Our Veterans are drowning in debt and they need a lifeline!
The deadly but hidden shame of debt, in all its forms, is sapping the strength of those who have served and those still serving.
Reenlistments are down, as is recruiting in every service branch. In almost every category of ills common to the veteran community, be it homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse, broken marriages, personal bankruptcies, and even suicide the numbers are chilling.
We’re here to change this. For them. For us. For good.
The VA system is a major source of unpayable debt – reported to be as much as $6 Billion in unpaid medical debt and growing. An amount so horrendous that we at End Veteran Debt and our allies are devoting ourselves to an #EndVetMedDebt national campaign to see to it that the VA recognizes the carnage this causes and that policy is changed to make this debt available for full and complete forgiveness.
No strings attached. No hoops to jump through. DEBT GONE! It can and will be done – with your help. You have accomplished the first requirement of making change – you are now aware of this problem.
VA health care is a discretionary program; therefore, the provision of health care is dependent on available appropriations. Not every veteran is automatically entitled to medical care from the VA. Veterans must meet basic eligibility requirements for enrollment.
The VA will provide veterans with free health care for conditions that are caused or made worse by their military service. If you have severe injuries or disabilities you may be eligible to receive all your medical care for free from the VA, not just that care related to your injuries. Medicare does not pay for any care a veteran receives at a VA facility. In order for VA to cover their care, they must generally receive health care services at a VA facility.
"Suicide Bridge" - Disabled military veteran and Marine Kenneth James expresses his thoughts and feelings through his art.
End Veteran Debt: As a 501(c)(3) charity committed to tackling a largely overlooked and yet devastating problem facing our veterans and their families. We have gathered together those who have served, and some still serving, veteran advocates, veteran charities, solution providers already active in improving conditions in the veteran community, charities devoted to that same mission, and the philanthropists and givers who make these efforts possible.
Reaching the Public: It’s a fact. “If they don’t know about you, they can’t do anything about you.” EVD provides a unique element to seeing that positive and inspirational veteran stories go mainstream – our partnership with Military Veterans in Journalism (MVJ). This 800-member strong professional organization which supports the use and employment of journalists who are veterans so as to provide a more rounded view of this community. To put this in perspective, even though the U.S. has been at war for more than 18 years at a cost of more than 7,000 lives, 50,000 wounded and billions of tax dollars expended, only a fraction of journalists in our newsrooms (2%) have military experience. What is lost is perspective, nuanced understanding and on-the-ground experience.
Partner Up!
Do you represent an organization that is in alignment with our mission of forgiving and wiping out Veteran medical debt? If so, then we want to hear from you so we can work together.