Legally Blind Forms

As someone who's losing her sight to retinitis pigmentosa (RP), I face this question every day. I, however, have Usher Syndrome, which couples deafness and gradual vision loss, so I'm not representative of the average blind/low vision individual.That being said, as someone who has moved from sighted into legal blindness, I've noticed certain interesting changes in my lfestyle and how people treat me. This isn't a subject that can be explained briefly, so please forgive me in advance for my lengthiness.  What the blind see.People seem to think blindness as binary: you're either completely sighted or completely blind. The truth is that there are infinite ways to be legally blind.[1] Not just is there a large range of sightedness between fully sighted and completely blind, but there are a lot of variations within that range. Some blind people have acuity issues; others have blind spots but  otherwise clear vision. Many are somewhere in between. Few are completely blind. So, what I see is unique to me and my condition. No other blind person will see as I do. My condition (RP) causes night blindness, gradual peripheral vision loss, and in its advanced stages, macular issues. Even though it's a progressive condition, it progresses differently for everyone. My lower and upper fields of vision have been gone since my early to mid-teens. I have blind spots in the sides of my vision, but I can detect light and movement in my far peripheries. The funny thing is that I don't actually see the blind spots. My brain has reconfigured my visual perception to skip over the blind spots, so things actually seem as if I have 180 degree vision. Based on my last field test, I have somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-five degrees of vision, so my brain is constantly tricking me. Two years ago, my RP began affecting my macula (the central part of the eye), which is a somewhat unusual development this early. The macula affects color discrimination and visual acuity. As of right now, I have about 20/150 in the left eye, and 20/300 in the right, both uncorrectable by glasses.Everything seems out of focus. If a person is standing more than two feet away from me, their faces is a blur as in a Monet painting. Typically, I identify a familiar person by their silhouette and the way they walk (since I can't recognize voices with much precision). Even up close, I can't see fine detail like smaller scars and roughness, so everyone looks like they have amazing skin. Bright light makes my vision worse. It seem like a thin white film is covering everything, making light-colored things almost glow. Oftentimes, harsh, direct light will create shadows that confuse me since the world becomes too visually complicated. Certain shadows might look like steps to me since my distance perception is basically zero. The situation is similar for dim places. Everything goes gray (or black, if it's quite dark). I can't see depth or shadows in the night, it's just one big wall of black, dotted by streetlights. I see quite well under the perfect conditions: evenly distributed light of medium intensity with simple and high-contrast items plus relatively stationary people and things. But...life rarely provides perfect conditions. Navigating the world with blurry, restricted vision.There are three main navigation techniques that blind and low-vision folks: a white cane, seeing-eye animal, or nothing. There is some political and personal preferences involved in one's choice.Many people who don't have vision loss push me to get a dog. They seem to feel more comfortable with the idea of a seeing-eye dog. Some of them even think that it's a cool way to get a very well-trained pet. It's not that simple. A white cane can be put away at any time. A white cane doesn't shed, poop, require vet visits, or develop a mind of its own. Nobody wants to pet a cane, either. Seeing-eye dogs are wonderful, but have a lot of overhead. It's a personal choice, dependent on one's lifestyle and needs. As simple as the white cane may be, it still requires training.[2] There are different holds, arcs and contacts. You hold and move it different ways depending on how many people are around you, familiarity of the area, among other factors. The white cane gives you a lot of information, but there are a few things that get me:  chairs and tables (my cane simply slips underneath), overhanging brush (again, my cane isn't high enough), and cracks (sometimes my cane will bounce back, which is annoying).  You learn how to map out the world differently. Instead of reading the street signs, you count the number of intersections. You stop using the pedestrian signals to know when to cross the street, but look (or listen for) the traffic flow. (Many blind and low vision folks also use GPS systems, but it's usually too noisy for me to hear the instructions, so I don't use GPS very often.) Landmarks, such as a distinctive building or a fire hydrant orient you to the world around you. Memory becomes crucial. Sometimes I use a human guide. I hate to do this, not just because it limits my independence, but because most people...are terrible at it. They'll grab you and proceed to drag you, making you disoriented and stumble. They'll forget to stop before a step, so you fall. Even with instruction, guiding someone else is an intuitive exercise that not a lot of people have a talent for.  