Noteboom The Law Firm

Injured Veterans in Need of Assistance

Desperate for help and hobbled by federal bureaucracy, the men went public with their needs, recently posting their stories to total strangers on USATogether.org, a non-profit group created by a Silicon Valley entrepreneur to help injured veterans.

Strangers are coming to the aid of soldiers with things such as auto repair, a new washing machine or lodging for family while a soldier recuperates at a Veterans Affairs hospital far from home. Potential donors can read a soldier's profile and either help financially or donate goods and services. Needs have changed some since the site first went up about a year ago. Today, more veterans are seeking help with their mortgage or rent payments, said USA Together founder and Chief Executive Officer Dave Mahler.

The site allows donors to choose a soldier they want to help. The all-volunteer staff never sends veterans donated cash. Instead, they buy the requested good or facilitate connections-helping a soldier get in touch with a carpenter who wants to build a wheelchair ramp or with a lawyer who would like to offer legal assistance.

Ironically, the biggest obstacle the site is facing is the soldiers' needs get met so quickly that the site looks empty of need and donors must often wait for a new request to post.

The postings are slowed because of an extensive vetting process, said Beth Braun, spokeswoman for USA Together. Injured soldiers must provide documentation of their service, their injury and a contact number for a Department of Defense caseworker.

(Certain words, ideas, and quotes gathered from an article written by Sara Olkon of the Chicago Tribune on March 18, 2009, "Injured vets find safety net online".)