Disabled Veteran Needs Government Grant For New Career As Cordon Bleu Chef

by Dennis E. Downard
(Arnold, Pennsylvania, USA)

My name is Dennis E. Downard. I live in the small town of Arnold, Pennsylvania, 20 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. I am a disabled veteran currently rated at 50% and a single dad of a 17-year-old boy. I'm now looking for some financial assistance, perhaps a government grant, to re-establish myself.

I served in the NAVY for 15 years and eight months before being medically discharged in January 1999. I filed a claim with the Veterans Administration soon after and have been fighting for benefits ever since. I was given disability severance pay when I was discharged and the Veterans Administration has been withholding 20% of my awarded compensation since February 1999. I will have to pay back all the severance money I received. This will be done in October 2013, a total of 14 years, 7 months.

I was a cook in the Navy and I will be starting classes in January 2010 at The Pennsylvania Culinary Institute Le Cordon Bleu Program. It wasn't easy to get accepted to the school and I had to get most of the tuition through school loans. I haven't been able to work for quite a while due to having severe arthritis and chronic joint pain that required surgery to my right knee, right foot and both hands.

Since the surgery I have been feeling much better and I want to go to school so I can get a better job. I love to cook and I am good at what I do but need a degree to back it all up. Not being able to work caused me a lot of financial difficulty and my son and myself had to move into my parents' house because I couldn't afford to live on my own.


I receive $577 a month from the VA, which I am very grateful to get, but after paying bills and buying food there isn't anything left. I am not looking for a large sum of money, maybe a grant to help with some bills while I am in school and help with transportation to and from school. I have to take the port authority bus and in the Pittsburgh area it's expensive. I will have to purchase a monthly bus pass, which is currently $110 and will be raised in March 2010 through a fare hike.

I know I should have paid into the GI Bill when I was in the service but wanted to make the NAVY a career and retire but that was not to be. I would appreciate any help and feedback as to what grants that I could apply for or any financial aid programs that I may not know of. There are so many websites that prey on those of us who are in need of help and it's hard to tell the truly helpful from the scam driven.

I want to thank you in advance for taking the time to read this letter. If there is anyone else out there in the same situation as me, feel free to contact me and maybe we can help each other find the resources we seek. Take care and god bless.

Learn More About What's On This Page

Enter search terms related to the page content. If you're not sure, start with "disabled grants" or "social security disability" or similar terms.