Veterans Home Care announces Bonnie Laiderman, CEO and Founder, has been named to St. Louis Small Business Monthly’s Hall of Fame, joining a select group of area executives who have made lifetime contributions to St. Louis business.
All Hall of Fame members are chosen by a panel of business experts, and rank among the most accomplished and respected St. Louis area business leaders of all time.
Laiderman is recognized for starting Veterans Home Care as a solo entrepreneur in 2003, and building the company into an organization that has helped over 19,000 veterans and their spouses receive assistance for home-based daily living activities through a pension with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Laiderman’s inspiring story actually began with tragedy. Her mother was dying of breast cancer and her mother’s late husband, Laiderman’s step-father, had served during wartime. Laiderman sought support to help her mom with the needs of daily living. She found out about a special aid and attendance pension through the VA for in-home care. However, it was too late to pursue it as her mother passed away.
“I vowed then to help veterans, and their families, receive the benefits they deserve. Those efforts have taken me from coast-to-coast. I am humbled to have worked with our great team, all of our partner agencies, and thousands of veterans and their families. It has been a truly rewarding experience and I am honored to have helped all who have sacrificed so much for our country,” Laiderman said.
Darlene Heisten, shown here with her daughter-in-law Sally Heisten, is one one 19,000 seniors helped by Veterans Home Care. Mrs. Heisten is eligible for VA benefits as the surviving spouse of a WWII veteran
Today, Veterans Home Care has a team of over 114 employees and provides care by utilizing a network of some 4,000+ home care providers through its VetAssist® Program. The company is one of the largest women-owned businesses in St. Louis and the largest provider of its kind in the nation. It continues to grow and innovate by incorporating products such as its voice-activated VetAssist Companion device that combines voice-activated calling, and video chats with the intelligence and fun of Alexa® and replaces old-fashioned medical alert devices.
Laiderman joins other Hall of Fame members who, according to Small Business Monthly, have developed an industry leading business that is poised to continue such leadership well into the future. Each has persisted through extreme business and economic challenges, and has inspired colleagues and employees, as well as the next generation of business leaders and beyond. The complete listing of the new Hall of Fame members appears in the June, 2021 edition of the magazine placing Laiderman in the same arena as St. Louis startup stars like World Wide Technology’s David Steward, Shake Shack’s Danny Meyer and Build-A-Bear’s Maxine Clark.
Many veterans, who served during wartime, or their surviving spouses are eligible for a non-service-related disability pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which pays for assistance with activities of daily living in their homes. At least one day of active military service must have occurred during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam era, or Persian Gulf War. Limitations apply.
For details and qualifications, contact your social worker, a home care provider in the VetAssist network, visit https://veteranshomecare.com/check-your-eligibility-for-the-vetassist-program or call 888-314-6075.
