Resources

If you served in the military and have an honorable discharge your level of VA benefits varies according to a whole lot of factors. When you served. Where you served. How long you were in. Plus, other details.

But the good news is there is someone out there waiting to help you figure out which benefits you are entitled to.

And I used the word “entitled” because they are your benefits. You earned them by serving and you deserve them.

And remember things are always changing. So, if you asked about your VA benefits when you first got out or five years ago. Even last year. Ask again because lots of factors have changed.

I mentioned having an honorable discharge and even that has been relooked at.

Also depending on your service, you might be entitled to things someone else doesn’t get. Or they get something you can’t get.

And regardless there is help out there for all veterans.

Depending on where you live is where you need to go. A great starting point is the VA website and it’s super easy to find. VA.gov. Go to the website and poke around. Its jam packed with information for you.

Check with your Senior Center and Town Hall. They can point you in the right direction. Call your Senator and Representative they can help as well.

Here in Connecticut each town has a Veteran Representative trained to help all veterans. There are VA clinics and VA hospitals. Plus, a growing number of Veterans Coffeehouses.

Ask for guidance. Stop in talk with the folks. Share your story.

Remember to visit VA.gov for the website.

Make some phone calls!

They are waiting to help you!!

After many years working as a Senior Center Director I choose to start my business as a way to help the community learn about Senior Centers and the services and resources available to seniors and their families. And boy, I’ve learned a lot since I started SeniorCenterCt.org.

This idea for SeniorCenterCt.org developed from area Senior Center Directors exploring how they would change and evolve to accommodate the soon to arrive baby boomers. We talked with Maria Miranda of Miranda Creative and the foundation for a collaborative 9 town senior center website was born.

From that point to now the learning curve has been huge. I’m proud to say that SeniorCenterCt.org and I continue to grow every day. Maria continues to be my mentor along with Debra Jane, my finance wizard and many others have become my sounding boards.

And then I was fortunate enough for Arlene to become my mentor through SCORE. A retired marketing and strategic planning expert Arlene readily pitches in and is guiding me with the marketing and branding of SeniorCenterCt.org.

We always need to remember we don’t travel our journey alone and in order to meet Arlene I needed to discover SCORE.

SCORE is a wonderful free resource that has the nation’s largest network of volunteer business mentors. There are over 10,000 expert volunteers in 300 chapters.

In 2018, SCORE mentors helped start 32,387 businesses and create 135,687 jobs.

SCORE is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration and is there to help you achieve your dream as a small business owner. They are there every step of the way to teach and guide you as you grow.

When you go to the SCORE website you can choose “find a mentor”, “take a workshop” or “browse the library”. You can find the SCORE location nearest to you. You can become a volunteer. You can see the impact SCORE makes.

Explore this website. View a webinar. Read an article. Learn how to use your stats and data to drive growth. Take a Workshop.

There are even podcasts you can listen to as you drive to your next appointment.

And yes, everything SCORE does truly is free.

Score will always be there for you to access. Let them help you grow personally and professionally as your business evolves and thrives.

As SCORE says, “The next success could be yours!”