John Keith Taylor developed dozens of tumors all over his body that were embedded in his muscle tissue, impairing his mobility. Taylor had worked as an aircraft maintenance technician in the Air Force who handled jet fuel, hydraulic fluid, and other chemicals more than 40 years ago. When he sought disability compensation for the tumors after he left military service in 1984, the VA ordered a medical exam to evaluate him for scars, not tumors.. After decades of frustration, Taylor is now working with a veterans service organization to correct the error in the VA claims file that led to decades of denials.

A new report found at least one in five U.S. veterans live in neighborhoods without easy access to parks or natural spaces. The findings come from “Roots of Resilience: Veteran Access to Nature,” a study that examines how more than 1.3 million veterans across eight metro areas experience nature access and environmental conditions. Atlanta received the lowest grade, finding that 43% of local veterans do not have a park or natural area nearby, while Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis earned the highest grades for nature access.

A vitamin deficiency occurs when your body doesn’t get enough of a specific vitamin to function properly. These deficiencies can happen for multiple reasons, including digestive conditions that block vitamin absorption, other medical issues that interfere with the body’s vitamin use, and lifestyle factors, like limited sun exposure, poor diet, or alcohol consumption. While there is no specific vitamin D deficiency VA rating, there are VA ratings for conditions it can cause or worsen.

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