Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day

Last year we made this post: http://combatinjuredvet.blogspot.com/2012/05/happy-memorial-day.html

This year, just remember:

What Does Extreme Backlog Mean to You?

Sure, our claim is over....but the wound is fresh.

Because of the backlog, these are things my family experienced since the birth of our second child. I will start this off though by saying, we were never in danger of being homeless. I ALWAYS paid our rent first, and let other things go. I am talking cell phone bills, utilities, medical bills. With that being said this is what happened to my family from 2010-2012.

1. Water shut off
2. Power shut off
3. Thousands of dollars in overdraft fees to our bank because we would have to get gas, or food.
4. No food. (I am serious here too, like no milk, fruits, veggies....)
5. Eating ramen, pb&j. etc for meals. (because like I said, it was all we had)
6. No gas in our cars.
7. Not being able to buy clothes for ANYONE. 
8. Having to leave my job as a stay at home mom, and go to work when baby was an infant. 
9. Trying to buy food right before payday - but being declined at the store.
10. Car almost repossessed. (it would have been if the bank knew where it was...)

That's just 10 things. There are more. I am just talking bare essentials here. We had family help us numerous times. Is that their responsibility? No.

We lived on the hope that our claim would be approved a month later....and every month that went by became more and more torturous. 22 very very long months later - with the help of Senator McCain, IAVA, AMVETS, and my very annoyed YouTube video our claim was finally finished.

I still to this day do not have an "I'm sorry." We were a 'priority' case. They don't care that we ran out of food, lost power or water for a day... to them, we were just a number, a nobody.

My husband fought in THREE combat deployments to Iraq. He spent as much time in Iraq as you all took to complete his claim. Actually longer, because this was the 2nd claim. This is 100% unacceptable.

I know things are changing, and it will be done in 100 something days in 2015, but what about the 660 days you made us wait? We don't even get a "we are so sorry that we made your family suffer for so long?" That is what is wrong here.

So VA, like I said, THIS is how much changes in 660 days:

I mean I really understand this image is SUPER complicated to understand, but let me break it down for you. Left image = Feb 2010. Right Image = December 2012. That is how much my kids grew from start to finish.

I should think of my daughter's first two years of her life as a happy time. But no, I think of 2010-2012 as the most stressful time of my life. One where I spent countless hours on the phone, the computer, and finally resulting to putting you all on blast because I couldn't take it anymore.

I am GLAD things are changing. Yes, I am so very glad for all of my friends and family members who will one day have to go down this road we have been down twice. I am glad they won't have to wait 660 days. It just doesn't change the hell we had to endure.

I know the VA is tired of hearing from me, and they just want me to go away. It's just not fair though. The amount of headache and heartache does not shut me up when this all ended.

I hope everyone who reads this has the energy to fight it until 2015 when this will supposedly get better. Do not settle for 2 years...especially when your veteran is seriously disabled because of their time in the military. And please, if you are waiting submit your image here: http://sth2013.tumblr.com/

I will do anything I can to help anyone stuck in this backlog. You won't get anywhere keeping your mouth shut. Please remember that.

~L