Administrator

The story didn’t have the details of what forms you will need- so I’ve checked out the first link and posted the answers below:

COLUMBUS — Ohio veterans of the Persian Gulf War and the continued fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and families of veterans killed in the fighting now may apply for the cash bonuses that voters approved for them last year, Gov. Ted Strickland said on Tuesday, Aug. 24.

Applications are available at www.veteransbonus.ohio.gov or at any of Ohio’s 88 county Veterans Services offices.

Veterans also may call 1-877-OHIO VET 644-6838 to get a paper application. Applying online is the simplest and fastest option, Strickland said. After completing the application, the veteran must print it, sign it and have it notarized by a notary public or “acknowledged” by the clerk or deputy clerk of a county Common Pleas Court. Then it must be mailed to this address:
Ohio Veterans Bonus
P.O. Box 373
Sandusky, OH 44871

The final application cannot be submitted on the Internet because it must be notarized or acknowledged, officials said.

Clerks of courts offices and offices of Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray are ready to help veterans with their forms, Cordray said.“With eight locations around Montgomery County, the clerk of courts office can make it very convenient for veterans and we are happy to help with this service” …

Applications will be notarized for free at the attorney general’s regional offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, Youngstown and Toledo.A list of free notaries is available at:www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/VeteransBonus .

The ballot issue approved by voters last November calls for bonuses of $5,000 for families of those killed in action and bonuses of $100 a month — up to $1,000 — for veterans who served in the conflicts. Veterans who served elsewhere during the conflicts qualify for bonuses of $50 a month, up to $500.

Applications should be processed in eight weeks, said Bill Hartnett, director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Affairs. He estimated as many as 200,000 veterans may qualify.

To qualify, a veteran must have been an Ohio resident at the start of active duty and also must be a resident when applying.

via Ohio veterans may apply for bonuses.

From the site- it seems you just need a DD Form 214

For proof of eligibility: Please be prepared to provide proof of residency at the time of entry into Active Duty Service. Sufficient proof of residency, for example, would be Ohio as your Home of Record, block 7b on your DD214.

Did you serve in active duty during at least one of these bonus qualifying periods?

Honorably discharged? Please be prepared to provide a copy your DD214. Member Copy 2 or 4, block 24 “Character of Service at Discharge.”, of the DD214 provides proof of discharge.

No bonus from another State.

I didn’t fill the form out to check if there are other requirements- stopping at step 3 of 8, but, if there is more, please add in a comment.

Good luck and thank you for your service. The Members of VOB108 understand what you did for your Country

The Executive officers: Chairman Bill Brownseberger, XO David Esrati, Treasurer Bob Leibecke, Member at large, Jim Silcott and consultant Paul Salchak met on July 8 2010 to plan and evaluate process and procedures for the coming year and to review past performance.

The following is a podcast of the meeting.

We don’t like the word “retreat” – but, that’s the plan for the July 8 2010 meeting.

We’re going to hold it at The Next Wave, 100 Bonner Street, Dayton OH 45410 from noon to 2pm.
All are welcome. The program will be to evaluate our progress from last year- and to plan for the next.

If you want pizza for $5- RSVP to XO@vob108.org

On Thursday, May 20, 2010, VOB108 had LTC Matt Stevens from the 88th Air Wing at WPAFB speak to the group about selling to the base. We’ve got his slide deck on Slideshare for you to review or download. It includes contacts, org charts, lists of what the Air Wing buys. Even though WPAFB is a major logistics center, the 88th Air Wing doesn’t buy aircraft or weapons systems- it buys the same things a city would buy.

Here’s the deck:

Good news for veteran owned businesses and organizations like VOB108- via Army Times:

The Obama administration is renewing efforts to expand opportunities for veteran-owned small businesses, hoping that a little aid to those who own or want to own their own businesses will help fuel a larger boost in the U.S. economy.

Two executive orders signed Monday (Apr 26, 2010)by President Obama create task forces that will recommend specific improvements in how small businesses are created, including expanded access to capital, advice on how to cash in on lucrative federal contracts and better counseling so that businesses remain on a strong economic footing. One of the two task forces specifically will look at veteran-owned small businesses, including those owned by disabled veterans.

