Music brought Michael into military life. As a young cadet and trumpet player, he found a path that allowed him to serve while doing something he loved.
His career went on to include work as a musician, cook, administrative assistant and cadet officer across a period of more than 50 years.
“I loved being a cook. I loved looking after the young fellas and making sure they got fed well.”
He remembers learning how things worked behind the scenes and building friendships that lasted decades. He also carries experiences he felt unable to speak openly about at the time.
Decades of back pain and an unresolved claim
Michael lived with significant back problems and underwent two surgeries. A claim he submitted in the 1990s was denied, and later attempts to have his back condition recognized were unsuccessful.
Years later, he was still managing chronic pain and mobility limitations. After his previous experience with the claims process, he was unsure whether he had any other options or how to try again.
A family conversation eventually led to a referral to 270 West Consulting. With Michael’s permission, his contact information was shared with us, and we reached out to arrange a meeting.
A first meeting without pressure
Michael met with Alex, a Benefit Navigator, and spoke about his military service, back problems, mobility, breathing and other health concerns. Alex explained what benefits and supports might be available, what the application process could involve and what the next steps would look like before Michael decided whether he wanted to proceed.
We subsequently helped arrange the medical assessments required to support his claims. Michael did not have a family doctor when he first connected with us, so finding the appropriate health-care professionals and organizing appointments had been a significant barrier.
With the appointments arranged, Michael could focus on attending the assessments and explaining how his health conditions affected him.
The part of his service he had kept private
Michael also spoke about being gay during a period when he feared that being open about his sexuality could cost him his military career.
He describes having to hide his relationships, being unable to bring his partner to military social events and regularly hearing hostile comments about gay people.
“I couldn’t take my partner to a Christmas party.”
Having to conceal his personal life affected both his relationships and his emotional well-being, and the impact continued long after that period of his service had ended.
When he met with mental health professionals, Michael was able to speak openly about those experiences and the lasting impact they had on his mental health.
“I told them everything. I just told them the truth.”
His story makes an important distinction: his sexuality was not the source of harm. The harm came from serving in an environment where he felt he had to hide an important part of his life in order to protect his military career.
His mental health claim was subsequently approved, giving him access to ongoing mental health counselling.
Several claims approved, with others still underway
Since his time with us, Michael received approvals for several claims.
Alex continued to track the status of Michael’s claims and explain new information as it became available. That was especially valuable to Michael because he found the online account difficult to access and navigate.
Instead of having to interpret every update or determine the next step on his own, Michael had Alex as a consistent point of contact throughout the claims process.
We helped him get his longstanding back claim reopened after an earlier denial. At the time of his interview, that claim and his tinnitus claim were both awaiting decisions.
Greater financial security and confidence in the support he received
Michael says his approved claims brought greater financial security for him and his spouse. His approved mental health claim also gave him access to ongoing counselling where he could talk openly about experiences from his military service that continued to affect his mental health.
His confidence in the support he received from us is reflected in the people he has since referred to us, including friends, a neighbour and his own brother.
“If I didn’t think the process was great, I certainly wouldn’t be recommending it to my own brother.”
Michael’s story reflects both the pride he feels in his military service and the difficult experiences that were part of it. He loved much of his work and valued the friendships he made. With support, he was also able to speak openly about experiences he had kept private for years, pursue benefits related to his health conditions and access counselling for the lasting mental health impact of his service.