No Veteran Left Behind: Cory Gold's Mission to Bridge the Gap in Veteran Benefits

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 30% of U.S. veterans believe the government provides them with too little help, while only 46% say the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is doing an excellent or good job of meeting veterans' needs. Those numbers highlight a troubling reality: too many veterans are struggling to access the benefits and support they have earned through their service. Every veteran has earned the right to the care and benefits they deserve—but far too many never receive them because they simply don't know where to begin. This week on Let's Have This Conversation, I sit down with Army veteran Cory Gold, whose life changed forever after a parachute failure left him with a broken back and a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Despite qualifying for VA disability benefits, Cory spent four years unaware those benefits even existed. Rather than allowing that experience to define him, he turned it into a mission by founding Worth Their Weight, a nonprofit dedicated to finding the veterans the system has overlooked and connecting them with the benefits they've earned—completely free of charge. During our conversation, Cory explains why VA disability benefits are not charity but compensation earned through service and sacrifice. We discuss the barriers that prevent so many veterans from accessing those benefits, the frustrations of navigating the VA claims process, and why no veteran should have to face that journey alone. Cory also shares how Worth Their Weight is creating meaningful change through its Search & Rescue program, where Field Scouts build trust within local communities, identify veterans who have fallen through the cracks, address immediate needs such as transportation, shelter, or communication, and connect them with VA-accredited Veteran Service Organization (VSO) partners who guide them through the claims process. We also explore the organization's upcoming Vet Connect initiative, which aims to bridge the digital divide by providing veterans with tablets and hands-on training so they can access the benefits, services, and resources available to them. This is more than a conversation about veteran benefits. It's a discussion about leadership, resilience, advocacy, and restoring dignity to the men and women who have sacrificed so much in service to our country. Whether you're a veteran, have a loved one who served, or simply want to better understand the challenges facing those who wore the uniform, this episode offers valuable insight and hope.  Tune in to hear how one veteran transformed his own struggle into a nationwide mission to ensure no veteran is left behind.     Call (833) WTWVets For more information: https://worththeirweight.org/ Follow: @WorthTheirWeight Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices