Fiona Archer at USAWARVET.org comes across as someone who is truly interested in helping Vets and their families. She gladly referred me to Jim Cauthorn here in the Chicago area. My Veteran father passed away in 2012 and my mother has very little assets. I was assured this was no problem because they do some pro-bono work if they can't help with any financial planning. I realize they have to make a living and appreciate that as a salesperson myself. I spoke with Jim and he found out she didn't have assets and immediately tried to set an appointment with the assisted living place where my mom was living. My mother is entitled to a very small monthly benefit, but that would mean financial freedom for her for the next few years.
Jim indicated that everyone in the assisted living home was in the same shoes as my mom with little to no assets. I had already told him that, but he tried anyway. He said unfortunately I am unable to help your mother. His reasoning..It wasn't worth his efforts since she would eventually be on medicaid. While true, the VA benefit would afford her financial freedom for at least 7 years. This would give her the financial freedom to buy birthday and christmas gifts for her grandkids until her money ran out. So yes, it wouldn't last forever, but it would've made a huge difference in her mental state and overall freedom.
He also had the gall to ask me for referrals. All this man and organization care about is getting paid and getting assets. They hide under the guise of being a true asset for wartime veterans, but they are so far from it. They should be ashamed with the way they operate this organization. They are sneaky, dishonest, and shady. I wouldn't trust them as far as I could push them. I waited a few months to write report because I was filled with such fury and vitriol that I may have said something I regretted. I wanted to be of sound mind (grin) when I wrote this.
In closing, I will say this.....The VA is a very difficult organization to navigate. I was sold a bill of good when told they would gladly help me navigate that and get the benefit that my mother deserves. The only thing I got was a bunch of wasted time and heartbreak. As of this time, we are still trying to work with the VA and my mom's assets are slowly diminishing. Hopefully we can get the benefit soon.
As a military retiree, I have studied many organizations like the American Association of Wartime Veterans. There are many, many groups like them, trying to to appear as an advocacy organization for elderly veterans, but are financial products brokers.
They are not sanctioned by the Dept of Veteran Affairs of any state or federal agency. In fact it is against the law to do what they are marketing.
You can not join theire association unless you intend to sell insurance.
To market a business using veteran issues/benefits is against the law.
They can not represent VA benefits to the public because they are not a federlally chartered service organization, nor are they allowed to legally file first time claims, even though they have registered agents on staff.
Their agents in Washington State have victimized many elderly veterans after misrepresenting themselves. Most if not all of their agents have move on to form there own so-called advocacy groups.
American Association for Wartime Veterans Reviews
Fiona Archer at USAWARVET.org comes across as someone who is truly interested in helping Vets and their families. She gladly referred me to Jim Cauthorn here in the Chicago area. My Veteran father passed away in 2012 and my mother has very little assets. I was assured this was no problem because they do some pro-bono work if they can't help with any financial planning. I realize they have to make a living and appreciate that as a salesperson myself. I spoke with Jim and he found out she didn't have assets and immediately tried to set an appointment with the assisted living place where my mom was living. My mother is entitled to a very small monthly benefit, but that would mean financial freedom for her for the next few years.
Jim indicated that everyone in the assisted living home was in the same shoes as my mom with little to no assets. I had already told him that, but he tried anyway. He said unfortunately I am unable to help your mother. His reasoning..It wasn't worth his efforts since she would eventually be on medicaid. While true, the VA benefit would afford her financial freedom for at least 7 years. This would give her the financial freedom to buy birthday and christmas gifts for her grandkids until her money ran out. So yes, it wouldn't last forever, but it would've made a huge difference in her mental state and overall freedom.
He also had the gall to ask me for referrals. All this man and organization care about is getting paid and getting assets. They hide under the guise of being a true asset for wartime veterans, but they are so far from it. They should be ashamed with the way they operate this organization. They are sneaky, dishonest, and shady. I wouldn't trust them as far as I could push them. I waited a few months to write report because I was filled with such fury and vitriol that I may have said something I regretted. I wanted to be of sound mind (grin) when I wrote this.
In closing, I will say this.....The VA is a very difficult organization to navigate. I was sold a bill of good when told they would gladly help me navigate that and get the benefit that my mother deserves. The only thing I got was a bunch of wasted time and heartbreak. As of this time, we are still trying to work with the VA and my mom's assets are slowly diminishing. Hopefully we can get the benefit soon.
As a military retiree, I have studied many organizations like the American Association of Wartime Veterans. There are many, many groups like them, trying to to appear as an advocacy organization for elderly veterans, but are financial products brokers.
They are not sanctioned by the Dept of Veteran Affairs of any state or federal agency. In fact it is against the law to do what they are marketing.
You can not join theire association unless you intend to sell insurance.
To market a business using veteran issues/benefits is against the law.
They can not represent VA benefits to the public because they are not a federlally chartered service organization, nor are they allowed to legally file first time claims, even though they have registered agents on staff.
Their agents in Washington State have victimized many elderly veterans after misrepresenting themselves. Most if not all of their agents have move on to form there own so-called advocacy groups.