Why Is the VA Turning Its Back on Those Who Served?

[rangerrebew]

Why Is the VA Turning Its Back on Those Who Served?
By Dean Forest
July 04, 2026
 
I’m a disabled combat veteran and widower who left a high-paying job in D.C. to drive a delivery truck. I used to spend my days supporting humanitarian missions overseas with my brothers-in-arms; now, I returned to my hometown so my family could help me raise my daughter as we grieve her mother’s death.

I’m fighting to best take care of my family. And while I’m grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for supporting me, there are hundreds of thousands of veterans on a waitlist who deserve that same help.


Nearly one in four veterans enrolled in the VA health care system lives in a rural community like mine, where getting care often means driving hours to the nearest VA medical center. Those veterans also tend to be older and sicker, yet the VA continues to struggle with giving veterans timely access to the care that they need and deserve.

Like other veterans, I took an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. I served my country with dignity, got married, and had a beautiful daughter. And after a deployment and being honorably and medically discharged, I embarked on a lucrative career in government contracting.

Then, in 2022, my wife died. I left D.C. to return to my hometown so my daughter and I could be around family for support. And we have needed that support, because a rocket attack I suffered in Iraq caused a traumatic brain injury, seizures, migraines, and PTSD. Thankfully, VA disability means that my daughter and I can live near our families, and TRICARE for Life gives us a health care safety net.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2026/07/04/why_is_the_va_turning_its_back_on_those_who_served_1192621.html

[Ducttape45]

I think many of us could elaborate for hours about the shortcomings of the VA system, myself included. And level of care provided by the medical branch of the VA depends on where you reside. Here in central Indiana, though I'm sure there are competent medical professionals in the system, many are not and as such I stopped going to the VA for medical help. Granted, yes, I did get a new CPAP machine, and a kindly psychologist helped me with my insomnia, but other than that good help is just not there. One needs to travel to Louisville, KY to get good VA medical help. And dealing with the VA in relation to disability requests has been a nightmare. At the end of the day, sadly, the VA bureaucracy is geared toward denying disability benefits. So while I'm thankful you have done well by the VA, many have not, and I share your sentiment.

[DCPatriot]

Looking at this in strictly practical eyes, it's the perfect landscape for AI-assisted centers across the heartland.

We've read that 4yr college degrees aren't really necessary simply using the "I don't know the answer but I know where to find it and treat it...".

Nurses can actually become sought-after specialists after a decade of heading a Triage for Veterans.