Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Unfair Soldiers' Disability

Army Times this week had an article with some facts that Army soldiers are not treated fairly for disability claims, even though they are bearing the brunt of fighting in Iraq. From the numbers, they get lower disability ratings (i. e., less money) than other services and lower than Army officers. The article had personal examples of very unfair treatment, too. Apparently the bureaucrats just grind them down in paper work, trying to get them to settle for less than they are entitled - like insurance companies do. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

3 comments:

Bud said...

Shame on the Army brass. I never knew much about how servicemen ( and women) are treated once they return home after being injured in a war. I always assumed they get the very best treatment. There is no bigger sacrifice than risking your life for your country. It is our moral obligation and duty to make sure these soldiers are taken care of for the rest of their lives. I think most Americans were absolutely shocked with the Walter Reed fiasco. Seems like we need to review and overhaul the veterans department.

Bunkerman said...

The GIs in WW II were treated fairly. Korea, too, I think. It went downhill after that.

I think the VA is treated like a source of patronage & jobs.

It's not just the VA, btw. A friend of mine saw a lot of combat in Vietnam. Now he's got Alzhemier's disease and can't do anything. So we tried to get him Social Security Disability and it was DENIED. They said it wasn't bad enough yet. We had to get help to get an appeal which finally came through. Totally disgusting.

Bunkerman said...

I think it's almost the entire government that's the problem. I know first hand how many government employees do nothing, but are paid well & get good benefits & can't be fired.

At local government levels here, the corruption & greed for pensions is uncontrollable.

This has gone on for years. A college roommate worked at a VA office for a summer in the ealry 1970s. He said that most people did NOTHING all day long. He was the only person working.

There just is no accountability anywhere in modern government. When they have problems, all we hear is they need more tax money.