Latest / Your Thoughts Your Reality / Empowering Veteran Advocacy: Dr. Monica Sanford's Journey Through Legislative Action, VA Claims Mastery, and Family Resilience

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Empowering Veteran Advocacy: Dr. Monica Sanford's Journey Through Legislative Action, VA Claims Mastery, and Family Resilience · Your Thoughts Your Reality

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Welcome to your Thoughts, your Reality with Michael Cole, the podcast that shines a compassionate light on the journey of veterans battling through life's challenges.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Michael is a dual elite certified neuro encoding specialist in coaching and keynote training presentations dedicated to guiding military veterans as they navigate the intricate pathways of post-deployment life.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Join him as we delve into the profound realm of neuroencoding science, empowering these brave individuals to conquer universal battles procrastination, self-doubt, fear and more.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Together, let's uncover the strength within you to re-engage with families and society, forging a new path forward.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: Hello, hello, hello everybody.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: So today we have Dr Monica Sanford on, specializing in cardiology and critical care.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: She's a nurse practitioner with deep focus on cardiology and, again, critical care, offering extensive expertise in these fields.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: She's a VA disability claims expert, which is fantastic.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: Excited to jump into that stuff.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Legislative advocate for veteran issues I know we're going to dive deep into that one and then holding a doctor of nursing practice degree from Vanderbilt University and a professor of health policy and leadership of the University of West I want to say coast Policy and Leadership of the University of West Florida and Socola.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: So you're married to a Marine for over 35 years.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: I mean, I am excited to have you on, monica.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: Thank you for having me, absolutely.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: Why don't you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: So it's true I've been married to a Marine almost 35 years, but I've been together longer than that.
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: But he was prior enlisted when I met him and then he retired as the G2 of 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune.
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: I've been retired about 10 years now and so I do VA disability claims and mainly it is.
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: I'm an adjunct faculty at University of West Florida in Pensacola and I do cardiology hospitalists and, like you said, a lot of legislative advocacy stuff and kind of just stay busy.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, sounds like it, so I'm excited to get into some of this stuff.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Just before we do, though, I just want to remind everybody on the top right man, it's Monday, the top right hand corner and I don't edit any of this.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Just so you know, up the screen there's a blue QR code that takes you to empowerperformingstrategiescom.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: Again, for people listening later on on the podcast forums, it's empowerperformingstrategiescom.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: There are some free books I've written.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: There are Facebook groups for both veterans and their families and other resources and so on.
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: So please get involved in that community and go check that out.
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you're a neuroscientist.
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: I'm on here with a neuroscientist.
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: You're a real encoder.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: There's definitely science to it for sure, so let's go ahead and dive in yeah, yeah, definitely All right, awesome.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: So let's talk about the VA disability claims.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Let's kind of get started with that.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: I know you're very passionate about that and helping veterans and their families get further faster with that because nothing more frustrating right than it not being right.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely Having to be delayed or something, so why?
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: don't you talk about, if you will, some of the most common challenges.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: You see, you know, veterans and their families face with those.
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: The most common challenge is all veterans, no matter the age or what service they are.
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: They don't know what they're entitled to.
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: They don't know they have not been to a VA or gone to the VAgov website, they don't know how to even get started.
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: So they just don't know what they're entitled to.
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: And then, once they find what they're entitled to, some of them don't want to claim because they do not feel that they deserve to claim and they think they're keeping money from somebody else that may need it more than them.
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: So that's not the case.
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: Of course, everybody will get what they're entitled to and but the claims definitely, you know they it's the.
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: They don't want to complain.
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: They don't know what they're entitled to.
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: But if also they don't know what to claim, especially if you know I've had mechanics come in that worked on aircrafts or vehicles or whatever, and their wrist hurt and they claim their hand, the hand fingers, that's different than the wrist, that's different than the arm, that's different than shoulder.
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: So just walking through with a provider or somebody to let them know exactly and not that I'm not against legal help and legal advice People claim, you know, helping them with their claims, but some of those people do not know the medical kind of background of it.
