Luke Graziani, is a U.S. Army Veteran with 4 deployments to Iraq and AFG. After checking his email on February 13, he cringed after reading he was being fired from his public affairs officer role at The Bronx VA Hospital.

He shares how despite having stellar performance reviews from his supervisor, the letter from DOGE cited “job performance” as one of the reasons for his termination.

Graziani also describes how this move will force other VA staff (who don’t even work at the hospital) to pick up the slack, and how there is still no official word on whether his supervisors appeal for an exemption will be heard, or if he'll ever be allowed return to work.

Find out more about Luke Graziani here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-graziani/

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The Purple Heart Foundation supports military veterans and their families in many ways. We talked with CEO, Stephen Ruckman, and US Army Reserve MSG Henika "Nika" Carroll about her 23 years of service and how their short-term financial assistance grants helped her overcome crippling debt.

Carroll also shares personal advice for making VA disability claims, and Stephen Ruckman highlights other generous PHF programs for veterans.

As the funds necessary for these grants run out immediately after becoming available, we hear how to donate in order to keep this vital mission alive.

For more on financial assistance or to make donation check out The Purple Heart Foundation here:

https://purpleheartfoundation.org/

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Tim Jensen, a Marine Corps combat veteran, is on a mission to stop veteran suicide.

The powerful veteran activist and head of Grunt Style Foundation (advocacy arm of America’s patriotic T-Shirt brand Grunt Style) talked with us about the current state of suicide prevention.

Jensen shared a surprising connection between suicide and psychotropic drugs, and others for anxiety, depression and even meds used to help vets quit smoking.

He also illustrated how alternative medical treatments, widely known to improve the lives of vets with head injuries and PTSD, are being underutilized or even ignored.

We discussed the political games unfolding as DOGE cuts continue to slice the federal workforce.

And we examine the path forward; including upcoming meetings with House Veterans Affairs committee members, a GSF-VFW partnership, and a proposal currently being reviewed by officials in the Trump administration.

For more on veteran support, suicide prevention and ways vets can find brotherhood through Grunt Style Foundation, check out:

https://www.gruntstylefoundation.org/

See more Grunt Style patriotic apparel here:

https://www.gruntstyle.com

More veteran news at:

Connecting Vets

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After the recent Executive Order for Federal employees to return to the office, Jenna Carlton, DoD employee and founder of The Millennial Veterans Facebook group is facing a tough choice- stay in her current job, or quit.

She described how her DoD job was fully remote from first the day she was hired. She shared how they live over an hour away from base, but found a way to effectively make her family schedule work with minimal in-office requirements.

After the recent order, she is grappling with the reality that her job may now cost too much to keep.

Beyond the impact on her family, Carlton also shares how this decision is impacting vets nationwide and could even disrupt Naval fleet readiness in the months to come.

For more on her story and other veteran content follow The Millennial Veteran Facebook group on Instagram and Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/themillennialveterans/

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Let’s talk about love! Andrew Carroll, Director of The Center for American Letters, returns with some of the most romantic words ever written, by service members fighting wars around the world.

This collection of over 200K letters spans the Revolutionary War to World Wars all the way up to modern emails from our current generation.

We begin with the beautiful words for a loving wife, composed on a battlefield in Virginia, during the American Civil War. Carroll continues with an intriguing love letter that was really part of a secret intelligence mission during WWII. And we hear the bitter side of love, in a response to a “Dear John” letter from a Korean War soldier.

Carroll also shows how some love letters can even bring total strangers together, as we hear about a love story that began with pen pals. And we take a whimsical look at the medical conditions associated with true love, from a pioneering African American doctor during the World War II era.

So don’t wait, grab a pen and some paper and write to the one you love, because love letters are not just for Valentine’s Day anymore. 

Check out The Center for American War Letters at Chapman University here:

https://www.chapman.edu/research/institutes-and-centers/cawl/index.aspx

Connect with Navy vet and CBS Eye on Veterans Host, Phil Briggs

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In this interesting conversation presented by Navy Federal Credit Union, Jill Schlesinger opens with 3 vital steps every veteran needs to take, if they want to have enough money when they’re older.

Schlesinger guides us through a variety of financial planning tips and offers useful advice for the basic investor. We also discuss the difference between 401Ks and other types of investment accounts and consider which type would be right for varying types of veterans. 

We examine saving programs for your kid’s college education and unique ways to roll those funds into other types of accounts.

We even take a look at today’s housing market and consider when it’s the best time to buy a home.  

