Betrayal after service: Let’s do better for our veterans

The Hill ^ | 11/11/26 | Frank Larkin

[CondoleezzaProtege]

“We will not rest until all of America’s great veterans can receive the care they so richly deserve,” President Trump said — a sentiment echoed by presidents of both parties going back decades.

But for many veterans who come home seeking help with chronic pain, blast-wave brain injury, PTSD, depression, toxic burn pit exposure or moral injury, the reality can be a maze of bureaucratic indifference resulting in delayed or disjointed care.

Veteran advocates dub it “institutional betrayal,” a term describing a rupture of trust when the institutions charged with caring for veterans leave them feeling dismissed or abandoned…

And suicide, at rates far above civilians, remains a tragic consequence for U.S. veterans — especially younger veterans, for whom it is one of the main causes of death.

It is no wonder veterans feel betrayed.

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TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: 2026accomplice; 5thcolumnonfr; antisemite; communistprotege; franklarkin; frhostssediton; frhoststreason; howsthefreepathon; letsdobetter4ourzot; lookwholovesiran; military; multiplefrnicks; nazitrashonfr; randspam; thehill; theshill; va; veteransday; vets

[rktman]

Yeah, wouldn’t that be nice. I have diagnosed hearing loss and asbestosis(PACT Act) and sought to get my rating increased due to the lung issues and the arbiters of such things said they were looking at reducing my rating by 10%. Don’t even want to bring it up to anyone at the VA going forward. DAV included. The rest of my care is fine through them.

[ansel12]

Veterans voted 57% republican in the midterms, while non veterans voted 57% democrat.

[Nateman]

I can’t complain. The VA did a triple bypass for me which is why I’m still here and able to post.

[doorgunner69]

Decades late, I filed for disability for my ruined hearing. Had a vet advocate help with the paperwork, flew to another island for hearing test, and 50% disability.

I gather it did not go so smoothly in the past and I avoided the process.

[rktman]

Neck stablization through community care and both carotids at the VA three years apart. My primary PA caught the first one with his stethoscope. Follow up caught the other one. The surgeon said a piece of plaque on the second one was starting to delaminate. Next stop....brain. So, yes I am thankful and grateful in that respect. But the entire service connected rating portion......I know 100% guys who are more fit than I am. 🤔🙏🇺🇸

[JAKraig]

I did not bother to apply for disability I just pay the VA price which is pretty good. Normally I never pay more than $80 for a doctor and it is usually $50. Medicines are $10. Almost everything else is free.

My cataract surgery was free except for the doctor and I got mono vision which outside costs thousands extra.

If I have to wait too long (more than 3 weeks) I can go outside the VA for treatment, thank you President Trump.

When I leave town it isn’t a problem, all the VA offices have my records.

I’m glad I switched from private insurance to VA.

I switched when I started my own business and $0 income. They likely have income restrictions but since I had no income and was living on savings it wasn’t a problem, since I’m retired now I think there aren’t restrictions for us old folks.

[doorgunner69]

“mono vision”?

That sounds ominous.

I had avoided the VA forever due to a bad experience trying to get a VA house loan 50 years ago.

I went into a VA clinic when visiting Arizona and got checked out for Agent Orange exposure. One thing led to another and they connected me with the guy that helps with the claim.

I do now go for yearly exams and will expand to new hearing aids and vision soon. If my plans to move permanently to AZ work out, the VA will be my sole insurance.

[libertylover]

I know there are problems, but the VA has been good to me.

[Harpotoo]

I use the VA over the last 3 years and everything has been fine.

[DPMD]

for anybody who wonders how the “medicaid for all” will look very soon after passage, the VA is a perfect illustration. Obviously, UK’s NHS nightmares hasn’t been enough of an object lesson for those who worship Sanders and his BS plan which may very well result in more dough for him and his, and greater fraud than obamacare generated.

[Josa]

I”m kinda over the “modern soldier.” They are in total agreement on the sham of 100% disability. PTSD, Tinnitius....things that average Americans deal with heroically and quietly day after day...they get 100% disability. One guy running for congress in Georgia had 100% disability for a bad back... then he shows up wrestling a bull to the ground as part of his campaign...Pops up like a champ. Nope...they have tarnished their whole “service.” Over it

[DPMD]

I wouldn’t look to the medicaid for all solution to be any better, I’m sorry to say.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

That is a good point. But private insurance companies have not exactly been heroic. They’re often even more unforgiving and bureaucratic.

[rktman]

VA+ Medicare+ zero cost supplement to medicare. Year and 3 months Mrs rktman will get on medicare..... 🤔👍🇺🇸

[vpintheak]

Those are the ones that make the rest of us look bad. Pretty much all the guys on VA disability that I know have legit problems, including me.
We upheld our side of the bargain. Signed a blank check on our lives the entire time we served. The government and nation needs to hold up their end. We are at less than 2% of the nation at this point. This nation better take care of us veterans.

[KitJ]

President Trump’s efforts to improve VA services have far surpassed the efforts of all modern presidents. God bless him and his appointed leadership at the VA!

For disability claims I highly recommend working through Veterans’ advocate organizations.

Disabled American Veterans (DAV): pre- and post- 9/11 servicemembers. https://www.dav.org/

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP): post-9/11 vets.
https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

If you are not a veteran, or even if you are, these two organizations are great ones to support.

I worked with DAV when I first retired - Hussein’s VA - and got a mediocre rating, under 50%.

Years later I worked with WWP - under Trump’s VA - to file for increased disability. That review/re-examination resulted in a significant increase, well over 50%.

It took only about 9 months from claim-filing to adjudication in 2025-26. That’s light speed compared to the 2-4 years it previously took under Xlinton/Hussein/Sleepy Joe.

It also took about 31 appointments over five months for exams, x-rays, MRIs, labs, etc. It’s not an easy process, but if you stick with it and have good guidance, you can prevail.

My ratings are mostly orthopedic. Virtually every joint from my toes to my fingers have been damaged in some way. Nine procedures on my shoulders alone - I’m practically bionic! Twenty-five years Infantry, Cavalry, and special operations wear a body down...