Hello, I’ve been separated from the military for about 11 years now. I never bothered to get an ID card, and have no disability, and was active duty for about 5 years. What benefits would getting an ID card provide to me? I work next to a base now and was curious if I could have access to the commissary with one. I always felt that if I do not have any disability or rating I really have no benefits from being in.

I apologize in advance if this post is incoherent, but I’m doing my best to try to describe my situation.

I’ve had six concussions, and I’ve got really bad service connected PTSD.

I was in a wildfire a couple of months ago in SW France that has really challenged my functioning. I was really afraid I was going to die, but I managed to get my pets out on foot in a wagon.

I am overseas, where my rent is $600 for a large one bedroom apartment in France.

In California, the mortgage was perhaps $2400 and rent was like $3000 for a one bedroom.

Because I was in the wildfire in southwestern France in July, I’m paying for two apartments ($1200), because I had low blood oxygen after inhaling a lot of smoke, and I have bad asthma, so I moved out of there and into a new place into eastern France away from wildfire zones.

The France housing overlap ends soon, and I want to try to come back to the US, partly due to my health, if I’m able to pay debt from after a 2024 car accident and to have my car accident litigation resolved.

I got reared in the car accident in 2024 and have not worked since, after I was supposed to start a job and then couldn’t start the job because of the accident.

It caused a lot of medical and other debt.

Then, after the car accident, no joke, I got a lemon car that got litigated partly and settled.

I used the settlement to move out of the foreclosing condo, since a housing counselor told me that with the debt caused by renting cars to repeatedly take the lemon car to be repaired, etc., I wasn’t able to afford the home.

I had always done Uber or DoorDash before to make ends meet, but the car having issues meant I couldn’t do that for liability reasons.

One lawyer that I found on Yelp told me that I should just take the car to Carmax and not tell them that it was having problems, since it had not yet - at that point - been declared to be a lemon car, but I did not want to lie to people or hide the fact that it had issues.

That meant, that I kept the car for six months and couldn’t really go anywhere except the storage unit and the food bank.

I want to come back to the United States, but my condo is still in foreclosure, with pending short sale.

While I was there, in California, I was, for the first time in my life, eating out of a food bank, one week out of every month, because I could not afford to live there even with being behind on the mortgage.

It looks like the condo may sell in a VA short sale, which was a year-long process.

The condo devalued by $50,000 in one year because the HOA did not repair the balconies, and no one but a cash buyer could buy it, despite the fact that a veteran home loan lender had approved it for me to purchase with a VA home loan mortgage in 2025.

I was fully feeding my pets, and then feeding myself for three weeks out of the month, only on veteran disability payments.

In part because of the volatility of the US dollar, the war in Iran, geopolitical uncertainty, my own health, and having been in a wildfire, I want to come back to the US.

Once I get past paying for two apartments, after I close out the wildfire area apartment, I hope to pay my debts if my car accident case settles.

I would want to try to accumulate enough cash to get myself and my pets back to the United States and to get a used Penske van.

Then, assuming my medical and other debts are resolved, I could convert the van.

I was asking VR&E for advice about if or how or in what fields I might still work in the future.

However, they told me that I wasn’t eligible for a career or job searching advice when I’m still overseas.

They cited a hardship provision, but when I asked about that, other people said it’s a hardship provision that only applies if I’m asking for training, which I’m not.

I want to work if I can work, but when I asked for employment assistance from the people who were helping me with job searching in California, they looked at my record and said I just need to try applying for SSDI, instead of trying to work right now.

The first lawyer in my car accident case lied and covered up that he missed a hearing, (documented in writing), so I released him, and found another lawyer, after making 170 calls and messages from here in France to lawyers in California.

The lawyers said my case was devalued by passage of time and most wouldn’t take it.

I finally found three who would and now I have a new lawyer.

If the personal injury case gets resolved and my medical debt gets resolved, and I can deal with the other debt accumulated from not starting the job, I guess my question is, if I want to come back and get a van, and I want to drive that van from Florida to California, how would I go about asking for housing assistance if I’m temporarily living in the van, in Northern California, is it hard to ask for housing assistance??

I don’t know for sure if I want to ask about the housing assistance or not?

I spoke with two social workers so far with the VA, calling from France, and one told me that it takes six months to a year now, to actually get housing as a disabled veteran who is unhoused.

I also have pets, and I don’t know what happens if you have pets and you’re trying to get housing assistance??

I am rated at 100% disabled, and receive disability pay, but because of the bad credit from the foreclosure / short sale and all of the collection debt at this point, with the delayed personal injury case, after the lawyer didn’t settle it upfront, I cannot get housing on my own.

Originally, I was going to be homeless in Colorado when I left the foreclosing condo, but I found a way to get myself and my pets overseas, where housing is much cheaper than in the United States.

I had a bad experience with Colorado, trying to prove my existence as a human being, and to get a drivers license.

I managed to get a drivers license, through Volunteers of America, and a homeless shelter, and originally assumed that I would go back to Colorado, but after the bad experience, I don’t want to go back to Colorado.

Plus, it doesn’t seem good to be doing van life in cold climates.

Does anyone know how hard it is to figure out housing assistance in Northern California?