Veterans’ Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said veterans, especially those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, have training and experience from the military that make them potentially strong small-businesses owners, including the ability to remain calm and innovative in a crisis, knowing how to take risks and knowing how to run a competent organization.

There are, he said, “significant opportunities for good outcomes” if the federal government can provide assistance.

Helping one veteran become a small-business owner has larger impacts on the economy, he said, because “veterans hire veterans. They know what they are getting.”

via Obama seeks to aid vet-owned small businesses – Army News, news from Iraq, – Army Times.

Now if we could only take the GSA and their incipient schedules out of the process for true small veteran owned businesses ($1 million and below) we may see some real action in the area. We made a proposal for a GSA Schedule EZ in 2005- that could also solve some of these problems.

The number one obstacle to gaining government work for small veteran owned businesses is the ordeal of getting and maintaining a GSA Schedule.

Just received an announcement from WPAFB:

The PIXS web site is going to be decommissioned in the near future. Business opportunities at Wright-Patterson AFB that have been available through PIXS will now be available for viewing thorough the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) web site at https://www.fbo.gov .Please visit the FedBizOpps web site and review their user manuals and videos under the getting started tab.

This is long overdue. The idea of every installation having their own contracting opportunities site and processes and procedures is outdated and inefficient.

Special Extra Earnings for Military Service

Since 1957, if you had military service earnings for active duty including active duty for training, you paid Social Security taxes on those earnings. Since 1988, inactive duty service in the Armed Forces reserves such as weekend drills has also been covered by Social Security.

Under certain circumstances, special extra earnings for your military service from 1957 through 2001 can be credited to your record for Social Security purposes. These extra earnings credits may help you qualify for Social Security or increase the amount of your Social Security benefit.

Special extra earnings credits are granted for periods of active duty or active duty for training. Special extra earnings credits are not granted for inactive duty training.

If your active military service occurred

• From 1957 through 1967, we will add the extra credits to your record when you apply for Social Security benefits.
• From 1968 through 2001, you do not need to do anything to receive these extra credits. The credits were automatically added to your record.
• After 2001, there are no special extra earnings credits for military service.

How You Get Credit For Special Extra Earnings

The information that follows applies only to active duty military service earnings from 1957 through 2001. Here’s how the special extra earnings are credited on your record:

Service in 1957 Through 1977

You are credited with $300 in additional earnings for each calendar quarter in which you received active duty basic pay.

Service in 1978 through 2001

For every $300 in active duty basic pay, you are credited with an additional $100 in earnings up to a maximum of $1,200 a year. If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, and didn’t complete at least 24 months of active duty or your full tour, you may not be able to receive the additional earnings. Check with Social Security for details.

via Special Extra Earnings for Military Service.

Attention VOB & SDVOB Companies

VOB108.org feature speaker for the 11-Mar 2010 meeting will be Mr. Carl D. Hayden, Academic Dean for the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), Midwest Region.  Dean Hayden’s presentation will explain the mission and purpose of DAU.  He will also speak about Federal Procurement Certification, along with what procurement classes and instructions are available through DAU.  DAU offers not only formal classroom instruction, but Internet instruction as well.  All of which are available to government employees and government contractors throughout the Region.  Please come to the meeting to find out how to get this valuable information to your people!

The meeting will be held in the second floor conference room of the EMTEC/PTAC Building, 3155 Research Blvd, Dayton, OH 45420, from 12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM, Thursday, 11-Mar 2010.  Seating is limited and registration is required.  Please email your registration to XO@VOB108.org.  This is a Working Lunch meeting.  Pizza is available at $5/ person or bring a brown bag lunch.  Registration Deadline: COB, Wednesday, 10-Mar  2010.

We’re trying something new: recording the meeting, and posting the audio online.

We’re working to do the most we can for veterans, veterans in business and service disabled veterans- by providing support, technical assistance and teaming opportunities as well as education on doing business with the government.

We discussed a retreat for the exec board on Friday Dec 11, 2009, and status of our 501c6 application.

Here’s the podcast from the 19 Nov 2009 Exec meeting.

In attendance:

CO: Bill Brownsberger, XO David Esrati, Treasurer: Bob Leibecke,  Member at Large Jim Silcott, consultant: Paul Salchak

Membership and NAVOBA Rep were MIA.