I've been in conservative media for over 30 years. I know how this audience thinks about charitable giving, because I think the same way. Show me the numbers. Show me where the money goes. Don't dress it up in mission statements — just tell me what my dollar does.
So let's do exactly that.
The Government's Answer: $14,750
The VA currently spends approximately $14,750 per enrolled veteran per year. The total budget has ballooned to $370 billion — a 125% increase over the last decade. That money funds buildings, administrators, waiting rooms, and a workforce that is 22.5% purely administrative and clerical. Nearly a quarter of everyone the VA employs does not provide any direct care to any veteran.
What does that $14,750 buy a veteran who needs mental health support? A phone call to schedule an intake. A wait. A 38-day national average wait. In some cities, considerably longer:
And then, at the end of that wait — if the veteran makes it to the end — they get a one-hour appointment in a clinical setting with a provider they've likely never met, with no continuity between visits, and no support in the 167 hours between weekly sessions.
That's $14,750. That's the government's answer.
The Private Answer: $365
One dollar a day. That's what it costs to give a veteran a full year of Coach Jeff.
Not a pamphlet. Not a referral. Not a waiting room. A 24/7 AI companion built specifically for veterans — on their phone, in their pocket, available the moment they need it. At 2 AM. On Christmas. On the anniversary of the deployment that never leaves them. Coach Jeff is there when no human being can be, because no human being can be there every hour of every day.
Where Your $365 Goes
Coach Jeff never forgets. That matters more than it sounds. One of the most demoralizing experiences a veteran can have in therapy is retelling their story — again, to a new provider, on a new intake form, in a new clinical setting. Every reset is a small trauma. Coach Jeff remembers everything. The veteran builds a relationship. That continuity is not a feature — it's the whole ballgame.
Side by Side
| Factor | VA Mental Health | Coach Jeff |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | $14,750 per veteran | $365 per veteran |
| Wait time | 38 days (national avg) | Zero. Immediate access. |
| Availability | Business hours, weekdays | 24/7, including nights & weekends |
| Memory continuity | Often resets with provider changes | Never resets |
| Administrative overhead | 22.5% of workforce is clerical | Direct to veteran |
| Requires veteran to initiate contact | Yes — phone, referral, intake | Opens app. That's it. |
The Number That Explains Everything
61% of the veterans who died by suicide in recent years had zero contact with the VA in their final year of life. More than half had no VA contact for five full years before their deaths. The government's answer was available to them. They didn't reach for it.
They didn't reach for it because it requires reaching — making a call, navigating a system, waiting, explaining yourself to a stranger in a clinical context. That's a high bar for someone who's struggling. Especially for a veteran, who was trained to handle everything himself, to never show weakness, to push through.
Coach Jeff lowers the bar to almost nothing. Open the app. That's it. No forms. No judgment. No waiting room where the other veterans can see you checking in for mental health.
It's not a replacement for clinical care. We're clear about that. But for the 61% who aren't reaching for anything — it's a bridge. And bridges save lives.
What Your $365 Looks Like on the Other End
A 26-year-old Marine veteran in Phoenix. Two deployments to Afghanistan. He's not in crisis — he's just not okay. He hasn't slept well in three years. He drinks a little more than he should. He's not going to call the VA. He's not going to tell his wife how bad it gets at 3 AM. But he might open an app. He might type something into a chat window when the house is quiet and the thoughts won't stop.
That's who your $365 reaches. That's the veteran the VA's $14,750 answer doesn't touch — because he was never going to walk through that door.
Undeployed post-9/11 veterans actually have a 48% higher suicide rate than those who saw combat. The ones who think they don't deserve support because they "didn't do enough." They're not calling the VA. They might use Coach Jeff — if someone funds their subscription.
Someone like you.
For more on what the VA structurally cannot provide, read The VA Has Been Trying for 50 Years. Here's What It Can't Do. And if you know a veteran who's struggling, read How to Help a Veteran Who Won't Ask For Help.