Veterans Day Room: Recent Episodes
Richard Chelson
This show is designed to help you find the information you need to help you get your benefits. No one showed me how, but I want to return the favor to help you get the benefits that you deserve.
Links:
veteransdayroom@gmail.com
Veteran Crisis Line
ziglar.com
va.gov
If I forgot something let me know (by email) and I'll send you the link.
These show notes might not exactly go word for word with my episode, but all of this information is very helpful. I've seen (and done myself) get angry and what other people do, because I believe they shouldn't treat me that way. What I have learned is that you have no control over what people are going to do, how their going to do it, and why they do it.
The best thing to do is not take everything so personal. A lot of times (I have found) is that people aren't mad at you, they are mad at themselves and don't want to take responsibility for their actions. Or your doing something that helps you and they think you should be honoring them.
Instead of sticking around (especially if it brings your happiness down) leave, I don't care if it's a long time friend, family member or what, your happiness should come first. You can't help other's if your not happy.
What you say to yourself, determines how you treat yourself. How you treat yourself, determines how you treat others.
Learn to treat yourself better and better people will be attracted to you. You won't have time for fake people and things. You will seek the best of everything and you will find it.
This goes hand in hand with getting your VA benefits, you earned them. Claim what is your's and do something that will bring happiness. Before you know it you will be happier and enjoy life more.
Links:
veteransdayroom@gmail.com
Solar Mobility llc
VA.gov
Pact Act
It has been quite a while since I have dropped an episode. I got into my own head and just didn't have the energy. I have since been able to get through this and continue on with what I enjoy doing.
This episode has a lot to cover and we talk about the Pact Act, go karts (which is actually fun to watch) and more about VA benefits, among other things. I want to thank everyone that listens and please tell your friends and family about this. You never know who it may help.
Feel free to send me an email using the link above, I would love to hear about your journey and what has helped you get through some of your problems. Maybe they would help another brother or sister. If we don't help each other, who will.
If you're having a bad day and need someone to talk to reach out to the Veteran Crisis Line at 988 then press 1, you will talk to someone who knows what you're going through.
Links:
veteransdayroom@gmail.com
va.gov/resources/The-Pact-Act-and-your-va-benefits
1-800-698-2411
va.gov/PACT
Links:
Veteransdayroom@gmail.com
David Creel
Weekly Veterans Call
3 Simple Rules
The 3 rules that I try and live by are very simple, but yet very hard at times. They are,
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If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it.
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If you don't ask, the answer will always be no.
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If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place.
We all get into this rut and sometimes it's hard to get away from because we become comfy. We need to challenge ourselve's to get out of our comfort zone. One way to do that is by taking the step to getting your VA Benefits (or raising your current rating). There has been many changes recently with the VA and you can still get what you deserve.
You have to go after what you want, you have to ask more questions, and take those first steps. I can help with that if you want. Shoot me an email at veteransdayroom@gmail.com and we'll talk about it.
Links:
HIstory.com
Operation Tears of the 22
plunkmurray.com
veteransdayroom@gmail.com
New Years Resolutions
There is always a big to do about what we're going to change in the new year. Everyone acts like it gives them hope. In reality only 45% of people make a resolution and only 8% succeed. Which leaves the other 37% of us wandering what happened. I know what has happened in my life, I never really had a plan. I always had good intentions but I wasn't willing to put in the work. I believe that is what happens to a lot of us. When we make the choice to do the work then life really starts to open up.
A lot of people just going along with everyone playing follow the leader. If you look back at your life are you following the leader, or are you the leader? I have learned how to make a plan and reverse engineer it then I excute it going forward. It has taken me a long time to learn this particular skill but it will all be worth it in the end. One thing I always try to keep in my mind is a quote by Zig Ziglar, that is "You don't have to be great to start, But you have to start to be great". That first step is the biggest step you will take, but when you take that first step and then the next step it starts to get easier. Try it, it just might suprise you.
Finding New Old Stuff?
I was looking around my house today and I happened to run across some CD's. (Now I know some of you are probably thinking what is that? lol.). Yes I am dating myself, but they are still out there. They were from a band named PlunkMurray this band hail from Texas and are a great bunch of guys...and girl. They play celtic music and write their own stuff. They also put their own twist on other songs. I saw them at an event this last year put on by Operation Tears of the 22 . It was a great time and I got to meet the members. The lead singer is a Marine veteran and we gave him crap about being a crayon eater....lol. He gave it right back to us for being in the Army.
