December 3, 2025 • 10 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Steve Bells up from the Climate County Veteran Services Returns.
Have we got some good once again? Once again? I
always love having you in here. Man. I was telling you,
I'm really making a very hard, concerted effort to embrace
the holidays, embrace the holiday spirit, enjoy it, live in
the moment. And so far, so good. It's been a
challenge of me for the last several longer than I
(00:20):
care to remember.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
But I think there's a there's a there's a transitional
shift that happens as we hit fifties sixties where you
realize it's not about the crazy wrapping that we have
to do. It's more about the friendships and rightlessness of
a community.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yeah, And I'm trying to focus on that somewhere along
the way. I think it's the it's it's the content
that I work with day in and day out. That
bait turned me into this jaded, cynical grinch of a
human being. And I don't mean to be that way.
And I miss I miss feeling like a child around
Christmas time. So this year I'm giving it a good
(00:55):
go and good for you. Yeah. Been cooking a lot lately,
and my wife put tree up I did the lights.
I didn't complain about that for the first time in
a long time. So I'm wow, but I'm excited about you.
You got some highlights from the Clamont County Veteran Service.
There's another reason to put a big smile on my face,
because you know, I love helping you out, and I
love helping the American veterans that you help quite a
few veterans this year, Steve oh Brian. The numbers are great.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
The numbers are wonderful. And it's even if it's just one, right,
I know, if it's just one, it's kind of the
sea urchin kid throws it back as the guy says,
you see all these he goes made a difference to
that one, Right, it's that whole whole story. It's it's
not about the volume. It's about one by one picking
somebody up and setting them back on sturdy ground.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah. One of the benefits of being the host of
the morning show, like if I'll have a you know,
a charity on and they'll get back and say, oh
my god, it's a consequence of beyond your show. We
got a contribution from this or some business reached out
to us. We established a relationship with them, talk about
making my day just one, even just one. It was
worth the time and to spread the information about the
good that's going on or out in the world. Yeah,
(02:02):
very rewarded.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
I'll tell you what if if I wouldn't rush your microphone,
I would come in here with a list of unique
things that we have shored veterans and or veterans spouses
up for a better life. Just it's it's.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It's a great it's a giving job. It really is.
And I've asked you before. It's an easy job to
get up and go to every day for you.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
It is. Actually it's harder for me to go home
and my wife has to put confines all that. I
expect you home by this time, right, because I know
you won't quit.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Dinner will be cold. I'm not going to keep it
heated for you. So I buddy, you got a curfew, man,
you better make it. But you helped over twenty five
hundred veterans in their families with service related claims and
other issues this year. That's a great accomplishment. It is
three hundred and sixty five days in the year. You
got twenty five hundred to show for right, Right, so
we're gonna bring.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
When you consider twenty five hundred, that's roughly twenty percent
of the veterans in Claremont County. Holy cow, we run
and a half thousand letter on Claremont County.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
I think that was better than the voter turnout in
the seventh district for that election. Hold on a second,
we'll bring, We'll bring Steve Belzo back. We got more
details to talk about Claremont County Veteran Services Steve Belzo. First,
a word for talk station see here fifty five cars
de talk station Brian Thomas with Clema County Veteran of
(03:23):
Services Steve Belzo. Lots and lots and lots to be
thankful for, as I'm learning off air, not just beyond
the clamor or just that's Claremont County Veteran Services, but
everything's going on. Steve's life truly one of God's miracles.
I'm not going to go into the details, but wow,
what you have lived through over the past short period
of time is amazing. And you know what a God's
(03:45):
miracle without questions?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
So question, yeah, that's intervention, right, it was it was favor.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
You got to look for little miracles they're all around you.
I know you just got to identify them, be observe
itt and be thankful exactly. All right. So you've added
some new services over time, my County Veteran services this year,
so let's talk about that.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah, you know, I want to mention to miss Bozo
twenty two and three would be a great Christmas present
for mister Bozol. I just just listening to your commercial.
I just thought, wow, that's pretty.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
You got something in mine you want.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
It's within the doors, darling head inside so the well.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I got my forty five to seventy elever action rifle
last year. You have a Henry. Yeah no, not a Henry.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
You didn't get Henry.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Okay, I didn't get that.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
We'll go down a rabbit trail here.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Let's let's okay. I got the Marlin. But it's the
new Marlin, not the old version that had some problems.
It's the brand new, redesigned Marlin. Things my god, so awesome.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
You shot it.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Oh yeah, I went Actually I went through a whole
box at the range that you.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Went to the whole box.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
I have a pad on the back of that. Did
you thank you? I love that Thing's a donkey it is.
I love handing it to people who are less experienced
with shooting rifles. But I'll squeeze off a few rounds here.
Try this. Oh okay, yeah, this this is when you
figure out you have not mounted your gun properly. And
I laughed my butt off like I handed it back.
