Introduction
Inheirit Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of veterans by providing essential support and resources at every stage of their journey after service. We help veterans access VA health and disability benefits, secure safe housing, address mental health needs, overcome disabilities, find meaningful employment, and connect with hard‑to‑find resources and support networks. Through a holistic, integrated approach, Inheirit Foundation works to ensure that every veteran can live with dignity, stability, and fulfillment. By combining benefits assistance, homelessness support, mental health care, disability support, employment services, and resource connection, we strive to make a lasting, positive impact on the veteran community and become a leading force in veteran support and advocacy.
Mission
Inheirit Foundation is committed to improving the lives of veterans by providing essential support and resources for accessing VA health and disability benefits, securing housing, addressing mental health needs, overcoming disabilities, finding employment, and connecting with hard‑to‑find resources.
Goals
Facilitate veterans’ access to VA health and disability benefits.
Provide effective solutions for homeless veterans.
Deliver specialized support for mental health and disabilities.
Assist veterans in finding and securing employment.
Connect veterans with hard‑to‑find resources and support networks.
Vision
To create a society where every veteran receives the comprehensive support they need to thrive, ensuring they live with dignity, stability, and fulfillment after their service.
Our Story
Petty Officer Third Class (PO‑3) Shanarik D. McNeal served four years in the United States Navy as an Aviation Ordnanceman and received the National Defense Service Medal. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, he enlisted after graduating from George Washington Preparatory School in 1999. He completed basic training at the U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, then served on the USS Peleliu and the USS Constellation, working to store, arm, and load bombs onto aircraft. Later, at VS‑41, he loaded ordnance and fuel tanks onto P‑3 aircraft. While loading heavy ordnance, he suffered serious back and knee injuries that led to his honorable discharge on November 22, 2003.
After leaving the military, Shanarik used the G.I. Bill to study computer systems at the United Education Institute and became a computer technician. In 2004, he started Ingenious Multimedia, providing graphic design and video production services. In 2007, he moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where he also built The Woodcraft Specialist, creating custom carved pieces, plaques, canes, furniture restoration, and home projects. He credits mentors for teaching him how to work with wood, and his work can be found at www.woodcraftspecialist.com and on YouTube.
Today, Shanarik continues to serve veterans by helping them locate benefits through Veterans Claims University (also featured on YouTube under Inheirit) and serves as Vice Commander of American Legion Post 2019. He and his wife, Maria Nicole—also a U.S. Navy veteran and former gunner’s mate who served on the USS Mobile Bay—have been married for 15 years and have five children. Reflecting on his service, Shanarik says, “I grew up in a bad area of Los Angeles. Serving in the military gave me opportunities to see perspectives, to see things, to meet and to talk to people that I would have never met. It made me want to see more.”
His journey—from service and injury to rebuilding his life, creating businesses, and guiding other veterans through the benefits system—inspired the heart of Inheirit Foundation. The organization exists so that other veterans can access the same kind of support, opportunity, and hope that changed his life.