Pahrump woman assists veterans with their VA disability ratings

November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, and a Pahrump woman’s work at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post embodies what the month honors.

“At 72 years old, I would never have thought I’d be doing this,” Debra Johnson told the Pahrump Valley Times.

Johnson is a claims consultant at VFW Post 10054 in Pahrump. She’s been a resident of Nye County’s largest community for five years, previously living in Las Vegas. Johnson attributes the beginning of her commitment to helping veterans back to her first marriage.

“They had discharged him [her first husband] out of the military 100%, but there were some real questions on what was wrong with him,” Johnson explained. “It took us a long time to get help the way we needed.”

After seeing the struggles her first husband had to go through in receiving an accurate diagnosis and rating, Johnson wanted to make an impact in assisting veterans.

“I made a promise that I was going to give my whole life to the military,” said Johnson. “I basically have done that one way or the other since the ’70s.”

Johnson then volunteered with various veterans’ groups and later became a Nevada Veterans Advocate with the Nevada Department of Veterans Services. When Johnson moved to Pahrump, her neighbor asked if she could assist veterans with their claims at the VFW. Although she had done similar previous volunteer work, Johnson’s experience did not meet the role’s criteria.

Johnson asked if she could get training to become accredited with the VFW. Starting in May 2023, Johnson drove 72 miles from Pahrump to Henderson for eight months to do the training. Johnson added that the long commute never bothered her and she was always focused on completing her training so she could do the job effectively.

She received her VFW accreditation in February 2024. As a VFW accredited claims consultant, Johnson helps assist veterans in the claim filing process. Johnson said she’s proud to work in Pahrump since the VFW is one of the few places in town where veterans can go to receive help.

“It just feels so good that you know that they’re able to get the information they need and not have to travel so far in order to get it,” Johnson enthused.

For more information about the VFW Pahrump post, visit vfwpost10054.com.

For information about the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization, visit vfw.org.