Vet Needs Help to Advocate for Veterans and Self

This is a shortened version of my story in this video.

My name is Jeffrey Colin (though I go by JP in my work and artistic life) and I urgently need your help. I'm in a battle with the VA because I refused to disclose classified Information to the VA because I am not legally authorized to share that with them. They are denying my disability because I can't share the the classified details of how I was injured while working at the National Security Agency. This is happening to a huge number of veterans who worked in classified jobs in the military. The VA lacks any staff with a sufficient clearance to review classified information so they're simply denying claims from veterans who engaged in jobs of vital importance to the National Security of the United States. The Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed that the harmful events took place, but the VA is refusing to comply with laws passed by Congress requiring them to accept that assurance from the DoD as evidence of the military service connected nature of my disability. They have also rejected the diagnoses from their own doctors and other healthcare specialists of my disability. I urgently need your help to be able to right this injustice, and advocate  in a major way so that others veterans don't suffer the same difficulties. If you want to know the specifics of my advocacy, you can contact me in any of the ways listed below. We can't let the VA get away with treating veterans like this!

Here is a video of me explaining my story that I have uploaded on YouTube. I apologize for the length of the video, but I was unable to find a way to compress this complex and confusing story into a shorter format. If you need to, go ahead and skip through to get the gist of the story I'm telling. I think you'll find this situation as frustrating and alarming as I do.



This problem is a major problem. It's only now starting to make it's way into the broader discussions across the nation. Here is a veteran's advocate talking with presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg about the problems veterans face with the VA. I sincerely hope that this becomes a theme for all candidates running for any level of public office across the nation.


And veteran suicides continue:





Here are the details of my experience. It is an experience similar to those of many other American military veterans. Many of us have been denied the acknowledgement and assistance we need to deal with injuries we endured during our military service. Very few know the whole story. I need your help to force the Veterans Administration (VA) to help me and thousands of other veterans who have been abused by a flawed VA Benefits and Healthcare system.

In addition to the broad inadequacies and inefficiencies veterans returning from current and past conflicts have endured, there is a huge group of veterans being overlooked by Veterans Affairs. While the United States Congress has passed laws meant to make filing disability claims easier for veterans who,  because of the chaotic nature of combat may not have full documentation of the incidents that caused their injuries, there is another group for which such rules have no force.

For veterans who engaged in "Special Operations," such as those who worked with "Special Forces," or in other types of operations which deal with classified tasking, such as Military Intelligence Operations, establishing a disability is a near impossibility. For many of us, the nature of work was so sensitive that no details of the specific incidents that caused us harm can be provided. As long as the military and political situations remain unchanged, the classified nature of the information must be respected, under penalty of law. And, for some operations, even offering information on dates of events could cause a security breach, so our disability claims are routinely denied.

That is exactly what happened to me . I served in the United States Air Force during the administration of Ronald Reagan, and then under that of George H.W. Bush, supporting operations on behalf of U.S. interests in Central and South America . The policies supported by those administrations were contentious, and there was no declared war at the time. So, ALL operations were highly classified, and remain highly classified to this day. This meant I could not explain to the VA exactly what transpired in a manner that caused me harm. Because most of the operations were questionable under international law, the U.S. is not in any hurry to publicly discuss its actions in the region from that period.

In spite of assurances from people in the VA, and some of the political figures I enlisted to ensure that the VA operated according to all applicable rules, my claim was actually denied because no direct "nexus" could be established to the events that caused my injuries in military. My case involved both military and civilian intelligence operations and staff, and much of my role could not be discussed, even in the vaguest of terms. Reports of events from that time would reveal methods and the nature of assets that could impact ongoing operations in that region. So, my urgent and existential needs were subordinated to "national defense" concerns. I sincerely didn't want any of the people who work in operations in that region to be hurt because of any inappropriately released information. However, I shouldn't be punished for honorably keeping those important national defense secrets either.

