As you all know, my husband Jolly is a 100% service-connected disabled Marine Corps veteran. He has survived combat deployments, trauma, multiple surgeries, and years of severe mental health conditions — PTSD, major depressive disorder, OCD, and anxiety — all while managing chronic pain from toxic exposure. But what nearly destroyed him wasn’t war.

It was the VA.

After years of struggle, Jolly had finally reached a place of fragile stability. He had the right combination of medications, a supportive family, and had just come through a major surgery. But when he walked into a routine mental health appointment at the Salem VA in March 2025 to establish care after moving cross country, everything fell apart.

The provider hadn’t reviewed any of his records. She had no knowledge of trauma informed care and was still actively in training. The supervisor berated him, accused him of faking his disabilities, and stripped him of his life-saving psychiatric medications — not because of any clinical reason, but because of his honest response regarding his state-approved medical cannabis use.

There was no policy at the time. No documentation. Just an angry threat and when asked to provide the policy nothing could be produced. 

Weeks later, a local “policy” appeared — conveniently dated three weeks after the appointment — targeting only stimulants, benzodiazepines, and cannabis. Not alcohol. Not opioids. Not street drugs. No basic trauma-informed language. And absolutely no mention of VHA Directive 1315, the federal policy that explicitly prohibits the VA from denying care based on cannabis use.

Let’s be clear:

This was not policy.

This was retaliation disguised as protocol.

And the consequences were devastating.

Jolly spiraled. The stability he had fought so hard for was gone. He cut off all his hair. He experienced terrifying dissociation, violent outbursts, and emotional collapse we hadn’t seen in nearly a decade. We called the VA crisis line. We pleaded for help. We contacted Congress. We gathered documentation — medical records, emails, notes from doctors, crisis transcripts, proof of his 100% rating. We’ve done everything right.

And still — nothing.

We are now preparing to file a federal tort claim against the VA for gross negligence, coercive care, psychological harm, and willful disregard for federal policy. But this isn’t just about one Marine.

This is about a deeply broken system that punishes the wounded, gaslights the vulnerable, and creates more trauma than it heals.

In April 2025, a veteran died by suicide at the Audie Murphy VA Medical Center in Texas. That should have been national news. Instead, it was buried — like so many cries for help from veterans who are ignored, misdiagnosed, or pushed to the brink.

How many more need to suffer or die before this system is forced to change?

Please — keep sharing this petition.

Send it to the media. Post it in veteran communities.

Email it to your representatives. Demand that they pay attention.

My husband served his country with honor and pride.

The VA met his pain with cruelty, policy manipulation, and silence.

They didn’t just drop the ball on his care.

They intentionally broke the man I love.

And if we don’t speak up, they’ll do it to someone else tomorrow.

— Ash