You can find Plunk Murray's music on Spotify, Amazon Music and other places. Check them out and let them know you heard about them on the Veterans Day Room Podcast. You know if you ever need help with anything please reach out to veteransdayroom@gmail.com
Conclusion
Next week we will talk with Frank King The Mental Health Comedian he is a great guy and wants to help everyone he can. Be sure to share this out and tune in for next week's show. Until then Take care, have a beautiful week, and be thankful for what you have.
Veterans Day Room
veteransdayroom@gmail.com
Operation Tears of the 22
Veterans Call
Issues and Hangups
For years a lot of us had heard horror stories about the VA. Either from our family, friends, or other vets. This has made a lot of us jaded when dealing with the VA. It has been changing for the better so there is hope. I had a lot of my own unfounded ideas, besides I didn't know if I could go becasue I was a peacetime soldier. That has changed and I can tell you that a whole world has opened up now that I realize I deserve these benefits.
So whatever your thinking abou the VA try and give them another shot. You can always change hospitals, talk with the patient advocate or other things to help you get the care you need and want.
Changing Your Mindset
This is one of the hardest things to do. We get so used to being a certain way we don't want to change. But if we don't learn to change at least a little bit, we will be stuck in a rut for the rest of our lives. No one wants to live like that, we want to be happy, successful, and enjoy life. It is possible and with small changes at a time it will work. I have been working on this and I am getting better, but I still have a long way to go.
If you want to work on it, reach out and I'll be glad to help and if I can't I will find someone who can. I want all of us to have a great 2023!
veteransdayroom.com
veteransdayroom@gmail.com
therelaxedmale.com
https://www.facebook.com/tearsofthe22
https://www.audacityteam.org
Keeping your mind right
Hobbies are a great way to keep you mind from going where you don't want to go. Just about anything
can be a hobby and it can be as expensive or low cost as you want it to be. Now I tend to go overboard
when I get into my hobbies just because I am me...lol
I have found hobbies to help me through the winter, I've built a cigar box guitar, photography, podcasting,
recording audio (as you'll hear in this episode I really like to talk). Hobbies and thinking of new ways to add
or change in my hobbies helps me to keep some of my dark thoughts at bay.
Email from a listener and friend
My friend Bryan Goodwin from The Relaxed Male ( link is at the top) is a Navy Vet and a Mens Life Coach.
He wrote in to say that he likes video games for the storyline and eventually beating the game. He uses it
as a reward to achieving an accomplishment in his entrprenuial endeavors (lol, i.e. coaching and such).
He also got back into photography after thirty years, because he loves to capture the light and composing the
shot to see if he can get the picture of what he sees in his mind. It is a fun challenge and he is still working on his
craft.
Other Hobbies that I like
I've got a few hobbies that I like to do on a regular basis, one is recording audio. As you can maybe tell I like to talk,
and I live alone so I talk to myself A LOT lol. I've argued with myself, gotten mad at me, patted myself on the back,
and a whole list of other things. So a lot of the time I fire up my microphone and just record my thoughts.
Now a lot of those never get posted but I will go back and listen to them later, to see if I still believe that or think I'm full of crap.
Believe me I do a lot of laughing at myself, it's a great way to let off steam and not keep it bottled up. It is really low cost,
you can get a $60 microphne with the cables and plug it right into your computer and do it your self. You will need an
audio program which is called Audacity ( again the link is at the top) and it is fun to play with.
As you can probably tell, I love to podcast. This is a medium that is really fun to get into and their is a little bit of a learning
curve, but with the information that is out there and the people I know, you can easily learn it. Podcasting has been a great way
for me to keep my mind occupied and formulate the best way to say what I want to say without squirreling too bad...lol. It don't
always work but I try.
Conclusion
There are many different things you can do, if you really want to do them. My suggestion is to start small and build up over time.
Having a hobby to look forward to tends to keep us a little better grounded and helps us to fight off the demons we carry. Be sure to reach out
with your hobby as I would love to hear from you. Use the links above to get in touch with me, I would love to hear what you have to say.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Until next time, take care, have a beautiful week and be thankful for what you have.
Richard
Links:
Veterans Crisis Line
1-800-273-8255 and press 1
988 press 1
or text 838255
(Pressing 1 let's you speak with a veteran or a veteran's family member)
veteransdayroom@gmail.com
Operation Tears of the 22
Veterans Call
va.gov/cfbnp
Make the Connection
va.gov/wholehealth
va.gov/reach
Why we don't talk to anybody!
