Cobb County veteran simplifies VA claim filings

A local veteran who served in the Marines continues to serve by helping other veterans. He created a tool to help navigate the VA benefit system. Fox 5's Denise Dillon is live in Cobb County tonight. Denise, this is a resource that helps simplify the process, right? Yeah, that's right. And he says it's something he wishes he had when he was trying to figure out the system. He says it is a website. It simplifies the process and puts everything they need at their fingertips. It's nice to see that we come together as a community and support veterans from all walks of life. On this Veterans Day, Michael Kondracki's thoughts turned to his days in the Marine Corps. All the good days, all the long nights, and all the good friends that you make along the way. After he got out of the service, he looked into VA disability benefits. I was in tanks. So I have tinnitus, so ringing in the ears. Later in life, it's progressively gotten more and more worse. Like many veterans, he had a hard time navigating the benefit process. As a software engineer, he knew there had to be an easier way, so he developed a website called Vet Comp Planner. To help fellow veterans understand the benefits and resources available to them. With this being such a daunting task to work with the VA, I created a simple start here. The site walks veterans through the process step-by-step, including how to calculate claims, submitting claims, and a quick click to download forms. Forms directly from the VA website, so you can download those instead of having to hunt for them on the VA website. It arms the veteran with all the information and knowledge they need to prepare for a VA disability claim process. While similar websites exist, this one doesn't collect any personal information, and it's completely free. It's a lot of work, but he does it for his fellow veterans. I still feel, even though I'm not in uniform, I'm indebted to the men and women who are in service. And right now the website, which can be downloaded on your phone, is primarily for veterans with disabilities, but will soon be expanded to include all veterans. Reporting live, Denise Dillon, Fox 5 News. He's making sure they get the help they need. What a great effort. Denise, thanks.