By Veterans Disability Attorney Brendan Garcia of VetLaw
There is no doubt that veterans have an extremely difficult time when they come home from overseas, or anywhere else they serve.
After facing the most extreme conditions, they are then expected to come home and re-enter civilian life. For most, this is challenging at best. It is one of the reasons state and federal governments are constantly trying to improve the lives of veterans upon their return. Now, a new bill enacted earlier this year is going to do just that.
The bill was signed earlier this year, and it specifically looks to help veterans that wish to become entrepreneurs upon their return home. It adds veterans to The Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act, which allows them to receive surplus property from the federal government.
What is surplus property? Once the government no longer has a need for items such as furnishings, equipment and machinery, they pass it down to entrepreneurs that could use them. Before, female entrepreneurs and minority business owners were given this surplus property in addition to Veteran Service Organizations such as the VFW and the American Legion. Now, any veteran that wishes to become an entrepreneur can also receive the property.
Entrepreneurship is often an ideal situation for veterans. While adjusting to civilian life once again, they can be their own boss, run a business in an industry they love, and acclimate to civilian life at their own pace. This is of huge importance for veterans.
In addition, having more people to give surplus property also saves the federal government millions of dollars. Without it, they would spend a great deal of money on disposing the items, or finding a place to store them.
The other bonus that comes with passing on surplus property is that it helps many business owners, not just veterans, and that boosts the economy and helps create jobs.
Any veteran that thinks they may want to become an entrepreneur and start their own business should speak to the General Services Administration. This is the agency that distributes the surplus property and can provide further information on how veterans can get the help they need to open the doors of their business.