Today we’d like to introduce you to Bonnie Laiderman.
Hi Bonnie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My life as a budding entrepreneur began through tragedy. My stepfather had passed away at age 64 suffering from leukemia brought about, in all likelihood, by chemical exposure during the Korean War. Shortly thereafter, in 2002, my mother, Edith Sperling, passed away from breast cancer. Just prior to her passing, I learned about a special pension offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs called “aid and attendance”. The pension assists veterans and their spouses who served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. It provides an additional payment to those who need the aid and attendance of another person to meet the demands of activities of daily living.
I was very frustrated because by the time I found out about the pension, it was a challenge getting all the documents together, and the next day I found out my mother was terminal. We finally found something to help her and she was going to die. I was furious and brought her to our home in St. Louis. She died 11 days later.
From this tragedy and frustration, I started Veterans Home Care in St. Louis in 2003. We began with 23 clients. As the business grew, my husband, Howard Laiderman, left his firm to join the company.
Today I am CEO of a business that now serves veterans in 48 states with a network of 4,000+ home care providers through our VetAssist® Program.
We advocate for the benefits of the pension and have grown Veterans Home Care where we have now helped more than 19,000 veterans and their surviving spouses access VA benefits for the care they need.
VHC has a team of over 100 employees and we are proud to have won multiple awards for both business and personal service helping others lead better lives.
The awards range from a multiple winners of the Inc. 5000 for fastest-growing companies to the Torch Award from the Better Business Bureau for outstanding ethics in business practices. In addition, I believe in giving back and am fortunate to have served on various committees with different organizations such as Lydia’s House, the American Red Cross, and the Jewish Federation.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest challenge originally was to launch a company that was not only totally unknown but also offered a service that very few people even knew existed. At first, I really didn’t know how I was going to do it. I had to develop a totally unique business model through trial and error. My husband and I already owned a business in the automotive industry, so running a company wasn’t a foreign concept to me, but this was totally different.
We had to educate veterans, social workers, and social agencies about the existence of the aid and attendance pension, the benefit it provides, and then our ability to help them secure those benefits.
While there are some who help veterans and their dependents file claims, our VetAssist Program does so much more than that. It helps you get care started right away without waiting for the VA entitlement. We guide clients so they remain in VA compliance with their medical expenses. We also connect clients with home care and adult daycare providers.
Another challenge was to create a large network of contracted home care providers. As we grew and expanded to multiple states this became a necessity. We had to find highly professional agencies to handle our growing client base of veterans and their spouses. This required educating them not only about the VA benefit but also about the advantages of working with Veterans Home Care.
Finally, as technology has evolved, we have faced the challenge of remaining on the forefront of technological advancements to serve our clients. We recently launched the Companion series of devices. The VetAssist® Companion is an Echo Alexa device specially preprogrammed with new voice technology for seniors to reduce isolation and loneliness and replace push-button medical alert systems.
Designed for VetAssist® clients, the Companion can provide care 24 hours a day, seven days per week, when caregivers or loved ones are unavailable. It gives VetAssist® clients, senior veterans and their spouses increased independence and peace of mind. Unlike other devices, its special programming enables the senior to make and receive voice activated phone calls and offers vocal emergency responses by simply asking Alexa for help instead of pushing a button. It also promotes engagement with unlimited on-demand information and voice-activated entertainment featuring music, jokes, riddles and stories. We also offer the SmartCompanion® for those who aren’t currently clients but would like to take advantage of this technology.
We are positioned to meet any unmet need in the senior healthcare market and continue to innovate.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Veterans Home Care?
Veterans Home Care LLC & VetAssist LLC are located in St. Louis, MO. As CEO, I oversee more than 100+ full-time employees. As mentioned earlier, we offer services in 48 states and have a network of 4000+ contacted home care and adult care providers.
My focus is to work with our managers and team to ensure we are meeting the needs of our veteran clients and their spouses. This responsibility also includes ensuring we are providing the necessary tools for our home care and adult care providers.
Much like other CEOs, my responsibility is also to oversee operations, sales, marketing and customer service so we are able to maintain top of the mind brand awareness for VHC and, at the same time, meet our revenue projections.
How do you think about happiness?
I am blessed with a happy life with a real joy of working in our family business. I’m humbled to have watched it develop and grow. This includes meeting so many wonderful people, including entrepreneurs, business professionals and thousands of incredible, deserving veterans and spouses. It’s such an honor to give back to those who have sacrificed for our country.
Many clients are so appreciative, they’re actually crying as I tell them they will get the help they need. More importantly, they have their dignity, knowing they are paying for their own home care through a benefit they earned through military service. They’re able to stay in a home they cherish and age in place.
My happiness also includes having trusted, valued employees who care so much and are so dedicated to helping seniors.
On the personal side happiness for me is also traveling, exploring other cultures, and making new friends with my best friend Howard at my side.
Pricing:
- Veterans Home Care offers free consultation to see if a veteran or spouse may be eligible and free help with VA claims filing and paperwork.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@veteranshomecare.com
- Website: https://veteranshomecare.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veteranshomecare/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/VHCVetAssist
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp2P4woWchyK6BbMAv3Tg4g
- Other: https://www.bbb.org/us/mo/saint-louis/profile/home-care/veterans-home-care-llc-0734-310027153/customer-reviews