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: So talk to a provider and tell them exactly what is going on.
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: So when you come to see me, then we have the correct X-ray of your hands or your wrist or your shoulder or elbow, whatever it is, because they foot, the toes are different than your ankles, you know that type of thing.
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: So.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: So talk to the provider, let them know specifically what is going on, what you need to claim, what the problem is, and they will walk you through it.
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: So I think that's the biggest challenge getting in the cell.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: I love that and thank you.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: And you know what you nailed it before is people don't want to claim more than what they think they deserve, and that's a biggie.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: Let the medical field determine what you deserve.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: You went and you served our amazing country.
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and the only time you cannot claim is if you were dishonorably discharged.
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: Other than that, you know, go and see.
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: And even in some of those instances, if you've appealed that, you know, go and talk to your VSO and your VA and see what you can claim.
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: But definitely you know and a lot of, I hear from every.
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: You know a lot of people, a lot of veterans, that say they didn't ever complain about anything in the service.
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: They have no records.
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: Medical records they have.
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: You know there's a ton of reasons for that.
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: You know people don't have the records.
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: Either they were in war, you know, and they don't have a, you know, urgent care center out in the middle of Iran, so that we have no records of you know some of this stuff.
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: But or they didn't have, they didn't complain about it because they didn't want to lose some kind of status, some kind of flight status, deployment status, hazard pay, or, you know, get booted down or get recycled through you know things.
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: They just didn't complain.
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: That's their nature.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: So now you know, when you walk in my room I'm doing a assessment, is I tell them?
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: This is not the place to suck it up.
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: I want to hear everything.
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: I want to hear your entire story, what your MOS was, what you were doing when you served, what you were exposed to you know things like that.
• 6:44
  Speaker 3: I want to hear every detail, because my details that I put in my charts and some providers may be different.
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: But I go very detailed into your story, the onset, when it started and some of them say bootcamp never had the problem before and it started in bootcamp and we'll go from there.
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's awesome and I really do hope there are more like you.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: You know, in there Me too, Honestly, because I mean, if you're already struggling to admit you're having a pain or this or that and someone's not empathetic and asking you for all that information, you don't know what to say sometimes.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: So let me ask you that question, if you will.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: So you know, first time gone, second, third time you're not getting the results that you're looking for and maybe again, the doctor's not asking the right questions, You're not given the right information, Maybe you don't realize your ankle and your foot are two different things.
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: So how can you suggest, if you will, maybe some ways to kind of slow down and be more, more detailed and help the provider, help you.
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: Great question because I request a lot of time for each veteran.
• 7:53
  Speaker 3: But it is going to the provider, going to your VSO and tell them exactly what is hurting.
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: However, a lot of veterans don't know that a hurt ankle will also affect your knees and your hips and then your lower back will, you know, affect everything else, you know, kind of downstream.
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: So everything affects everything.
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: So be very specific and if you don't know, claim it and let us figure it out.
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: I mean, if you think my lower back hurts but it's really my knees and my hips, claim your knees, whatever knee it is, you know things like that and go in, be examined, be seen.
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: And another kind of challenge is I don't as the provider, I cannot.
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: I have nothing to do with the claim itself except being very specific and I can't order.
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: I can request your a PFT like a pulmonary function testing, a CPAP testing, x-rays, mris.
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: I can request anything and I usually do on all of my veterans.
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: I request everything because that just helps paint the picture, but I can request it.
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: It's up to the VA if they approve it and they send you for it.
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: So I would say the veterans, before they get out of service, have an X-ray of something that's hurting, just so they have something documented.
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: And then when they get out and their provider out in town because this is going to be a question is let me get this thing, because it's if it was hurting in service and you weren't seeing.
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: We get it because for whatever reason, but out of service.
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: If it was still hurting, why weren weren't seen?
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: We get it because for whatever reason, but out of service.
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: If it was still hurting, why weren't you seen?
