Applying and getting approved for veteran disability benefits can sometimes seem more daunting than some of the missions you ran while still in the service. It’s frustrating, yes, but the bottom line for the Veterans Administration is to ensure that all veterans who are unable to hold substantially gainful employment because of service-connected disabilities be rated 100% disabled and obtain …

Most people experience back pain at some point in their lifetime. Unfortunately, spinal injuries are all too common for veterans. Military lifestyle, deployment and training often lead to spine conditions that can last a lifetime. These conditions can be debilitating, seriously threatening to your ability to hold down a job or partake in hobbies you once enjoyed. How Back Injuries …

The old military adage “never leave a man behind” is one that dates back to ancient Rome. Even then, fierce loyalty and bravery was innate among servicemen. While the phrase is still used today, it unfortunately does not always apply to our nation’s disabled veterans. Though these men and women made great personal sacrifices for their country, too many are …

The story unfolds in the popular media with lots of drama and noise: a disturbed veteran has taken a weapon and turned it on Americans. On American soil. The family tells the reporters he came back from the military a changed man. Stories of vets with PTSD and TBI start to circulate. People with media presence take to twitter to talk …

The VA recognizes three types of service dogs for disabled veterans. For blind and vision impaired vets, guide dogs are trained to lead in walking and to navigate around hazards. Service dogs are trained to do things regular dogs can’t, and specifically to perform a task that the veteran cannot perform because of the disability. Emotional support dogs provide emotional …

The issue of volunteering is an important one for veterans, because vets have always contributed to their communities and the country. After facing the challenges of living with a disabling condition as a result of military service, many veterans find the additional burden of not contributing to the world in a real way extremely disheartening. But there are several ways …

Service-connected psychiatric disability and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are commonalities among veterans with substance abuse challenges and involvement with the criminal justice system. While these facts may point to a failure of the system to support service members who are injured in the line of duty, and the generalized failure to provide adequate treatment and support for substance abuse, the system …

Veterans with service-connected disabilities, treated or untreated, are frequently in conflict with the justice system. What services are available to veterans who are under threat of incarceration, and what happens to VA benefits when a veteran is incarcerated? The VA has a program called Veterans Justice Outreach Program. It is part of the homeless prevention initiatives, but veterans do not have …

How to find meaning in life, when our sense of ourselves, our identity, our place in the world is destroyed in an instance? We have to remake our identity as a person who cannot hold down a full-time job, who needs disability, who is unemployable. How does this strange new identity change how we find meaning in our lives? Do …

Veteran disability applications can take months.  If the application is for a psychiatric disability, the process can take much longer and include multiple appeals. Most veterans getting treatment for a psychiatric disorder are getting that treatment for conditions other than PTSD. Many are also eligible for a disability rating and compensation. Veterans and those helping them to access services and …