VA to rethink compensation?
- Thread starter Monello
- Start date
Restitution
New Member
It clearly states in the linked article that financial compensation is not involved in the evaluation.
“Our system incentivizes disability, when our system should be incentivizing health and well-being. That doesn’t mean pulling back disability compensation benefits, he said."
Besides, cutting benefits to veterans and not doing anything to the welfare system would cause chaos!
“Our system incentivizes disability, when our system should be incentivizing health and well-being. That doesn’t mean pulling back disability compensation benefits, he said."
Besides, cutting benefits to veterans and not doing anything to the welfare system would cause chaos!
"If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.". Politicians lie all the time. Just give them a little time.
There are 8 times as many food stamp recipients as there are VA benefit recipients. 47 million folks make a lot more noise than 5.5 million.
black dog
Free America
It needs to change, they need to hire more investigators and do better checking on recievers of benefits. It's as easy as sitting in your local VFW and listen...
I have a neighbor that's a maxed out 100% disabled tan card holder, three kids,wife,two dogs and a huge oxy, Vicodin problem. Wife is full time care giver lol and gets a check from SS or another gov Dept.
Says he blew out his knees and back with his 3 years on a Navy ship in the eighty's.
But he was doing local karate and MMA fighter up until two or three years ago.
He has no problems doing drug induced kata's at 2am in his backyard.
But yet he somehow qualifies for over 3 grand a month.
Then there the ever present veteran that repeatedly tells you how to beat and abuse the va's hearing tests in order to get a few hundred a month..
Yes I understand that we need to take Top Shelf care of our Veterans, as long as they were damaged in the line of duty. Or it can be proven later that the injury occurred from service duty.
But it's just run amuck that your 214 says you were in good health when you were discharged.. but 20 years later you can't hear or walk because of the mos you had during your time of service..And now you receive a these benefits... That in alot of cases you don't deserve.
I have a neighbor that's a maxed out 100% disabled tan card holder, three kids,wife,two dogs and a huge oxy, Vicodin problem. Wife is full time care giver lol and gets a check from SS or another gov Dept.
Says he blew out his knees and back with his 3 years on a Navy ship in the eighty's.
But he was doing local karate and MMA fighter up until two or three years ago.
He has no problems doing drug induced kata's at 2am in his backyard.
But yet he somehow qualifies for over 3 grand a month.
Then there the ever present veteran that repeatedly tells you how to beat and abuse the va's hearing tests in order to get a few hundred a month..
Yes I understand that we need to take Top Shelf care of our Veterans, as long as they were damaged in the line of duty. Or it can be proven later that the injury occurred from service duty.
But it's just run amuck that your 214 says you were in good health when you were discharged.. but 20 years later you can't hear or walk because of the mos you had during your time of service..And now you receive a these benefits... That in alot of cases you don't deserve.
Restitution
New Member
I know a guy who was diagnosed by 3 separate doctors (1 of them a VA doc) with DEGENERATIVE discs in his back due to service related work. He was granted a 30% disability. This guy has twice weekly appointments with doctors and chiropractors to treat the problems with the 30% covering about 80% of the expenses.
5 years later he got a letter from the VA stating he was downgraded to 10% without a re-screening.
How exactly does a DEGENERATIVE problem get better to warrant a benefits decrease? Doesn't the word DEGENERATIVE, by its very definition, mean the problem will only get worse???
5 years later he got a letter from the VA stating he was downgraded to 10% without a re-screening.
How exactly does a DEGENERATIVE problem get better to warrant a benefits decrease? Doesn't the word DEGENERATIVE, by its very definition, mean the problem will only get worse???
Restitution
New Member
Ummm... kinda like your stories in Reply #4? :shrug:
Its not. Directly related to multiple back injuries in the service (and documented)
black dog
Free America
Absolutely it's just my side of the story..
And if it's related to his service than GD it he shouldn't have to fight for his compensation.
I'm certainly not putting him down, and if that's how I'm coming across please forgive me. That's not what I meant.
Anyone that's been damaged in the line of duty should be taken care of buy the best,,,, in the best.. For some things we should be ashamed of as a Country, other things we need to reign in and eliminate within the VA.
Christy
b*tch rocket
I agree 100%. It isn't that hard to get a 30% disability. There are a million and one lawyers out there who will tell you exactly how to do it. It really bothers me that so many people abuse the system. Get rid of those types and beef up the disability benefits for those who truly deserve it.
