Latest / Brian Thomas / CCVS Steve Balczo - Veteran Financial Assistance Program

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CCVS Steve Balczo - Veteran Financial Assistance Program · Brian Thomas

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  Speaker 1: The talk station fifty five KERCD talk Station. Listen to
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  Speaker 1: lunch Day, hope to see High Grat Brewery. And you
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  Speaker 1: know me, I'm a huge fan of the American veteran
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  Speaker 1: I do everything I can to support veterans of course
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  Speaker 1: activeduty service members. I have tremendous respect for the American
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  Speaker 1: military and I always like good things that happen to
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  Speaker 1: men and women who serve their country. And that's what
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  Speaker 1: the Klimont County Veteran Service is about, providing services for
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  Speaker 1: the veteran community and you know, helping them out of
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  Speaker 1: financial jams from time to time. Joining me in studio,
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  Speaker 1: Steve Belza from the Klimat County Veteran Services. Welcome back, Steve,
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  Speaker 1: my friend. I always love seeing you and I appreciate
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  Speaker 1: what you're doing for my veteran friends each and every day.
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  Speaker 2: Ryan brother, you are just a partner in the business
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  Speaker 2: hoping uys take care of us.
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  Speaker 1: Happy to be man, happy to be It's the least
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  Speaker 1: I can do for the American veteran uh. And I'm
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  Speaker 1: you know, I imagine veterans sometimes complain about their bosses.
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  Speaker 1: I just say it out loud. We all struggle with
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  Speaker 1: our bosses, you know, and I'm not This isn't a
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  Speaker 1: shot at Donald Trump. I'm just thinking, you know, when
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  Speaker 1: you sign up, you don't know what you're gonna get, right.
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  Speaker 2: Have you been to my office? I thought this is
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  Speaker 2: s you're thinking of, not like Ken comes into babysit
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  Speaker 2: me here.
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  Speaker 1: So well, let's talk about the financial assistance program, one
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  Speaker 1: of many services that depend my County Veteran Services offers. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: you know what is it.
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  Speaker 2: It's a Ohio Revised Law has established this in Chapter
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  Speaker 2: fifty nine hundred that it is one of the main
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  Speaker 2: three functions we do as an office with the Clarmont
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  Speaker 2: County Veteran Services and it also across every county in Ohio.
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  Speaker 2: So it is a phenomenal gift the veterans that the
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  Speaker 2: Ohio Statutory Law states that counties will provide up two
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  Speaker 2: point five of the village the taxation of the county
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  Speaker 2: to support the office of taking care of County veterans
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  Speaker 2: and hundreds of years. This goes back of just shoring
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  Speaker 2: up those injured in combat. There's their widow or their
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  Speaker 2: spouses or their children, and it's really a we often
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  Speaker 2: call it emergency financial assistance Brian, but it's more immediate
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  Speaker 2: financial assistance. And we've taken a fresh look at how
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  Speaker 2: we are actually working with the veterans of Claremont County
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  Speaker 2: and how our policy and order aligns with Chapter fifty
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  Speaker 2: nine hundred or the Higher Revice Code.
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  Speaker 1: All right, well, you know me, if my tax period
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  Speaker 1: dollars are going to go to support something, it certainly
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  Speaker 1: would be something along the lines of what veterans I
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  Speaker 1: mean not paid a whole lot when you serve in
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  Speaker 1: the American military. So it's good that some of your
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  Speaker 1: service continues after your service time.
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  Speaker 2: That's right.
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  Speaker 1: There's these things out there that you're worthy of by
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  Speaker 1: virtue of the sacrifice you made for our country and
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  Speaker 1: your choice of employment.
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  Speaker 2: Basically, right, right, Yeah, when you consider less than two
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  Speaker 2: percent of all of America has ever served. Yeah, and
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  Speaker 2: I get it that we can only take so many.
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  Speaker 2: The country's growing, and yet these individuals have signed for
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  Speaker 2: their life to say I agree to shed my blood
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  Speaker 2: for the freedom and the democracy of this and yet
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  Speaker 2: when we come back, it's who are you?
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  Speaker 1: Right?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I know you have PTSD. I don't want to
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  Speaker 2: hire you. You're gonna shoot us all up. I was
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  Speaker 2: just other drama that comes with it. It's it's subservient
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  Speaker 2: in assats and the way they speak. So to be
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  Speaker 2: able then to find these veterans coming up saying Steve,
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  Speaker 2: I just I can't make this work. I need some
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  Speaker 2: help it I get the blessing.
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  Speaker 1: I bet you do. That's why you go to work
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  Speaker 1: with a smile on your face every day, Steve Bells.
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  Speaker 1: So let's pause. We'll bring Steve back. We'll talk about
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  Speaker 1: eligibility requirements for veterans to apply for financial as systems
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  Speaker 1: and how you can apply for a financial systems. So
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  Speaker 1: stick around. We got information for you. And if you
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  Speaker 1: have a veteran in your family or in your world
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  Speaker 1: it's not currently listening. We're going to refer you over
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  Speaker 1: to the Clemict County Veteran Service for the Clamont County folks.
