Veteran Truth #12: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Wants to Assist You, Even When You Don’t Think You Deserve It by Lance Orndorff, USN 1984

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Veteran Truth 12 The Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) Wants to Assist You, Even When You
Dont Think You Deserve It by Lance Orndorff, USN
1984
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• Veteran Truth 12 The Department of Veterans
  Affairs (VA) Wants to Assist You, Even When You
  Dont Think You Deserve It
• by Lance Orndorff, USN 1984
• Overview
• After twenty years of working with my fellow
  military veterans, assisting them in getting
  access to VA medical services, submitting
  successful disability claims, career restarts,
  and other transitional services, what is clear to
  me is that far too many veterans see the VA as an
  adversarial bad guy in a competition of wills.
  Nothing could be further from the truth.

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• There are two groups of veterans, among all
  military veteran groups, that interest me the
  most in their views of the Department of Veteran
  Affairs. Some have some idea that they are
  entitled to services and payments but think the
  VA is actively working to deny the veterans
  benefits, and the group that by all external
  assessment, looks highly qualified for services
  and benefits but does not believe they need
  them or that others need the help worse than
  me. Lets explore both and see where we come out
  in the end.

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• I Dont Need No-Ones Help!
• Taking the second group first, the I dont need
  the help or others need it more than me group
  are typically not aware of their
  service-connected mental or physical issues, and
  any discussion of these issues and help they can
  receive it met with a strong personal stand
  against getting assistance. They tend to see the
  VA as a big agency that only is there to help
  those missing arms, legs, eyes, etc. That the VA
  is for the urgently ill or those who just cant
  take care of themselves. What they miss is the
  nuance that lies somewhere in between these ideas.

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• Veterans who are reticent to receiving or even
  exploring assistance of any kind from the VA
  display a deep-seated idea that receiving
  assistance indicates in some way that they are
  weak or unable to handle their affairs. Of
  course, this is far from the truth. Nevertheless,
  this is where they seem to be coming from.
  Meanwhile, they often are displaying all the
  typical signs of PTSD in their personal
  relationships, employment, self-care, etc., and
  they often are riddled with symptoms of illnesses
  likely originating from their military service.
  But breaking through to them is hard business.
  But I have discovered a golden carrot that will
  make even the most adamant denier of needing help
  to fold cash.

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• When a veteran who is too strong and too
  independent to need anyones help or thinks they
  dont need help as much as the next vet is
  informed of the potential for a paycheck each
  month, they slow down, quiet down, and seriously
  begin to listen. Frankly, I dont care what it
  takes to get them to talk more about what they do
  want than what they dont want, and if the issue
  of a disability payment gets them there,
  fantastic! And it does. If I start the
  conversation with the cash as the end game, and
  that getting evaluated physically and mentally is
  just a formality, then off to the VA hospital
  they go and we have succeeded in beginning their
  care.

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• So the next time you cant seem to get through to
  a military veteran who is displaying many of the
  characteristics of needing physical and mental
  assistance, especially combat veterans, they talk
  money. You just might get their attention!
• The VA as Adversary
• Next, I will speak to the issue of military
  veterans who see the Department of Veterans
  Affairs as a giant who is working again them to
  deny care and benefits. This is a very popular
  notion among some vets and it is one that is
  tough to break through. Either they have made a
  failed attempt to gain access for physical,
  psychological, career training, or other care,
  and painted the entire notion of the VA as a
  David and Goliath no-win proposition or have not
  made any attempt for the same reason.

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• For those who have made their first or second run
  at getting access to the VA for care or benefits
  and hit a brick wall, it is nearly always an
  issue of poor approach. The fact is that the VA
  is ready and willing to provide care, services,
  and benefit payments to all veterans who quality
  and submit the necessary evidence for an
  affirmative decision to be made. But many vets
  attempt to apply on their own, are misguided by
  poor open-source web information or just go with
  what they know. This leaves the VA with an
  application that is incomplete, riddled with
  unnecessary data, and often overreach beyond
  description.

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• The veteran goes online to YouTube and sees some
  videos saying the same thing over and over again
  sleep apnea, hearing loss, etc., etc. They find
  themselves guided by popular talk instead of
  personal experience and evaluation. The good news
  is that once we work with these veterans and take
  them through a self-assessment, identify their
  actual issues, explain the approach, and apply in
  a narrowly targeted fashion, the VA THEN has the
  data they need to make decisions based on facts
  and awarded benefits based on need, not popular
  talk.

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• The VA has proven to me and those around me that
  they are ready and willing to award benefits and
  care to those of us who are fortunate enough to
  have had the guidance and care of a VA rep,
  friend, counselor, etc., to read our needs first,
  apply second. Once we know what the issues are in
  our lives, get professional assessments, and
  submit a slice of a claim not the whole house
  with a laundry list of issues then the VAs job
  of being good shepherds of the American
  taxpayers money is made much, much easier. The
  VA relationship may be adversarial in structure,
  but not in intent.

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• The bottom line with this group of veterans is
  that we need to counsel, counsel, counsel. Ask,
  ask, ask. Get them to tell their story, during
  services and post-service, then assist them in
  identifying the issues and needs, then walking
  with them through their claims experience to that
  they are served and the VA is served by
  delivering a claim that is easy to understand,
  fully supported, and makes sense for both the
  veteran and the VA.

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• Conclusion
• Those of us that have made assisting veterans our
  work for the remainder of our lives work with
  these military veterans discussed above. And we
  are so committed to them getting the
  psychological, physical, career, and other care
  they need and have earned. And as always it
  begins with relationship and understanding. The
  next time you come across a veteran that fits the
  profile of what you have read in this article,
  and you want nothing less than for them to get
  the care they need, reach out to a veteran
  benefits counselor. Together, we can lead our
  heroes to the care and benefits they deserve. It
  is how we show our love and respect for their
  sacrifices. Lets do it together!

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• Lance Orndorff is a US Navy cold-war veteran
  working with veterans, vet families, employers,
  and other military veteran support professionals
  since 2003 to enhance their access to VA medical
  care and benefits.