‘Nobody to Help Me’: One Veteran’s Fight for the Benefits He Earned

Failed by the VA system and denied benefits, a veteran found help through AARP’s Legal Counsel for the Elderly

Aaron Kassraie,

AARP

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En español

Published July 31, 2025

butler obasogie seated in a brown leather chair beside a window

Butler Obasogie at his apartment in Washington, D.C.

Greg Kahn

The process for filing disability claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is notoriously complex, often leaving veterans without the benefits and support they’ve earned and were promised. Former service members like Butler Obasogie, 64, know this struggle all too well.

Obasogie served in the U.S. Navy from 1991 to 1993 during the Gulf War, working aboard a ship in the Persian Gulf where he helped supply ammunition and other materials in support of operations on the ground. He later served in the Army, from 1996 to 1998, as a medic. Today he lives in Washington, D.C., largely confined to his home due to serious health conditions he says stem from his military service — including prostate cancer and chronic pain that requires him to stay close to a bathroom at all times.

“I don’t leave the house,” he says. “I don’t take care of my hygiene myself. So if I get full disability [benefits], maybe I can improve — take better care of myself and do something.”

Despite his challenges, Obasogie finds purpose in helping his children financially, especially now that he receives some disability benefits. But the road to even that partial compensation was long and grueling. For more than two decades, he submitted paperwork, gathered medical records and waited — only to be told, again and again, that it wasn’t enough.

When he finally received an approval letter, it came with a costly mistake: an incorrect effective date, or the date on which benefit payments were to begin. It cost him over a year’s worth of back pay — money he desperately needed to visit relatives overseas and support his family at home.

His experience isn’t unique. Across the country, veterans are being misled or misrepresented by a network of systems meant to support them. A March 2025 government watchdog report raised concerns that while about 75 percent of veterans receive accredited help from providers like veteran service organizations (VSOs) and attorneys, the VA’s accreditation office is falling short. It struggles to protect veterans from unaccredited individuals, has insufficient IT system capabilities and lacks automation for basic tasks. Staffing shortages have also led to backlogs and delays, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found.

The VA touts its record pace in disability claims processing: It issued more than 1 million decisions before the midpoint of the 2025 federal fiscal year (the fastest it had ever reached that milestone), with an approval rate above 60 percent. But those numbers don’t tell the full story. The remaining 40 percent of those claims were denied, and among the approved cases, some veterans received incorrect payments.

An April 2025 review of PACT Act claims — in 2022, the PACT Act expanded VA health care and benefits for those exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances — found that nearly 1 in 4 veterans were assigned the wrong effective date. This resulted in an estimated $6.8 million in improper payments, which could include overpayments, underpayments, payments made to ineligible veterans and payments made without the required documentation, according to the report from the VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).

A system built to help but failing

Obasogie’s health issues stemmed from his Navy service during the Gulf War. He spent long days embedded in combat, supplying ammunition and maintaining his ship. For roughly 16 hours a day, seven days a week, he stood on its iron deck performing his duties, never realizing that the chronic pain in his feet, back and knees was rooted in an undiagnosed condition: flat feet.

That physical toll was compounded by emotional trauma. A Nigerian immigrant, Obasogie says he endured persistent harassment during his time aboard the ship, which contributed to long-term depression. On top of that, he later developed prostate cancer — a condition the VA now presumes to be caused by exposure to toxic substances during Gulf War service, which Obasogie experienced during his deployment.

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Starting in 1994, Obasogie worked with a number of VSOs, filing multiple disability claims, only to receive denials.

“I’m suffering pain in my body. Nobody to help me, nobody to assist me,” he says of that time.

After years of navigating the system, Obasogie finally connected with Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE).

“He was working with a lot of different people, and everybody filed all these claims under different theories. So when I got the case, it was quite difficult for me to figure out what cases were pending, what evidence was submitted and what additional claims needed to be filed,” says Swapna Yeluri, a senior attorney at LCE who represents Obasogie today. The AARP-affiliated nonprofit provides free legal and social services to older adults living in Washington, D.C.

Butler Obasogie and Swapna Yeluri looking at papers on a table

Butler Obasogie with his attorney Swapna Yeluri at his apartment in Washington, D.C..

Greg Kahn

Obasogie’s long journey underscores a broader problem: the patchwork system veterans must rely on to navigate the VA claims process. The VA officially accredits third-party representatives such as attorneys, claims agents and VSOs to help applicants. The GAO found that as of November 2024, the agency had accredited roughly 13,700 individuals, including 8,100 VSO representatives, 5,000 attorneys and 500 claims agents. But without consistent quality control or performance tracking, veterans are left vulnerable to uneven representation. Some receive competent help, while others — like Obasogie — are shuffled among well-meaning but ineffective advocates, often losing critical time and benefits in the process.

The GAO report said the “VA has not fully developed plans that detail how it will implement and monitor these program initiatives, contrary to sound planning practices identified in prior GAO work.”

It wasn’t until Obasogie reached out to LCE three years ago that his case finally began to come together. His team was able to sift through decades of fragmented claims and identify key pieces of missing evidence to construct a coherent application strong enough to secure his disability benefits.