Over time we have been conditioned not to speak about what is troubling us. Social media post are always telling us to push on and the military drilled into our heads suck it up and drive on. No wonder we don't open up about a lot of things. We have tried in the past, but always got shot down or treated like we didn't matter. Well, that is slowly changing within the VA, and Veteran Organizations. We all miss that comaradie we had when we served and some of us are still looking for it. There are links at the top of the page to a lot of different pages to help you find what your looking for, please use them.
Veteran Suicide
The VA's #1 goal is Veteran Suicide. They are holding free webinars on it, informational handouts, and educating people on what to look for and how to get a veteran (or anyone) they help they need. Check the links at the top for more information. Learning what to look for and knowing what to do is a big step in curbing this growing problem. When anyone makes the decision to take their own life we have less than an hour to intervene. When a veteran takes their own life it affects about 135 individuals (or more). By learning what the signals are, asking the right questions, enlisting help where needed, we can slow this down.
Try and find Non Profit Organizations (Operation Tears of the 22 on Facebook, One More Day, Wounded Warrior Project... others) that helps veterans. Donate, Volunteer, Spread the Word this is the best way to help veteran's get the help they need.
90% of veterans that survive a suicide attempt go on to not die by suicide, that is amazing. Let's do everything we can to raise that number.
Next Week
On next week's show we will talk about what hobbies do you have to help you keep your mind right? Email me your response at veteransdayroom@gmail.com
Take care, have a beautiful week, and be thankful for what you have.
Richard
Links
reddit.com/r/veteransbenefits
veteransdayroom.com
veteransdayroom@gmail.com
Whitehouse VA HotLine 1-855-948-2311
Speak with a Combat Veteran 1-877-927-8387
Reddit.com The Veterans Friend
What is Reddit?
Reddit is a large group of forums that registered users can talk about most anything you can imagine.
Reddit is the place if you want to find out what you can claim on your VA disability form. Make sure to go to the knowledge base and find the master list.
From there you can see what they will test on (during C&P exams) and what might be some secondary conditions you can add to your claim.
Veteran2Veteraninfo Facebook Group
This is a private group I'm in and anyone can find it. Just join and the lady that runs this group is not only a Veteran she is also an accreditted VA representative for veterans benefits.
She has a lot of knowledge and will anyone that asks. One of the rules in her group is to be respectful of everyone else. This is a great place to meet veterans and get answers.
Operation Tears of the 22
This organization was started by two veterans who got tired of hearing about their brother's and sister's taking their own life. 22 of us take our lives everyday and they are trying to reduce that number. Reach out to them if you want to help, or if you need help. Anytime day or night, they will do whatever they need to do. They also have an yearly camping event (for veterans and their families) with food, live music, Jeep rides, raffles. Check it out, you can meet some new family.
There is so much out there and we're just getting started, please subscribe and tell other veterans about this show.
The biggest question all veterans need to ask themselves is, Should you get your benefits? The answer in short is yes. Thes benefits are owed to you. You just have to actually take the time and do the effort to gather the information and apply what you are learning. With that work, you get tax-free money for the rest of your life. This isn't money that the government can just take away or tax away from you. If you are able to work, then that is just extra money on your bottom line.
Intent to file
One of the first things you want to do is file an intent to file. This is just letting the VA know that you are able to be getting active in their system. Once you have filed your paperwork then you have 1 year to get everything submitted. Now you don't have to wait till the end of the year, you can actually submit anytime between then and a year. When you get your rating that monthly amount is tax-free and you can still work.
What to file?
Any and all pain
Many times the pain that you feel from where ever is likely a result of your service. It may have just taken all this time to actually start to flair up. So will all your pain be listed as service related? Probably not, but it can't hurt to get it documented. You can start to gather your files or you can look to a veteran's service organization. American Legion or The Disabled American Veterans Association Can helpful in your journey of gaining your benefits.
When you go for your C&P exams let them know what hurts.
Links
Benefits.va.gov
Or Call 800-827-1000
American Legion
Disabled American Veterans Association
This is the first episode of the Veterans Day Room Podcast. Thank you for listening. In this episode I tell the story on what I did to get a 90% rating on my first try. I have since learned a lot more about claims, benefits, and where to get the information.
Keep coming back each week for new information and learn how I dealt with all of this. If you have any questions please email me at veterandayroom@gmail.com or fill in the contact form to on my website to send your question. I will help in anyway I can, I want every veteran to be at 100% P&T.
I'm still proceeding with my journey and you should do the same. If your a family member, friend, or what ever please pass this information a long. Have a blessed day.
This show is designed to help you find the information you need to help you get your benefits. No one showed me how, but I want to return the favor to help you get the benefits that you deserve.