Too often, American veterans return from foreign wars only to find themselves stranded at home. Sometimes, veterans’ longest battle is navigating the VA claims system or attempting to receive assistance from the Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) created to help them.

I’ve experienced that indifference from both sides of the government. I completed basic training in the Air Force National Guard after 9/11 and provided stateside support to soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. During my training, I developed tinnitus from a fall and PTSD from superiors’ racial abuse. I filed for full benefits through the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and my case drags on, without closure, years later.