How the blind read.Since I'm deafblind, this is a different endeavor for me than it is for the average blind/low vision individual. I remember when I was sitting with a low vision specialist. She kept telling me that I should use the text-to-speech software on my computer. "But I'm deaf, so...wouldn't braille be better?" I asked her. "You can hear me, so You can hear the computer." (I have a cochlear implant, so I can hold a conversation reasonably well, but it's not perfect.) I explained to her that it wouldn't be easy for me and I'd probably end up missing words and get tired, but she still insisted that it was the best course.I ignored her and learned Braille. Right now I'm about 60-70% of my old reading speed and I'm pretty goshdarned proud of myself. My point is that people can be dogmatic when it comes to alternative reading techniques. Some people will advocate that a person with low vision read visually, regardless of how slow or difficult it is. Others will advocate auditory-only training since it provides most blind and low-vision folks the fastest transitions. So, there is some politics involved. Each blind and low vision individual should choose whatever reading technique fits their needs the best: visual, auditory or braille. For more information about assistive technologies:How long does it take to learn Braille, and does it get harder as you get older?What is it like to use a refreshable braille device with a laptop or tablet?How people treat you.The biggest change after I started to use my white cane was the loss of my anonymity. With a cane or a seeing-eye animal, people notice you because you're different. This is good and bad. I usually get excellent customer service at restaurants, stores, and offices with employees going out of their way to make sure my needs are met. I'm very grateful for these employees. Most people are willing to give me directions. I get on first on flights and sometimes get placed in the first row. Crowds part like the Red Sea when I approach. Kindness has been the general rule.As with any rule, there are exceptions. Some people stare or back away from me as if I'm infectious (they think I don't see them, but I do). There are also people who overcompensate in their kindness. Once, I asked this woman for directions, and she proceeded to lead me, step by step, to the front desk of where I was going. When she tried to take over, I had to tell her firmly that I was fine, and should go on with what she was doing. Her intentions were good, but overweening kindness is almost as insulting as people who flinch. Since I'm no longer anonymous, people watch me. I feel constant pressure not to stumble or fall, which is tough since I'm a generally clumsy person and relatively new to using a cane. It's a dispiriting feeling; the sense that you can't make a mistake, that you can't trip.I often find myself missing my anonymity the most (but it is nice to get in front of the line in amusement parks!). The emotional side of losing one's vision.It's the change that's the hard part, not the vision loss itself. People born blind don't need to struggle with this aspect; people, like me, who lose their sight later in life do. The most destructive part of losing one's sight is the feeling of incompetence. As someone who's not naturally organized and orderly, the new way of interacting with the world can get rough. I've broken or cracked more than half of my set of drinking glasses by dropping or knocking them over. I vacuum up electrical cords because I forgot to check for stray cords. I've walked into people by accident. I've stepped on my cats too many times to mention, and I'm afraid that one of them holds a grudge. I'm the kind of person who hates feeling inept. I like doing things well; to a certain degree, I've done many things well. At times, I feel like a failure at adapting. When I misplace something for the umpteenth time, I find myself berating myself for not being better at being blind. I'm getting better, though. I haven't cracked a glass in months. The electrical cords haven't been ruined by the vacuum in almost a year. My cats now know to avoid me when I'm moving quickly. Adapting is a much slower process than I ever expected, but it's moving in the right direction.One of the more discerning aspects of vision loss was how my conception of myself has changed. Even though I've known that I had RP since childhood, I've never thought of myself as blind. I'm starting to think of myself that way now. I've stopped squinting, thinking that I would see better, only if I tried harder. My self-consciousness about the white cane is waning. I've even started dreaming of myself as I am: an awkward, clumsy blind person. The path to acceptance is a slow one, full of cracked glasses and disgruntled cats, but I'm getting there. ___________[1]: Legal blindness qualifies one for certain services from the U.S. state and federal governments, including the right to use a white cane or a seeing-eye animal. Moreover, legal blindness applies to people who are blind and have low vision. Blindness [2]: Trained professionals called Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Instructors are typically ones who provides this training. Depending on the state that one lives in, this service is provided by non-profit organizations or contractors, among others. Competence really varies. I've had good and bad O&M instructors and the difference is amazing.

