Caffrey Knives is now a VA approved Training Facility!

EdCaffreyMS

"The Montana Bladesmith"
The VA has assigned me a "Training Facility Number"
And what does that mean? It means that I am eligible as a VA "Vocational Rehab" training center nationwide.

Further, it means that Veterans from across the country can now come to my shop for VA sponsored "Vocational Rehab" training. I'm not fully versed on all the requirements for each state, but it should make it easier for Vets to work with their local VA Rep(s), on coming to my shop for training as a knifemaker.

It's not that I can help the Vet with the Vocational Rehab process, but I can provide my facility number to your state VA Rep, which should make is possible, and hopefully easier to obtain VA sponsored training as a Knifemaker at my shop.
 
That is cool, how did you go about getting this? I remember a post of someone looking for a "Certified" instructor and I guess you now can claim that.

Was it difficult to get assigned?

I would be interested to know the process.

Thanks a lot,

Bob
 
Ed, I need rehab!!! Can I come stay with you??? Just kidding. I think its great. You are going to be very busy with this program.
 
Actually, I really didn't have to do much. There was a Vet who requested knifemaking for his Voc Rehab training, and when the VA Rep asked him who could provide the training, the individual named me. The VA Rep and I spoke a few times on the phone, then last week he came to my shop for a "site visit". During the site visit he told me that I would have to be assigned a "Training Facility Number" in order for the VA to pay me.....that was it. Yesterday I received and email from the VA Rep, stating that he had done the necessary paperwork, and that my Facility Number was XXXXXX.......that was pretty much all there was to it. I thought to myself..."Thant can't be all there is to it." So I emailed him back and asked specifically if that number meant my shop would be accepted nationally as a training facility.....he say "Yes." As I mentioned in my initial post, about all I can do is give my facility number to a VA Rep.....I don't have any clout or power to make the VA rep allow an individual to come to my shop for the training.....they would have to request me by name.
The reason I posted the announcement is because over the last couple of years I have had a number of other Vets from around the country contact me asking about VA sponsored training....this should make it easier.
 
WOW, something simple happened? No red tape?

Sounds like a unique niche to be in.

Good to hear it was pretty painless.

Hope you get some students out of it.

Bob
 
Congrats, Ed. This could mean a lot to you and to students. You know I am already checking into it and meet with my counselor tomorrow morning.
 
Congrads Ed that's great. Good for you and our servicemen!
Denny, if you need a reference, or an alibi, I'm your man.
Dozier
 
Ed,

Congrats on getting this going for MANY reasons! I know a few vets that are in search of a career, a few of which are now disabled, and while knife making may not be a lucrative career, the SKILLS used in knife making go a long way in some apprenticeship programs.

Ed, please don't take the following in the wrong way...

I DO ask one favor, make certain you teach the health and safety aspect of knife making to these folks. I know that you are a proponent of personal protective equipment (PPE), your profile pic shows it, but you will run across a few that think they are immune to the "small" type of injuries. I have a cousin with that mindset... He lost a leg and tends to think that is the worst that will ever happen to him... I almost have to hit him upside of the head to wear safety glasses when he works with my tools.

Please explain the things you have mentored others about on here; buffers, grinders, etching fluids, etc...

As I said, you are one of the first to chime in with the safety subjects, but for my peace of mind I had to ask you to build it into your instructional plan. The folks, and their families, have been through enough without a homeland accident possibly impairing them more...

For those that don't know, I'm a safety guy in real life... Also known as "the damn safety guy". 18 years of it...

As Bob said, perhaps this will open the door to some that need a "certified" instructor.

Looking forward to some WIP pics, updates, and success stories.

Charlie
 
Good point Charlie, but I have no doubt that Ed is all over that like a fat kid on cake. Congratulations on the VA assignment Ed. I have been wondering if something like this was possible once I call it quits.
 
Great Advice Charlie! I have a Vet in the shop right now, and he refuses to wear a respirator.....and I am constantly in his butt about it. In the future, that is one of the things that will be added to "personal safety equipment" that any student must bring with them. No mask, no class!

Don't stop reminding folks about the safety aspect!
 
... No mask, no class!

Exactly the attitude to have, Ed.
And I should be wearing my own!:34:

This is a really great thing to be doing, for Knifemaking as well as our Vets.

But all it can take is one moment's lapse of attention to get hurt.
And for men, and women, who've been in combat, safety will have to be stressed.

How many of us have had a buffer grab a knife, in a heartbeat?
I'm one.
I've got a double layer of drywall behind my buffer that has a few holes in it.
 
Great Advice Charlie! I have a Vet in the shop right now, and he refuses to wear a respirator.....and I am constantly in his butt about it. In the future, that is one of the things that will be added to "personal safety equipment" that any student must bring with them. No mask, no class!

Don't stop reminding folks about the safety aspect!

Good on you Ed!!
As for the safety aspect,do you,or have you considered having students signing a waiver releasing you from liability?
And I agree with the "no gear,no grinding" policy: I'd suggest adding something in the waiver stating that if they refuse to wear safety gear,
they would be asked to withdraw from the course. The last thing you need is someone getting hurt because of their own
stubbornness,then running around saying "Ed's shop is a hazard"...
 
The waiver of Liability is something that I have had in the shop for some time now.
Several years ago I had a guy come in "off the street" and asked me if I sharpen knives. I sharpened his Buck 110 for him, and jokingly told him as he walked out the door.."Hey, I'm not responsible if you cut digits off with that thing!" And even though I did it in a joking manner, it saved my butt!

Late the next evening I got a call from someone identifying himself as a lawyer, asking me if I had sharpened a knife for someone that day. At first I thought it was one of my knifemaker friends playing a joke on me....but quickly realized it wasn't....the individual had gone back home, started drinking, and cut himself with the knife...bad enough that it required 14 stitches. I was being sued for medical bills and pain/suffering.
Thankfully my wife was playing city league volleyball with a prominent local attorney, who called me to see if he could help. Because I had told the individual, even though it was in a joking manner, that I wasn't responsible, it saved my butt! That attorney got me out of it (no charge), and told me to come to the next volleyball game with my wife....and to bring a notebook. He sat on the bleachers of the local Salvation Army basketball/Volleyball court, and wrote out a Waiver of Liability, telling me to type it out, print copies, and make anyone coming in my shop to work, sign it. It also has a paragraph that must be signed by a parent/guardian if the individual is less than 18 years of age. Further more he suggested that I place the word "Knives are sharp, not responsible for any accidents/incidents" on every receipt. He also stated that no matter what I did, nothing would be 100% protection....but the waiver and the words on the receipts would cover 99% of any situations.

Anyway, back to the waiver....unless it gets signed by the individual or parent/guardian, the class does not start.

I made an addition to my website some time ago, specifying that a respirator is part of the required safety gear, but the last two individuals have shown up for class without one. I suppose I could add a statement about no respiratory, no grinding, but I have to wonder if I'd just be wasting my breath.
There is another part of me that thinks, where does my responsibility end? And the individual's personal responsibility begin? I can preach to folks the hazards of what we do all day long, but it's amazing how many just don't/won't listen. I've come to the realization that I can only advise individuals on the hazards, and recommend they take action(s) based on those warnings. If they choose not to heed those warnings, however coarse it might sound, they have been warned, and the responsibility is on them.
 
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