I have postponed writing this diary for weeks, but the time has come to share a story of a mutual friend. And it's appropriate to share it for Veteran's Day because this friend served our country and, like many veterans of the Vietnam War, needs our help in ways that are somewhat unexpected. We hear of homelessness; we hear of PTSD; but we rarely hear of those vets who are surviving but are just coasting at a level where they don't qualify for help from the vast majority of non-profits. But if they don't receive help, these veterans could be on the streets within a short time. Ironcially, the assistance we seek is readily available for veterans of more current wars but not always for our older vets.
This diary will not ask for money but for something even more concrete.
Are you intrigued?
Then join me below the fold for the details. And please, if you aren't the person who can help, please share this diary widely in hopes that said person will eventually read these words. Or, if you have a solution that the rest of us haven't seen, let us know in the comments below.
The vast majority of you will know llbear. He has been a stalwart Kossack, writing diaries and offering support to a great many of us in times of need. He's been my personal cheerleader and helped boost my confidence as a writer and photographer.
llbear is best known for his work with veterans. His story is best shared in his own words:
Grew up a Democrat in Dixon, IL [Ronald Reagan's hometown], served in Viet Nam as a Counterintelligence Agent with Military Intelligence, and domestically assigned to make sure "queers didn't get into the Army". At the age of 30 I discovered that I was gay. Alternated in Chicago over the next 30 years from being a headhunter recruiting lawyers for major corporations and law firms to Gay Rights and fighting HIV/AIDS with the legendary Lake Front liberals of to 1960's & 1970's. During the 1990 and 2000's I spent more time helping Veterans cope with Post Traumatic Stress, suicide prevention and the Veterans Administration as a veterans advocate. In Dixon I was a volunteer and board member for Meals on Wheels for 40 years. I was the care provider to my mother, brother, and father. Following their deaths I moved to Oregon and am now active combating Republican attacks on Oregon's senior citizens. I work with gay senior citizens through Prime Timers and post diaries on Daily Kos. Recently I have undertaken a fundraising role with The Veterans Green Bus - a bio-stainable demonstration that also helps veterans who have Post Traumatic Stress.
DFA Scholarship Contest, 2013
In the past few years, llbear moved from Illinois to Oregon; he left a community he knew to be closer to a Veterans Hospital that was capable of helping him in times of need. He started working with local vets to help them get the benefits that they deserved. He also worked with the local legislature to help vets defer their property taxes.
The Deferred Property Tax Program allowed me, as a disabled veteran, to use money I had sequestered for taxes, to adapt my home to better enable me to live on my own. I am also one of those cited by David Raphael as a “Dual Ineligibles: Low-income homeowners who were removed in 2011 because of their reverse mortgages, and because of the new 5-year residency requirement.”
From an Oregon Legislature Committee Meeting
A few weeks ago, a fellow friend got a call from llbear. The property taxes hadn't been deferred and his mortgage company paid two years worth for him. They were threatening to take his home. At the same time, she learned that llbear's short term memory issues, related to diabetes that could be service-related, were preventing him from properly managing his finances. He was late on bills, had withdrawn funds that couldn't be accounted for, and was in danger of losing his home. He was confused but for some small reason, had enough common sense to call a friend who could help.
This dear person pulled together a small cadre of fellow Kossacks who have since been in contact with llbear's VA social worker, his family in Illinois, his VA nurse, and many of the companies that were owed money. Things are looking slightly better, but not perfect. llbear's needs some serious help managing his finances. His immediate family in Illinois do not see the urgency. Though a recent change in medication is helping with the short term memory, we are concerned that the progress is temporary. We want to find help before he has a set-back, not after. And llbear is in agreement and he has given me permission to post this diary today.
Through a friend who is a financial manager in California, I tried to find a pro-bono financial advisor in the Lake Oswego/Portland, Oregon area. No luck. And worse, all of them want to charge twice the rate my friend recommended they charge. I'm hoping that one of you may know someone willing to sit down with llbear and help him organize his finances. We need to make sure that his monthly income will cover his expenses. We need to refinance his debt. He probably needs two separate accounts to cover his expenses - one with automatic deposit and automatic payment to his regular bills that he does not have direct access to in times that his memory fails him (it's too easy to help others when you think you have money in the bank to do so). And then an account that he does have access to so that he can buy the basics for himself and his dog.
llbear is so worried that he has gone to see a Bankruptcy Attorney - a partially free consultation (the first half hour free, the second charged and not cheaply). I am very afraid that he is taking steps that are unnecessary and will cause irrevocable harm to his credit rating and possibly his chances to receive help in the future. He is prepared to make difficult decisions, such as selling his home, but he very much needs a person by his side to help him through the process. It's times like this that I hate being a military wife who lives far away; not that I am a financial advisor, but to be able to sit down with him and visit the bank, the attorneys, etc. would make an absolute huge difference at this point in time. Someone with training, however, would be a dream come true at this point.
So, how about it? Do you know someone that can help? If not, can you help by recommending and sharing this diary? A non-Kossack who would like to offer assistance can contact me via angelajean4progress at gmail dot com. A Kossack, of course, can either email, send a private message, or leave a comment below.
Thanks in advance from llbear and his cadre of helping Kossacks!