Login Department of Veteran Affairs get $11.5bn a year 'yet you can't even get a phone call'21/05/2021|12min Retired Special Forces Commander Heston Russell has opened up about his own personal experiences and struggles following his service in the armed forces and the system's failure to support him. "On paper, you look at $11.5 billion each financial year to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and yet you can't even get a phone call for three months," he said. "The only thing that brought me back from that abyss was what inspired me during my service, that purpose that is my team and those around me, and those that have really been struggling in our veterans' community."