The Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 7. Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File

An edge comes to Michael’s voice when he speaks about his time serving in Afghanistan and his struggles living with post-traumatic stress disorder.

A hardened Marine veteran, Michael — who asked to use the pseudonym to speak candidly about sensitive health issues — describes in tones that are measured but laced with irritation what he saw in conflict: vehicles being blown up, children being exploited, cellphones that could trigger unexpected detonations.

Though he left the armed forces years ago, he still has flashbacks. To this day, he is “trying to figure out how to stop the nightmares,” he said.

It took him years to find a trusted VA therapist, who gave hi

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