Almost 2 weeks ago now, the Department of Veterans Affairs/VA Budget was released. In it they’re trying to do away with pay/benefits to Service Connected Severely Disabled Veterans injured from serving our Country, if they are eligible for Social Security, no matter how small the amount from Social Security. Since many veterans are injured at a fairly young age, they don’t have the time/salary to build-up a decent Social Security check, $600-$800 month if they’re lucky maybe, and you simply cannot live off that, with ton medical issues. Here's a Link here with info The VA is justifying this cut to Veterans receiving “IU” because they want to push the Choice Health Program, say they need a way to pay for it, so they’re planning on taking from severely disabled veterans mouths and their kids/families. VA defends cut to Disabled veterans pay/benefits This doesn’t just affect the elderly veterans when they are old enough to draw what little bit of Social Security, if any they paid in, but also younger veterans who may have worked/served 10 years or so before becoming injured while serving this Country too. The American Legion has called the move a Stealth-Privatization attempt Legion on Proposed VA Benefit Cut to Veterans of the VA, and they explained why this would hurt so many veterans as well. So much for the Veterans Affairs motto quoted from President Abraham Lincoln, they proudly place on their buildings and as their motto:
“To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan,” President Lincoln affirmed the government’s obligation to care for those injured during the war and to provide for the families of those who perished on the battlefield Link
The VA for many years has magically lost veterans Service and Medical records, you get the “we’re working on your appeal” letters through the mail and so forth. There’s even been cases over the years of individuals being caught on camera, by news crews, throwing these Veterans’ Vital/Important records in dumpsters, even behind the Personnel building here in St. Louis as it housed the Army’s records and records for veterans all over the Country. They had a big fire that destroyed many records prior to that and records were lost. Why would someone do this to those who offered their lives in defense of our Country and protection you ask? They were actually paid bonuses for doing so, and also for denying and delaying veterans their benefits, or their actual percentage rating through the VA system, and back pay. This has went on for many, many years. There are even Vietnam veterans who are still fighting with the VA 30 years later.
Veterans groups and Democrats have criticize tradeoffs in Trump’s VA Budget Here's a link to that info
One thing the Department of Veterans Affairs has done over the years to save money is to give a severely disabled veteran a much lower percentage rating than they are eligible for, and then give them the IU (Individual Unemployability) in hopes the veteran won’t complain ( cause it’s taken so long to even get a rating or get a damn Rating examination) and or they make it very difficult, it’s drawn out for many years and a lot of veterans give up too, and they know this. Here’s an example: a severely disabled veteran is given a percentage rating of 70% through the VA (even though they are actually a much higher percentage rating, and have medical documentation to show it, etc ) but with the condition of IU (Individual Unemployability) which saves the VA money from passing on the benefits/pay if the veteran passes away. In contrast a veteran rated at the 100% Service Connected Disabled rating, that veteran’s pay/benefits will pass on to their family members (spouse or child) when the veteran dies, and many other benefits as well. The Veterans that qualify for IU are the same exact veterans that have been interviewed/examined at the VA and are to disabled to work. These veterans daily lives consist of nonstop doctor’s appointments, most cannot have any type of normal life due to their service connected injuries, their children are even affected by what their home-life is like growing up in a household with a parent affected, and these vets are given IU and a high percentage rating instead of the rating they are eligible for. With this IU stipulation veterans are to disabled to work and therefore get paid at the 100% rate. They want to take this from our Nation’s most disabled veterans, and it is not right! You are physically and mentally examined at the VA the same, with extra scrutiny they review it every year, and they know/document that the veteran is physically unable to perform work/substantial employment as proven through exam, interview, medical records, doctors/hospitals records, etc. It is pretty invasive, same as the screening it’s done when they give you the rating. Link
On the contrary a veteran that gets a regular 100% Service Connection disability can work full-time if able to build up their Social Security, and even retire with benefits later in life. When I first heard this information from a buddy who got hurt around 4 yrs ago, I thought someone had given him the wrong information, and I didn’t want them to get in trouble. It is the correct information, and it was verified. A veteran that has a high Service Connected rating such as 70%, 80%, 90% (and most are eligible for the 100% rating but given the IU instead) cannot work, cannot save up and or build their Social Security, and cannot buildup any type of retirement benefits through a company, a police department, Post Office, just a job, etc. Therefore when they target the IU veterans aged 62 years and older, they are targeting the most disabled elderly veterans who are not able to buildup anything at all for their years later in life and older years in life too. This is not right at all!
