, Inc., joined him in signing the MOU. "I am convinced that the partnership we are embarking on is a win-win collaboration. It represents confidence in our nation's veterans, benefits to our economy, and an investment in the future of America" said Mackay. IFA first introduced VetFran in the early 1990s as a way for franchisers to express gratitude to military members for their service during the Gulf War. In the last several years, the program had all but been forgotten. The current war against terrorism has rekindled interest in extending franchise opportunities to military veterans. A Hawaii veteran recently became the first to acquire a franchise under the revitalized VetFran program, obtaining a franchise for Expectec Technology Services, a technology supplier headquartered in Garden Grove, Calif. He paid $40,000 instead of the $60,000 he would have paid without VetFran. Currently, VetFran is limited to franchises with initial investments up to $150,000, the maximum loan amount on which the SBA offers 85 percent loan guarantees. So far, nearly 75 franchisers are participating. VetFran may expand later to include franchises costing over $150,000, for which the SBA offers 75 percent loan guarantees. Additional information is available on VA's Web page at <http://www.vetbiz.gov/>. "When they one day put aside their uniforms, today's servicemen and women must know that they will have real means and opportunities to pursue a career, and make a living for themselves and their families," said Mackay. "This initiative helps provide that."
__________________
Every so often, allow yourself the luxury of an unexpressed thought. |
Sponsored Links |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Nov. 26, 2002
VA Reports Progress In Battling Claims Backlog
WASHINGTON (Nov. 26, 2002) - After years of battling a rising backlog of applications from veterans and survivors seeking financial benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reversing the trend. Each month for the last nine months, VA's compensation and pension decisions have exceeded the monthly intake of new claims requiring a decision about a disability's severity and connection with service. This steady decrease of claims in the pipeline since the beginning of this year reduced the backlog of ratings actions by 21 percent. "We've seen a growing output from our regional offices, averaging 66 percent higher than last fiscal year," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi said. "We're confident we will sustain that trend and deliver on President Bush's promise to bring pending claims to a speedy and fair resolution." Under Secretary for Benefits Daniel L. Cooper said VA has been hiring more personnel, providing intensive training and setting production standards. He expects even more dividends from innovations in the way VA is processing claims, from reorganizing the regional offices' structure to implementing processes that move quickly on benefit applications that can be decided with minimal time. "Our employees have tried to do their best for veterans while compensation laws and procedures became increasingly complex," Cooper said. "We are committed to the staffing, resources and uniform procedures that will meet this challenge with high-quality, consistent decisions for veterans." By October, VA had completed reorganization of its benefits processing offices using specialized teams to focus on different stages of the claims decision-making process. VA expects the work flow to be more efficient. The reorganization was among a variety of processing reforms recommended last year by a task force chaired by Cooper before his nomination as under secretary for benefits. In addition, VA added more than 1,500 new benefits staff over the last two years as part of the largest increase since the Vietnam War. As the new hires complete training and gain proficiency in the complex requirements of VA benefit laws, they contribute to VA's record production levels, an average 66,400 claims per month over the last fiscal year. Another reform over the last year was Principi's work with the National Personnel Records Center's parent agency, the National Archives, to speed retrieval of military service and personnel records from a storage warehouse in St. Louis. In the year since VA and the National Archives signed an agreement to expedite file transfers to VA in order to answer veterans' claims more quickly, the inventory of file requests pending six months or longer has dropped 58 percent. VA also has made significant inroads in processing the claims of aged beneficiaries by shifting workload of some of the longest-pending claims to a specialty unit called the "Tiger Team" headquartered in Cleveland. The "Tiger Team" last fiscal year completed more than 15,000 claims, the majority of which were from veterans 70 and older or which had been pending more than a year. VA has seen the total number of claims drop from a peak of more than 600,000 in March to today's 463,000, which includes 343,000 claims awaiting decisions for compensation and pension. Another 97,000 cases of all types are pending on appeal. Principi has set a goal to have no more than 250,000 disability rating claims of all types pending. This figure reflects a normal inventory that allows time to schedule medical exams and accumulate evidence. The goal recognizes that veterans are allowed up to 60 days to respond to requests for any needed information. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
a recent photo | MORTARDUDE | Vietnam | 12 | 07-25-2005 04:33 PM |
DoD Releases Study on Link Between Agent Orange and Diabetes | darrels joy | General Posts | 2 | 07-10-2005 12:19 PM |
Recent Poll Results | SuperScout | Political Debate | 3 | 06-17-2005 01:08 AM |
FYI: CIA releases new Vietnam documents | MontanaKid | Vietnam | 0 | 04-29-2005 01:54 PM |
Military Releases Details of POW Rescue | thedrifter | General Posts | 0 | 04-05-2003 09:49 AM |
|