In California, it is “actionable” to be required to do that on your _own_ time.In short, if a company requires work that’s unpaid and you’re not on salary (are an hourly employee, but not being paid that hourly rate for said work), then you could sue them and/or bring it up to your state’s labor board as a potential violation.Meaning, any company that requires this sort of work to be done without payment as such would do well to review that policy with legal counsel.Note: We (SwiftCloud ) have legal staffing firm clients and attorney clients, but are not an attorney. Laws for your state or jurisdiction will vary.

I raised $500,000 at 19. I was on my way to change the world. Three years later everything burned down.This post is not about how to shoot for the stars or run a company. Others are better at that.This is about what not to do.I’ve made every mistake possible. But ironically, I’m constantly meeting teams doing the exact same things that caused my first startup to implode. Everything I’m writing about I’ve experienced first hand through my own startups as well as various businesses I’ve been involved in. It’s been all my fault and this is my story.Some of you will disagree with me. Others will have things to add. I’m happy to discuss in the comments.Here’s my attempt.ZUCKERBERG SYNDROMMy girlfriend didn’t know what I was working on for nine months. I slept with a chair blocking the front door. My phone was tapped. Corporate America and Uncle Sam were listening. Someone was going to kill me to steal the idea.I really believed this. So I did everything possible (literally) to avoid getting feedback out of the fear of having our idea stolen.Ultimately, secrecy and stupidity killed us. Three years and hundreds of thousands later, we released an alpha version to a modest 30 people for the first time. Everyone hated it. Our capital was gone. Our morale: zero.I see this all the time. Startup founders hiding their ideas because of the fear that someone will steal it. Remember: no one cares about you. Your biggest issue is getting discovered. If someone steals your idea, that means you’re doing something right.Because of this syndrome, most startups are wasting their time and money building products no one wants. Why? Lack of testing. The biggest mistake a company can make (product wise) is to avoid talking to and testing with potential and current users. Every day. It’s also one of the main reasons startup’s fail.If you’re not constantly releasing and looking for feedback you’re either a) delusional (me) thinking too many people will sign up/buy your product and you won’t be able to scale b) scared that it’s not good enough (me) or c) someone will steal your idea (as I was).A. SCALING“Your priority, in short, is proving that people will use your product at all. If they won’t, then it won’t matter if you can’t scale. If they will, then you will figure out a way to scale. I’ve never seen a startup die because it couldn’t scale fast enough. I’ve seen hundreds of startups die because people refused to embrace their product.” — Guy Kawasaki [Emphasis mine]I’ve done this and I’ve experienced this in the past three startups I’ve worked in. It’s completely delusional. If five out of five people tell you that they wouldn’t use your product (before you build), quit. If eight out of ten people tell you that they hate this feature and you empirically see that they’re not using it, kill it. Don’t assume. Always be testing.More on feedback below.b. TESTINGSee point A.C. STEALING(!)No one will steal your idea. It takes time, money, skills and immorality to steal. Not everyone is born that lucky.Most importantly, no one cares about your idea.They’ll only start caring when there’s a massive amount of initial traction (50,000+ users). By then, you’ve already established a strong user/customer base and it’s too late for the others.HIRING FOR WEAKNESSOnly hire for a strength that needs to be filled in your company. Never for a weakness.Not once did any of the startups I worked in hire for a strength. I repetitively recommended hiring people purely out of loneliness, fear and scarcity repetitively. Each time it sunk us deeper.But what does that mean?Hiring for a weakness means that you attempt to fill a weakness in the fundamenetals in your company by hiring for a weakness. Example: If you’re building a product and it’s not gaining traction and your company doesn’t have inherent fundamentals, hiring Ryan Holiday to sell your product won’t help. You can’t fight weakness with weakness.However, if you have a rockstar engineering team and you want to add a marketing person to help take the product get to another level, then you’re adding a strength.Hiring for weakness also means:a. You hire a B+ player instead of a A+ player.b. You hire people so that they go through the struggle with you, so that they share your fears and paranoia. Not so they execute on what’s needed.c. Hiring someone to fill a position. Not to compliment the rest of the company.d. Hiring someone and not having any idea of what the hell you want them to do.e. It means hiring someone because you think there’s no one else. Scarcity.f. Hiring a client’s friend. Because you’re scared.It’s ultimately about the fundamentals. If the fundamentals of the product and the team aren’t there, adding someone is just adding a