A VAMBOA PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

VAMBOA believes that this information is important to our membership and all Veteran Business Owners especially those who are Service-Connected Disabled Veteran Business Owners due to Agent Orange.

The Veterans Administration announced two major decisions related to presumptive conditions associated with Agent Orange and particulate matter exposures during military service in Southwest Asia.

Agent Orange

VA will begin implementing provisions of the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116-283), adding three conditions to the list of those presumptively associated with exposure to herbicide agents, more commonly known as Agent Orange. Those conditions are bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and Parkinsonism.

“Many of our Nation’s Veterans have waited a long time for these benefits,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough. “VA will not make them wait any longer. This is absolutely the right thing to do for Veterans and their families.”

VA will apply the provisions of court orders related to Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which may result in an earlier date for entitlement to benefits for Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Vietnam War-era Veterans and their survivors who previously filed and were denied benefits for one of these three new presumptive conditions will have their cases automatically reviewed without the need to refile a claim. VA will send letters to impacted Veterans and survivors.

Particulate Matter Exposures

The Secretary recently concluded the first iteration of a newly formed internal VA process to review scientific evidence to support rulemaking, resulting in the recommendation to consider the creation of new presumptions of service connection for respiratory conditions based on VA’s evaluation of a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine report and other evidence. VA’s review supports the initiation of rulemaking to address the role that particulate matter pollution plays in generating chronic respiratory conditions, which may include asthma, rhinitis, and sinusitis for Veterans who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War and/or after September 19, 2001, or in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan during the Persian Gulf War.

“VA is establishing a holistic approach to determining toxic exposure presumption going forward. We are moving out smartly in initiating action to consider these and other potential new presumptions, grounded in science and in keeping with my authority as Secretary of VA,” said Secretary McDonough.

VA is initiating rulemaking to consider adding respiratory conditions, which may include asthma, sinusitis, and rhinitis, to the list of chronic disabilities based on an association with military service in Southwest Asia, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan during the covered periods of conflict. VA will conduct broad outreach efforts to reach impacted Veterans and it encourages them to participate in the rulemaking process.

For more information, visit our website at Airborne Hazards and Burn Pit Exposures – Public Health.

VAMBOA, the Veterans and Military Business Owners Association hopes that this article has not only been valuable information.  We work hard to bring you important, positive, helpful, and timely information and are the “go to” online venue for Veteran and Military Business Owners.  VAMBOA is a non-profit trade association.   We do not charge members any dues or fees and members can also use our seal on their collateral and website.   If you are not yet a member, you can register here:  

https://vamboa.org/member-registration/

We also invite you to check us out on social media too.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/vamboa

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/VAMBOA

Do not forget that VAMBOA members receive significant discounts on technology needs.   Check them out here:

https://vamboa.org/dell-technologies/ 

Companies now “get it” and realize the value that Veterans bring to the their companies.  This has increased their recruitment offers for Veterans.  Recruiting Veterans also hits many of the boxes for Diversity and Inclusion.   As a result the jobless rate for Veterans has decreased significantly, less than half from 6.6 percent in 2013 to 3.1 percent in 2019 (pre-Covid).

We think that this list might be an asset to Veteran Small Business Owners that more often than not, hire Veterans when they are looking to add employees.

Forbes in partnership with the market research firm, Statista surveyed more than 5,000 United States Veterans who served including National Guard and Reserves.  All of those survey work either full or part time for over 1,000 employers.   The survey was conducted from March, 2020 to June June, 2020.  It asked respondents to evaluate their employers’ working conditions and approach to diversity and inclusion as well as whether their environment is veteran-friendly.  Below is a list of the Best Employers.   On a personal note, a company in my own county, Harbor Freight Tools in Camarillo, California (located in Ventura county) came in first.

Some additional factors to consider in this survey are that men outnumbered women in Forbes’ survey, a reflection of the predominance of men in the armed forces, and a substantial percentage of respondents, 40%, held upper management positions. Some 8% of veterans said they worked in the aerospace and defense industry, compared to 2.7% of respondents for Forbes’ 2019 list of America’s Best Employers.