(05:06):
I know I got more rounds in there is there's
five more inside. Enjoy that though, all right, moving back
to the Veterans Services anyways.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, so twenty five hundred veterans there, we talk about
the three three legged stool in how we underpinn veterans
in the counties with transportation, emergency financial assistance, and filing
for benefits and claims for the VA. And the majority
of the twenty five hundred you're seeing right there is
predominantly just the filing for benefits and claims, as well
(05:44):
as potentially some just overlap with emergency financial assistance.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I'm glad you brought that one up. I would like
to bring that aspect of what you're doing for veterans
on emergency financial service.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
It's yeah, when you get to underpinning, you get to
hear some of these stories are just you got to
be kidding me.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
This fallout right, right.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
But you still get to reach down, grab someone's hand
and pull them up. It's not a handout, it's not welfare.
It's a benefit for serving your country that we're able
to put you back on solid ground as a veteran
if you meet the parameter. So it's a great program,
it really is.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Well, you've got more appointments ready for them, more readily
available appointments. The quality is obviously always superior, claimate aunty
veteran services. But you've decreased the wait time by twenty
five percent. I understand.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
I'm going to tell you, Brian, We've done so much
attack on We were about a six months lag time for appointments,
especially when we came out with the Packed Act, oh
Shreact Act, And so I took their calendars, looked at them,
massaged them and not only was I able to increase
I say I we's a team able to increase the
(06:53):
throughput by additional appointments, but we're also able to create
a day of administrative time that they can look at
the claims that they're filing to make sure their quality
complete claims. That's great, right, So it improves the quality,
it enhances the return rate for the approvals when they
go to be adjudicated. So it's really been a great
(07:14):
year twenty twenty five and so increasing throughput twenty five percent,
more appointment times available to help these veterans move their
claims forward. Well.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
And it's one thing. You sign up and you qualify
and you're eligible for your VA benefits, you got to
get to the appointment. A lot of veterans struggle with that.
You've helped out that too.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
That is how many veterans miss It's called a CMP exam.
Miss it, and the VA is cranky. When you miss
a CMP exam, they are cranky. So the fact that
great Uncle Joe, or it might just be your cousin
Jimmy that's of good health but does not want to
drive to downtown Cincinnati. Secondly, the parking at the VA
(07:59):
is extremely extremely tight. I did hear, Dad, And when
you have someone that's willing to take a veteran down
and take them back home, that you're not stuck in
a parking lott somewhere, it is a great benefit. We've
moved over a thousand veterans to and from their VA
appointments through October.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
This year and again three hundred and sixty five days
in the counter year. You can see the volume they're doing.
That is awesome. So you hire, you have a new
vehicle and that's number five, and you also hired some
additional drivers.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
We did the task was so heavy. Over one hundred
and thirty a month for the past three to four
months we were transporting to and from. Now we do
door to door. It's not a local pickup area. We
frag a vehicle, We send a vehicle. Get all my
military talk. We send a vehicle to your door, pick
(08:47):
you up, take you to your VA appointment, and then
take you back home.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
It's like an uber, except it's the Cincinnati or the
Klemert County Veteran Services handling this without having what you
don't need an app for that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Do you just make it just simple phone call and
then five one three seventh three, two seventh, three sixty
three the transportation line where you will be greeted, uh
to push one for the transportation. All of my drivers
are veterans. That's great, every single one of them.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
And they are your employees. So you sure quality in
terms of absolutely the ability of them to drive and
their competence and all of that.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
We own the vehicles, they're marked. You know, it's us
pulling up in your drive. It's not a lift or
uber that's going to drop you off somewhere you don't belong.
They're going to get you to and from your appointment
and back home.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
And although we are running painfully out of time, if
do you have some new software that helps increase the
efficiency and the quality of filing benefit claims on behalf
of veterans as well, an improvement that was needed. I'm
glad you've addressed that very much.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
So it's been a good transition. It's been long and
migrating all the information over that you do obviously in
a lift and shift for an IT program. But it's up,
it's running, and it greatly enhances what we do.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Claremont County Veterans as a site for the Clarmont County
Veteran Services, all the services right there, they're there to
help you. You're not taking advantage, you're utilizing what has
been created for you my veteran friends in Claremont County.
Steve Belzo, you are such a wonderful representative for the
Veteran Service Commission. I thank you for the work that
you do throughout the year. I appreciate the joy that
(10:19):
you get from that work, and I wish you another
extraordinarily successful year next year. I know you're gonna work
as hard as you can to make it so well.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Thank you, But you know we don't do it without
the team behind us. I know everyone there, I really do,
so shout out to the whole team out there.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Amen to that, brother, and a merry Christmas and happy holidays,
you and yours and all of the Claremont County Veteran
Services again
Steve Bells up from the Climate County Veteran Services Returns.