weakness. It won’t help, because it’s not a strength.PAINTER’S DILEMMAApproving emails? One week treks. Our first wireframes? $40K and four months. Did we have a working product after all this? No. We failed.The Painter’s Dilemma is when you’re so deep in the details of your project that you don’t even know what the idea is anymore. You’re blind. When you’re too deep you need help.How to solve it? Stop. Talk to people. Get feedback. Iterate and build. Release. Breathe.Repeat the loop.The more feedback you get the healthier you and your product are.FEEDBACK*I can’t emphasize this enough. If you don’t get feedback (everyday) you will die. I never got feedback. EVER. Well, until the cash ran out. Oops.If you’re not getting qualitiative and quantitive feedback/data everyday, the cancer will start.It’s easy: speak to people, Google Analytics, send surveys. Just don’t hide from it.*This is the crucial and worth a dedicated blog post in the future.COMMUNICATE“Don’t talk to him, he doesn’t understand. He’s out of the picture next funding round anyways.” I hid everything internally. It was easy, we were in 5 different countries! Our developers were remote (I’ll get to that) and Basecamp was our only means of communication. In other startups, I wouldn’t included people from discussions because “it isn’t necessary. That isn’t their job”New features, awful designs, conniving plans were all pushed through a funnel. I was the leader of the deceiving. Architecting a blue print to push my own delusional “never test and succeed” agenda. My style? The longer the email the less likely someone important will read it. What a strategy. As always, the CEO is the biggest idiot.I don’t care if you’re a church, a tech startup or a non-profit. If you don’t have a system of communication in place that keeps everyone aware of what everyone is doing in the company, in real-time, for every milestone, everyday, you will die very soon.Lesson: Live and breath Scrum.SCREW LAWYERSLawyers are criminals.I spent $15,000 on legal documents/fees we never used. Every entrepreneur/startup I’m involved with thinks lawyers are the first step to success. Bullshit.DOCSAll the legal documents you ever need are available online. If you’re B2B, all companies that you’ll work with have their own standard LOEs, NDAs, etc., that they anyways steal from Fortune 500 companies. Request it. Then use it. B2C? Here.BUT I NEED A TRADEMARK!Unless you have 10,000 clients you don’t need to think about copyright or even the name. Prove the concept first. Worry later. If you do have to worry, those are very nice worries to have.PATENT IT!Patenting something that isn’t validated with at least 10,000 clients is moronic. Ironically, this is the only mistake my first startup didn’t follow through with (fully, at least).DECISION MAKINGI was traumatized from taking decisions. Most startups never take decisions. In other statups I work in, decisions took weeks. People join startups for the reason of avoiding bureaucracy but everyone still does it. Why? Lack of trust and overview of the team, so they choke the process (have I suggested Scrum?).The board should decide on the vision and the group should decide what to execute on by creating a backlog for the week. The team should then have the power to execute it. With a great communication process in place, teammates should be able to take decisions without reporting to anyone while keeping everyone updated with everything’s that going on, live. Have a flat structure to achieve this by using Scrum.Let people do their jobs. Trust them. Don’t have a tedious review process as most startups do. Don’t suffocate the system. Empower your people.Read Scrum by Jeff Sutherland on how to manage your team. Then read Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal for how to organize the information flow. Both books compliment each other perfectly.THE BOARDThe ideal board is 3–5 people maximum if you’re a startup. Anything above that means that either no decisions will ever be taken (my first company) or someone has a hidden agenda and profits from a discombobulated board.A business is not a democracy. Unanimous decisions don’t work and will never work.Who’s should I put on the Board?Only investors/shareholders who hold a large stake and are extremely active in the success of your venture.INVESTORSSmart Money vs Still MoneyJust because someone is offering you cash almost always means you shouldn’t accept it.Your investor can have the greatest contacts in the pharmecutical industry. She can be CEO of Merck. If she doesn’t have a massive network in whatever industry you’re in, it’s worthless. The money will be worth nothing. This is true 100% of the time.Always onboard investors that can help you in your niche industry.MEETINGSThis is my top 3 favorites. Most won’t agree with me on this.I’ve never been to a meeting that has made me money/funded my venture. I don’t think anyone has. Has anyone ever handed you a check at a meeting? I doubt it. Today, it usually happens by wire-transfer.Meetings are pointless. Every team I meet, consult for/work with all think that going to meetings is the most crucial part of business. Most importantly, the whole team should be there. Pick up the fucking phone. Travel is time and money expensive. Even if you’re taking a cab.I would fly 10,000 miles for a 3 hour meeting and then fly back to Europe that same day. $30K. Gone.