This video explains what the "nexus" means (The use of this video is not an endorsement the legal service. This video was chosen strictly for its instructive value. I have no relationship with this law firm, nor am I endorsing or otherwise offering ANY criticism of its services.):



In the process of filing a "Notice of Disagreement," which is VA terminology for an appeal, I found out that the Department of Defense (DoD) has one single staff member that assists in researching the claims of veterans filing for disability who worked in classified operations. The VA itself has no staff with security clearances or any other mechanism in place to check such claims, and no legal standing to make such requests of the DoD. My lawyer made the request of the DoD, and my claims were verified by the DoD in the "sanitized" manner that is allowed by law. Even so, against its own rules, the VA refused to accept the determinations of two of its own VA Psychiatrists, a VA Social Worker, and two private practice board certified Ph.D. level Psychologists that ALL diagnosed me with PTSD, and ignored the DoD's determination that the injury defining events I asserted were accurate, and the clear cause of my PTSD. I am now forced to escalate my appeal to an even higher level, and my lawyer is flummoxed because the VA isn't following its own rules.

In the meantime, few veterans are aware of the loophole in the system that causing their claims to be denied, so no one is standing up for them in any public manner. That is my goal. I am an aspiring Creative Professional, Consultant, and Advocate.  Here's my website .  However, because of the denial of my disability claim, and my ongoing disabilities and health issues, I am struggling to make ends meet so I can continue my advocacy, and my quest for eventual self-sufficiency through my Creative business pursuits. It is my understanding that the DoD confirmation of my claims, and my long, well-documented medical and related history are sufficient by a law recently passed by Congress to ensure my claim is approved later by early summer. Until then, my savings are nearly gone, and I can't work because of my disabilities and other life-threatening health issues.

My wife and I live a fairly minimal lifestyle in Southern New Mexico, and I am working hard to use my Creative ventures to establish a long-term path to total self-sufficiency over time. I am getting slightly older, so I work hard to stay healthy by maintaining an "Flexitarian" diet, but my severe Asthma prevents me from going outside into the desert environment much. Contrary to what most might think, the desert is one of the most difficult functional environments for those whose Asthma is impacted by dust, allergens, and temperature extremes. Because of my PTSD and other health issues, I am unable to work at any traditional careers. I still struggle with insomnia, panic attacks, chronic depression, and occasion bouts of memory loss and depersonalization. The Arts is the only option that both takes advantage of skills I already possess, and allows me the flexibility to work in conditions that do not further threaten my health.

My advocacy is important to both myself, and the many other veterans who are not seeing ANYONE jump in on their behalf. I really need your help to be able to eat, afford the medications and treatments that I need which are NOT offered by the VA, and to have enough resources to afford the few tools I need to forward my aspirations as an Creative business operator. I am already working with a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist from a major American newspaper on bringing attention to this issue, and I am working on developing a Worker Owned Cooperative business that will offer veterans a chance to move towards self-sufficiency. No donation is too small to be helpful, and all who offered assistance will be listed on my website's future "Friends and Sponsors" page, which will be added to the website after I see new donations. Thanks for your help.

I thank you for taking the time to learn about my story. Please consider donating to my campaign, and join my mailing list to receive updates! This actually would cover 6-7 months of my very modest costs. Any donations I receive will allow me to pay bills, maintain my tenuous health, and continue to my fight with the VA. The costs associated with fighting the VA are adding up, and my push to be self-sufficient via the Arts can only be accomplished with help from people like you. You'll be helping this disabled veteran, and enabling me to work to help many more through my Arts-based advocacy! Peace out.

Update! THIS is what has been done to Veterans by the current administration! Click here  to read about how the VA purged 200,000 Veterans who are waiting for VA healthcare! Veterans are the big losers in the current administration!

UPDATE: I HAVE ACTUALLY WON MY VA DISABILITY CLAIM!!! I GOT THE NEWS FROM MY LAWYER ON JUNE 17TH, 2019!!! Unfortunately, it will take about three months before the VA will pay, and we are out of savings. I have reduced the amount of my request because I really only need enough to pay our bills for three months or so. It would be extremely helpful if you could donate even a tiny amount of money! I am in the middle of a larger campaign on behalf of Veterans that involves a public service announcement project. You can read about that HERE .  This means I can dedicate 100% of my time and energy to my Advocacy and Art! PLEASE HELP ME OUT IN THE HOME STRETCH! I CAN HELP OTHER VETERANS TO GET TO SIMILAR VICTORIES IN MANY WAYS! EVEN A DOLLAR DONATION HELPS ME OUT! THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT SO FAR!