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Returning Veterans Face Multiple Challenges


After the Veteran's Day parades wind down, many US veterans return to difficult daily lives that often include waiting months for needed medical appointments.

After the Veteran’s Day parades wind down, many US veterans return to difficult daily lives that often include waiting months for needed medical appointments. This month, we celebrate America’s military veterans, the men and women who sacrifice months and years of time away from their loved ones and put their lives on the line to protect our nation’s freedoms. Celebrated each November 11, Veteran’s Day has its roots in Armistice Day, created via a proclamation by US President Woodrow Wilson to mark the date and time of the ceasefire that essentially ended World War 1 – the 11th hour of November 11, 1918. It would be another seven months before the war’s official end with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

Today, the holiday has a new name and typically is spent watching parades go by or, if you live in a warm climate like we here in Florida do, grilling on the deck. And of course, many will take advantage of Veteran’s Day sales at local retailers. But once the parades wind down, the grill cools off and the sales are over, millions of US military veterans return to difficult daily lives. Statistics show that 32,221 servicemen and servicewomen came home with combat wounds from the Iraq War alone. These include catastrophic conditions such as amputations, spine injuries, traumatic brain injuries and ruptured ear drums which can lead to total hearing loss. Many also suffer mental or emotional troubles including clinical depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, statistics show that 228,875 troops who served in Iraq or Afghanistan returned with PTSD as of 2012, and throughout 2010, some 22 veterans committed suicide each day.

Unfortunately, the celebratory fervor of Veteran’s Day often doesn’t translate when it comes to medical treatment. Ongoing investigations into alleged troubles in the Veterans Administration hospital and health care system have turned up highly questionable or unethical appointment scheduling procedures, alleged cover-ups and chronic treatment delays, many of which may have led to preventable deaths of veterans. Here at Harrell and Harrell, we believe our veterans deserve better. If you are a veteran suffering adverse health issues and have been unable to secure a timely appointment at a VA medical facility or because your claim for the VA benefits you?re due was denied, we can help.

Our team of veterans disability benefits attorneys is led by 10-year South Carolina Army National Guard military policeman and Operation Enduring Freedom veteran Jason Odom – someone who knows just what you’re facing and can help assure you get the care end benefits you?ve so valiantly earned. Contact us at 800-251-1111. From all of us here at Harrell and Harrell, deepest appreciation goes out to all of our military service members on Veteran’s Day and every day.