Date errors have lasting consequences

Obasogie’s story underscores a deeper, systemic issue: Successfully claiming disability benefits depends not just on who files a veteran’s claim but on how well it’s handled once it reaches the VA. The April OIG report found that nearly a quarter of approved PACT Act disability claims may contain errors in the effective date. For Obasogie, that kind of error meant losing more than a year’s worth of compensation.

“When granting benefits, claims processors must determine and apply the most advantageous effective date allowed by law for each claim or benefit awarded,” the OIG report states. “The proper assignment of effective dates for disability compensation benefits is vital because an incorrect effective date can have a substantial financial effect on veterans.”

The complexity of the claims process extends beyond effective dates — it also shapes how veterans must prove the full scope of their disabilities to receive the support they deserve.

“The VA system is incredibly complicated,” Yeluri explains. “It’s about connecting each [health] condition and demonstrating how these disabilities collectively impact a veteran’s ability to work.”

The VA initially denied that Obasogie’s disability was service-connected, which meant he wasn’t eligible for any monthly compensation. After LCE took on his case, the organization filed a new claim under the PACT Act and challenged several VA errors, including the incorrect effective date and the VA’s failure to recognize Obasogie’s secondary health conditions. As a result, the VA determined he was “80 percent disabled,” boosting his compensation to $47,000 in back pay and $2,445 per month.

That’s made a big difference for Obasogie and his family.

“Since I got this benefit, I’m able to keep on assisting them,” he says, referring to his family members, “and that keeps me comfortable.”

But his fight isn’t over. LCE’s ultimate goal is to demonstrate to the VA that Obasogie is 100 percent disabled, qualifying him for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). That designation would provide significantly more financial support, in acknowledgment that his service-connected conditions prevent him from working or even leaving his home.

Yeluri, who’s worked on his case since June 2022, has spent hundreds of hours reviewing two decades of filings, writing briefs and submitting seven separate appeals.

“It’s taken a huge amount of time and effort to get to this point,” she says. “We’re relieved he finally has some stability, but there’s still more to be done.”

She recently filed an appeal with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals over a denied claim for plantar fasciitis and is awaiting a follow-up after a higher-level review hearing on the VA’s failure to consider Obasogie’s TDIU claim.

“I feel comfortable now that I’m getting some of it, but I’m not getting all of it,” Obasogie says. “I can’t be fully happy until all my issues are resolved."

In 2024, LCE secured more than $39 million in benefits for its clients. That’s homes saved, public benefits secured and more. This work is only possible with your help. To support LCE’s work, click here.

How to strengthen your VA disability claim

Filing for disability benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can be confusing, but there are steps you can take to improve your chances of success, whether you’re filing for the first time or appealing a decision. Here are tips from the VA’s press secretary, Peter Kasperowicz.

1. Get professional help early.

Veteran service organizations (VSOs), accredited attorneys and claims agents can guide you through every step of the process. You can find help through the VA’s representative search tool or make an appointment at your nearest VA regional office.

2. Submit a complete, well-documented claim.

Incomplete applications and missing evidence are common reasons for delays or denials. Before you file, gather all relevant materials, including:

VA and private medical records that support your claimed condition
Statements from friends, family or fellow service members that describe how your condition affects your life
Any additional forms required for your specific claim

“Be sure to fill out your claim completely. Gather any supporting documents you plan to submit when filing your VA disability claim and find out if you’ll need to turn in any additional forms with your claim,“ Kasperowicz says.

Want a faster decision? Consider using the Fully Developed Claim program, where you submit all your evidence up front.

3. Know your options if your claim is denied.

If your initial claim is denied, you don’t have to start from scratch. You can choose one of three appeal routes:

A Supplemental Claim, where you submit new and relevant evidence the VA didn’t consider the first time
A Higher-Level Review, in which a more senior VA reviewer takes a fresh look at your case (but does not consider new evidence)
A Board Appeal, in which a veterans-law judge at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals reviews your case, with or without a hearing

You can learn more about each option at the VA’s page on decision reviews and appeals.

4. Don’t miss deadlines — and stay updated.

Deadlines matter. For most appeals, you have one year from the date of your original decision to submit. Miss your deadline, and your only option may be to file a new claim with additional evidence.

Make sure your contact information is current, and check your va.gov account regularly for updates.

5. When in doubt, ask —and know you can change your representative.

The claims and appeals processes are full of technicalities. If you’re not sure which path to take, reach out to an accredited representative for help. But make sure to do your research and only work with someone who’s accredited by the VA. If you’re not satisfied with your current representative, you can switch to someone else at any time by updating your preference in the eBenefits portal or filing VA Form 21-22 (if using a VSO) or Form 21-22a (if using an attorney).

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Aaron Kassraie writes about issues important to military veterans and their families for AARP. He also serves as a general assignment reporter. Kassraie previously covered U.S. foreign policy as a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency’s Washington bureau and worked in news gathering for USA Today and Al Jazeera English. 