Combined Action Company Oscar
III CAG, III MAF
Khe Sanh, RVN
1967 - 1968
Areas sprayed with Agent Orange
Khe Sanh Vets Reunion
More info at: http://www.khesanh.org/reunion.htm
"Jarhead Red" Wine Now Available - Proceeds fund Scholarship for Children of KIA Marines.
Our comrade Bob Hall (see below) sent this:
"Go to this website, "Click Here to Shop Firestone Vineyard" & scroll down, you'll find a wine called "Jarhead Red'. $12.99 with all proceeds to the Marine Scholarship Fund for kids of fallen Marines. Just ordered two bottles."
http://www.shopfirestone.com/store/index.html
I can't guarantee the quality (I haven't gotten mine yet) but even if its plonk, the cause is a good one. - FJT
Bob Hall Memoir
Our comrade Bob Hall ( See his story here.) has published his memoir, which includes some of his experiences while attached to Oscar CAP at Khe Sanh (Bob was pre-Siege, TAD as Radio Relay). As you can see from his article, Bob is an excellent writer! I have often enjoyed the stories he has shared with me over the years. He has also had an interesting life - and is the designer of the Leatherneck tartan, designed for Marines who have a Scottish heritage - or just like tartan! (Now available from LL Bean as a cotton shirt, which I have recently been informed is ther top-selling military tartan shirt!) While not having reviewed the book yet, I am sure that it will be good for much more than a "cure for insomnia," as Bob so modestly claims. If you know any other servicemen or people with a military interest, and / or and interest in politics, please pass this on to them. Also, if you are in touch with any appropriate military websites or reviewers. Available from Author House for $14.99 plus shipping. (or $19.99 from Amazon).
Disarming Vets By Larry Pratt September 22, 2007 NewsWithViews.com
(See also: http://www.gunowners.org )
Hundreds of thousands of veterans -- from Vietnam through Operation Iraqi Freedom -- are at risk of being banned from buying firearms if legislation that is pending in Congress gets enacted.
How? The Veterans Disarmament Act -- which has already passed the House -- would place any veteran who has ever been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the federal gun ban list. This is exactly what President Bill Clinton did over seven years ago when his administration illegitimately added some 83,000 veterans into the National Criminal Information System (NICS system) -- prohibiting them from purchasing firearms, simply because of afflictions like PTSD.
The proposed ban is actually broader. Anyone who is diagnosed as being a tiny danger to himself or others would have his gun rights taken away ... forever. It is section 102(b)(1)(C)(iv) in HR 2640 that provides for dumping raw medical records into the system. Those names -- like the 83,000 records mentioned above -- will then, by law, serve as the basis for gun banning. No wonder the Military Order of the Purple Heart is opposed to this legislation.
The House bill, HR 2640, is being sponsored by one of the most flaming anti-Second Amendment Representatives in Congress: Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY). Another anti-gunner, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), is sponsoring the bill in the Senate. Proponents of the bill say that helpful amendments have been made so that any veteran who gets his name on the NICS list can seek an expungement. But whenever you talk about expunging names from the Brady NICS system, you’re talking about a procedure that has always been a long shot. Right now, there are NO EXPUNGEMENTS of law-abiding Americans’ names that are taking place under federal level. Why? Because the expungement process which already exists has been blocked for over a decade by a "funds cut-off" engineered by another anti-gunner, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY).
So how will this bill make things even worse? Well, two legal terms are radically redefined in the Veterans Disarmament Act to carry out this vicious attack on veterans’ gun rights. One term relates to who is classified a "mental defective." Forty years ago that term meant one was adjudicated "not guilty" in a court of law by reason of insanity. But under the Veterans Disarmament Act, "mental defective" has been stretched to include anyone whom a psychiatrist determines might be a tiny danger to self or others.
The second term is "adjudicate." In the past, one could only lose one's gun rights through an adjudication by a judge, magistrate or court -- meaning conviction after a trial. Adjudication could only occur in a court with all the protections of due process, including the right to face one's accuser. Now, adjudication in HR 2640 would include a finding by "a court, commission, committee or other authorized person" (namely, a psychiatrist).
Forget the fact that people with PTSD have the same violent crime rate as the rest of us. Vietnam vets with PTSD have had careers and obtained permits to carry firearms concealed. It will now be enough for a psychiatric diagnosis (a "determination" in the language of the bill) to get a veteran barred for life from owning guns. Think of what this bill would do to veterans. If a robber grabs your wallet and takes everything in it, but gives you back $5 to take the bus home, would you call that a financial enhancement? If not, then we should not let HR 2640 supporters call the permission to seek an expungement an enhancement, when prior to this bill, veterans could not legitimately be denied their gun rights after being diagnosed with PTSD.
