Vet Profile
As a wounded Veteran who has struggled for adequate care, Jared Schmidt knows both the pride and the pain felt by many of America’s newest generation of Veterans. Before being shot, Jared was a Calvary Scout in the Army. Since his spinal cord injury, Jared and his wife Khelsei have traveled the country in search of the proper care Jared needs. The couple’s search for care has taken them to VA hospitals in Washington, St. Louis, Louisville, and Seattle.
When asked about his experiences with his VA care, Jared said, “I’ve had very good experiences and some not so good experiences with the VA care. There are some facilities that are very nice and some that are exceedingly lacking in being updated and overall accessibility. A perfect example of this is the tunnel system at the Jefferson Barracks facility in St. Louis. As for good aspects I would suppose every facility has their own, the Seattle Puget Sound VA hospital has been the one I’ve been most impressed with. The staff actually cares, the building is easy to maneuver, and the therapist will push you to get better matter how much you whine and cry.”
The tunnel system at the Jared mentioned is a complex maze of underground tunnels connecting different parts of the Jefferson Barracks VA hospital. This outdated system is nearly impossible for a wheelchair to navigate and created a great deal of difficulty for Jared. Khelsei echoed Jared’s sentiments about the VA hospital in the St. Louis area calling it “the worst” she’s ever seen.
As for the other facilities, Khelsei said, “I found the care of the VA in Washington to be pretty decent. It was such a frightening time in my life, and there wasn’t really a liaison for the VA to help in the sense that, when you’re really not exposed to that side of Military life, the translations from Military speak to civilian speak can become rather misunderstood. The VA in Louisville is one of the worst VA’s for care that I’ve ever had the displeasure of dealing with.”
The most specific aspect Khelsei liked about the VA hospital in Washington was the caring nature of the nursing, occupational therapy, and physical therapy staffs. However, she was disappointed by the impersonal nature of many of the doctors and the tendency for them to leave her out of important decision making.
Both Jared and Khelsei’s suggestions for improving VA care hinged on the same important point: communication. When asked ways that the VA and Veterans’ groups could improve care, Khelsei said, “I think better communication, better support for families of injured Vets, letting each family know what the different Veteran organizations have to offer. Don’t just throw a booklet at the family. Trust me, we have enough paperwork to deal with. Sit down and explain it to us, as many times as it takes. Don’t ask us if there is anything else we’d like to know. If we haven’t asked about a program an organization offers, then we have no idea it is offered. Don’t let the hidden benefits an organization offers be ignored, please let us know! It could have helped us out so much more!”
Jared also stressed the importance of having representatives for injured Veterans. He said, “One of the best ways for groups to help is provide an advocate to the newly injured right away, someone that is willing to provide one-on-one help going through the red tape by answering all the questions and helping them transition from a Military life that they’ve gotten used to, to a civilian/VA one. Another issue that is close to my heart is that if an organization has equipment available, such as wheelchair accessible vans that they can be used by/loaned to that person until they have their own. I spent seven or eight months confined to my house while fighting with the VA to get my vehicle modified while a local organization had a couple of modified vans that were not being used.”
Although they have had more than their share of hardship, Jared and Khelsei have also had positive experiences, such as the National Veterans Wheelchair Games this past July in Omaha, Nebraska. When asked about their time in Omaha, Khelsei said, “It was great! For the first time in two years I felt normal for a whole week! Everyone was so nice to us, and I couldn’t believe how wonderful all the volunteers were! Can’t wait for next year!”
Her only wish for next year is that there will be more social events for Veterans to get together and share their experiences with those who understand.
Jared described his experience by saying, “Since this was the first year I attended the games I was overwhelmed with how everyone was so friendly and how many offered congratulations and encouragement to everyone else. It made it feel like it’s more of a friendly competition, like playing a weekly game of poker with old friends. I just wish I would’ve been in better health while I was there so I could have participated more.”
Jared will soon be traveling to Seattle for intensive rehabilitation.
By sharing stories like that of Jared and Khelsei, we hope to shed light on the ways the VA can improve care for Jared and the many other Veterans in his situation.
Click here learn more about Spinal Cord Injury at the Paralyzed Veteran’s of America website.
Click here to view a slideshow of the National Veteran Wheelchair Games at Sports Illustrated.com