On a personal note, I want to add a few companies that I personally know values, hires, and invests in Veteran Employees.  Johnson and Johnson not only hire Veterans but has an entire department to provide resources as does Dell Technologies.   VAMBOA salutes all these Veteran Friendly companies.

Below is the Forbes full list of the 150 Best Employers for Veterans:

AMERICA’S BEST EMPLOYERS FOR VETERANS 2020 LIST

By Debbie Gregory.

To grow your Small Veteran Owned Business, you must get out the word and grow your business to new potential customers.   This means you need to focus on marketing and more marketing.   This article will help you evaluate ways to attract new customers to your business and retain and engage your current customers.   There are a multitude of marketing channels available today and one or all of them might be a good fit for your business.

Email Marketing:

Email marketing is both effective and an inexpensive way to reach new and existing clients.   It requires a solid list of contacts and engaging content.   The content can tell your story and include special discounts, coupons, tips, and important information that concerns your market.

Work on building a list of contacts by capturing the email addresses of your clients, referrals, and business colleagues.   You can build this list from asking customers to fill out or register on your website or blog, live and industry event and subscriptions.   It makes sense to offer those that register value too.  Keep those on your list engaged by sending them emails regularly with a concise and strong subject line or call to action that tells those receiving your email your message.   Always include something of value in your message such as valuable information or discounts.

There are excellent email services available that are fairly cost effective to assist you.   These services will help you design, compose with content, and deploy your emails.  Additionally, they will help you manage your contact lists and view the results of your emails to learn what works best. Some of most popular services include iContact, Constant Contact, MailChimp, AWeber and GetResponse to name a few.

Direct Mail:

Direct Mail should be included on the list although it can be much more costly than email marketing.  Direct mail includes catalogs, postcards, flyers and can help build the identity of your brand and business.  Printed materials are something more tangible and will get attention since as they are mailed.  You will need the snail mail addresses of your customers and potential customers.  You can use your own list and/or supplement it by renting a list from a direct mail vendor.

Social Media:

Social media is an excellent way to truly engage your customers and potential customers as well as learn their preferences. There are five major social media platform and they include:

• Facebook that has over one billion users and allows you to post, invite and use targeted ads. Many feel that Facebook can provide the biggest bang or return on investment.
• Twitter is a huge platform that allows you to share ideas, information, and insights concisely with a limit of 140 characters.
• LinkedIn is a professional networking site that enables you to connect with other businesspeople and post insights and join like-minded professional online groups that will increase the reach of your business.
• Instagram is visual and you can share images, photos, and videos to showcase your product line and/or service.
• Blogging is an effective way to tell the story of your business and share your products and expertise.

It does not matter if you use one or all of them.  It is important to post regularly, respond to comments, complaints, and inquiries and really listen to what prospects are telling you online.

Advertising:

This is one of the most effective methods to let potential customers know about your business.   It can be expensive, so it is imperative to plan carefully and identify your target market to time and place ads in the best venues for your needs.  Place ads where your customers go for information on the products and services that you offer.  Print ads are very expensive, and you may wish to consider digital ads that are much less costly and reach a larger audience.  Some options for digital advertising include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and pay-per-click ads.

Some free advertising to consider and claim are online directories including Yelp and Google Plus. These reach a huge audience and the best part is they are free so be sure to complete your business profile and ask satisfied clients to post positive reviews.

SHARING FROM THE U.S. Department of Labor / Published April 21, 2020

During these challenging times, our nation’s Guardsmen and Reservists are answering the call to duty to protect the health and well-being of all Americans. We owe a duty to them to ensure full compliance with the employment and reemployment rights of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA)

The Veteran’s Employment and Training Service (VETS) interprets and provides guidance on USERRA and investigates complaints filed under this law. VETS offers the following frequently asked questions and answers:

Does this fact sheet create new USERRA rights and obligations in light of COVID-19?

No. The statute and regulations still govern USERRA rights and obligations. This factsheet addresses some scenarios that might arise from the application of USERRA in the context of this pandemic.

Does a member of the National Guard or Reserves who is called to active duty in response to the COVID-19 emergency have employment and reemployment protections under USERRA?