Veterans with PTSD should not be put in a position to seek an expungement. They have not been convicted (after a trial with due process) of doing anything wrong. If a veteran is thought to be a threat to self or others, there should be a real trial, not an opinion (called a diagnosis) by a psychiatrist.
If members of Congress do not hear from soldiers (active duty and retired) in large numbers, along with the rest of the public, the Veterans Disarmament Act -- misleadingly titled by Rep. McCarthy as the NICS Improvement Amendments Act -- will send this message to veterans: "No good deed goes unpunished."
© 2007 Larry Pratt
UPDATE to VA Benefits Threat:
In addition to the most recent assault on veterans' benefits (see SECRETIVE VA LAUNCHES NEW PTSD REVIEW below), Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN), chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, is redefining what constitutes a "veteran."
Larry Scott of VA Watchdog.org has covered this before (see: "Are You Really a Veteran?" below)
Buyer is currently holding veterans' programs' budgetary hearings, and also redefining what constitutes a "veteran" - in a cold and calculated manner that could cost millions of veterans their benefits. (Buyer, a Reserve JAG REMF,replaced Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) as chairman of HVAC. Smith was known as a true friend of veterans and often broke ranks with his party to forward legislation favorable to veterans.)
Buyer has denied veterans' organizations (including VFW, DAV, etc.) an opportunity to testify at the latest budget hearings. As most of these groups endorsed the present regime, this comes as a shock to them. However, the VFW rep stated that they would testify, "one way or another."
Buyer claims that they will have an opportunity for input when the bill is delivered. (I wouldn't count on that myself.)
Meanwhile, after "canceling" the PTSD review under heavy pressure from the public, they're back with another, more subtle attempt to deprive veterans of their slender pensions (see below).
LATEST THREAT: SECRETIVE VA LAUNCHES NEW PTSD REVIEW
Just six days after canceling one PTSD review, the VA sneaks in another - Culture of secrecy makes agency designed to help veterans their biggest foe
by Larry Scott
Over the past year, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), led by Secretary Jim Nicholson, has turned a deaf ear to veterans and quietly made numerous decisions designed to strip veterans of benefits and compensation.
Secretary Nicholson came to the VA with no understanding of veterans advocacy and no experience in the healthcare sector. He had been Chairman of the Republican National Committee and Ambassador to the Vatican. As one pundit put it Jim Nicholson can write a good political bumper sticker and knows how to kiss the Pope's ring. Thats about it.
But, with Secretary Nicholson at the VA helm, veterans have come to feel isolated from the agencys decision-making processes. And, recent developments have done nothing quell that uneasy feeling.
Earlier this year, veterans were surprised by the VA's second signature required (SSR) policy. SSR applied to approved claims for many high-dollar disabilities and stipulated that the claim be re-approved by another VA staffer. However, if the claim was denied by the first staffer, there was no second review.
Veterans groups claimed that a SSR policy should apply to all claims for any condition whether they were approved or denied. The fact that the VA chose to apply SSR to disabilities with high-dollar compensation was proof to many veterans that the agency was just trying to save money by denying benefits.
The SSR policy was NOT announced by the VA. Only some very good investigative work by Cheryl Reed of the Chicago Sun-Times brought the story to light. This is just one of many instances where the VA has instituted policies detrimental to veterans without making the actions public.
The latest unannounced move by the VA is a new review of PTSD diagnosis, treatment and compensation. The VA's plans came to light on November 16, just six days after they had canceled a review of 72,000 PTSD claims awarded at 100 per cent disability. Pressure from veterans groups and Democrat members of Congress forced the cancellation.
The VAs new PTSD review was not announced by the VA. There was no VA press release. There was no VA press conference. The information was not posted on the VA web site.
Information about the new PTSD review was made public in a press release by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. The release, in part, said, The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that it has contracted with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on a two-pronged approach to the examination of PTSD.
Except, the VA hadn't announced anything. They were using Senator Craig as their conduit to hand out the bad news. Since Craig's press releases don't have a high readership, this information has gone virtually unnoticed.
Upon reading Senator Craigs press release I called the Public Affairs Office at the VA. They had no knowledge of the review. I then called the Institute of Medicine. They had no knowledge of the review.