How do you get a VA Percentage rating you ask? This is another story for another day, but here’s just a brief rundown. Well a lot of what happens to you is going to depend on your VA Examiner the day you are evaluated for your rating/or re-review at your local VA (they make a determination within less than an hour, some I’ve seen done in 10mins or less, and some will not even take veterans records they bring in and or they do and dispose of them) and it depends if you get someone in a pissed off mood, found out their spouse is having an affair the night before, if they got a speeding ticket on the way in, or whatever issue is going on with the examiner as well. Some veterans are fortunate to get an examiner that listens, is sympathetic, and cares. I could go on and on about this, as there has been so much that our veterans and their families have to deal with, most because of a corrupt system that rewards those who do bad things and rarely punishes them.
So not only do the veterans and their families have to deal with these horrible service connected injuries and disabilities daily, they have to fight the whole VA system to even try to get the veteran taken care of, and there are so many of us that fall through the cracks too sadly . It’s not just the VA hospital we have to deal with, it’s the whole damn system, and they wonder why so many veterans commit suicide, they make it hard to do anything, even with the best representation and documents. Most veterans are to proud and it takes a long time to even file a claim for compensation through the VA, and most often times it’s after they have a family and know they’re responsible for someone other than just their selves. They know a baby cannot sleep in the car or at a friend’s house, or in a shelter or even on the streets for that matter. Some veterans went to college and got an education, and hold degrees or good job skills well before becoming injured as well. All veterans come from different walks of life, so we also are not a one-size fit all, as they like to think about us so often.
There are people who do abuse the system as they do Social Security, but not all individuals do, the majority do not and are disabled, especially veterans. When there are people who fake and or take advantage of a system designed to help like this, it makes those of whom are truly very disabled feel worse about themselves and even being disabled to begin with (like we don’t have that problem enough with our daily lives). Or being stereotyped as someone who is to lazy to work, or in the same category of those who are faking it, or milking the system, which we are not. Did you know that quite a few veterans hold college degrees where if they weren’t disabled they could make more money than they even receive with their checks.
The government says their goal is “No Homeless Veterans” yet they’re trying to pull this stunt with so many veterans, who were given the IU to take care of themselves and their families. Well if this is done to these veterans, I can guarantee it will cause a surge in more homeless veterans and their families as well. This is not the way we repay our Brave Men and Women who offered their lives to protect and defend this Country, so that everyone can enjoy their freedoms and protections. The price of Freedom is not free! We are proof, our Brothers and Sisters who made the “Ultimate Sacrifice” and their families are proof. Freedom is never free, something is always given in return for our countless precious liberties, freedoms and protection.
There is plenty of careless government spending, sludge funds, so many things they could get the funding for the Choice Program from, instead of out of the pockets of our Nation’s Disabled veterans and their families. The VA Secretary at that White House Press Briefing had the audacity to say “well we need to be responsible with taxpayers money” when referring to taking this money/benefit from our Country’s most Disabled veterans who gave their all defending this Country! Here’s a few links regarding Slush Funds. One that has been going on for years (it’s wrong as hell too) is the Pentagon has been overcharging our Armed Forces for Fuel. The Pentagon charges our Military more for fuel that the Open market. At the Pentagon overpriced fuel sparks allegations and denials of a Slush fund Here’s yet another link regarding this same issue: The Pentagon has generated almost $6 billion over the past seven years by charging the armed forces excessive prices for fuel and has used the money — called the “bishop’s fund” by some critics — to bolster mismanaged or underfunded military programs, documents show.
WTH America?! This is just so wrong!! Then if we have another scenario like the GOP members who didn’t even read the Healthcare Bill and voted yes and just passed it, God help these Veterans and their families if something happens to them like this!
We are not numbers, we are people, with families and friends, just like everyone else.
They are always so quick to want war, to send us to war, to beef up their numbers for them, put us in places they know are not good for our health or hazardous. Yet they never want to pay for the aftermath of doing so, nor do I think the thought even crosses their minds.
That or they simply just do not care, nowadays who knows anymore, nothing would really surprise me anymore honestly. But come re-election time they sure want us for photo ops don’t they? They promise don’t they? But how many years have they done this to us…..enough is enough…. We need to take care of our veterans and military and their families!
Here’s a link to the Whole Budget with cuts to everything. They are cutting so many important things, and I’m still pretty pissed off about our Severe Weather Warnings, and NOAA/NWS. It’s like what part of “you do not jeopardize the American people’s safety nor that if their property if you can prevent it” are they not understanding ya know. There’s quite a bit of information about all of this, and so many other things that are happening that are concerning a lot of folks. It’s all on our website Veterans United March www.veteransunitedmarch.com We’re having #VeteransUnitedMarch to #StandUpForAmerica on Saturday, July 15th 2017 at noon, in St. Louis, Missouri and possibly other cities if we have people who will organize one in other cities. On our website there’s a page for Sister marches. Our Twitter handle is @vetsunitedmarch and on Facebook our page and event is Veterans United March. We will be posting updates to news on our website as well.