• Yes, if called to duty under federal authority. National Guard or Reserve duty under federal authority (such as Title 10 or Title 32) is covered by USERRA.
  • National Guard duty under state authority, commonly referred to as State Active Duty, is not covered under USERRA. However, members of the National Guard serving on State Active Duty may have similar employment protections under state law and should contact the appropriate state office for assistance.
  • Note that the authority under which orders are issued can change, even in the course of a service member’s performance of service.

Can a service member be furloughed or laid off upon return from uniformed service?

• Yes, if it is reasonably certain that he or she would have been furloughed or laid off had he or she not been absent for uniformed service.

May an employer delay a service member’s reemployment out of concern that the service member’s service in a COVID-19 affected area may have exposed him or her to COVID-19?

• No. If the employee satisfies the prerequisites to reemployment, the employee should be promptly reemployed in the job position that he or she would have attained with reasonable certainty if not for the absence due to uniformed service.
  • Promptness generally depends on the length of time an individual was away, ranging from the next day after returning from duty, if the deployment was relatively short, to up to fourteen days in the case of a multi-year deployment.
  • When reemploying a service member who might have been exposed to COVID-19, an employer must make reasonable efforts in order to qualify the returning employee for his or her proper reemployment position. This can include temporarily providing paid leave, remote work, or another position during a period of quarantine for an exposed reemployed service member or COVID-19 infected reemployed service member, before reemploying the individual into his or her proper reemployment position.

Where to Obtain Additional Information:

Important USERRA-related resources and compliance assistance materials for employees and employers are available through the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service website at www.dol.gov/agencies/vets/programs/userra, which contains a USERRA elaws Advisor, FAQs, fact sheets, and links to the statute and implementing regulations. Our toll-free information and helpline, available 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, is 1-866-4-USA-DOL (1-866-487-2365). The Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve also provides resources available at www.esgr.mil.

U.S. Department of Labor                             1-866-4-USA-DOL
200 Constitution Ave NW                              TTY: 1-877-TTY-5627
Washington, DC 20210

/Portals/13/USERRA-COVID-19-Impact.pdf

By Debbie Gregory.

VAMBOA and our team hopes that you have enjoyed Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series on Business Grants for Veterans and found it to be valuable.   Please let us know what you think because we value your input.  You can email us at info@vamboa.org.

Once you have your funding secured, either by grant or loan, you may still need some other business assistance. Below you can find some excellent resources for your Small Veteran Owned Business to utilize to start, learn, nurture, and grow your small business:

• Boots to Business is a two-step program offered by the Small Business Administration (the SBA) offered on military installations around the world to introduce service members to entrepreneurship and the foundations needed to begin a business when they return home.
• Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV)is a free program for post-9/11 vets and their spouses.
• Patriot Boot Camp is a branch of the startup incubator: TechStars and is specifically for active duty military members and their spouses who want to gain entrepreneurial skills.
• Service-Disabled Entrepreneurship Development Training Program offers between $50,000 and $150,000 as a grant to support organizations that deliver entrepreneurship training program(s) to service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs who want to become small business owners or who currently own a small business.
• Small Business Administration (SBA) offers several veteran entrepreneurship training programs.
• Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) is an SBA-funded program that offers online training, a conference and mentorship specifically to female veterans.
• Veterans Business Services helps veterans acquire or start small business. Veteran Business Services offers assistance with franchising, marketing and with connecting you with financial services.
• Veterans Business Resource Center offers business training for Veterans including help with understanding business plans, financials, marketing, sales, human resource management, and more. They also offer webinars and professional counseling.
• Veterans Institute for Procurement (VIP)is an accelerator program with three specific offerings specifically designed for owners, principals, and C‐level executives of Veteran Owned Small Businesses and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses SDVOSB).  Veterans Institute for Procurement (VIP) Grow helps companies develop overall strategies to operate and expand within the federal marketplace. VIP Start helps companies that want to get into the federal market and become procurement-ready. VIP International is for companies that want to enter or expand their federal and commercial contracting opportunities overseas.
• VetsInTechis a private sector training program that offers tech related education opportunities, connections with tech jobs and workshops and bootcamps to help veteran startup founders boost and grow their businesses.