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: Did you go to physical therapy, get a massage, over-the-counter medicine, go to providers and be seen.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: You know, at some point did it hurt bad enough out of service?
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: Or at least tell us why you weren't seen.
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: You didn't have provider, you didn't want to endure the cost?
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: You don't want to leave work to do it?
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: You know whatever it is.
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: So just try to get something documented.
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, fantastic, Fantastic advice, Thank you.
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: Would you say that you see more veterans that are nervous about the whole paperwork and all that more so than people that are just excited to get in there and get help?
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: Oh gosh yeah, sometimes, as I'm pulling teeth from them, they still don't want to complain.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: But when I tell them you know, tell me everything they're just nervous about the whole process.
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: They're nervous about other tests that are going to run.
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: Or, and I've had veterans come to see me and I've had, you know, 200 pages of charts and when they sent me a chart it is every award you got.
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: Every time you got in trouble, every time you know things like that.
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: Or I've had veterans that have 15,000 pages, you know.
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: So it helps me narrow down and and like I keep saying, you know, paint that picture for the VA.
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: But very nervous, they're still.
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: Very nervous, they still.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: It takes a little bit.
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: That's why I like to spend time with them.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: It's I think that's the nurse practitioner in me.
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: I literally let them talk them through it and I give them a lot of kind of prompts to help them going.
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: Ok, in your MOS, were you working on aircraft, working on machines, doing?
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: You know the VA is not coming to look for you.
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: It is up to you to be involved in your health care.
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: It's up to you to let them know what's going on.
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: So you need to be looking for the VA, looking for the VSO, looking for the people there that can help you, help you through the process.
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: Right and you've earned it, so so please do so.
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: Just a quick tip for everybody on neuro encoding.
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: So we have people on here talking about the stop technique and that kind of thing.
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: So sometimes when you have that anxiety and that stress, if you simply you start feeling it and it's an exercise that I teach my clients when you start feeling that stress and anxiety, that kind of stuff from coming, you know, coming on, any of that kind of stuff from coming on, there's a tool that I use.
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: It's called actually stop the ceiling technique.
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: I use them to stop the ceiling from falling in on you or sky from falling.
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: I use that as well.
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: But if you just sit up, take a deep breath, look up, smile until that feeling goes away and then, once that feeling goes away, smile and celebrate, literally, pat yourself on the back, shake your ass, do whatever you have to, it releases all of these amazing endorphins and everything in your body.
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: And if you picture that going to the doctor and dealing with that and little by little you take that level up, that anxiety up, and picture it a little bit more each time.
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: And once you start getting up and start at like a four or a five on that emotion level.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: Once you start getting up higher, it just gets easier and easier and your brain starts looking for that.
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: And so when you go to the doctor, it's not a oh God, I'm stressed out, it's hey, I can do this and it really helps you come back to your best self.
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: You know, going back to your best self.
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: So yeah, I love that.
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: And about halfway through our visits not even quite halfway, you know, about 10 minutes in they do start relaxing into it.
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: But I will tell them, the most relaxed ones are the ones that do come fully prepared, fully prepared with information.
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: They come fully prepared with their med list, their prior history, medical history, what they, what they thought through the entire time, and their MOS, what they did from the bootcamp till, you know, getting out.
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: So you know, being prepared does help that anxiety some.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: And then you know again when you have a great doctor that takes the time, or nurse or medical staff in general, they can really help ease a lot of the situation and, like you said in about 15 minutes, in when they're like, hey, this person's here for me, they're going to relax.
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's fantastic.
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: And they know that.
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: You know, when I introduced myself, I introduced yes, I've been married to a Marine for 35 years.
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: My mom, dad and sister are all in the Army.
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: They were in the Army.
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: You know things like that and I speak your language.
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: Let's you know.
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: On their side, let's you know.
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: Try to figure this out.
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: That's fantastic.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: So, from a provider standpoint, where does he keep that man?
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: It really is Monday.
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: What are?
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: This is what happens when you try to read.
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: Is Monday, what are?
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: This is what happens when you try to read.
