Mental health and the VA's bureaucracy
For many veterans, the battle doesn’t end when we leave the battlefield. It continues at home—through the struggle for proper medical care, the endless bureaucracy of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the frustration of trying to navigate a system that often feels designed to fail us.
I know this firsthand.
I served in the United States Army from 2004 until I was medically retired in 2017. I deployed twice—to Taji, Iraq (2007-2008) and Tallil, Iraq (2010-2011). Like so many of my brothers and sisters in arms, I returned home with wounds that aren’t visible but are just as debilitating. I’ve been fighting for my mental health since 2008, and the struggle to find consistent, effective care has been just as exhausting as my deployments.
The VA’s failures in mental health care are well documented, but for me, the biggest issue has been the complete lack of continuity of care. Every therapist I’ve been assigned has left after just one or two visits, forcing me to start over again and again. Over the years, I’ve tried inpatient programs, outpatient therapy, and veteran-specific PTSD treatments. Nothing worked—until I found Solara Mental Health in San Diego, CA.
Solara has been life-changing. Their comprehensive approach—incorporating talk therapy, yoga, somatic experiencing, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), ecotherapy, biofeedback, and group therapy focused on CBT, DBT, and CPT—has done more for me than any other treatment I’ve received. My wife and I have both noticed a profound improvement in my mental health. For the first time in years, I feel like I’m finally regaining control of my life.
But after nearly a year of persistence and finally receiving community care approval, the VA tried to take it all away.
The Jackson VA in Mississippi waited until the last day of my authorization to deny an extension, falsely claiming that VA policy only allows for one authorization. That simply isn’t true. According to 38 CFR 17.4010(a)(5)(vi), the VA can extend community care when it is medically necessary and in the veteran’s best interest. Many veterans receive extended care—but I was being denied, despite my clear medical need and the undeniable progress I was making.
After weeks of added stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, the VA finally approved my continued treatment. But it didn’t happen because the system worked. It only happened after the Jackson VA received a call from an influential person. That’s what it took. A long, hard-fought battle that never should have happened in the first place.
It’s a shame—and a serious problem—that veterans have to fight this hard just to get the care they need and deserve. I made countless phone calls, sent numerous emails, and had third parties using their own connections just to help make this right. But above all, I believe the most powerful force in all of this was prayer. So many people were lifting this situation up, and I believe that made all the difference.
Still, I can’t ignore the hard truth: many veterans would not have had the ability, the support, or the strength to keep fighting through all of this. And that is a tragedy.
If the VA truly cares about veterans, it’s time they start proving it — not just for me, but for every veteran who comes home and finds themselves in a different kind of war, fighting a system that should be on their side.
Neshoba County native Brandon Stovall served in the U.S. Army (2004-2017, Medically Retired). His deployments were to Taji, Iraq (2007-2008); Tallil, Iraq (2010-2011). Reach him via email at gumba20051@yahoo.com