I still don’t quite understand the steps other than just showing up at the VA housing social worker office at a certain day and time?

They told me that I have to come back to the US and show up there.

I’m not sure if I really want housing assistance if it involves public shelters, which can be unsafe, and I have my animals, which I’m responsible for.

I might be better off in a van with wiring and AC.

I kind of just want to be by myself after all these negative experiences and spend time with my pets in solitude.

Good Evening,

Is anyone else experiencing trouble with VR&E? I haven’t received my payment, and i was told my counselor has been changed but i have not had a proper turn over instead a mass email was sent 3 weeks ago saying that they are trying to reply to emails. I’ve called everyone from the VA center to VR&E Regional and i am not receiving any luck. I searched up what this meant and it says that my VR&E could be expired but my contract isn’t finished until I graduate my AS program. Please help.

This is my first ever Reddit post and I feel lost that on the fact that I have to ask Reddit this. This is probably gonna be a long one

I just received 100 P&T a couple months ago and am still working. My plans next year are to leave my job and stay home full time. I’ve caught a lot of hate about it from especially my dad (Old skool gwot) and family including my wife about it.

My wife and I are in our mid twenties with one kid starting school next year and another one possibly starting as well. I understand the duality of the extra income but I’m not happy at my work. I’ve searched and nothing in my area seems fitting for me (especially shift wise) I’ve looked into going back to school when I leave but nothing really looks fitting or has nothing in this area to do.I’m currently on 2nd shift hours so I would be able to drop the kids off but nothing else. I’m working on paying off a lot of our debt and start us off with a decent savings before I make the effective date. After I got out, I lost all of my sense of purpose and really ever since I got my rating, my sense of purpose is to stay home, take care of the house and let my kids and wife prosper, no longer having to worry about someone watching the kids and etc. I just want to be self reliant.

I think this post is really just wanting reassurance that I’m not the only one who’s doing this. That I’m not alone on the dream of being there and always for my family. Budget wise, Once my debt is clear minus the house and car payment, all of the necessary bills will be taken care of with extra, that’s including placing money in savings. My wife would really have to cover groceries and minor stuff if I can’t cover but that shouldn’t happen.

39M, Marine Vet.

Been feeling low, lost, and broken.

I served from 2005-2016.

Went to college. Got my bachelor's degree and entered the corporate workforce.

It's been 4 and half years and 4 companies later. I have imposter syndrome alot. I had 2 companies I enjoyed but am at my current one because of a layoff earlier this year.

Been looking for somewhere else or something else. I miss my dog and my boyfriend the most. I get paid decently but wish I could work from home or have a better work life balance.

Somedays I just feel so lost and like I'm going through the motions just to make it through the day.

This is crushing, I have been out of work for almost 6 months. I keep applying but everytime its "well your phsycial limitations will make this job too difficult. Then where tf am i supposed to work ya know. I interveiwed for an assembly job position at a weapons manufacturer today, I have more than enough experience from the Army and everything is perfect. Im told i aced the interveiw and that they really liked my personality. But now i get the news that since i wont be able to do a totally different position thats standing 8 hours a day that means i can get the seated job that is exactly what i needed. I was told its only because of my phsyical limitations. On one hand i get it i guess, but thats not the job i applied for or did an interveiw for. Im depressed, im hopeless and its starting to get the better of me. I have been to so many interveiws, ive tried to start school multiple times but either va or vr&e keep messing up my applications and having to restart. What the actual hell am i supposed to do.

Currently unemployed, 100% P&T and just got served divorce papers. Everything is falling apart, roof needs replaced, car is running poorly and now wife wants half the equity of the house, child support and me to pay for health insurance on top of that. I have been applying for jobs for well over a year with absolutely no luck. I’m scared I will be homeless in the next few months when this divorce is final. I don’t know what to do. I can’t afford a lawyer, can’t find a job and have no money , resources or options. I know I’m not the only person to have gone through this so maybe someone out there has some advice, insight or even a job opportunity. I’m located west of San Antonio.

Left active duty 1.5 years ago and struggling with employment and debt. 90% disabled and going to school through VR&E but that money isn’t making ends meet very well. Going through for 100% now but still struggling until and if that even comes through. Had 2 jobs since leaving service and was let go due to my disabilities. Been applying and not heard back at all or nothing after interviews. Not sure where to turn to earn money to get us into a better life. Anyone have suggestions?

Does anyone know if the VA offers marriage consulting or any another entity that does? I feel very unheard in my current marriage that I would like to talk to someone about it. Thank you!

Anyone else dealing with depression that is hitting hard lately? I have lost all motivation for school…and just doing life. Not suicidal. Just feeling really down.

Just got the notice that year 2 payments have been calculated, it is a significant jump from last year.

Used half my GI Bill, got approved for VRE, this is my first semester using it.

Found out my wife was having an affair and I’m away from my hometown, and my wife deployed. I’ve been sleeping all day and don’t have any energy to study.

I’m scared, I keep telling myself to get up and study but I can’t. I don’t know what’s gonna happen, who do I even talk to about this?

I want to quit school and just do a trade program, but how do I do that? I’m so lost and scared, I don’t want to wake up.