You sign up to server your country because that's what you believe in. During the recruiting process you hear all about the amazing aspects of the branch of service you are contemplating joining. In some cases recruiters between services are vying for you to enlist with them. You think what an honor and this is definitely the right choice. Like an athlete in free agency you pick the "team" that you believe will also allow you to contribute as much as possible. Off to basic training and technical training schools you go. Your nation calls, as it has routinely over the past decade or more, for you to deploy to a combat region. While there you are injured and return back to United States where you either recover well enough to continue your service or are discharged. Upon discharge the alarming and disgusting reality of getting the ongoing support and care you need is nothing but words....You wait for an appointment, you wait some more, in some cases you get lucky and somehow you get in....but in a lot of cases you hang in there because you believe your nation will take care of you...why wouldn't you believe this after having executed your part of the contract....Some veterans have waited so long for support that they have become disengaged, disenfranchised or just plain have given up all hope. This is not the story a Veteran should be telling!!
Below is a short list of the Veterans Administrations issues plaguing the Veterans today, are these new? I would venture to offer these are old issues that have now become so exasperated by the sheer volume of Veterans needing support that they have become more apparent.
- Unprocessed records going back decades
- Incorrectly marked records
- Records in pending status for years
- Lack of procedures to handle records
- Inaccurate or inconsistent data
- Veterans losing five year eligibility due to backlog
Being a combat Veteran and the Son of generations of Combat Veterans that were denied the proper support after having returned from combat I can first hand tell you these are real, they had to fight tooth and nail to get what they were owed and entitled to. Rarely will you ever hear me use the word entitlement, except when it comes to our Veterans. They are entitled to the best of the best but yet they get substandard support in most cases.
Addressing these issues starts at the top, not the top of the VA, of our Nation. As we enter into a new cycle of Presidential elections we all should be looking to see which candidate has any form of a Veterans Support Reform...right now its fodder a couple candidates might throw out at the end of a rally before they jump into their private jet or bus to head back to their more than comfortable living arrangements.
Right now Veterans are taking care of Veterans by providing support that the Government is not. This is great, this should be the case, this should be part of the solution but it should not be the solution. I personally would love to see a Veteran sitting at the helm of the Veterans Administration that has experienced all of these issues so they can bring their personal experience and dedication to fix the issues at hand.
I personally know three individuals whom I saw grow up through their middle school to high school years that have recently graduated from boot camp, two Army Soldiers and one Marine. They are aware of the struggles and lack of support that our Veterans face, yet they enlisted without a second thought to do what they were called to do. It's time for our Nation to make supporting our Veterans a top national priority.
Landmark Life Coaching's Mission is to honorably and respectfully serve courageous groundbreakers and transitioning veterans to persevere in defining and executing their future by providing an atmosphere of comradery and trust that honors their dedication and commitment. This will empower our clients to feel whole, honored, respected and fulfilled in defining and living their life purpose.
Founder/Coach/Speaker/Writer
Dwayne.paro@landmarklifecoaching.com