For veterans, transitioning back to civilian life is not easy.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is supposed to help with this but that is not always the case.

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) is working to help with this through a new Veterans Advisory Board she formed this year. The board, which has been in the works since around May or June, held its first meeting on Tuesday at VFW Post 2995 in Redmond.

The purpose of the board is for DelBene to hear from local veterans about ways the federal government can better serve them.

This is important for her because she knows there are veterans struggling with the transition.

“That should be a top priority,” she said about improving the quality of life for veterans.

DelBene said Ben Studley, a U.S. Navy veteran and Wounded Warrior fellow in her office, helped form the board. Members have a variety of backgrounds and come from all different branches of the military. They are also from all over the First Congressional District, which encompasses most of Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties, and nearly one-third of King County.

During Tuesday’s meeting, members discussed the work they do with veterans, which ranged from assisting people as they go back to school, to working with veterans who are homeless or dealing with substance addiction.

The meeting covered three issues: VA benefits, health care and the transition to civilian life.

When it comes to VA benefits, DelBene told the group that her office receives calls from veterans when there are complications with their benefits.

Lindsey Zike, who works as assistant director of veteran student life at the University of Washington, said one thing many veterans don’t know is that they can start the process of applying for benefits up to six months before they leave service. She said they need to figure out how to get people the information they need when it comes to benefits.

For Ahmad Bennett, coordinator of the Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, it took him a while to realize he even needed help. He said he did not think he was deemed worthy of help since he did not come home with missing limbs or more serious injuries.

The group also shared the difficulties they and others have faced when it comes to trying to see health care providers outside of the VA and it not being covered by their benefits.

When things shifted to health care, the group discussed wait times.

Gordon Rogers, retired deputy director of Whatcom Council of Government, admitted that he felt bad that his wait time was less than a year to see a provider, when people who have just come back from combat — and probably need help more than him — have to wait longer.

Other difficulties the group discussed included logistical issues such as finding transportation to get to their appointments and having to request time off from work with short notice. They also brought up the issue of not receiving adequate health care when they do get an appointment as some doctors barely conduct an exam and others may not speak English well.

Monica McNeal, director of Seattle Four Block and president of the Washington chapter of Gold Star Mothers of America, works with student veterans and while they are utilizing the G.I. Bill to get their education, many will choose not to sign up for benefits and forego health care because of the horror stories they have heard.

“I don’t like that students don’t have health care,” she said over the phone during the meeting.

When it comes to transitioning people back to civilian life, Zike said the U.S. Department of Defense and VA need to talk to each other to improve the system as the current one is not working. She said while the military is good at turning civilians into soldiers, they are not good at the reverse.

“It doesn’t make sense,” she said.

Zike also touched on veterans’ mental health needs, saying schools that receive money from the government for veteran services need to invest in mental health services, as well.

“(The greater community needs to know) we’re killing ourselves at a higher rate than anyone else out there,” she said.

The advisory board will meet every quarter and DelBene said they plan to gather in various locations throughout the district.