We've touched on conversations about veteran disability before, but on this episode we're going all in. To get this conversation right we needed a guest who really understands the VA disability system, and it's hard to imagine someone more qualified to discuss this issue than Dan Gade. Dan is an Army veteran who became an amputee in 2005 while serving as a company commander in Ramadi, Iraq. Since this is an audio only format and we don't discuss it directly in the episode, it's important to note that Dan is missing almost the entirety of his right leg. He continued serving despite his injury and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2017. He went on to work as a disability and veteran services activist, professor, and researcher. He currently serves as the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. 

Most importantly for this conversation, Dan is the author of Wounding Warriors: How Bad Policy is Making Veterans Sicker and Poorer. This well researched book unflinchingly goes after the "third rail" political topic of veterans disability reform. Described as a "must read" by GEN (R) Jim Mattis (former Secretary of Defense) and Jim Nicholson (former Secretary of Veterans Affairs) the book takes on controversial issues that others tend to avoid.

Dan has his bachelors in environmental science from West Point and his Masters in public administration and his PhD in public policy from the University of Georgia. He served in the administration of President George W. Bush, taught at both West Point and American University, and was appointed to the National Council on Disability. He also knows a thing or two about fitness, he became the paralympic world champion at the 2010 Ironman 70.3.

Additional Resources:

Of course we recommend reading Dan's book Wounding Warriors: How Bad Policy is Making Veterans Sicker and Poorer. You can even order a signed copy from Dan from woundingwarriors.com.

You can find Dan's article "A Better Way to Help Veterans" in National Affairs here.

Read his article "Why the VA is Buried in Disability Claims" in the Wall Street Journal here.

He has also published formal research:

"Combat exposure and mental health: the long-term effects among US Vietnam and Gulf war veterans" in Health Economics can be found here.

"Where Did You Serve? Veteran Identity, Representative Bureaucracy, and Vocational Rehabilitation" in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory can be found here.

In our discussion he also recommended listening to his appearance on the Cleared Hot podcast with Andy Stumpf.