TWL
Kernel panic: Aiee.......
black dog, I appreciate you concern over "un-deserving" veterans taking advantage of the VA. However, not all injuries are immediately disabling. Some most certainly take time to become disabling. Just because an in-service injury has healed or isn't disabling and doesn't become disabling until years later, should not and does not, exclude the veteran from compensation. The underlying injury has happened. Even if healed, it's most likely not completely healed and susceptible to further injury. Also some injuries can have a sort of domino effect. For example, you injure your right knee in-service. After time, because the knee injury affects your gait, you start having back problems, ie. DDD of the L3-L4. This will likely further affect your gait causing injury to your left knee, but also compress your nerve root at the L3-L4 causing partial paralysis(loss of feeling, sensation of pins and needles, burning sensation) in one or both of your legs. Do you not think the veteran should also be compensated for these conditions arising out of the original injury?
I would like to point out that the DD214 doesn't indicate your medical condition at discharge (unless you're medically discharged or medically retired but will only indicate so, not the medical conditions). Your discharge physical is what indicates, if any, medical conditions you have/had. The VA will look at your discharge physical and Service Treatment Records. Unless the injury/condition has a paper trail leading to your time in the military, a veteran will not be granted compensation for said injury/condition. For those secondary injuries in my example, linking the injuries to the original requires a Dr.'s opinion that they are related. I would concede there are some Dr.'s out there who mainly write IMO's (Independent Medical Opinions) for veterans. I question the legitimacy of these IMO's, as they may not be on the up-and-up and should be scrutinized.
It's not as easy as one would think to get VA compensation. The VA doesn't just nilly-willy grant compensation. There has to be evidence of the in-service injury. If, after time, the injury becomes worse, compensation should increase. Even in your story of the guy doing karate, the VA rates the disability, absent of the effects of being controlled by medication.
I would like to point out that the DD214 doesn't indicate your medical condition at discharge (unless you're medically discharged or medically retired but will only indicate so, not the medical conditions). Your discharge physical is what indicates, if any, medical conditions you have/had. The VA will look at your discharge physical and Service Treatment Records. Unless the injury/condition has a paper trail leading to your time in the military, a veteran will not be granted compensation for said injury/condition. For those secondary injuries in my example, linking the injuries to the original requires a Dr.'s opinion that they are related. I would concede there are some Dr.'s out there who mainly write IMO's (Independent Medical Opinions) for veterans. I question the legitimacy of these IMO's, as they may not be on the up-and-up and should be scrutinized.
It's not as easy as one would think to get VA compensation. The VA doesn't just nilly-willy grant compensation. There has to be evidence of the in-service injury. If, after time, the injury becomes worse, compensation should increase. Even in your story of the guy doing karate, the VA rates the disability, absent of the effects of being controlled by medication.
Christy
b*tch rocket
There are plenty of un-deserving Veteran's out there who abuse the system. Seems like if you throw out "I'm a vet", you get a pass for being a douchebag. You shouldn't. As a Vet you (not you specifically, speaking in general terms) should feel a little bad for bogging down the system for your potential service related injury when you've got service members who've got missing limbs and shrapnel permanently embedded in their body. I was in the service and I have developed terrible back problems. Could they have been related to my time in the military? Maybe. :shrug: Is it likely? Not really. I chalk my injuries up to normal wear and tear. We all fall apart at some point. I am fairly certain that if I wanted to pursue, and get approved for a 30% disability, I could make it happen. There are lawyers who do this type of work in their sleep.
Anyway, it just annoys me.
black dog
Free America
I get what you are saying, I really do.
Like I posted above, anyone that can prove that their injury's happened because of there mos or in the line of duty deserves to be taken care of and compensated buy the best and in the best..
And that's coming from a veteran.
You want to see and hear about abuse, start spending time at your local vfw, elks,eagles and other fraternal organizations get to know the brothers and spit out that you had problems at the VA.
They will stumble over themselves telling you how to beat the system.
What was that speech that Kennedy did again... What can you do,,,,,,,,,
TWL
Kernel panic: Aiee.......
I must say, I dislike the image the so called "gimme, gimme" Veterans project on the rest of us Veterans. However, I strongly believe all injured Veterans receive the appropriate benefits they are entitled, if they so wish. Even if it is not yet compensate-able, such as 0% for mild hearing loss. Down the road, it could become worse and become compensate-able.
