Episode 9 — The VA: Grateful But Broken

I can be grateful for the VA and still believe parts of the system are broken.In Episode 9 of The War After the War, I open up about my VA journey—a process that began more than a decade ago—and the complicated relationship I've developed with the system along the way.The VA isn't one thing to me. I've received mental-health treatment, therapy, and care from people within the VA who genuinely wanted to help me. Some of that treatment has forced me to confront things I spent years trying to bury, and I'm grateful for the people who have stood beside me while I've worked through PTSD and TBI.But then there's the other side of my experience: the Veterans Benefits Administration.Claims. C&P exams. Ratings. Decisions. Denials. Appeals. Waiting. And the incredibly difficult experience of taking some of the worst moments of your life and turning them into evidence so someone who has never met you can determine how your military service affected you.This episode isn't about attacking every VA employee or claiming every decision should favor the veteran. There are good people throughout the VA—including people doing incredibly important work for veterans every day.It's about asking the system to remember something simple:There is a human being behind that file.Read the evidence. Listen to the veteran. Understand that having a career, earning degrees, raising a family, or appearing successful doesn't necessarily mean someone isn't struggling behind closed doors.I'm grateful for what the VA has done for me.I'm also frustrated by what I've experienced.Those two things can exist at the same time.I don't want to tear the VA down.I want it to be better.Because veterans already fought one war. Getting the care and benefits we've earned shouldn't feel like another one.Veterans Crisis LineIf you're a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, help is available 24/7.Call 988, then press 1Text 838255Your VA claim is paperwork.Your life isn't.Stay in the fight.Semper Fi.