Interview with a Veteran

Recently, we were at a Stand Down (a service fair for veterans) in Huron County, where we were able to interview several different veterans over the course of the day. Two of them really stood out to me because they highlight just how large a spectrum of experiences the word “veteran” can cover.

John

“John” (pseudonym) is a 28-year-old veteran who served in the Special Forces, where he was injured and honorably discharged. Ever since he returned home, things haven’t been easy. The depressed economy has made it nearly impossible to find steady work, especially with the partially disabling injuries he received in the service. Having a large family—a household of five—has only made things more difficult as both parents struggle to balance raising their children with providing for them. John was already accessing some of the benefits for which he was eligible. Medicaid had allowed him to provide health insurance for his children, and SNAP made it possible for him to help continue to feed his family. When we spoke, he hadn’t applied for HEAP and PIPP, which he plans to do now using OBB Self-Serve. John acknowledged that he could potentially get a better job if he went to college, but he was hoping to be able to find enough work to avoid this because he wanted to pass his education credit onto his youngest daughter, hoping to give her a better start.

Earl

“Earl” is a veteran of the Vietnam War in his early 70’s. Until the past few years he had done quite well for himself, holding a steady job and making investments to help supplement his anticipated retirement. In his early 60’s Earl suffered from a series of severe illnesses commonly linked to exposure to Agent Orange, and was forced to retire earlier than he had planned. Then, his retirement packages lost significant value during the recession, leaving Earl and his wife struggling to make ends meet. Earl was eligible for SSDI due to the nature of his illnesses, which has been a great help to them over the past few years. When we spoke, Earl was just over income to be eligible for food assistance, but he was income eligible for HEAP, and he planned to visit a local OBB site to apply. Still, his retirement has not been anything like what he had expected, and he expressed concern about the uncertainty of how the next big change – the Affordable Care Act – will affect him. Earl remains nervous about what the future might hold.

Stories of veterans struggling to get by are unfortunately far too common, and veterans of long past wars as well as recent ones are both affected. These stories drive home the importance of the benefits that the OBB helps individuals access, because these benefits provide a little bit of stability in a fast changing world.