The War's Toll on Reservist-Entrepreneurs (Kerry's bill mentioned)

[ProSense]

The War's Toll on Reservist-Entrepreneurs

Jan 31 2007 5:30AM

Jeffrey Gangemi -- BusinessWeek

Snip...

Kerry's Plan

Celli's center depends entirely on federal money, and he says, "Every year we're waiting on pins and needles to see if they will keep funding us." He points out that the already limited funding aimed at helping servicemen rebuild their businesses is spread among several government agencies, so cohesive help is hard to come by.

Other advocates worry that what little funding out there could go away. Jim Boylston, a SCORE counselor in Silicon Valley and coordinator for armed services veterans programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, worries that many soldiers won't reap the benefits of the existing programs before funding is cut. "My concern is that, having lived in Washington, D.C., some pencil pusher is going to cut the programs, and that the money isn't going to be there for . When they finally let come back and stay back, we need the money to be there for them," says Boylston, who served in the Korean War.

Senator John Kerry , the chair of the Senate Committee for Small Business & Entrepreneurship, has been working for several years to introduce a Military Family Bill of Rights, a bill that includes comprehensive and direct assistance for military members and their families, including loans, grants, and tax credits for Guard and Reserve members who own their own small businesses or work for one.

Veterans advocates say that, by integrating the family into the process, the bill is critical to the overall reintegration of a veteran when they return. "Many times, it's through the family network that we can identify needs and seek out services critically important to getting veterans reintegrated into their previous lifestyle," says Celli.