Everyday, millions of hardworking Americans report to their places of duty all across the country, and these civil servants quietly work to make your lives better, safer, healthier, more productive. Today, we at the Veterans Benefits Administration want you to know who we are. We want you to know that many of us are you, and we want to share with you what it is we do and why we care.

Meet VBA’s Sheba Akridge.

Akridge is a Mississippi native, spouse to a Navy Veteran, and a current program analyst in the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Pension & Fiduciary Service (P&F) at VA Central Office in Washington, D.C. In July, she celebrated her 10th year of service to our nation’s Veterans.

It’s clear that, when talking to Akridge, she takes seriously her commitment to serving Veterans. Though she didn’t serve in the military, she comes from a military family, and she knows that the sacrifice some of her now-disabled family members made on behalf of America makes her job, for them, extremely important.

“My job is my way of saying ‘thank you,’” she said. “Throughout my career, what I had to remember is how tired the ones who served must have been, yet they still fulfilled the mission. Doing the same for them is my goal.”

As a program analyst, Akridge provides advice, makes policy recommendations, creates training procedures, writes quality reports, and serves as project lead on various pension or fiduciary projects. And, as one who believes actions speak louder than words, she also works with P&F’s outreach program to better serve Veterans in the VA community.

“Pension and Fiduciary Service is the department that assists Veterans and their beneficiaries who have limited income, or who are totally dependent on VA for financial support. In other words, our programs are need-based,” Akridge explained

Though she doesn’t always get to work directly with Veterans, there have been times when she fields calls from Veterans, or works with them on their cases.

“There’s one in particular that I’m proud to have helped. There was a lady who had been waiting on an appeal. I worked to complete her case by the end of the day. The lady called me back later that week to thank me. Her house was in foreclosure, she had no money, her car was broken. She was stuck, but because of my help, she was going to be okay.”

Akridge uses this story to illustrate a point about VA, and the people who work for VA: “We are grateful.

“We want our Veterans to know that, when you face a hardship, you are not alone. We are going through that hardship with you because we are family. Without You, there is no VA.”

 

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6 Comments

  1. Sheba Akridge August 8, 2017 at 19:50

    Hi Mr. Wilson,

    To discuss your case, I will contact you when I am in the office, so that we can talk more.

    Thank you sir! Talk to you soon! :-)

    Sheba Akridge

  2. bernard wilson August 5, 2017 at 00:19

    Hey Sheba Akridge my name is Bernard Wilson from north Carolina a army veteran with and appeal in for the last 4 years for ptsd and I don’t know if you can help Sheba because I think the system has just left me out,i was in the gulf war in 1991 and I don’t know what to do to get my case even looked at,i have sleep apnea just had and accident at work because I drive all day but its hard to stay awake, I told the phychiatrist and neurologist what happened ,and showed the write up I got for being careless on the job,im afraid now everyday that I might have a tradegy Sheba,i just find myself sometime having to stop my work before I drive of the road or crash into somebody,i don’t know if you can help but I’m reaching out for help where I can,all my diagnoses is right in my records so if you can in anyway help,thanks

  3. Stan Riedel August 4, 2017 at 10:26

    She sure is a pretty lady.

    • Sheba Akridge August 8, 2017 at 19:47

      Thank you Mr. Riedel! :-)

  4. Donald Wilfred Baker August 4, 2017 at 10:07

    Just would like to tell you a little bit about what has happened to my wife and I. My wife is almost totally disabled and I have to work full time to pay the bills. I’m 70 and my wife of 49 years is 69. Where the VBA took away my 100% compensation, we have been struggling to pay bills and have not been able to go rving as this the only enjoyment we have, and the rv just sits in the dooryard. I did appeal there decision but its been 1.5 years and nothing has come of that. I did apply for some help from the Pension area where you work and the deadline for that expired 3 days ago and haven’t heard anything from that either.
    I am a Vietnam Vet who suffered from prostate cancer from agent orange. The VBA gave me 100% for as long as I had the cancer, but when we decided to have it removed, they took the 100% away saying that there are laws for that. Now, I’m suffering from all the residuals from having it removed and there is a long list of them of which I didn’t have before and I guess that doesn’t mean anything to them.

    • Sheba Akridge August 8, 2017 at 19:46

      Hi Mr. Baker,

      Thank you for reaching out Mr. Baker. I will contact you when I make it into the office. I am always happy to help anyone who needs it. It is my job, an honor to do so, and thank you for your service sir.

      Sheba Akridge

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