I regret that we are unable to provide that kind of specific advice, as we are a magazine, not a provider.

Contact your closest VA hospital as soon as possible, as it should have the latest information on getting your husband’s benefits. As we have written, the VA is attempting to speed up the process for benefits.

Here is the site from the Department of Veterans Affairs about death benefits for spouses: http://www.benefits.va.gov/INSURANCE/fsgli_guide_part1.asp
Here is a place to ask a question directly to the VA, as well as a toll free number on the right hand column: https://iris.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1703

We wish you the best of luck and hope your husband rests peacefully.

Veteran Journal Staff

We must treat Veterans in a more complete way. If you only treat the symptom without tending to every area of life (unemployment or PTSD alone), there will still be imbalance. We need to take a holistic approach to healing and transitioning to civilian life, meaning treat the body, mind, and the spirit, in order to create lasting change and fulfillment.

As a Veteran, I know how difficult it is to transition to civilian life, especially with PTSD. I have overcome many of the biggest life hurdles, and now as a personal coach who has been on multiple deployments, including 2 tours in Iraq and serving in Saudi Arabia during 9/11, I am dedicated to assisting other Veterans reclaim their lives.

Booz Allen Hamilton is a management and technology consultancy – its employees employ teams to develop programs for multi-million/billion dollar businesses to operate efficiently. What kinds of veterans would have experience managing multi-million/billion dollars worth of assets within budget? 90% of the time, you will not find that experience in Enlisted ranks due to the nature of jobs within the military. If BAH needs employees to consult a company on how to maintain company and lower size units of personnel, then Enlisted ranks definitely apply, but only if there is education or experience in business in that persons background.

The point is to aim your crosshairs on a reasonable target. If I am a Maintenance Platoon Sergeant for a CAB when I get out of the military, then I look for jobs that have as close to the same level of responsibility in the civilian sector – Maintenance management of a fleet of diverse vehicles with at least 30-50 personnel under my responsibility. A maintenance Chief Warrant Officer might apply to the same job, or the next job higher up the chain. This is ideal, but the civilian sector cannot wrap its head around this level of responsibility, and you will have to start out working at a lower level than your capability in order to move forward.

Unless you are senior Enlisted or Officer, you cannot walk out into the civilian sector and expect that you are an asset. You had to prove yourself an asset in the military, you will have to prove it in the real world. Aim your retical at a reasonable point. You are not going to walk out an E-4 and land a job with Deloitte paying $70K/year as a financial consultant.