Vet’s spouse feels Clinton’s support

By Kelly Smith, Las Vegas

Tuesday, June 30, 2015 | 2 a.m.

I’m a Nevadan, granddaughter, daughter, sister and spouse of American veterans who all served with honor and pride. I have lived the American military experience as a brat and spouse, even though I have never been on the front lines. I have served, even though I have never seen combat, because I struggle with my husband Michael’s Veterans Administration benefits every day.

Michael served in the United States Air Force for 11 years, including in Desert Storm. He is a 100 percent disabled veteran, and making sure he gets the care he deserves feels like a full-time job. We both understand service. We come from large military families: Our fathers retired from the Air Force and served in Vietnam; we both had brothers who served in war zones (my brother is in the Army National Guard and served in Afghanistan); my grandfather received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star in World War II.

My struggles have been getting my husband decent health care and getting people to listen.

Recently, I found someone willing to listen: Hillary Clinton.

It all started when a friend of mine invited me to a house party for Clinton. The campaign staff there told us about their activity in Nevada but dedicated most of their time to questions from community members. While there were many committed Clinton supporters there, there were also Nevadans just looking to make their voices heard. When I asked a question about Clinton’s position on veteran issues, the team listened to my concerns, took notes and promised that they would be in touch.

A couple weeks later, I was seated across the table from Clinton at a veterans roundtable in Reno at VFW Post 9211. I joined veterans from across the state to give our perspective on the difficulties we face day to day with veterans issues. I had Clinton’s ear, and when I spoke, she made me feel like I was the only person in the room. I asked her about wait times at the VA and what she plans to do to ensure veterans like my husband receive the care they need in a timely manner.

She expressed support for the 30-day rule (which allows veterans to seek care from non-VA doctors if they have waited more than 30 days) and pledged to fight for more resources and personnel. She said she would defend the Post-9/11 GI Bill and ensure it is available for veterans. She laid out policies to prevent predatory lending practices and the targeting of veterans by for-profit colleges. Most importantly, she took the time to listen to us.

Every veteran (and every military family) should speak out and be active. I was overwhelmed by the level of engagement and care I encountered from Clinton and her team. She outlined impressive objectives to fix the VA for those who went to war and put everything on the line on our behalf. Veterans should never be cast aside because of a lack of funding, lack of information or availability of services across our country.