Chattanooga, TN · Est. 2026
We find the veterans the system missed and connect them to the people who can help.
Two minutes on who we are, the veterans the system missed, and why we go find them.
VA disability benefits aren't charity. They're compensation, earned through service and sacrifice. Many veterans don't know what they're owed, and the VA process can easily frustrate anyone who tries to do it alone.
Worth Their Weight finds the veterans the system missed. When we find one, we connect them with a VSO partner who handles the VA claims process, because no veteran should have to do it alone.
"The veterans least likely to file are those who need their benefits most."
Many veterans have earned VA disability benefits they've never claimed. No one showed them how.
Street outreach finds veterans. VSO referral connects them to monthly tax-free income and access to VA healthcare, which may include long-term coverage depending on eligibility and disability rating.
Functional zero veteran homelessness in Hamilton County, 15 to 20 veterans connected to benefits in year one.
In service to the veteran. Outrageously generous to all.
We find veterans in the community and connect them with the accredited representatives who can help.
Search & Rescue is our outreach program. Field Scouts embed in the community, visiting shelters and local events and building the relationships that lead us to veterans the system missed. No clipboard, no clinical lens. Real human contact first. Once we find a veteran, we handle the practical gaps first, things like shelter, a ride, or a phone, then connect them to a VA-accredited VSO partner who pursues the claim. We stay with them through approval and beyond.
Vet Connect closes the digital gap. A lot of veterans miss out on benefits and services for one simple reason: they can't get online or were never shown how. Vet Connect will put an easy-to-use tablet in their hands and pair it with real training, in person or virtual, so they can reach the applications and resources that help them. Launching soon.
Worth Their Weight prioritizes unsheltered veterans first, the population the desk-based referral model cannot reach. We do not turn away veterans who walk in or are referred to us. Triage is based on need.
Worth Their Weight is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. All claims-related services are performed by VA-accredited attorneys, agents, or Veterans Service Organizations.
Worth Their Weight is free to every veteran we serve. No fees, no dues, no catch — ever. We're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by donors, sponsors, and grants. Donors pay so veterans don't have to. That's the whole model.
Not when we find you. Not at intake. Not at any point.
No membership. No subscription. No sliding scale.
Not when we connect you to a VSO. Not when your claim is approved. Not ever.
In 2015, Cory Gold joined the Army with a contract (and a dream) to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He excelled through basic training, AIT, and Airborne School. Then, right before Ranger selection, his parachute failed to open fully. He hit the ground with a broken back and a traumatic brain injury.
After an honorable discharge, Cory spent four years in excruciating physical and psychological pain, not knowing how to get help, or that help even existed. In 2020, a fellow servicemember told him about VA benefits. He filed his claim. Today, Cory is 100% disabled by the VA, gets the treatment he needs, and lives a happy life with his wife and daughter.
Worth Their Weight exists because Cory knows what it's like to be a veteran who doesn't know when to ask for help. He founded it in March 2026 so that no veteran has to wait four years to learn what they've already earned.
Our services are free to every veteran, no fees, no dues, no catch, ever. The 1% Pledge is a fully optional way for veterans who've already been connected to their benefits to help another veteran earn theirs. Select your VA disability rating to see your suggested 1% monthly giveback.
Based on 2026 VA disability compensation rates for single veterans with no dependents. Enter the suggested amount as a recurring monthly donation on Zeffy.
Your donation funds the outreach that finds veterans and connects them to what they've already earned. There are 570 unsheltered veterans in Tennessee. We know how to help them.
"Every dollar you give means a veteran pays nothing."
Covers supplies and resource cards for a Field Scout's outreach in the community.
Sends a Field Scout into the community for a full day (shelters, events, and veteran identification).
Covers the outreach and coordination to get a veteran connected with a VSO partner.
Can support a veteran through the outreach and claim-support process, potentially supporting access to significant lifetime benefits.
Worth Their Weight is a 501(c)(3). All donations are tax-deductible.
Questions? cory@worththeirweight.org · 833-WTW-VETS
Our highest-level supporters who carry the weight with us.
Updates from the field. Veterans helped, milestones hit, ways to get involved. No spam.