Senator Craigs office was more helpful. They forwarded the two documents the VA had sent to them. One document is a Fact Sheet detailing the contract between the VA and the IOM. The other is a Question and Answer sheet. (NOTE: The VA documents are available at the following URL“ http://www.vawatchdog.org/newsflash/newsflash11-23-2005-3.htm )
I encourage all veterans to read the VA documents. They detail a plan to redefine PTSD by altering diagnostic and treatment techniques that will then lead to a complete restructuring of VA compensation. Following are a few excerpts from the VA Fact Sheet.
The IOM will review the utility and objectiveness of the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM- IV), and will comment on the validity of current screening instruments and their predictive capacity for accurate diagnoses.
This will allow the VA to write an alternate definition of PTSD exclusive of the DSM-IV and institute new methods of treatment outside of normally accepted guidelines. I wonder what the American Psychiatric Association will say about this?
Also, the IOM will review the literature on compensation practices for PTSD and how changes in the frequency and intensity of symptoms affect compensation practices for PTSD; assessing how compensation practices and reevaluation requirements for PTSD compare with other chronic conditions which have periods of remission and return of symptoms; and reviewing strategies used to support recovery and return to function in patients with PTSD.
And, this will allow the VA to lower PTSD compensation based on frequency and intensity of symptoms and remission and return of symptoms. The VA will also be looking to deny PTSD benefits based on the concept of recovery and return to function.? VA Secretary Nicholson has often used the word recover (terribly close to the word cure) when speaking of veterans with PTSD. The IOM reviews will be completed in a year.
Also, there were two big surprises found in the Question and Answer document. QUESTION: Why is this study being conducted now? ANSWER: Over the next two years, the [VA] Secretary and the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) is (sic) closely examining compensation for all health conditions, including PTSD.
Surprise number one is that the VA has not announced that Secretary Nicholson is examining compensation for ALL health conditions. Veterans can only look forward to fewer benefits and lower compensation with Nicholson directing this endeavor.
The second surprise is Secretary Nicholson's mention of the VDBC. The VDBC, by law, is independent of the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, to discover that they are coordinating their efforts should not be a surprise. The VDBC is made up of 13 members who are currently studying all areas of VA compensation. Nine VDBC members were appointed by Republicans. Secretary Nicholson was appointed by President Bush.
Then there is the matter of timing. The VDBCs charter stipulates that their reports must be done by October of 2006. But, the VDBC has also contracted with the IOM for studies that will not be complete for at least a year. They will be asking for an extension. This means that the VDBC reports from IOM and the VA reports from IOM will be released at the same time, well AFTER the 2006 elections. I don't believe in coincidence.
Sometime in early 2007, after the elections, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson will be armed with reports from the VDBC and the VAs IOM studies. Expect a two-fisted attack on veterans benefits and compensation from an administration that is the first to shout Support Our Troops until they become veterans.
Larry Scott (larry@vawatchdog.org)served four years in the U.S. Army with overseas tours as a Broadcast Journalist in Korea and the Azores and a stateside tour as a Broadcast Journalism Instructor at the Defense Information School (DINFOS). He was awarded DOD's First Place Thomas Jefferson Award for Excellence in Journalism. After the Army, Larry was a news anchor on WNBC Radio in New York City. He receives VA compensation for a service-connected disability. Larry is a regular on the Thom Hartmann show on KPOJ radio in Portland, Oregon. Today, Larry resides in Southwest Washington and operates the website VA Watchdog dot Org.
SOURCE HYPERLINK: SECRETIVE VA LAUNCHES NEW PTSD REVIEW
URL: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_larry_sc_051127_secretive_va_launche.htm
Attention All Veterans - YOUR VA Benefits Are Being Scrapped! NEW THREAT:
This regime is AGAIN in the process of scrapping the PTSD and other VA pensions and benefits. We just beat one such scheme (see below) when they came back with another 6 days later! Even sooner than I had expected. This is a new and "different" tactic, not the original one that we just beat!
If any of you, or your family, or friends are veterans of ANY era receiving VA compensation (for ANY reason), this should be of concern. I present a series of articles on the subject (newest on top)
These communications re: the VA and the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission were located by me or sent to me by fellow vets. I am passing them on to all vets and survivors, family members, friends, etc., in my circle.
Although this site is designated a "politics free zone" this issue transcends politics. In fact, the Marine who sent these to me is a conservative who voted for Bush, as I believe Jack Cunningham (author of the first piece) is.
Despite the Commission's name and official wording of their purpose that would lead the foolish to believe that they are upgrading and streamlining the benefits process, a careful analysis of the document and Rep. Buyer's statements shows clearly their intent- ALL veterans benefits - including pensions for vets, widows and orphans, etc., are now up for "re-interpretation" and "reconsideration" - i.e.; they will be eliminating as many as possible. They are also "considering" the recently awarded concurrent receipt ruling.
