I am a devoted caregiver to a veteran who is 100% disabled and unemployable; a spouse that sought out a remote job to better care for my veteran. Many like myself, having spouses who live with service connected disabilities, navigate a similar struggle.

Nevertheless, our true grit remains unacknowledged because the current Return-to-Office (RTO) exemption only recognizes spouses of Military personnel released from duty with 100% disability. Although, the term "service-connected" indicates the disability already exists upon release from the military and many military members do not actually have their disability rating when they get out. 

The RTO further extends to spouses of deceased veterans that died on active duty, but inexplicably overlooks those like us, caregivers to living veterans that struggle with daily life due to their service connected disabilities. 

Here, we are left to wonder - why this discrepancy? When the Service-connected disability effects an estimated 4.7 million veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, isn't it only fair to extend the same relief to us as to the other beneficiaries of the RTO exemption?

This discrepancy paints a distorted picture. It implies that the service connected veterans' sacrifice, and by extension ours, is of lesser value. This is a disservice and this is why we ask for the amendment of the RTO exemption, so that it includes all spouses of 100% "service connected" disabled veterans.

Join us in this fight for equal recognition. Don't let our sacrifice be downgraded. Your signature can make a change. Sign the petition today!