We have a real problem with discrimination among the veteran community. The issue is the differences shown between pre 9-11 and post 9-11 veterans. Let me make this perfectly clear immediately. A bullet, is a bullet. A threat such as the Cold War is just as dangerous as terror threats? A threat is a threat.
This is my Veterans Day post and how we should be thanking veterans. It is more than a cup of free coffee, meal or parade.
Generations were under threat from the Cold War including a full obligation of 6 years to Uncle Same, some time on active and remaning on reserve. There was also a Full Draft in effect to send people who either faced jail, leaving their homes to Canada or dodging bullets on foreign shores. They had no choice of the matter during these wars. They had to do one of the three things. That is not the case for post 9-11 veterans. Pre 9-11 veterans now getting older and more frail are denied some of the benefits awarded to Post 9-11 veterans…
As I have studied the ever changing Title 38 benefits of Veterans Affairs, it is very clear to me that the Vietnam Vet is still getting a raw deal. The Persian Gulf Vets are as well. The Montgomery GI Bill to WWII has better benefits regarding education than does Title 35 which is Educational Benefits for Dependents for Those severely disabled or killed. The money difference is great. The Life Insurance option is ridiculous. There is a huge difference between a 10,000 policy and a 400,000 policy. The Caregiver act is equally a form of discrimination... 300.00 Aid and Attendance compared to 1500.00 is a jump from people caregiving doing the same thing. The biggest difference other than money is the age of the spouse, normally who is a senior and having to do things harder for he or she than the younger veterans, receiving more money.
Helping a loved one shower, or change clothes or bed sheets is a much harder task when one is aging and on social security themselves. Our beloved Testvet posting this dispair and anger just before he died. He was livid in fact about the differences shown. Testvet was consumed with worry over the differences shown among the veteran community benefits as was Mrs. Testvet. Senator Bernie Sanders gets it and I found this in research but needed to find out what happened in 2013. I went to DC and still did not get solid answers. There are still no answers.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that an additional 70,000 caregivers would participate by 2016 if the bill, sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., becomes law.
This was posted in The Ledger but appears to just be sitting there. I found this Change.org online and quite sure people either do not know about the differences or it was not circulated properly. I am here to make sure it is a known fact. The truth is...it never got off the ground and I traveled to DC to find out why. The truth is no one really wants to talk about it but
Patty Murray, Sherrod Brown and Bernie Sanders. This also would include Jim McDermott.
I found this petition and is a sample of the wording on Change.org and every word is true. It is not that the Pre 9-11 veterans want anymore that deserved but a veteran is a veteran. Some of our older veterans are being left behind. It needs to change as the author of this petition has outlined. I could not get it to link properly so I blockquoted the petition.
Make Eligible for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers available to pre-9/11 Veterans. I do not understand why this program has singled out just post 9/11 Disabled Veterans Caregivers. There are many other Veterans Caregivers who are full time caregivers, giving up their careers their jobs to take care of their Disabled Veteran full time. Are they not important? Are their struggles any less? No. Is there any reason why some Veterans would get benefits that others who are just as disabled and in need of assistance from family members as those pre 9/11? There are MANY Disabled for Life Veterans who need full time care, whose families continue to sacrifice everyday for their country. To not make this available to ALL Veterans Caregivers who have given up so much to care for their Permanent and Total Service Connected Disabled Combat Veteran is not equal treatment of Veterans and is discrimination. Is the sacrifice of other Veteran caregivers worth less?? Are their sacrifices any less real? I think not. All full time veteran caregivers deserve the same benefits, without prejudice
Here is the bill and here it sits Congressional Bills 113th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office] [S. 851 Reported in Senate (RS)] Calendar No. 186 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 851 [Report No. 113-107] To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend to all veterans with a serious service-connected injury eligibility to participate in the family caregiver services program. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 25, 2013 Mr. Sanders introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs September 17, 2013 Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend to all veterans with a serious service-connected injury eligibility to participate in the family caregiver services program. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Caregivers Expansion and Improvement Act of 2013''. SEC. 2. EXTENSION TO ALL VETERANS WITH A SERIOUS SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY OF ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION IN FAMILY CAREGIVER PROGRAM. Section 1720G(a)(2)(B) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``on or after September 11, 2001''. Calendar No. 186 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 851 [Report No. 113-107] _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend to all veterans with a serious service-connected injury eligibility to participate in the family caregiver services program. _______________________________________________________________________ September 17, 2013 Reported without amendment
After I wrote this diary and had a meeting with some folks on Capitol Hill, I questioned Congressmen about this bill that was sponsored by Senator Sanders. Nobody seemed to have a clue what happened to the bill that was to make all veterans of all wars, equal.
I was told it was lost in committee due to funding. I also was told that since it was introduced by Senator Sanders in September 2013 when the 114th Congress was elected that it died.
The veterans of Korea and Vietnam get less regarding the caregiver act and they are much older. The educational benefits are much less for Vietnam Veterans than the GI Bill of WWII and a great deal less than the Iraq and Afghan veterans. The Life Insurance offered has a $300,000 difference between them. I do not think we need this kind of discrimination being shown among veterans. This type of thing worried Testvet and his wife and we spoke of it many times. We obviously were not the only family members concerned. No one wanted to take away from the recent Vets, but to make equality available to ALL VETERANS. Senator Sanders saw this and tried to make it right but the do nothing congress obviously wants to continue making Class warfare a priority, even among it’s veteran community. Few wanted to bring this bill before Congress in 2014, but again a D and R did. It just sat there, went into committe and died or is being used as someone’s bar coaster.
I say, when you think of Veterans Day, think how to really thank a Veteran. MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR THE FAMILIES of the veteran. The ledger reported that it is law...but I cannot get confirmation of that from anyone.
www.govtrack.us/… As title 38 is today. It is exactly the same as 2010. This is truly an issue that our platform needs to be bringing up and with each and all of our candidates.
Veteran Eligibility: 1. The Veteran incurred or aggravated a serious injury (including traumatic brain injury, psychological trauma, or other mental disorder) in the line of duty, on or after September 11, 2001. 2. Because of the qualifying serious injury, the Veteran requires another person (a Caregiver) to assist the Veteran with the management of personal care functions required in everyday living. 3. The serious injury renders the Veteran in need of personal care services for a minimum of six continuous months based on a clinical determination that takes into account various factors. 4. It is in the best interest of the Veteran to participate in the Caregiver Support Program. 5. The Veteran will receive ongoing care from a Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) or other VA health care team as a requirement for participation in the program. 6. The Veteran agrees to receive ongoing care at home after VA designates a Family Caregiver. 7. Personal care services that would be provided by the Caregiver will not simultaneously be provided through another individual or FAMILY MEMBER.
if you want to thank a veteran this Veterans Day…...I suggest you start burning up the phones and calling this congress and say, Inequality on any level is not acceptable.