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: What are some key factors that can significantly influence the outcome of a VA disability claim.
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: So, being prepared, is there anything else that we haven't covered yet?
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: Well, just when you go in, when I said be prepared to is be prepared to.
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: You know, if you have scars, we have to measure them, I have to see them.
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: I have to be prepared to be able to do functional mobility things, range of motion things.
• 14:58
  Speaker 3: Go in with the mental mindset that I am looking at you kind of head to toe, and if you're claiming a shoulder, a knee, a hip, a back, whatever it is, I'm going to have to get you up and make you work out a little bit.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: I'm going to do range of motion exercises, strength testing, you know things like that.
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: So be comfortable, be prepared to at least, you know, be there an hour to get into that comfort and get you know moving a little bit.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: If it's, if you're claiming your feet, I'm going to have to see your feet.
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: You're going to have to take socks and shoes off, things like that which had some.
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: You know, some guys come in with big old boots on work boots or you know I'm like sorry you got to take your shoes off, you know.
• 15:36
  Speaker 3: So be, be prepared to have, you know scars looked at, skin looked at whatever you're claiming.
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: If you had surgery on places, we have to see it.
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: So the only thing I don't do is any kind of mental health or TBI.
• 15:52
  Speaker 3: That's a specialist.
• 15:53
  Speaker 3: Any kind of eyes, ears, nose, things like that, that's a specialist.
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: You have to go to ophthalmology or dental things, things of that nature, but everything else just be comfortable.
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: When you come in, first we're going to talk about the story when did your condition and claim, when did it start, what's the story behind it?
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: And then we're going to get you moving around a little bit.
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: Awesome.
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: It start, what's the story behind it, and then we're going to get you moving around a little bit.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: Awesome.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: Thank you for letting them know Because again, when you go there, the more you know, the more you're comfortable.
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah definitely Fantastic.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: So legislative advocacy that you're working on can you share some recent legislative initiatives you've been involved in that aim to support veterans and healthcare needs specifically?
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: Well, yeah, definitely the PACDAC which everybody hears about.
• 16:35
  Speaker 3: The PACDAC was last year and since that time VA disability claims and conditions have boomed.
• 16:41
  Speaker 3: Of course they're booming.
• 16:43
  Speaker 3: But the PACDAC what it did was, you know, expand and extend eligibility for not just Iraq and Afghanistan, those coming back from there in the burn pit type things, but again, as my husband would say, everywhere you're deployed if it's a third world country they burn everything.
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: So they burn trash, they burn whatever they don't have.
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: He says they don't have waste management in third world countries.
• 17:09
  Speaker 3: So you're exposed to all kinds of stuff.
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: So put that in there.
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: I want to hear about all your deployments, not just wartime, but the expansion and extension of even Vietnam vets, any kind of wartime and any kind of.
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: I put down that you were occupationally exposed to something, environmentally exposed to something that you particulate matter.
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: Like I said, vehicles, aircraft, all those gases and fumes are constant.
• 17:40
  Speaker 3: So any kind of fire, foam, gas, radiation.
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: I have pilots that come in all the time and they, you know, didn't quite realize how much radiation they're getting sitting in kind of this sauna box of radiation and they have, you know, probably skin issues, cancer issues, things like that.
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: So any kind of chemicals you are cleaning with on the flight line, whatever.
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: Just think back and be very specific on what you possibly were exposed to.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: Back to legislation.
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: You know the VA definitely were exposed to Back to legislation.
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: you know, the VA, definitely sorry the legislation.
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: The VA definitely wants to get all VA, all vets, back in the VA.
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: That's their goal is to, if you're a veteran, go to your VA, be seen, go to vagov, get in the system and they're trying to increase the your access to care.
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: So there are some you know, trying to increase the your access to care.
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: So there are some you know local legislation and you know US government regulation or legislation to help further that timely care and access and increase, increase appropriations for increased providers.
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: You know things like that.
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's fantastic.
