Q: Will the proposed new “G.I. Bill of Rights” do anything to help veteran-owned small businesses?

Will

A: I wish that were so, but it’s not. The new G.I. Bill would help returning veterans with education, and it would help small business owners hire better qualified veteran employees, but it is not intended to help veteran small business owners per se.

That said, the good news is that there are nevertheless some very good programs out there for the veteran entrepreneur. (More on that in a moment.)

First, some background:

As World War II wound down, Congress passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, more commonly known as the G.I. Bill of Rights. That law gave every veteran the financial wherewithal to go to the college of their choice.

That is no small thing.

Fully 90% of enlisted men and women do not have a college degree because most enter the service right after high school. At the same time, almost 400,000 service men and women now leave the armed forces every year. This means that most end up entering the job market without much needed higher education.

And employers, small business and large corporation alike, often like to hire employees with a college degree. But without a G.I. Bill for today, these troops are left to their own devices.

Yes, over the years, Congress has increased the amount offered for veteran education, but it still lags far behind the current cost of a higher education.

That is why Senator Jim Webb of Virginia introduced a new G.I. Bill. His legislation proposes to raise the annual allowance for college to about $22,000 (currently it is less than half of that.) This would be enough to pay tuition, housing, and living expenses at any public university.

Don’t we owe these vets at least that much?

Apparently the President and his military brass do not think so, worried that the bill would hurt retention efforts. Said one Pentagon official last month, “If the benefit is too large, many troops will leave the military after their first term.”

Nevertheless, last Thursday, the Senate overwhelmingly passed an Iraq war spending bill that included the new G.I. Bill. What will happen to the bill is unclear as President Bush has vowed to veto the spending bill.

Amazing.

But as I said, there is good news too. There are some significant efforts out there intended to help the veteran entrepreneur. Here are a few of the best:

Vetrepreneur Magazine / The National Veteran Owned Business Association (NAVOBA.com): NAVOBA and its magazine (which I write for) are a fantastic resource for any veteran wanting o succeed in their own small business.

The Veterans Corporation (Veteranscorp.org): A great organization that helps all vets, including service disabled veterans obtain the tools and resources they need to be successful entrepreneurs. Specifically, they help with access to capital and bonding, and entrepreneurial education.

The SBA Office of Veterans Business Development: This SBA program helps veteran small business owners in a variety of ways – counseling, advocacy, training, and so on. Importantly, the office also runs Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC) which help veterans start, run, and grow their businesses.

Center for Veterans Enterprise (vetbiz.gov): The CVE works to improve the business climate for veterans, minimize barriers, and to inform the public about the benefits of working with veteran-owned small businesses.

The one last thing we can do to help the small business owner and the veteran small business employee is to pass the new G.I. Bill.

Today’s Tip: Over the past year I have been working to put together a comprehensive free program to help veterans start their own small business. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially in this economy, and you would like to help, we would like to hear from you. Shoot me an email to info@mrallbiz.com.

If you are like many small business owners, you are of the mindset that there is nothing you can do about it, and that you should just suffer with it. After all, how are you going to convince government forces that they are hurting you? As a small business, you may think you do not have enough influence to make a difference.

In some respects, you may be right. Your small business alone does not have the sway with government regulators and lawmakers that a large corporation has. However, many small businesses, linked together, do.

This is the concept that guided the creation of the National Ombudsman. The Small Business National Ombudsman is a direct link between small businesses and authorities in the federal government.

The creation of the National Ombudsman position came from the government as a way to create an impartial official who would investigate complaints levied by citizens against the government, and recommend resolutions to their problems.

How the Process Works

Once you feel your business is being unfairly regulated, you can file a complaint with the National Ombudsman’s Office .

You will receive a call from the Ombudsman’s office to discuss the complaint. In many cases, there are already programs in place to aid in the resolution of business problems. They may point you toward one of these resources.

If your case is not easy to solve, it will move to the next level – investigation. An investigator will take your case and look more deeply into the situation.

Once the investigator has completed the job, he or she will make a recommendation for your case. If it is found the government agency has wronged your business, there will be a request entered for correction of that wrong. You will also receive a copy of the findings and the Ombudsman’s recommendation.

While the government does not have to comply with these recommendations, they often follow them.

FAQs About Contacting the National Ombudsman Office:

Q. What types of complaints does the Ombudsman look at?

A. Among the most common complaints from small businesses are those relating to excessive audits, fines, threats and investigations of a business by federally regulated agencies.

Q. Can I complain anonymously?

A. While the investigator will try to keep your identity private, you will have to let the National Ombudsman Office know who you are and give them details about your business for an effective investigation.

They will try to keep your identity from government officials; but in many cases, there may be no choice but to reveal your identity to allow a clear presentation of the complaint to the government agency in question.

If confidentiality is a major concern, you can discuss this with the National Ombudsman Office when they call to go over your complaint.