Have we got some good once again? Once again? I
always love having you in here. Man. I was telling you,
I'm really making a very hard, concerted effort to embrace
the holidays, embrace the holiday spirit, enjoy it, live in
the moment. And so far, so good. It's been a
challenge of me for the last several longer than I
(00:20):
care to remember.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
But I think there's a there's a there's a transitional
shift that happens as we hit fifties sixties where you
realize it's not about the crazy wrapping that we have
to do. It's more about the friendships and rightlessness of
a community.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yeah, And I'm trying to focus on that somewhere along
the way. I think it's the it's it's the content
that I work with day in and day out. That
bait turned me into this jaded, cynical grinch of a
human being. And I don't mean to be that way.
And I miss I miss feeling like a child around
Christmas time. So this year I'm giving it a good
(00:55):
go and good for you. Yeah. Been cooking a lot lately,
and my wife put tree up I did the lights.
I didn't complain about that for the first time in
a long time. So I'm wow, but I'm excited about you.
You got some highlights from the Clamont County Veteran Service.
There's another reason to put a big smile on my face,
because you know, I love helping you out, and I
love helping the American veterans that you help quite a
few veterans this year, Steve oh Brian. The numbers are great.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
The numbers are wonderful. And it's even if it's just one, right,
I know, if it's just one, it's kind of the
sea urchin kid throws it back as the guy says,
you see all these he goes made a difference to
that one, Right, it's that whole whole story. It's it's
not about the volume. It's about one by one picking
somebody up and setting them back on sturdy ground.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah. One of the benefits of being the host of
the morning show, like if I'll have a you know,
a charity on and they'll get back and say, oh
my god, it's a consequence of beyond your show. We
got a contribution from this or some business reached out
to us. We established a relationship with them, talk about
making my day just one, even just one. It was
worth the time and to spread the information about the
good that's going on or out in the world. Yeah,
(02:02):
very rewarded.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
I'll tell you what if if I wouldn't rush your microphone,
I would come in here with a list of unique
things that we have shored veterans and or veterans spouses
up for a better life. Just it's it's.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It's a great it's a giving job. It really is.
And I've asked you before. It's an easy job to
get up and go to every day for you.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
It is. Actually it's harder for me to go home
and my wife has to put confines all that. I
expect you home by this time, right, because I know
you won't quit.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Dinner will be cold. I'm not going to keep it
heated for you. So I buddy, you got a curfew, man,
you better make it. But you helped over twenty five
hundred veterans in their families with service related claims and
other issues this year. That's a great accomplishment. It is
three hundred and sixty five days in the year. You
got twenty five hundred to show for right, Right, so
we're gonna bring.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
When you consider twenty five hundred, that's roughly twenty percent
of the veterans in Claremont County. Holy cow, we run
and a half thousand letter on Claremont County.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
I think that was better than the voter turnout in
the seventh district for that election. Hold on a second,
we'll bring, We'll bring Steve Belzo back. We got more
details to talk about Claremont County Veteran Services Steve Belzo. First,
a word for talk station see here fifty five cars
de talk station Brian Thomas with Clema County Veteran of
(03:23):
Services Steve Belzo. Lots and lots and lots to be
thankful for, as I'm learning off air, not just beyond
the clamor or just that's Claremont County Veteran Services, but
everything's going on. Steve's life truly one of God's miracles.
I'm not going to go into the details, but wow,
what you have lived through over the past short period
of time is amazing. And you know what a God's
(03:45):
miracle without questions?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
So question, yeah, that's intervention, right, it was it was favor.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
You got to look for little miracles they're all around you.
I know you just got to identify them, be observe
itt and be thankful exactly. All right. So you've added
some new services over time, my County Veteran services this year,
so let's talk about that.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah, you know, I want to mention to miss Bozo
twenty two and three would be a great Christmas present
for mister Bozol. I just just listening to your commercial.
I just thought, wow, that's pretty.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
You got something in mine you want.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
It's within the doors, darling head inside so the well.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I got my forty five to seventy elever action rifle
last year. You have a Henry. Yeah no, not a Henry.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
You didn't get Henry.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Okay, I didn't get that.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
We'll go down a rabbit trail here.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Let's let's okay. I got the Marlin. But it's the
new Marlin, not the old version that had some problems.
It's the brand new, redesigned Marlin. Things my god, so awesome.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
You shot it.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Oh yeah, I went Actually I went through a whole
box at the range that you.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Went to the whole box.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
I have a pad on the back of that. Did
you thank you? I love that Thing's a donkey it is.
I love handing it to people who are less experienced
with shooting rifles. But I'll squeeze off a few rounds here.
Try this. Oh okay, yeah, this this is when you
figure out you have not mounted your gun properly. And
I laughed my butt off like I handed it back.
