In this episode of VET'ed, host Jen M. Wagman sits down with veterans' attorney Benjamin Pomerance to talk about a fight too many of us know too well: the fight for the benefits we earned.

They walk through the VA's recent attempt to reduce disability ratings for veterans whose symptoms are managed by medication—a proposal that would have undone fifteen years of court precedent and told millions of veterans that getting better on paper means getting less in reality. It was stopped. But only after a lawsuit. Only after advocates refused to stay quiet.

They talk about the appeals backlog nobody wants to name. About the 93.4% accuracy rate that no advocate on the ground actually sees. About veterans who are told to stop complaining when what they're really doing is fighting to be heard.

And they talk about something that doesn't get measured enough: the weight all of this puts on a person's will to keep going.

This episode isn't here to make you angry. It's here because silence never fixed a broken system. And because the promise made to those who served should never have to be earned twice.

To contact Benjamin Pomerance, email: benjamin.pomerance@veterans.ny.gov

To learn more about GenVETS, visit https://genvets.org.

To leave comments, suggestions or ask questions regarding VET’ed. with Jen M. Wagman, email VETed@genvets.org

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