A note for the veterans who work at GE Aerospace Peebles and across southern Ohio.
I grew up down the road from the GE plant. I know what those families look like, and I know what it means when a veteran drives 45 minutes to the nearest VA clinic and still doesn't get answers.
If you serve or served and you work at GE Aerospace, that's not flattery — it's on the record. GE Aerospace earned the U.S. Department of Labor's HIRE Vets Gold Medallion, the program's highest honor, and in 2025 was recognized by the Department of Defense for its support of Guard and Reserve members. More than one in ten of its U.S. employees are veterans. It runs a Military Officer Leadership Program and participates in DoD SkillBridge to help service members transition, and it supports an active internal Veterans Network for employees.
If you're a GE Aerospace employee, one of your first moves should be to ask about the company's Veterans Network and internal resources. A company with this kind of commitment is worth leaning on.
Adams, Highland, Pike, and Brown counties are rural, and rural veterans are consistently underserved compared with those in major metros — longer drives to VA facilities, fewer local resources, less hands-on claims help. A great employer down the road doesn't change the geography.
And the VA benefits you may be owed for a service-connected condition are separate from anything your employer provides. They're yours by right of service, and they don't file themselves.
Veterans in manufacturing and aerospace environments often carry conditions that go underfiled or underrated:
These are not rare edge cases — they're a common pattern. And they are often addressable by making sure what's already in your service record and medical history is properly documented and presented. The VA system processes what you submit; it isn't built to go hunting for what you may be owed. That gap is where veterans can leave benefits unclaimed, sometimes for years.
I left Peebles a long time ago and built a career in forensic accounting and governance advisory. But the veterans who work at GE Aerospace in Peebles — and throughout Adams, Highland, Pike, and Brown counties — deserve the same quality of claims support that veterans in major metros receive.
If you served and have a rated condition, or you were denied, or you just don't know where you stand: don't give up. Use every resource you've got — GE's Veterans Network if you're an employee, and your free local VSO. Continue the tradition of service by making sure you and your family receive what you earned.
I offer education and coaching that helps you understand and file your OWN VA claim — I don't file it for you, and I'm not VA-accredited. Filing is always free. If you want to talk through where you stand, reach out.
Filing a VA claim is always free. Accredited VSOs such as the VFW, DAV, and American Legion, or your County Veterans Service Officer, will represent you at no cost.
Find your local VSO →Disclaimer: Monte Fisher is not VA-accredited and does not represent veterans before the VA. He does not prepare, file, or advise on any specific veteran's claim; all services are education and coaching only. Filing a VA claim is always free — accredited VSOs such as the VFW, DAV, and American Legion, or your County Veterans Service Officer, will represent you at no cost (find one at va.gov/vso). This article is educational only and is not legal, benefits, or tax advice. GE Aerospace is referenced for informational purposes; the author is not affiliated with or endorsed by GE Aerospace.