On the first episode of this two-part series, we hear a powerful interview with Army combat veteran, Purple Heart recipient turned software developer Lukas Simianer, who fights the VA for vets and wins.
Wounded in Afghanistan at the age of 19, Lukas left the military with only a few hundred bucks in his pocket and started the difficult transition from enlisted soldier to civilian life.
He struggled with his own mental health, isolation, lack of any meaningful DoD support and eventually endured being so poor that he lived in a rat-infested trailer.
But rather than accepting a tragic defeat, he made a bold commitment to change his life and taught himself computer programming.
Lukas shares his dramatic story, exposes how the DoD still fails to properly support enlisted veterans after their service and how he became a pioneering tech entrepreneur.
We conclude this episode with the story behind his first success as a software developer, creating Clusiv- the world’s first online learning platform built for people who are blind.
But that was just one step toward founding a revolutionary company that unleashes the power of AI to help his veteran brothers and sisters. Many of whom are currently battling the VA to get the support and benefits they rightfully earned.
Check out Part 2 of the conversation here!
If you are struggling to get your VA benefits or correct disability rating, check out here.
For more on Lukas Simianer, VetClaims Founder and 82nd Airborne veteran see here.
Contact Phil Briggs, the host of the Eye on Veterans podcast here: phil@connectingvets.com