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: I'm glad you know.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: There's been over time, obviously just more and more resources, if you will, and I'm just always over the moon whenever I see something else released, or and there's a lot of companies private sector that do a lot of stuff as well.
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and a lot of service members don't realize that once they get you know 30, 40 percent, it doesn't have to be 100 percent.
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: Once they get any percentage, go back to your VA and see what you do, what you are entitled to, because then you could get a card to go back to the commissary or get your meds at the VA, or you know tax breaks or loans or you know any number of things.
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: So take full advantage of the VA and everything they're offering that you're entitled to.
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: Are there any specific programs that you are aware of at the VA that are, as far as paperwork, those kinds of things, easier to kind of play with and get into?
• 19:50
  Speaker 3: Well, they definitely have made it a lot easier and we call it kind of interoperability you know, computers talking to computers type thing.
• 19:57
  Speaker 3: It is with your charts, with your background, with pulling up what you can access.
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: So they are trying to make it easier and it is becoming easier.
• 20:08
  Speaker 3: I don't.
• 20:08
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure the question as far as paperwork but go go to your VS.
• 20:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, too much easier, but definitely vagov and then walks you through all kinds of kind of algorithms to get to where you're going uh, even survivor benefits, you know.
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: Look into all of that.
• 20:29
  Speaker 3: If you have a spouse now, look into once you get rated at a certain what did that spouse also entitled to?
• 20:37
  Speaker 3: That's on the vagov website, so um, but if anything, call, make an appointment to go see your local VA, your VSO.
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, awesome.
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: As far as balancing professional and business life, or professional life, being married to Marine for over 35 years must offer some unique insights.
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: So how has your personal experience influenced your professional approach?
• 21:07
  Speaker 3: has your personal experience influenced your professional approach?
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: Well, uh, like I said before I you know they come to see me, I introduce myself and I tell them I'm, I'm on your side, I speak your language.
• 21:13
  Speaker 3: I know, uh, certain mos's that are uh definitely I know what they go through in boot camp.
• 21:19
  Speaker 3: Uh, and I know what they go through and I I was fortunate at one time to be able to take an MMA.
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: I used to work for the Boxing Commission for the state of Georgia.
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: A little side thing I did.
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: It was fun.
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: Here's a story I know.
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: So it was.
• 21:36
  Speaker 3: I took a show, I took an MMA event to Mosul, iraq, so I traveled out there and on a C9 or then it was a C-130, sorry taking us into Kuwait, and then it was it was kind of then into Iraq and so it was a just getting being there 10 days, I saw what's a tiny little snippet of what these service members go through and it's just this hyper vigilant.
• 22:07
  Speaker 3: You're always on alert.
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: They're always on such high alert, and this was back in 2010 when a lot of stuff was still going on.
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: But anyway, so I speak their language.
• 22:20
  Speaker 3: Being on the side of the military as a daughter, mom and dad in the army and my sister in the army, I have nieces and nephews in service now and, being married to a Marine for 35 years, I try to always also tell the spouses when they are home to invest in themselves.
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: It is, you know, it's just.
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: You cannot sit around for months and months at a time, and my husband went to Iraq twice and every time he would go I would take another course, like some kind of class.
• 22:53
  Speaker 3: Take a class.
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: You would be surprised how quick three months goes by if you're in a class requiring papers and tests and finals and it's like it just flies by papers and tests and finals.
• 23:04
  Speaker 3: And it's like it just flies by Not saying it's not hard, but invest in yourself.
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: Invest something in you that when they come back you already have a few courses done and you're taking time to still be yourself.
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: I love it, absolutely love that.
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: So let's talk more about this if we can.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: So I mean, there's so many other benefits than just sitting there.
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: Let your mind Right, because you know the podcast, your thoughts, your reality you're creating, creating that in your mind and sometimes it's, you know, real, and 90% of the time our brain is just trying to protect us and giving us these thoughts that generally aren't reality, if you will, but it's trying to protect us.
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: So what are some?
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: You know?