“If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be: ‘meetings.’” - Dave BarryMost of the discussion can be ironed out over email and FaceTime.Ok yes, I agree. Meeting in person is important. But not until it’s necessary. Most of the time, it’s unecessary. And even when it is, it shouldn’t always be an excuse to leave work for a business lunch or to Shanghai for the day.Avoid meetings. Get more done.It’s a waste of time 99% of the time.FOUNDING PARTNERS = YOUR SPOUSEYou will be married to your partners and investors for the next 7–10 years. Choose wisely.Know your team. Speak to your investor’s enemies. Get references for everyone.Don’t be a deceiver. Use Scrum.WORKING HOURSWe worked 16 hour days. Yey! Startup life!No. Work 8–10 hours and you’ll get more done than working 18 hours a day. Don’t believe me. It’s proven.Working 18 hour days leads to a burn out, which leads to painter’s dilemma, then delusion, then deceiving others around you, then depression. Then it’s too late.Ultimately, the more you work the more mistakes you’re prone to make. Mistakes made are mistakes that need to be corrected. Mistakes that aren’t correct can take up to 24x longer to correct than if they were corrected immediately.But you can’t see that. You’re burned out. You’re in Painter.PRODUCT / MARKET VALIDATIONAnother reason I refused to test in the three product startups I was involved in was because “the ideas work successfully elsewhere. They will also work here.” Doesn’t work like that.Just because you’re making a mishmash of several products that have product/market validation elsewhere doesn’t mean people are willing to use your product. I have yet to meet a new founder who hasn’t claimed this.In order for someone to switch to your product, your product needs to be at least 8x better.*Is your product really 8x better than your biggest competitor? If the answer isn’t a clear yes, quit.*Read Hooked by Nir Eyal and Ryan Hoover for how to build habit forming products.RECREATING THE WHEEL“God gave you eyes, so plagarize.” -Michael LewisNo need to re-create the wheel. Everything is out there already for a reason. Use APIs, read books (many books), steal functions, designs, ideas, marketing slogans, branding, on boarding processes, software, colors, clients, everything from other people/companies who are successful.This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t test it in your own environment. You must validate every single function that you put out there. Use the Lean Startup KanBan by Ash Maurya for this.DILUTIONWe gave away 51% for our first funding round. How much did we plan to keep when we “exited?” Think about that. It doesn’t make sense.Startups do this all the time. If you retain 51% after the seed round, how much does the founding team plan to keep by Series B? 20%? If you take the average of what you got paid for equity after the exit + your salary you’ll be paying more in taxes with a minimum wage paycheck for the past 8 years it took you to exit. Might as well work in a shoe store.If you don’t have the bargaining power (a validated product) to raise money with, quit.GUYS IN SUITSOur tech partners wore suits. That made us comfortable. They ended up quoting $100k. We ended up with nothing.If you see tech people in suits, run.OUTSOURCINGI lost well over $100,000 for our first version that was outsourced. We were smart enough to not learn from our mistakes so we found another team to outsource with. Another hefty sum gone. Only myself to blame.I’ve had terrible experiences with outsourcing and great experiences with in-house development.However, many products (we all use everyday) have found great success in outsourcing. I also know many entrepreneurs who outsource and are extremely succesful. While there are massive benefits, there are also downfalls. If you plan to, find a free consulting company that has pre-screened teams.Either way, using Scrum increases your chances of success in-house or out.YOUR TEAMEntrepreneurs read about Steve Jobs’ management style and think he was a tyrant. So they curse at their employees and tell everyone that they are “shit.” They think that’s how a company should be run and that’s how teammates should be treated. Wrong. Treat your team like shit and you’ll get shit.Either way, that’s not how Steve Jobs did it. Steve Jobs empowered his team. He told them that what they’re outputting is shit because he knew that they could do better. Because they are the best in the industry. He made them feel good. He challenged them and today Apple is Apple because of that.On the other hand, I lied. Didn’t speak about the hard things and repressed whatever fear or worry we had. We were scared that someone would quit or that we would look bad if we showed our emotions in front of our investors.You should always be able to tell your teammates all the fears and worries you have. Chances are, if you’re worried about something, everyone is worried about the same thing. Bring it up. Talk about it. I keep mentioning Scrum* because it encourages team members telling each other what’s bothering them and what’s impending the growth progress. This is key to not failing.Not once, in any of the startups I was in, did I or others get credit for great work or for their ideas that ended up being