NIFV was born from more than a business idea. It began with a calling.

On September 8, 2002, the Veterans Radio Hour was created to honor the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans. What began as a radio program became something greater: a place where veterans could call in, share their stories, remember those they served with, and know they were not forgotten.

Mark Ely worked behind the scenes, handling the website and technical operations. The first show featured Joe Galloway, author of We Were Soldiers. Over time, the program brought together veterans, military leaders, public officials, and advocates from across the nation.

Years later, after watching fellow veterans struggle with missing records, denied claims, confusing VA processes, and invisible illnesses connected to their service, Mark realized the problem was much larger than one person’s experience.

After navigating that frustration personally, Mark prayed for direction and began studying the regulations, laws, 38 CFR, M21-1, and the rules governing VA disability claims. He became a VA Accredited Agent and began helping veterans one by one.

At the same time, he built software to solve the problems he saw every day. That work became a system designed to gather veteran information, identify potential claims, organize evidence, manage appeals, track communication, and provide a clearer path through a complicated process.