U.S. Census Bureau statistics
 
Many thousands of Veterans, who defended our country's freedom, have been unable to find their way in society. They live in a bleak, hopeless world without decent shelter, adequate nutrition, or medical care. Some of these people are true war heroes who received physical and psychological injuries during horrific combat that few could imagine.
 
National Vet-to-Vet Economic Development Program

Mission

The mission of this economic development program is to help address the economic problems many US veterans face in the USA.

Who Is a “Veteran”?

By statute, a veteran is defined as a “person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.” To be eligible for most VA benefits, the claimant must be a veteran or, in some circumstances, the survivor or the dependent of a veteran.
In evaluating the evidence to determine whether the claimant is a veteran for the purposes of VA benefits, the VA relies upon military service records. The VA is bound by information that the service documents contain.

Such records may include an original military service record; a copy issued by the military service with the certification that it is a true document; or a copy submitted by an accredited agent, attorney, or service representative with special training, who certifies that it is a copy of an original military service document or a copy of such a document.
 In addition, the document must contain data regarding the length, time, character of the service. The VA must believe that the document is genuine and accurate. If the claimant does not provide the requisite documentation or other evidence, or the submitted documentation does not meet the requirements, the VA must seek to verify the claimant’s military service directly from the appropriate military service.

Active Service Criteria for Veteran Status

In general, active service means full-time service, other than active duty for training, as a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard; as a commissioned officer of the Public Health Service; or as a commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or its predecessors.
 
For people who enlisted prior to September 8, 1980, no minimum length of service is necessary to be considered a veteran for most VA benefits. However, certain minimum length of service requirements apply to people who enlisted on or after September 8, 1980.
 
The general requirement is the “full period” for which the service member was called or ordered to active duty or, if less, 24 months of continuous active duty. Several exceptions exist to this rule. For example, service-connected disability compensation benefits are exempt from the length of service requirement. Thus, a veteran with a disease or injury incurred during active service generally may receive service-connected compensation for that disability.
 
Other exceptions to the minimum service requirements include claims for VA life insurance benefits, hardship discharges, and persons retired or separated from service because of a service-related disability. If the former service member did not serve for the full period of active duty and served less than 24 months, and none of the statutory exceptions apply, then the veteran did not complete a minimum period of active duty and is “not eligible for any benefit under Title 38, United States Code or under any law administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs based on that period of active service.

Veteran Status for National Guard and Reserve Service members

To be eligible for VA benefits, members of the National Guard and the reserve components must meet the same standards as other claimants. In many cases, however, they do not meet the active duty standard or length of service standard and are therefore ineligible for VA benefits. Members of the National Guard and reserves who are never activated for federal active duty military service do not meet the active duty requirement. National Guard and reserve members who are called to active duty and serve the full period for which they are called meet both the active service and length of duty requirements. National Guard and reserve members also qualify as veterans for the purposes of VA benefits if they are disabled or die from a disease or injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.

 Homes and Economic Stability for the Brave

The Vet-to-Vet program was established for veterans by veterans.
The Vet-to-Vet Program is a developmental program initiative sponsored by its parent, tax-exempt, charitable, 501(c)(3) organization, Living Learning and Working. The chairman and co-chairman of the board of directors of the organization are veterans. The Eastern Regional Director of Operations is a minority woman, disabled veteran.

The Vet-to-Vet Program has three primary value streams, a vocational re-training program, a housing program, and a job creation program.

Living Learning and Working Inc. has formed a consortium to manage and implement the Vet-to-Vet Economic Development Program all over the Americas.

Vet-to-Vet Economic Development Consortium

It is the intent of the Consortium to address the following issues facing veterans, the elderly, and the economically challenged: inadequate housing, poverty, unemployment, and inadequate education. 

Experience
The Consortium has a wide variety of experience in subdivision plans, building layouts, construction plans, topographical surveys, Computer Aided Drafting models, business, R&D, training, job creation, and economic development. Whether the project is a single building, large scale development, or a community-wide project, the Consortium’s broad experience enables it to effectively approach the project with confidence.
 
The Consortium realizes that the success of a project lies in understanding the needs of a community as well as creating a strategy to meet those needs. Furthermore, it realizes that planning will set a firm foundation for achieving all desired goals. 

Performance
The Consortium will always commit the time and resources required to do
jobs well. All projects will be staffed with a team specifically designed to meet the projects' demands and schedules with talents tailored to its unique needs.
 