implemented. Not once did anyone congratualte a teammate on a engineering triumph, a beautiful design or a new lead. Startups think “business is business. This isn’t a cute place to pat each other on the backs.”BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT A BUSINESS SHOULD BE. You should be holding each other up, helping one another and listening to the problems in the team. Because ultimately, you’re on the same mission.The second the negativity flows in people become scared. They stop raising issues, telling you how they feel and how to improve the business. When that happens you start to slowly die because you’ve fell into dillusion that everything is working. Six months later, you’re on the street.Empower your team. Congratulate people. Love each other. When someone screws up, tell them that. But also tell them how to improve and ask them why they think they screwed up and how to make their job easier.You’re a team. Be one.*Believe it or not, I’m not affiliated with Scrum in anyway. I’m not even a Scrum Master.—When I reflect on all the stupidity I’ve personally done and the startups I’ve been involved in, I realize that the only thing I ever followed up through and executed with absolute perfection, were the things that eventually ended up killing us: not telling a soul what our idea was. Talking to lawyers. Partnering with bad teams. Hiring out of weakness. Going to too many meetings. No decision making system. Not using Scrum. Hiring people out of fear. Hiding from reality.Mistakes are simple to make but hard to correct. They’re usually the first option that pops up. But as entrepreneurs we do thing because they’re hard, not because they’re easy.Hard choices take a long time to get right. It takes guts, intuition, experience and lots of luck. But never settle. Never accept your situation.Life can always be better.…..This was originally posted on the NY Observer and our blog on Penta.Follow me @lukaivicev or contact me directly at luka@getpenta.com.

You don’t fill out W2 forms, employers issue them to employees in January to report earnings and withholding. I assume you mean the W4, which tells the employer how much to withhold. There is no reason to fill one out before being hired, particularly since it includes your SSN which you shouldn’t divulge to anyone unless necessary

NOOOOOOO. You are talking to a military romance scammer. I received an email from the US Army that directly answers your question that is pasted below please keep reading.I believe you are the victim of a military Romance Scam whereas the person you are talking to is a foreign national posing as an American Soldier claiming to be stationed overseas on a peacekeeping mission. That's the key to the scam they always claim to be on a peacekeeping mission.Part of their scam is saying that they have no access to their money that their mission is highly dangerous.If your boyfriend girlfriend/future husband/wife is asking you to do the following or has exhibited this behavior, it is a most likely a scam:Moves to private messaging site immediately after meeting you on Facebook or SnapChat or Instagram or some dating or social media site. Often times they delete the site you met them on right after they asked you to move to a more private messaging siteProfesses love to you very quickly & seems to quote poems and song lyrics along with using their own sort of broken language, as they profess their love and devotion quickly. They also showed concern for your health and love for your family.Promises marriage as soon as he/she gets to state for leave that they asked you to pay for.They Requests money (wire transfers) and Amazon, iTune ,Verizon, etc gift cards, for medicine, religious practices, and leaves to come home, internet access, complete job assignments, help sick friend, get him out of trouble, or anything that sounds fishy.The military does provide all the soldier needs including food medical Care and transportation for leave. Trust me, I lived it, you are probably being scammed. I am just trying to show you examples that you are most likely being connned.Below is an email response I received after I sent an inquiry to the US government when I discovered I was scammed. I received this wonderful response back with lots of useful links on how to find and report your scammer. And how to learn more about Romance Scams.Right now you can also copy the picture he gave you and do a google image search and you will hopefully see the pictures of the real person he is impersonating. this doesn't always work and take some digging. if you find the real person you can direct message them and alert them that their image is being used for scamming.Good Luck to you and I'm sorry this may be happening to you. please continue reading the government response I received below it's very informative.   You have contacted an email that is monitored by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. Unfortunately, this is a common concern. We assure you there is never any reason to send money to anyone claiming to be a Soldier online. If you have only spoken with this person online, it is likely they are not a U.S. Soldier at all. If this is a suspected imposter social media profile, we urge you to report it to that platform as soon as possible. Please continue reading for more resources and answers to other frequently asked questions:  How to report an imposter Facebook profile: Caution-https://www.facebook.com/help/16... < Caution-https://www.facebook.com/help/16... >   Answers to frequently asked questions:  - Soldiers and their loved ones are not charged money so that the Soldier can go on leave.  - Soldiers are not charged money for secure communications or leave.  - Soldiers do not need permission to get married.  - Soldiers emails are in this format: john.doe.mil@mail.mil < Caution-mailto: john.doe.mil@mail.mil > anything ending in .us or .com is not an official email account.  - Soldiers have medical insurance, which pays for their medical costs when treated at civilian health care facilities worldwide – family and friends do not need to pay their medical expenses.  - Military aircraft are not used to transport Privately Owned Vehicles.  - Army financial offices are not used to help Soldiers buy or sell items of any kind.  - Soldiers deployed to Combat Zones do not need to solicit money from the public to feed or house themselves or their troops.  - Deployed Soldiers do not find large unclaimed sums of money and need your help to get that money out of the country.  Anyone who tells you one of the above-listed conditions/circumstances is true is likely posing as a Soldier and trying to steal money from you.  We would urge you to immediately cease all contact with this individual.  For more information on avoiding online scams and to report this crime, please see the following sites and articles:   This article may help clarify some of the tricks social media scammers try to use to take advantage of people: Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/61432/< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/61432/>   CID advises vigilance against 'romance scams,' scammers impersonating Soldiers  Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/180749 < Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/180749 >   FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: Caution-http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx< Caution-http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx>   U.S. Army investigators warn public against romance scams: Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/130...< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/130...>   DOD warns troops, families to be cybercrime smart -Caution-http://www.army.mil/article/1450...< Caution-http://www.army.mil/article/1450...>   Use caution with social networking  Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/146...< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/146...>    Please see our frequently asked questions section under scams and legal issues. Caution-http://www.army.mil/faq/ < Caution-http://www.army.mil/faq/ > or visit Caution-http://www.cid.army.mil/ < Caution-http://www.cid.army.mil/ >.  The challenge with most scams is determining if an individual is a legitimate member of the US Army. Based on the Privacy Act of 1974, we cannot provide this information. If concerned about a scam you may contact the Better Business Bureau (if it involves a solicitation for money), or local law enforcement. If you're involved in a Facebook or dating site scam, you are free to contact us direct; (571) 305-4056.   If you have a social security number, you can find information about Soldiers online at Caution-https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sc... < Caution-https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sc... > . While this is a free search, it does not help you locate a retiree, but it can tell you if the Soldier is active duty or not.  If more information is needed such as current duty station or location, you can contact the Commander Soldier's Records Data Center (SRDC) by phone or mail and they will help you locate individuals on active duty only, not retirees. There is a fee of $3.50 for businesses to use this service. The check or money order must be made out to the U.S. Treasury. It is not refundable. The address is:  Commander Soldier's Records Data Center (SRDC) 8899 East 56th Street Indianapolis, IN 46249-5301 Phone: 1-866-771-6357  In addition, it is not possible to remove social networking site profiles without legitimate proof of identity theft or a scam. If you suspect fraud on this site, take a screenshot of any advances for money or impersonations and report the account on the social networking platform immediately.  Please submit all information you have on this incident to Caution-www.ic3.gov < Caution-http://www.ic3.gov > (FBI website, Internet Criminal Complaint Center), immediately stop contact with the scammer (you are potentially providing them more information which can be used to scam you), and learn how to protect yourself against these scams at Caution-http://www.ftc.gov < Caution-http://www.ftc.gov > (Federal Trade Commission's website)

I-9, W-4, state W-4, and some sort of state new hire form. The New hire form is for dead beat parents. Don’t inform the state in time and guess what? You become personally liable for what should have been garnished from their wages.From the sound of your question I infer that you are trying to make this a DIY project. DO NOT. There are just too many things that you can F up. Seek yea a CPA or at least a payroll service YESTERDAY.

