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upset-534103_640Veterans Day 2015 is next week – Wednesday, November 11, 2015.  Here in Texas, and around the United States, restaurants, retailers, and grateful citizens offer discounts and other benefits to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of our active-duty and Veteran military men and women.  Many websites provide detailed information regarding Veterans Day activities and discounts, so we won’t repeat them all here.

ID Required for Veterans Day Benefits

Unless you are in uniform, most establishments understandably request some form of military identification to establish eligibility for various discounts, including items and services they will provide for free.

Most businesses will accept at least one of the following forms of identification to establish eligibility for Veterans Day discounts: Continue reading

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Bob Goss, founder of the Law Office of Robert B. Goss, P.C.

Bob Goss, founder of the Law Office of Robert B. Goss, P.C.

Back in September, we posted a blog about VA’s handling of the “Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014,” P.L. 113-146 (“Choice Act”).   The “Choice Act” was intended to improve Veterans’ access to medical services – especially private-physician-services – provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

We informed you that Congress passed the Choice Act to allow Veterans access to private physicians when VA is unable to schedule an appointment at a VA medical facility within specified wait-time limits, or when the Veteran lives more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility or meets other eligibility criteria for using a private physician.  We also alerted you to the fact that, more than a year after Congress passed the Choice Act, VA’s handling of referrals to private physicians created more confusion and difficulties for Veterans without providing better care.

Well – on October 29, 2015 – VA published a notice titled “Expanded Access to Non-VA Care Through the Veterans Choice Program.”  What does this mean?  It means we’ve been heard!  VA’s “expanded access” isn’t a huge victory, but some of the improvements are those we called for and discussed in our September blog.

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800px-Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_Hovering_HawksIf you have read the news recently, you know there’s an epidemic going on.  Led by over 2,500 dismissals from Fort Hood, since 2009 the U.S. Army has separated  for misconduct at least 22,000 soldiers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and returned with mental-health disorders.

As reported by National Public Radio, our nation’s own Army therapists appear to be conspiring against service men and women to characterize service-induced mental health issues as misbehavior and misconduct. Continue reading

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Tree TrimmerMany Texans think that home-improvement scams are a summer issue.  That’s when someone might show up at your door telling you they can fix your cracked driveway or your leaking gutters.  Sadly, scammers work 365 days of the year. And, while they especially like to victimize the elderly, anyone can fall prey to their unscrupulous actions.

What a Drive-By Scam Looks Like

A common scenario is the following.  A respectable looking construction guy knocks on your door.  He explains that he’s just completed a paving job in your neighborhood.  Since he has leftover materials and is here anyway, he’s offering you a one-time good deal on driveway repair.  It’s that or take a loss on the materials.  That’s why, he says, he’s able to offer you such a great rate.  The guy’s story makes sense: you’d probably do the same yourself in his situation.  Plus, you are excited at getting a good deal on a repair you know has to be made sometime.  You say, “Go for it!” Continue reading

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Medical ExamMission focus is why we justly admire our active-duty and Veteran military personnel.  Unfortunately for our service members and Veterans, “Playing with pain” can quickly evolve from a mantra to a way of life.  This means that injuries and ailments are pushed aside, even if non-prescription painkillers are required.  To protect yourself and your loved ones, before leaving service, all active-duty military personnel should make it their mission to take this one crucial step, preferably in the year before they separate.  Here’s the step: a pre-discharge physical. Continue reading

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Clinicians_in_Intensive_Care_UnitYou are not a medical professional.  But, you’re a smart person with at least average ability to understand instructions and information.  Guess what?  If you blindly sign all those forms they give you at the doctor’s office, your intelligence will be used to pin all the risks from any medical procedure on you.  This article explain how patients are duped with administrative forms and what you can do to avoid being a victim. Continue reading

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Shocked LookPicture this scenario.  Today is Monday, October 19, 2015.  You open your mail.  Surprise!  You have a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  You read the letter.  It’s dated August 17, 2015.  The letter explains that you have 60-days from the date on the letter in which to respond…or else VA will reduce your benefits.  “Wait a second,” you think.  “Have I gone crazy?  Today is October 19, 2015.  Sixty days from August 17 is…(you count)…October 16th!”  The deadline has already passed!  You then scramble through the trash to find the discarded envelope.  You find the envelope.  Isn’t that something?  The letter is postmarked October 15, 2015!  What happens next?   Continue reading

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Dee DoutelBob Goss, founder of the Law Office of Robert B. Goss, P.C., has built his law practice around the concept of family and friends who have a passion to protect our troops.  As part of a series of conversations with our law office family and friends, it is a pleasure to introduce Ms. Dee Doutel, Senior Paralegal with the firm. 

Eleanor Meltzer:  Dee, it is great to talk with you today!  Could you tell us how you met Bob (Goss) and started working for the Law Office of Robert B. Goss, P.C.?

Dee Doutel:  I met Bob through a mutual friend of ours.  Two years ago, my eldest brother died suddenly and unexpectedly.  As a result, I was the lone surviving Officer and Director of the Corporation he co-founded and was forced to spend all of my time working on keeping the Corporation going while trying to find a buyer for its assets. Continue reading

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Self_storage_unitsSelf-storage facilities are so popular they have their own national association.  According to the Self Storage Association (SSA), this industry generated $27.2 billion in annual U.S. revenues, in 2014 alone!  SSA asserts that the self-storage industry has been the fastest-growing segment of the commercial real-estate industry over the last 40 years.

Texas, of course, has its own self-storage organization, the Texas Self Storage Association (TSSA). Some sources identify Houston and Austin as No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the “Top 10” U.S. cities for self-storage, with San Antonio not far behind.

With so many people – including military personnel – moving to Texas, it is likely that you or someone you know has items in self-storage.  What does this mean?   Continue reading

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Texas with flagAs we have mentioned in previous blogs, the State of Texas is grateful to Veterans and their families.  Texas is notable for its numerous programs designed to assist Veterans and their families through discounts on various licenses, financial assistance, educational benefits, and more.

The following summary is intended as a gateway to some of the Texas agencies responsible for the many Veteran programs offered by the State of Texas.

CEMETERY – The Veterans Land Board (VLB) maintains four Texas State Cemeteries for Veterans.  The cemeteries are located in Abilene, Corpus Christi, Killeen, and Mission. Continue reading

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