Maybe veterans wouldn't have to "beat the system" if lawyers were allowed to file the initial claim for the veterans. Sure, veterans can have VSR's or other veteran organizations do the initial claim. I hate to knock on VSR's and veteran organizations, as I'm sure most are great at the claims process, but veterans may not be very trusting giving the current state of the VA. Allowing lawyers at the beginning of the claim would also cut down the claims backlog, as veterans wouldn't be nilly-willy submitting claims that are faulty. Resulting in a denial and appeal. This would lead to less appeals and further reduce the backlog.
Maybe veterans wouldn't have to "beat the system" if lawyers were allowed to file the initial claim for the veterans. Sure, veterans can have VSR's or other veteran organizations do the initial claim. I hate to knock on VSR's and veteran organizations, as I'm sure most are great at the claims process, but veterans may not be very trusting giving the current state of the VA. Allowing lawyers at the beginning of the claim would also cut down the claims backlog, as veterans wouldn't be nilly-willy submitting claims that are faulty. Resulting in a denial and appeal. This would lead to less appeals and further reduce the backlog.
itsbob
I bowl overhand
I doubt he makes over 3 grand a month in VA disability from the 80's. 100% disability does not mean 100% of your active duty pay.. and usually in comparison pales to welfare food stamps and section 8 (which he probably also gets).
Many veterans I believe deserve their benefits.. bit we are no longer a manual labor nation. In the 40s or 50s bad back, knees.. yeah, no factory or industry job for you. Today? Thousands of careers you can still do and make a crapton more than a laborer
But its just no the VA.. MILLIONS are taking advantage of SSI and disability. I don't understand what is considered a disability anymore. In the 70s they sold it to us showing people confined to wheelchairs, unable to get around.. now it's a hangnail and you need special parking and some oak privileges.
VA Disability compensation rates:
http://militarybenefits.info/va-disability-rates/
http://militarybenefits.info/va-disability-rates/
black dog
Free America
Read the chart Bob, my neighbor runs off the mouth about what his check is and the chart says the same thing. He's at 32 to 34 hundred a month.
Plus his non working wife filed with SS until they made her his care giver for whatever that pays every month. With 100% along with 3 kids and a wife, he gets the big nut.
It's funny how he can't work but he can push mow the lawn, clean the gutters, put up Christmas lights on a two story house, do drug induced kata's and kill imaginary Ninja's in the middle of the night, ride a street and dirt bike...
I worked in the Md power plants with a few vets that got checks each month for 30 to 60% disability.. both worked as mechanics and never seemed to have a disability.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
I work with quite a few people that are considered disabled by the VA that don't have any real disability. They know that all you have to do is dot every I cross every T but then you see people on the news that supposedly have missing limbs etc that claim they can't get help.
Unfortunately I had to listen to someones phone calls about how they needed to get in and examined for erectile dysfunction that was caused in Vietnam, the guys entire stint in Vietnam was two weeks as a P3 crewman. Supposedly his ED is what put him over the top for 100%, smoking 3 packs a day has nothing to do with that...
Meanwhile I know a government civ employee that lost his hearing permanently due to the job that didn't get anything for that except some time off that he had to use his sick leave for.
Unfortunately I had to listen to someones phone calls about how they needed to get in and examined for erectile dysfunction that was caused in Vietnam, the guys entire stint in Vietnam was two weeks as a P3 crewman. Supposedly his ED is what put him over the top for 100%, smoking 3 packs a day has nothing to do with that...
Meanwhile I know a government civ employee that lost his hearing permanently due to the job that didn't get anything for that except some time off that he had to use his sick leave for.
itsbob
I bowl overhand
I had no idea.. this is definitely in need of reform. EIther better define what is truly 100% disabled and what is not..
The one part I do know is you CAN be 100% disabled for the VA and you can still work.. even as a GS employee. In my case, I thought the percentage only applied to the portion of retirement that was tax free.. but according to these charts if determined to be disabled my retirement pay would more than double... cough... cough.. cough..
TWL
Kernel panic: Aiee.......
Yes you can work if you're 100%. But, unless that 100% is a "protected" rating, the VA can and will have you come in for an examination. I'm not going in to the specifics but by "protected" I mean that there are certain lengths of time that you had that rating that makes it more difficult for the VA propose to reduce your rating. If because of that exam the VA finds your condition has improved, your rating will be reduced accordingly.
It seems you may have confused Military Disability pay with VA Compensation. Military Disability pay is determined by your time in service, pay grade, and percentage of disability, while VA Compensation is based solely on percentage of disability. It is possible to apply for VA Compensation but your Military Disability pay will be significantly reduced or eliminated altogether.
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