I wish that everyone, both liberal and conservative, was able to understand what “unintended consequences” are.10 Fascinating Examples of Unintended Consequences - Toptenz.netLiberals often think that if the INTENT of a policy is NICE, then the OUTCOME of the policy will be NICE.Liberals are NICE. Their NICE eyeballs look out onto the world a see a place where we should all be NICE.But being NICE often has negative consequences.Like letting a child molester or a rapist out of prison is NICE because we want to believe that everyone has some good in them. We want to feel that the person can be rehabilitated.But in reality, 92% of violent criminals will commit the same violent crimes when released from prison.So letting criminals out of jail after a few years is NICE and is also EVIL.Another big delusion is that a politician must have STRONG support to be elected.Sometimes politicians get elected because the opposition got bored and stayed home.America is a nation of centrists, that's why we have close elections. They shrug their shoulders and vote for whoever they sort of like better.Trump can get re-elected even if not one single person in the USA likes him. We have a binary party system, so if the voters dislike Trump less than they dislike Hillary (or whoever), then he'll be re-elected.In a binary political system, a politician is turned either on or off by the voters, like a light switch. Whether the individual voter adores him or hates him but hates Hillary more, the pro-Trump vote counts the same.In the last election, the greatest number of voters voted to stay home and watch Dancing with the Stars on TV. 42% of the eligible voters voted for Dancing With The Stars, 26% voted for Trump and Hillary each. In a pure democracy, the cast of Dancing With The Stars would be president.That's what makes Trump Derangement Syndrome so hilarious. After the election, everyone twirled about in confusion and "realized" that their neighbor Timmy who voted for Trump is a secret FASCIST.It's not that Hillary was an unlikable candidate and ran a horrible, disjointed campaign and got beaten by a blowhard. The fun and exciting version is that "Trump activated his white supremacist base." The same people that elected Obama twice are apparently white supremacists. LOL.I’m not a fan of Michael Moore, but he nailed it:

Thanks for the A2A, John.The question is: “"Is there a Canadian equivalent to the I-9, which all US jobholders must fill out to prove legal residency in the United States.”Jeff provided a very good response. Everyone who is employed must have a SIN number. Everyone over the age of 18, and therefore legally obliged to file income taxes whether or not (s)he has an income, must have a SIN number. While there is no obligation for minors to have a SIN number, many parents will apply for SIN numbers for their children, especially if they have RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plan) because the federal goverment will also contribute to the savings in the child’s RESP.Employers must ask for and record the SIN number of every employee. Employers must provide each employee with a statement of income that includes the SIN number.SIN numbers are only required by a few government agencies, and even fewer private organizations (e.g., banks) and then only (ultimately) for tax purposes.Canadians are discouraged from using their SIN number in any other context. The SIN number is considered a sensitive identifier and not to be used lightly. Indeed, most government agencies are not allowed to ask for a person’s SIN number. See: Protecting your Social Insurance NumberYou must have a SIN number to be legally employed in Canada. In order to obtain a SIN number you must be a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident, or a legal temporary resident (e.g., on a work visa). (See What documents do I need to apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN)? )The upshot is that, once the employer knows you have a valid SIN number, it is assumed that you are legally entitled to work. The employer would know if your SIN is valid because (s)he has to submit payroll taxes and ensure that appropriate income taxes are paid on your behalf. If the SIN number is not valid, Revenue Canada will let your employer know pretty quickly!Edit: added “not”: Indeed, most government agencies are NOT allowed to ask for a person’s SIN number.

Important: In order for you to be considered legally blind, your visual acuity must be 20/200 or worse in your better eye while you are wearing corrective lenses.

States offer both temporary and permanent permits depending on your disability. Most come in the form of a placard that is hung from your rearview mirror, while some states have the option of getting a handicap sticker that goes on your license plate.

Get a handicapped parking application from the DMV office or online. Complete and sign the form. Ask your hEvalth-care provider to fill out and sign the portion that certifies disability. ... Submit the application by mail or in person.

A parking placard or plate is ONLY valid when being used by the person with the disability or someone who is driving the person with the disability. It is a violation of state law to use the placard or plates for a disabled parking spot without the person with the disability in the vehicle.

Get a handicapped parking application from the DMV office or online. Complete and sign the form. Ask your hEvalth-care provider to fill out and sign the portion that certifies disability. ... Submit the application by mail or in person.