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  Speaker 1: But remember each county has a Veteran Services Commission, so
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  Speaker 1: it's not unique to Claremont County. Thankfully. Seven five Right now,
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  Speaker 1: let mention gate of forty nine. Ifik you about care
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  Speaker 1: CDE talk station. Steve Bells a Clima County Veteran Services
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  Speaker 1: in studio. We're talking about the financial assistance program. It's
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  Speaker 1: in the state of Ohio. They establish this virtue of
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  Speaker 1: tax payer dollars and to help out veterans who are
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  Speaker 1: in immediate financial need. And Steve, you mentioned that immediacy.
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  Speaker 1: What I want to dive into the eligibility requirements because
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  Speaker 1: not everybody that comes in is going to be eligible
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  Speaker 1: for financial assistance. There's criteria thankfully in place and correct.
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  Speaker 1: It's your job to walk them through the criteria. But
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  Speaker 1: so let's boil down what does eligibility for this program mean?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, this is not just your an ATM by
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  Speaker 2: the county exactly doling out the dollars. It is very
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  Speaker 2: conscious of who we're supporting, how and under what existence
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  Speaker 2: of an emergency that you may try to quantify. There's
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  Speaker 2: an application form and as we look at the situation,
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  Speaker 2: we're going to require two months of bank statements. I
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  Speaker 2: want to know, do you have a spending habit or
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  Speaker 2: is this really an emergent emergency? Things happen, Life happens, right,
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  Speaker 2: and there are times where we shore up one another.
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  Speaker 2: But if the individual is in a bad spending habit
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  Speaker 2: to begin with, I want to get them to counseling
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  Speaker 2: of how to set up a ledger, a budget, and
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  Speaker 2: how to work with that.
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  Speaker 1: See, you just anticipated my question. You just don't send
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  Speaker 1: them out at the door and saying no, you've got
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  Speaker 1: a spending problem, not a financial problem. You help them
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  Speaker 1: deal with the management of the finance.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, absolutely, that's great. So you may initially a first
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  Speaker 2: time Okay, I need a carrot, so I may take
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  Speaker 2: care of the situation for you. But this is what
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  Speaker 2: I'm going to get from you, and you're going to
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  Speaker 2: come back in and we have a counselor that sets
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  Speaker 2: with them, that teaches them how to budget and finance.
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  Speaker 2: So hopefully I don't see them again unless it truly
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  Speaker 2: is Dorothy stop by and here comes the Wizard of
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  Speaker 2: Oz and the house disappeared. Right. That's great still, yet
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  Speaker 2: it's an opportunity to shore up veterans in my community.
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  Speaker 1: I love that. You know, I used to be anti
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  Speaker 1: you know, criminalizing people's self abuse and like using drugs.
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  Speaker 1: That's that's that person's problem and responsible to not mind
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  Speaker 1: should we throw them in jail because of it? And
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  Speaker 1: I've changed my tune on my libertarian viewpoint on that,
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  Speaker 1: because what does the criminal justice system do for that person?
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  Speaker 1: It quite often puts them in front of someone who
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  Speaker 1: will get them into counseling correct and if they counsel
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  Speaker 1: themselves out of a drug addiction, we have solved an
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  Speaker 1: ongoing perpetual problem. So kind of analogy there. I'm not
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  Speaker 1: saying my veteran friends are criminal, but sometimes they do
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  Speaker 1: have struggle with some substance abuse that may be the
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  Speaker 1: source of the financial problems. You're going to find that
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  Speaker 1: out well.
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  Speaker 2: And if I have a way to lift them out
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  Speaker 2: of the trailer park, yes center apartment into a home
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  Speaker 2: that eventually they can own for their children, it's it's
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  Speaker 2: progression and I'm turning a veteran back into a positive
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  Speaker 2: member of the community rather than the underside.
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  Speaker 1: That's why I love what you guys are doing over there.
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  Speaker 1: So how does a veteran apply for financial assistance and
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  Speaker 1: what type of information you're going to be asking from me?
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  Speaker 1: All brighton one is on the internet.
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  Speaker 2: We have the application listed so they could print it off,
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  Speaker 2: fill it out, and on the front of the application
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  Speaker 2: at lists everything you need to bring to me for
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  Speaker 2: my investigator, who does my emergency financial assistance is going
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  Speaker 2: to go through. I need two months of bank statements,
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  Speaker 2: checking and savings. There's also the D two fourteen where
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  Speaker 2: honorably discharged. I mean there comes in parameters of what
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  Speaker 2: we're looking for and who we can help, and it's
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  Speaker 2: statutory law that establishes who we can help. As a
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  Speaker 2: veteran status. If you're dishonorably discharged or back conduct discharge,
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  Speaker 2: there's very little help for that individual, and financial assistance
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  Speaker 2: isn't there. It's not that difficult to get an honorable
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  Speaker 2: discharge out of the military if you're just paying attention. However,
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  Speaker 2: there are some who want to push back. Nonetheless, the
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  Speaker 2: application has everything they need with here's your bills, as
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  Speaker 2: well as what are you having a financial problem with?