(05:06):
I know I got more rounds in there is there's
five more inside. Enjoy that though, all right, moving back
to the Veterans Services anyways.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, so twenty five hundred veterans there, we talk about
the three three legged stool in how we underpinn veterans
in the counties with transportation, emergency financial assistance, and filing
for benefits and claims for the VA. And the majority
of the twenty five hundred you're seeing right there is
predominantly just the filing for benefits and claims, as well
(05:44):
as potentially some just overlap with emergency financial assistance.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I'm glad you brought that one up. I would like
to bring that aspect of what you're doing for veterans
on emergency financial service.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
It's yeah, when you get to underpinning, you get to
hear some of these stories are just you got to
be kidding me.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
This fallout right, right.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
But you still get to reach down, grab someone's hand
and pull them up. It's not a handout, it's not welfare.
It's a benefit for serving your country that we're able
to put you back on solid ground as a veteran
if you meet the parameter. So it's a great program,
it really is.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Well, you've got more appointments ready for them, more readily
available appointments. The quality is obviously always superior, claimate aunty
veteran services. But you've decreased the wait time by twenty
five percent. I understand.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
I'm going to tell you, Brian, We've done so much
attack on We were about a six months lag time for appointments,
especially when we came out with the Packed Act, oh
Shreact Act, And so I took their calendars, looked at them,
massaged them and not only was I able to increase
I say I we's a team able to increase the
(06:53):
throughput by additional appointments, but we're also able to create
a day of administrative time that they can look at
the claims that they're filing to make sure their quality
complete claims. That's great, right, So it improves the quality,
it enhances the return rate for the approvals when they
go to be adjudicated. So it's really been a great
(07:14):
year twenty twenty five and so increasing throughput twenty five percent,
more appointment times available to help these veterans move their
claims forward. Well.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
And it's one thing. You sign up and you qualify
and you're eligible for your VA benefits, you got to
get to the appointment. A lot of veterans struggle with that.
You've helped out that too.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
That is how many veterans miss It's called a CMP exam.
Miss it, and the VA is cranky. When you miss
a CMP exam, they are cranky. So the fact that
great Uncle Joe, or it might just be your cousin
Jimmy that's of good health but does not want to
drive to downtown Cincinnati. Secondly, the parking at the VA
(07:59):
is extremely extremely tight. I did hear, Dad, And when
you have someone that's willing to take a veteran down
and take them back home, that you're not stuck in
a parking lott somewhere, it is a great benefit. We've
moved over a thousand veterans to and from their VA
appointments through October.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
This year and again three hundred and sixty five days
in the counter year. You can see the volume they're doing.
That is awesome. So you hire, you have a new
vehicle and that's number five, and you also hired some
additional drivers.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
We did the task was so heavy. Over one hundred
and thirty a month for the past three to four
months we were transporting to and from. Now we do
door to door. It's not a local pickup area. We
frag a vehicle, We send a vehicle. Get all my
military talk. We send a vehicle to your door, pick
(08:47):
you up, take you to your VA appointment, and then
take you back home.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
It's like an uber, except it's the Cincinnati or the
Klemert County Veteran Services handling this without having what you
don't need an app for that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Do you just make it just simple phone call and
then five one three seventh three, two seventh, three sixty
three the transportation line where you will be greeted, uh
to push one for the transportation. All of my drivers
are veterans. That's great, every single one of them.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
And they are your employees. So you sure quality in
terms of absolutely the ability of them to drive and
their competence and all of that.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
We own the vehicles, they're marked. You know, it's us
pulling up in your drive. It's not a lift or
uber that's going to drop you off somewhere you don't belong.
They're going to get you to and from your appointment
and back home.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
And although we are running painfully out of time, if
do you have some new software that helps increase the
efficiency and the quality of filing benefit claims on behalf
of veterans as well, an improvement that was needed. I'm
glad you've addressed that very much.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
So it's been a good transition. It's been long and
migrating all the information over that you do obviously in
a lift and shift for an IT program. But it's up,
it's running, and it greatly enhances what we do.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Claremont County Veterans as a site for the Clarmont County
Veteran Services, all the services right there, they're there to
help you. You're not taking advantage, you're utilizing what has
been created for you my veteran friends in Claremont County.
Steve Belzo, you are such a wonderful representative for the
Veteran Service Commission. I thank you for the work that
you do throughout the year. I appreciate the joy that
(10:19):
you get from that work, and I wish you another
extraordinarily successful year next year. I know you're gonna work
as hard as you can to make it so well.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Thank you, But you know we don't do it without
the team behind us. I know everyone there, I really do,
so shout out to the whole team out there.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Amen to that, brother, and a merry Christmas and happy holidays,
you and yours and all of the Claremont County Veteran
Services again
Brian Thomas News
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