ALL items are now "on the table " - as per COL Steve Buyer (R-IN) - including what a "veteran" is and what "service disabled" means. You will also note that none of the cases that have been denied are being "reconsidered" - only the ones where the veteran has already been through the VA "mill drill" and has been approved.
One of our own CAP Marines is already being affected. He was in heavy close combat, and was awarded the Silver Star medal for gallantry in action, and the Purple Heart medal for wounds received in battle. He has recently seen his fee basis (outpatient) VA help and meds taken away already. He must now drive 3 hours to the nearest VA outpatient clinic for treatment. If HE doesn't qualify, who does?
There are now several MAJOR threats facing veterans and their care systems. A quick poll shows few vets are even aware of them. Wherever you stand politically, this is something we must all stand together on - or we will lose collectively.
I know not all of you are affected by all the following items, but I imagine at least some of you (or friends or families) are affected by some, or soon will be. Please read and heed, and pass this on to fellow veterans, friends and family, post them on your web sites, E-mail them, whatever - for a campaign of letters, calls, and action! These threats must not stand! This is not scuttlebutt - it is VERY real and under way even now!
These threats include:
1. A "review" of all PTSD awards since 1999 (for veterans of all eras, but as the main claims are among Viet vets, they will be most affected.) It is my firm opinion that this will result in a cutting or even a total loss of benefits for most (if not all) cases under review. (Note that they are not "reviewing" cases of people denied benefits.)
This will be strengthened by a "review" of all FUTURE awards for those in the system now. That means any of you who are now in the process, or thinking of entering it, and all the kids whose minds are getting screwed up in combat now will also have to go through the demeaning, humiliating, and tortuous process again - IF they are lucky enough to be awarded the rating to begin with...
2. A "redefinition" of what a "veteran" is - by the chicken-hawks, led by a non-combat REMF Rep Steve Buyer (R-IN), head of the Veteran's Affairs Committee.
Buyer (or more appropriately "Seller" - as in "Seller-out of vets") is a COL (Reserves, armchair variety, JAG, 1 each) who has never been in combat. His "medals" include the Bronze Star (WITHOUT "V" or cluster, i.e.; non-combat) and the Legion of Merit (the highest award for bravery in staff meetings!), but he is now in the act of "re-defining what a veteran is" - and, as he says; "everything is on the table.
My guess is that this is just the start. I think in a few years, there will be no VA for all those who most need it - and by then even more will be hitting the system...
This government has already cut the VA $250 million, DECREASED staff (!!), closed a number of hospitals, clinics, and outreach programs, and more is coming, even as the casualties continue to mount.
Remember the fight to get Agent Orange and PTSD recognized (despite the fact that hitherto classified memos between the government and the chemical companies reveal that they knew of the dangers of Agent Orange as early as 1968)? There is still little recognition for other chem agents, like Agent Blue and White that seem to be having an impact as well, but get little PR.
This war is going to have problems just as tough, and tougher. These include the already proven connection between depleted uranium and leukemia, among other things. As it was used extensively in Gulf I, and even more so in Afghanistan, and Iraq II, there are going to be lots of repercussions down the line for those exposed. (Just as Agent Orange continues to poison the Vietnamese and the vets who were exposed to it.) The leukemia rates over there among both troops and natives is sky-rocketing!
I attach articles connected with these and related issues. Please don't wait on this, or gaff it off. Many of your comrades (if not you yourself) stand to be shafted, big-time - once again...
Here is a site that keeps an eye on things like this: VA Watchdog site by Larry King.
VA reviews claims for post-traumatic stress
By Rebecca Carroll, AP
August 12, 2005
WASHINGTON – The government is going to take a new look at the claims of about a third of the military veterans who now get disability payments for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Veterans Affairs Department will begin a yearlong review next month of 72,000 cases after an internal study found inconsistencies in the way the claims were decided, including many cases approved although they lacked required medical evidence. Millions of dollars a year could be involved.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a mental illness characterized by subjective symptoms like flashbacks and nightmares, can be difficult to diagnose and quantify.
The review will cover veterans whose claims were approved between 1999 and 2004 and who receive full disability benefits – $2,299 a month – for PTSD alone or in combination with other conditions, said VA spokesman Phil Budahn.
The review won't consider the other side of the question, whether some veterans were wrongly denied benefits, and that has some critics upset.
"We need to pay as much attention to improper denials as we do to improper grants," said Illinois Rep. Lane Evans, ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
Budahn said the VA could look at that later, "but first we're just going to keep our focus on the problem that's been identified."
