Patriot's Promise How a Trump-2 Administration Can Secure a Prosperous, Protected, and Purpose-filled Second Act for America's Veterans

I have always found it fitting that as Americans we get to exercise our constitutional birthright, and dare I say obligation, to vote in the same month we honor the veterans who’ve sacrificed so much to “Support and Defend” the promise of what a constitutional republic is and what it can be.? Harkening all the way back to the veteran’s aftermath of the Revolutionary War through the present day, to our nation’s credit, we have continually learned and improved upon how best to effectively and sustainably make-good on the promise that their service be honored and valued in a real and tangible way.? Despite immeasurable national time, talent, and treasure we have not closed sufficiently on that promise as evidenced by no small amounts of continued daily suicides, homelessness, depression, and other veteran’s statistical categories.? With an eye towards increased effectiveness and efficiency and “less brake…more gas” (Elon Musk), a Trump 2 administration has a tremendous opportunity to re-think how more thoroughly address core veteran’s issues such as pain, purpose, and prosperity.? What follows are just a few potential, but impactful, action pathways President Trump’s administration should consider.

??????????? 1. Establish a joint Veteran’s Administration (VA) and National Football League (NFL) pain and human performance study and action group.? The commonalities in some of the physical and emotional demands of service men and women and professional football players are as consequential as are the limited approved options in pain management.? Months into his yearlong time off from football, famed tight end Rob Gronkowski shared that he had been able to achieve a level of pain relief he had not experience in decades of football because he was now free to explore and use alternatives such as CBD.? At present, CBD is not an approved VA or NFL pain management option.? Additionally, for veterans who work within the national security environment and need to maintain Top Secret and above level clearances, CBD is also not permitted as it will potentially taint urinalysis.? At present, traditional VA and NFL approved pain management options contain side effects including permanent damage to the stomach lining, kidneys, liver and potentially addiction.? It is inarguable that veterans and NFL players alike are in need and deserving of effective long term pain management options that don’t include any of the aforementioned side-effects, or others for that matter.? While CBD may or may not be the answer, we can and must do better, and I can think of no more powerful and synergistic a partnership to tackle this than the NFL and VA together.

??????????? 2.? Establish a VA run equivalent to the NFL Players Association (NFLPA)Team Report Cards for veterans employed by defense and intelligence corporations.? The NFLPA surveys its players annually about their respective teams.? The results of which are made public to team owners, managers, and players.? Quite often which drive changes for good within how the teams execute their operations.? So, what does this have to do with a vet’s purpose.? “Purpose,” undoubtedly a potentially loaded word with scores of experts, influencers, and faith leaders with a multitude of theses, programs, books and sermons aimed at dealing the ‘Rx’ that will definitively yield and divine one’s purpose.? At the core of this diverse lexicon of purpose, is the need for value.? Value to ourselves, to others and from, to, and with the divine.? When a veteran permanently hangs up their uniform many struggle to re-define their value and without it they can become horizonless and rudderless.? At the same time, executive branch decision makers and legislative branch authorizers and appropriators effort on multiple fronts to ensure they are extracting maximum taxpayer value out of things like the defense and intelligence budgets.? No small amount of these budgets flow directly to small, medium and large corporations, be they metal-bending prime contractors, systems engineering and technical advice (SETA) contractors, or even Federally Funded Research and Development Corporations (FFRDCs).? Within all of them, are healthy populations of veteran servicemember employees.? All with first-hand insider seats as to the business performance, efficacy, employee quality of life and ethicalness of their respective employers.? At present, if you want to know how good or bad these companies are from a veteran’s standpoint you can reference things like “Forbes Best Employers For Veterans.”? However, I can tell you that neither I nor many of my fellow veterans have ever been contacted for input with Forbes’ research.? And, as the title expresses the research and scoring is about a company as an employer, not the company as a deliverer of tax-payer-funded value.? As a veteran who has had battle buddies and who has personally experienced de-valuation as a veteran by an employer I believe it’s imperative for an unvarnished mechanism that captures the inside truth of tax-payer funded national security companies.? A veteran’s analog to the NFLPA’s team report cards would provide untold insights into just exactly if and how these defense and intelligence contractors operate and deliver value to the nation’s taxpayers providing significantly different and deeper insights to government decision makers, authorizers and appropriators have available today.? All of this while simultaneously lending a nationally strategically important voice and resultant value to our veterans in their second act of life.

3.? Establish and fund a Small Business Administration Veteran’s Start-Up Business ‘GI Bill’ and Increase Veteran’s SBA Loan program amounts.? Perhaps two of the biggest veteran’s benefits programs ever conceived and instituted are the GI Bill and Veteran’s Home Loan programs which continue to deliver on the dream of a secondary education and home ownership to countless veterans.? To its credit, the SBA has established both grant and loan programs for veterans.? However, the small business grants most easily available are dwarfed by the comparative outlays going to a GI Bill funded college education, and in all reality are insufficient drops in the bucket.? The SBA does offer larger grants ($400K), however they are competitive grant offerings and only a few are awarded in any given year and are more likely to be landed by existing veteran owned businesses vice start-ups, and are definitely not analogous with regards to relative ease and volume that GI Bill funded benefits are awarded.? If the SBA is to make a significant impact in facilitating and expanding the number of successful veteran owned start-ups both the quantity and dollar amounts of these grants needs to be significantly expanded upon.? In that same vein, is the number and amount of SBA Veteran’s Loans.? At present, the maximum dollar amount is $500K.? In some regions and business types this amount is more than ample.? However, in other regions and other business sectors, regrettably $500K will not suffice.? The SBA should implement similar practices the VA does in underwriting loans where zip code is a key determining factor in the capped loan amount the veteran can receive and combine that with business sector type as well.? There are other attack vectors as well.? The SBA could enable tax written off time by successful entrepreneurs to coach and mentor these veterans start-ups.? The mutual benefit of a Grant Cardone mentor is probably incalculable save for the best tax accountants.? Likewise, what tax benefits/incentives could/should be extended to household name franchises such a McDonalds or Ace hardware solely to increase the number of veteran franchisees?? The potential win-win programs are limited only by the imagination and the incentives and ease of entry baked-in for businesses and veterans alike.

These are just samples of what should or could be with the opportunity for a new administration looking for disruptive entrepreneurial minded solutions to the challenges our veteran’s face.? I have no doubt there are ample more that could be offered that would decidedly and positively impact our veterans and their ability to thrive and continue to contribute to a country they love.

George E. Tromba is a senior national security professional, veterans advocate and activator, and retired US Air Force Colonel with a 30-year military career spanning the 82nd Airborne Division, US Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office.