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  Speaker 2: Bring that to me if it is of nature of
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  Speaker 2: significant cost.
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  Speaker 1: I want three quotes.
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  Speaker 2: I don't want just I can fix this myself, because
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  Speaker 2: apparently it's broken down from you fixing it already. So
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  Speaker 2: bring me three quotes that I then have an opportunity. Plus,
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  Speaker 2: we have partners in the community who have said, Steve,
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  Speaker 2: I want to help veterans, and potentially I save taxpayers
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  Speaker 2: money because I can go to Joey, Mikey or Johnny
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  Speaker 2: and say, hey, I've got an individual with here's an HVAC,
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  Speaker 2: here's a car that won't run. Here's this situation, Hey Steve,
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  Speaker 2: let me go look at it.
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  Speaker 1: Well, here's a shout out to local businesses, you know,
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  Speaker 1: repair folks. If you want to dedicate some charitable contribution,
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  Speaker 1: time and your skill set to help veterans, then get
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  Speaker 1: in touch with the Klermont County Veterans Services. Absolutely, that's
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  Speaker 1: a great thing.
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  Speaker 2: I love doing it and they love doing it as well.
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  Speaker 2: So it's a return on their investment from the heart
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  Speaker 2: as well. So it becomes a full cycle event. But
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  Speaker 2: that's that's how they need to apply with an application
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  Speaker 2: to the office.
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  Speaker 1: Just go to Claremontcounty Veterans dot com. Right there on
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  Speaker 1: the top of the screen. There you'll see the word benefits.
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  Speaker 1: You'll see you put your little cursor on that. You
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  Speaker 1: get a scroll down menu right there financial assistance. There's
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  Speaker 1: all the details and information and how's the I understand
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  Speaker 1: the process is changed for completed applications. What that has
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  Speaker 1: in what way?
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  Speaker 2: So we used to maybe a year ago, the service
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  Speaker 2: officers would see these individuals every Monday. So if you
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  Speaker 2: apply it on a Tuesday, you were going to wait
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  Speaker 2: at least six days to get in front of somebody
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  Speaker 2: to then look at your application, and then maybe you
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  Speaker 2: didn't have everything, so then they sent you away to
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  Speaker 2: go get more documents. But then I also had four
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  Speaker 2: individuals that is subjective to what's an emergency financial situation.
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  Speaker 2: So the results were even different dependent on who the
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  Speaker 2: veteran was going to see. So the board allowed me
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  Speaker 2: to hire an investigator. He's labeled and he is the
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  Speaker 2: one processing Monday through Friday if you have a completed application. Again,
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  Speaker 2: he's working part time ten to two, but if your
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  Speaker 2: application is complete, you can get same day service. Now
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  Speaker 2: it's also county government. It's going to take a day
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  Speaker 2: or two to cut the check, folks. We don't have
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  Speaker 2: a checkbook for the county in my office, but it
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  Speaker 2: will take a day or two. But you can feel
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  Speaker 2: the relief happening already, where this is something we can
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  Speaker 2: take care of to shore your up, and there's someone
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  Speaker 2: you can speak to Monday through Friday, not just waiting
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  Speaker 2: on a cyclical Monday in nature.
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  Speaker 1: That's great. You know right away whether you've you've got
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  Speaker 1: formal approval sure, and then you're just waiting for the
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  Speaker 1: check to be cut. That's going to be a peace
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  Speaker 1: of mind right there. Claremont Kenny Veterans dot com. That's
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  Speaker 1: where you'll find uh Steve and the crew there to
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  Speaker 1: help you for all your veteran needs. And remember, they'll
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  Speaker 1: help you with transportation to your appointments at the VA.
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  Speaker 1: They'll help you arrange and get VA benefits to the
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  Speaker 1: extent you're not signed up for. That all kinds of
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  Speaker 1: services offered the American veteran. Thanks from the bottom of
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  Speaker 1: my heart, Steve for your service to our country and
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  Speaker 1: your continued service to our veteran community with the Clemont
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  Speaker 1: County Veteran Services. I'll recommend my listeners go right to
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  Speaker 1: the website Clemen County Veterans dot com. Steve, we'll talk
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  Speaker 1: again real soon, brother.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, sir, and thank you to the listeners because
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  Speaker 2: they're the ones who helped propel us.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for Veterans wholeheartedly. Thanks with thanks man, I truly
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  Speaker 1: appreciate them as well. Seven fifty six coming up. Robert Spraggue.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: He is the current treasurer. You might know that here
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  Speaker 1: in Ohio. He's running for