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: Obviously taking a course in furthering your education, but other thoughts doing a boxing class, mma class I mean active and use your brain right Just to keep yourself in that positive place.
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: Definitely, one hundred percent.
• 24:06
  Speaker 3: That support group is huge, definitely.
• 24:07
  Speaker 3: There is definitely something to not just family support if family is not around, but the other wives, husbands, spouses or girlfriends, whoever that are there, going through the same thing.
• 24:20
  Speaker 3: It's you have to get involved with them.
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: I was a key wife they don't call it key wife volunteer anymore, I don't think.
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: But involved with them.
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: I was a key wife.
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: They don't call it key wife volunteer anymore, I don't think.
• 24:26
  Speaker 3: But you know, 30 years ago I was a key wife volunteer, which meant I just had the book of resources for everything all the spouses wanted and needed.
• 24:35
  Speaker 3: So go to those resources, go on base.
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: Again.
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: They're not coming to look for you because they don't know what you need until you tell them.
• 24:43
  Speaker 3: So go on base, find out where the.
• 24:46
  Speaker 3: You know the housing, you know the groups are the, the spouse groups, the walking groups.
• 24:53
  Speaker 3: Like you say, go take an MMA class, go take a boxing class, you know, just to get socialization.
• 24:59
  Speaker 3: And like you said I love how you said that that, and that's your uh kind of forte is the mind working, is, um, yes, it just it makes your mind one, it.
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: Then, at the end of the day, you'll get home and you'll be so tired you can actually sleep and your mind will not go crazy.
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: But from from the, I was literally from the kind of disability claims to standpoint with being married to a Marine.
• 25:27
  Speaker 3: I went out one time I had my, I had my son on my back he was a baby then had a backpack and I was filming my husband jump out of a parachute.
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: So this, I was filming him and he was like you know, I'm going to be this one that jumps out of this plane or whatever.
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: So he literally jumps and he loses his air in the parachute and falls about 30 feet.
• 25:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so I'm sitting there going, oh my God, I just feel my husband to death.
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: But he broke his leg.
• 25:54
  Speaker 3: So that was an injury in service, but never complain.
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: He went, got it fixed, you know kind of whatever, and then didn't complain again during service, because you just don't complain, you know so.
• 26:08
  Speaker 3: But, as the you know, if you're out there and you have a spouse or a buddy letter or something that's saying I saw this person get injured or hurt and they didn't complain about it and or they snored every single night when we were in basic basic together.
• 26:25
  Speaker 3: And I will order a, you know, a sleep study, you know whatever.
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: So if you don't have it, we we take buddy letters very serious.
• 26:33
  Speaker 3: So get that buddy letter, get that spouse letter, that layman, that layman's letter saying what, what they experienced with you.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: That's a great tip.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: So you know the veterans, the families out there.
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: If you're struggling with something and you don't have documentation, reach out.
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: You know those people that can help you.
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: Amen, I love that.
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: Didn't even think about that.
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: It's nice.
• 26:57
  Speaker 3: Yeah, even with the mental challenges stuff.
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: You know any kind of depression.
• 27:02
  Speaker 3: You know things like that.
• 27:03
  Speaker 3: They will if your buddy is saying he would always talk to me about how depressed he is or what.
• 27:08
  Speaker 3: What is going on mentally, that's huge.
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: That's huge.
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: I love that, Absolutely.
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: I love that.
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: So we're getting.
• 27:14
  Speaker 2: We're getting low on time here, so is there anything specific that you wanted to talk about that we haven't covered.
• 27:21
  Speaker 3: Oh, wow, just the technology innovation coming to the VA now is huge.
• 27:27
  Speaker 3: So stay involved with them.
• 27:28
  Speaker 3: We are getting into a lot of territory now where it is a lot of home monitoring for the VA, a lot of home physical therapy, a lot of things that we can do telehealth wise.
• 27:41
  Speaker 3: So if you're out in an area that doesn't have broadband or you're not close to a VA, it is coming, but go to your VA and see how you can get set up with things at home that could help you.
