Adrian Atizado
October 30th, 2017

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Adrian Atizado is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. He has spent the last 17 years working for Disabled American Veterans, a veterans service organization (VSO) dedicated to advocating for veterans injured during their service.

After recounting his path to his current position––Deputy National Legislative Director––he helps us deconstruct the history and role of VSOs in Washington DC, dating back to the First World War. He then helps us understand in more specific terms some of the legislative fixes he sees as necessary to making the system work better for our former service members. We also address Gulf War Illness, a difficult-to-diagnose condition observed in veterans of that war that is often difficult to claim benefits for.

Issue Background

Disabled American Veterans website
A panel discussion on Gulf War I from the Brookings Institute, which Mr. Atizado participated in. This story by Federal News Radio is a good primer on telehealth, a potential method to increase the Veterans Administration’s capacity to service veterans.
This Washington Post story will refresh you on the 2014 VA scandal. Note: this story is written by another guest in this DC series, Katie Zezima, a Washington Post reporter and Boston University alum.

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