Monterey, CA Frustrated Veteran Develops App To Help Others Tap Disability Benefits

View From A Nonprofit Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California The controversy continues over veterans coming home from war, only to find out that there is such a huge backlog at the Veterans Administration (VA) that they could wait months, or even years, to receive disability.  This is a sad situation but I have witnessed something similar first hand.  I accept VA benefits to pay for caregiving services at the for-profit company I own, Family inHome Caregiving.  I can tell you from personal experience, their computer systems are extremely antiquated and it's very frustrating trying to get reimbursed for services that we have performed.  I can only imagine how slow the system must feel for veterans, particularly those that are disabled.  The Monterey Herald recently profiled a Pacific Grove man who returned from Iraq in 2005 and found that it took him a year to get approved for disability.  However, I was happy to read that he was able to turn a difficult situation into a good one.   It inspired him to create his own company called Benefits Report Corporation which has an app that allows veterans to have a personalized user friendly look at their benefits.  Check it out at www.benefit reports.com.  "There's 40 million-plus people that this website could help, because it's not only veterans and active duty members.  It's also their spouses, their children, and even their grandchildren," he told a reporter.  He also encouraged any company which offers a military discount to get listed on the service.  What a great idea.  I wish Wolfgang Ward, the founder of this great web site, all of the luck in the world.  Veterans need help wading through the morass of paperwork they must give the government and this site and its accompanying smart phone app can help quite a bit.