“We fought for this country freely, and we expect now that people will fight for us and fight for our basic health care,” said Samantha Turner, an Army veteran who served near burn pits in Kuwait. Turner, who has sleep apnea, now uses a machine to breathe at night.

“There’s a lot out there that needs attention,” Bozella said after listing a variety of issues confronting veterans. “And without undersecretaries to really shepherd these processes and be the person who’s held responsible under the secretary, this work is not being done in a timely fashion.”