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: So definitely you know, we're, we're being, you know, into this and the same day appointments, the you're calling, we're trying to get people in faster.
• 28:06
  Speaker 3: Of course, more providers they're the VA here.
• 28:09
  Speaker 3: I actually have on my podcast here next week the director of our VA and they're talking about how they are increasing the customer service, the phone lines, the decreasing the wait time, increasing the nurse practitioners the decreasing the wait time, increasing the nurse practitioners which I of course, think is huge.
• 28:30
  Speaker 3: So, yeah, so there, yeah, so it is increasing the nurse practitioners and providers so you can be seen same day.
• 28:33
  Speaker 3: That's fantastic.
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: I mean, that alone is fantastic.
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: We're about the wait, you know.
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: So yeah, well, glad to hear that.
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: So, if we can, first of all, how do people reach out to you?
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: Podcast, whatever you want to, you know.
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, my podcast is on Spotify, iheartradio, and it is on Wreaths Across America, veterans Radio.
• 28:53
  Speaker 3: It's on their Friday night lineup.
• 28:56
  Speaker 3: That's a huge fund, so it went national on Veterans Radio and so that is a fun one.
• 29:02
  Speaker 3: My Facebook page is probably my most active.
• 29:05
  Speaker 3: It's Monica Silver Sanford and I picked silver.
• 29:09
  Speaker 3: My daughter actually picked silver.
• 29:11
  Speaker 3: So because I wear a lot of silver makeup or silver earring silver, so, anyway, so Monica Silver Sanford, the Monica Sanford show on Spotify, iheartrad and Reese Across America Radio Fantastic and so if I can get the three tips to get veterans further faster, Go to your VA.
• 29:31
  Speaker 3: Go to vagov.
• 29:32
  Speaker 3: If you are not close to a VA, go to vagov.
• 29:35
  Speaker 3: Just get in the process, talk to your buddies, talk to your family, talk to and the main thing is, the best thing would be to be prepared, sit down and write down everything you remember about your service, your MOS, your deployments, what you think you were exposed to, occupational, environmental exposures, anything at all that will help you when you go in to sit for the provider, so they can get it all documented.
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: I'd like to add, if I can, to that Great tips, by the way, absolutely fantastic.
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: Don't wait till your doctor's appointment.
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: Make the list on your brain.
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: Add to the list what's fresh on your brain.
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: If your leg starts hurting, write it down.
• 30:15
  Speaker 2: Write the date down, 100%.
• 30:18
  Speaker 3: And on that point, because I'm going to ask you how it affects your functional mobility how does it affect you every single day?
• 30:24
  Speaker 3: I want to hear about your worst day that you ever have, that it affects you.
• 30:28
  Speaker 3: You have to leave work or you can't do stuff with the family because your knees hurting, your legs hurting, your back's hurting whatever.
• 30:35
  Speaker 3: So I want to hear about your worst day.
• 30:37
  Speaker 3: Write it down.
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, fantastic and really, monica, I mean you, you care and you are going the extra mile and I really just hope other people see your leadership and follow suit there.
• 30:50
  Speaker 2: So fantastic, thank you for what you do.
• 30:52
  Speaker 3: No, thank you for this and getting the word out.
• 30:54
  Speaker 3: I love it Absolutely.
• 30:56
  Speaker 3: We're on a mission.
• 30:56
  Speaker 2: Yes, all right everybody.
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: Monica, most precious time humans have is most precious resource humans have is time.
• 31:08
  Speaker 2: We don't get it back.
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: Thank you so much, truly, for spending this time with us.
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: Thank you All right, we are out of here.
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: Thank you for joining us on another insightful journey of your Thoughts your Reality podcast with your host, michael Cole.
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: We hope the conversation sparked some thoughts that resonate with you.
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: To dive deeper into empowering your thoughts and enhancing your reality, visit empowerperformancestrategiescom.
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: Remember your thoughts shape your reality, so make them count.
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: Until next time, stay inspired and keep creating the reality you desire.
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: Catch you on the next episode.