Check out “Jill on Money” weekly radio show and podcast here:

https://www.jillonmoney.com/

See Jill’s Schlesinger’s reporting on CBS News

https://www.cbsnews.com/team/jill-schlesinger/

Loans, Investments and more ... Check out Navy Federal Credit Union here:

https://www.navyfederal.org/

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Looking for a career in cybersecurity? This is your chance!

We talked about a new Google Cybersecurity Certificate training program with Army veteran, (Ret.) Lt. Colonel Bryan Radliff, from Syracuse University’s D'Aniello Institute for Veterans Military and Families (IVMF).

Radliff shares benefits like; no cost to veterans, 150+ hours of the latest, industry-standard training, and how it’s designed for all veterans (and family) … even without prior IT experience.

We also hear about IVMF’s Onward to Opportunity program and additional AI and CompTIA certifications currently available.

If you’re interested in a cyber career check out IVMF training and upcoming cohorts here:

https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/

Contact Phil Briggs, Host, CBS Eye on Veterans

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Today we’re hearing from attorney Bart Stichman, Co-founder of National Veterans Legal Services Program, regarding the case “Soto vs United States” and how a Marine Corps combat veteran (and 9,000 other vets) had their benefit claims denied, and disputed by our government. 

The petition was filed on behalf of USMC vet, Mr. Simon Soto who was initially approved for Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC), but later denied the full amount after government lawyers claimed a six-year ceiling on retroactive benefits.

We open with the facts behind this case, and examine the PTSD he suffered after serving as Mortuary Affairs in Iraq, where he processed the remains of our fallen Marines and Soldiers. 

Stichman further explains:

We’ll continue to follow this story as it develops.

If you need legal assistance for your VA/DoD benefit claim, check out The National Legal Services Program here:

https://www.nvlsp.org/

Contact Phil Briggs, Host, CBS Eye on Veterans 

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This is the end of a 2-part series and a powerful interview with Army combat vet, turned software developer Lukas Simianer, Founder, VetCLaims.ai.

After teaching himself computer coding, he went from flat broke to creating software that is revolutionizing the VA claims process.

We begin with his rise to tech entrepreneur as the founder of Clusiv- an e-learning platform built to assist the blind. Simianer shares the battle he faced when state and federal programs chose inefficient status quo over his innovative software.

He also shares how initial defeat led to an unusual offer from the CIA. And how psychedelics played a role in inspiring this groundbreaking software.

We also hear a troubling description of the VA’s C&P (Compensation and Pension) medical exam, and the overwhelming burden of proof put on veterans seeking benefits.

Simianer reveals how the code he developed allows VetClaims to instantly research millions of documents, making claims impossible to deny.

We close with the shocking battle he now faces with Congress (mainly former military officers now politicians) who submitted bills that would crush VetClaims’ ability to help our vets.

If you are struggling to get your VA benefits or correct disability rating, check out:

https://vetclaims.ai/

For more on Lukas Simianer, VetClaims Founder and 82nd Airborne veteran:

https://vetclaims.ai/founder-story/

Contact Phil Briggs, Host, CBS Eye on Veterans

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This is the end of a 2-part series where we hear a powerful interview with Army combat vet, turned software developer Lukas Simianer, VetCLaims.ai, Founder.

After teaching himself computer coding, he went from flat broke to creating software that is revolutionizing the VA claims process.

We begin with his rise to tech entrepreneur as the founder of Clusiv- an e-learning platform built to assist the blind. Simianer shares the battle he faced when state and federal programs chose inefficient status quo over his innovative software.

He also shares how initial defeat led to an unusual offer from the CIA. And how psychedelics played a role in inspiring this groundbreaking software.

We also hear a troubling description of the VA’s C&P (Compensation and Pension) medical exam, and the overwhelming burden of proof put on veteran seeking benefits.

Simianer reveals how the code he developed allows VetClaims to instantly research millions of documents, making claims impossible to deny.

We close with the shocking battle he now faces in Congress. Mainly from former military officers (now politicians) who await votes on two bills that would crush VetClaims’ mission to help our vets.

Simianer says he's "going to be loud! ... because, nobody fights harder than us."

If you are struggling to get your VA benefits or correct disability rating, check out:

https://vetclaims.ai/

For more on Lukas Simianer, VetClaims Founder and 82nd Airborne veteran:

https://vetclaims.ai/founder-story/

Contact Phil Briggs, Host, CBS Eye on Veterans

[email protected]

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