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VetLife’s Battle Buddy app seeks wider state reach to connect veterans to benefits and crisis resources
Summary
Joshua Parrish of VetLife described the Battle Buddy app and associated outreach work, saying the app aggregates benefits resources, includes an AI companion that links users to nearby help if self‑harm risk is detected, and relies on partnerships and events to drive downloads and engagement.
Joshua Parrish, co‑founder of the nonprofit VetLife, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military and Veterans Affairs that his organization’s Battle Buddy app has been built to bring benefit access and mental‑health resources to veterans across Michigan.
“I'm the co founder of VetLife. I'm here today to speak about an app that should be in the hands of every single veteran in the state of Michigan,” Parrish said. He described the app as “a 1 stop shop” for education benefits, disability compensation, VA home loan information, health‑care enrollment and mental‑health resources.
Parrish said VetLife has helped about 43,000 Michigan veterans gain access to benefits since 2018 and that the Battle Buddy app has been downloaded more than 43,000 times since its release two months earlier. He described an AI companion named Sam that is available 24/7; Parrish said the app will use geofencing to connect a user who indicates self‑harm risk to the nearest resource.
Parrish outlined how the app supports disability claims and accredited veteran service officers (VSOs): the app helps veterans create an eBenefits account, file an intent to file to lock an effective date, gather documents using a checklist and then connect veterans with accredited VSOs when they are ready for case submission. “For every 7,000 veterans in this country, there's only 1 accredited VSO,” Parrish said, and he cited a Michigan ratio of one accredited VSO per 1,712 veterans.
Outreach strategy and data: Parrish described an outreach model built on in‑person events (VetFest, which attracts 3,500–4,000 attendees), partnerships with county departments of veterans affairs and national service organizations, and an online gaming community for veterans. He told the committee VetLife runs a radio show to educate veterans about technology and AI and stressed that his organization has so far relied on private donations, grants and fundraising rather than state funding.
Questions from the committee addressed marketing and AI risk mitigation. Parrish said VetLife’s outreach database and event program underpin its user acquisition and that AI safeguards include a hybrid model combining a predefined decision tree with a trainable large language model and human‑review pathways for escalations.
No formal action was taken on VetLife’s requests during the hearing.