The Consortium will use the right professionals, the most efficient production tools, and the best support team, to guarantee that timelines and budgets are met.
 
The Consortium team will be led by Living Learning and Working, which will be the primary point of contact throughout the project’s lifecycle.  Local resources will be used  throughout a project’s lifecycle whenever possible. 

Living Learning and Working's Involvement
Living Learning and Working is responsible for the overall management of the Vet-to-Vet Economic Development Consortium. That includes:

• Project Management – 10 years of experience,
• Student Recruitment – 4 years of experience,
• Quality Assurance Assessment – 16 years of experience,
• Refurbished House Sales – 3 years of experience,
• Obtaining Grants - 3 years of experience,
• Business and Economic Development – 20 years of experience,
• Job Creation -  8 years of experience,
• Development of  new businesses - 20 years of experience,
• Research and Development – 8 years of experience.

Vocational Re-Training 
All veterans, by design, have been trained for various vocations during their military careers. However, current societal job needs may not mirror our veteran's previous skill sets. Consequently, we have disenfranchised, jobless, homeless veterans. The condition in which some veterans find themselves is like a societal cancer which requires urgent immediate correction.

For this reason, we have established a vocational re-training program to bridge the gap joblessness and employment.  The first phase of vocational re-training will be focused on the construction industry. This will not only provide new and certified skill sets, but will provide the necessary resources for the Vet-to-Vet housing program.

Job Creation Program
The job creation program is supported by the business incubator and the Research and Development Center.

International Vet-to-Vet  Economic Development Program

This development program is an extension in location of the domestic Vet-to-Vet Economic Development Program. 

Purpose

In the USA, many US veterans find themselves in a similar economic condition to that of the people in third world countries.  Consequently, the purpose of this economic development program is to help address: the flow of economic refugees into the USA from Latin America, the economic turmoil in several small Latin American countries, and the economic problems facing many US veterans in the USA.

The Approach 

Living Learning and Working will seek out those counties where:

• It can buy and own property.
• It can build special US veteran economic development villages.
• It can establish assisted living facilities for US veterans.
• US veterans can buy and own property.
• Where the cost of living is such that a veteran’s benefits as low as $500 per month will allow her/him to have a decent standard of living.
• US veterans are given a special retirement, economic, or tourist visas.
• US veterans can bring members of their families into the country.
• US veterans are encouraged to create and own businesses.
• US veterans can hire workers outside the country, if the locals do not have that expertise.

Benefits

Benefits for Countries Where Veterans Choose to Reside

The presence of US veterans will help to bring about a (n),

• Increase in revenue,
• Decrease in unemployment,
• Decrease in poverty,
• Improvement in the standard of living of the local residents,
• Decrease in imports,
• Increase in exports,
• Decrease in crime rate,
• More favorable balance of trade.

Benefits for US Veterans

Many countries can offer US veterans:

• A higher standard of living because the cost of living is lower than in the USA,
• A chance to own their homes because prices are lower than in the USA; for a lower price, one can get the same size, higher quality house than in the USA,
• Better health care, especially for elderly US veterans because health care costs are lower than in the USA,
• Better opportunities to use their education and skills because many of the US veterans’ skills and education are no longer needed in the USA, but are needed in many other countries,
• Better opportunities to start businesses than in the USA because there is little or no competition in many business sectors of many other countries; this is not true in the USA.

Benefits for the USA

The USA should consider this program as a special type of foreign aid program. The implementation of this program will provide the following benefits for the USA, a (n):

• Reduction in the number of homeless US veterans,
• Reduction in the number of US veterans receiving unemployment benefits,
• Strengthening of democracy in those countries where US veterans choose to reside,
• Reduction of the involvement of the drug trade in those countries where US veterans choose to reside,
• Reduction of illegal immigration to the USA from those countries where US veterans choose to reside,
• Weakening of socialist and communist influence in those countries where US veterans choose to reside by demonstrating that responsible capitalism can and does raise peoples’ standard of living,
• Improvement in relations with those countries where US veterans choose to reside,
• Expansion of a free market economy in those countries where US veterans choose to reside,
• Increase in permanent export possibilities in those countries where US veterans choose to reside,
• Reduction in foreign aid requirements in those countries where US veterans choose to reside.

                       Living Learning and Working Inc. Copyright @ 2020