Randy Reese, national service director for Disabled American Veterans, complained that the review would divert resources from the VA's backlog of several hundred thousand disability claims yet to be processed.
Last year, the VA spent $4.3 billion on PTSD disability payments, not including medical care.
The number of veterans receiving compensation benefits for the illness rose nearly 80 percent between 1999 and 2004 – from 120,265 to 215,871. During the same period, benefits for all types of disabilities grew by just 12 percent, to about 2.5 million. So far, about 10 percent of the stress syndrome increase comes from veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Budahn said.
Some experts say PTSD is diagnosed too readily. "PTSD went from being problematic being accepted as a condition, to being almost too easily accepted," said Wilbur Scott, a University of Oklahoma sociologist who has written about the disorder.
Budahn attributed the increase mostly to rising awareness of the illness, thanks to education efforts by the VA, veterans' organizations and health care workers.
If the current review finds a veteran's claim does not include adequate proof of a "stressor" – the specific event or events that trigger the mental illness – the veteran will be asked to provide more information and could ultimately lose benefits.
Proof of a service-related triggering event is one of the VA's few hard and fast requirements for PTSD disability benefits. The inspector general's report last May found that more than 25 percent of the PTSD cases reviewed lacked adequate proof of a service-related stressor.
Valid stressors can be difficult to prove. "Sometimes it's a bureaucratic nightmare to get the evidence. People in wartime aren't sitting there with a steno pad keeping good records," said Mary Ellen McCarthy, Democratic staff director for the House Veterans subcommittee on disability assistance.
Are You Really a Veteran? Rep. Steve Buyer is redefining your status
Larry Scott
March 29, 2005
Are you really a veteran? Better check it fast. I did. I've got my DD-214 that says "honorable discharge." I've got the red-white-and-blue VA identification card complete with lousy picture and the "service-connected" rating. So, I must be a veteran. Right? Not if Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN), chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, has his way.
Buyer is trying to rewrite the definition of "veteran" in a cold and calculated manner that could cost millions of veterans their benefits. Buyer recently won a political tug-of-war and replaced Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) as chairman of HVAC. Smith was known as a true friend of veterans and often broke ranks with his party to forward legislation favorable to the veteran community.
Not so with Buyer. In a recent interview with journalist Tom Philpott, Buyer stated, "While some veterans' organizations like to create a theme, that 'A veteran is a veteran [and] there is no difference,' I disagree."
Shortly after winning the chair at HVAC, Buyer said, "Some of the veterans service organizations, they are having this belief that everyone should have open access to the VA system, when in fact I believe that the VA system should follow its core constituency and the intent of Congress when we laid out our priorities, and that was in fact to take care of our disabled and indigent veterans first." (This subject was covered in my Military.com article on "Welfarizing the VA")
So, what is happening here? Buyer is trying to redefine "veteran," and in so doing, reshape benefit programs to meet his new definition. In short, this means fewer benefits for fewer veterans.
The two keys here are Buyer's references to "intent of Congress" and "core constituency." By rejecting the "intent of Congress" when they passed legislation defining benefits and eligibility, Buyer is telling us Congress was wrong and he is going to change it. By referring to the VA's "core constituency" as "disabled and indigent veterans," he is eliminating veterans who do not fall into those categories.
This is just plain absurd! And it is wrong! As Buyer continues to redefine who is really a veteran, here is some of what's at stake. The bipartisan Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission will hold its first meeting soon. The Commission will review whether Congress went too far by allowing concurrent receipt of military retirement and VA disability payments. Also on the table is a change in the way disability ratings are determined, and a restructuring of the definition of "service-connected." Buyer says he cannot guarantee veterans who currently have disability ratings that they will be exempt from Commission findings.
Buyer also wants the Commission to consider offering lump-sum payments to veterans with current disability ratings of 20 percent or less. These "cash now" settlements would deny veterans the right to pursue any compensation claims in the future. A veteran with a progressive condition, one that causes degenerative disability with age, would have no right to further compensation.
What's really on the table when it comes to redefining a veteran and available benefits? Buyer says, "I think everything should be on the table."
Everything! Buyer is even suggesting that service-connected disabilities be combat-related only. This would eliminate treatment and compensation for injuries received while on active duty but not directly related to combat.
Buyer also took aim at the veterans' service organizations, saying their view that all veterans should have access to VA healthcare abandons values like duty and sacrifice. He chided the service organizations for using inflammatory rhetoric. "I asked them to be very careful with the words they select because "they have an impact all over the country. It is upsetting to me when someone refers to veterans as whiney," Buyer stated.
Well, there you have it in his own words. The chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee calling our service organizations "whiney" and accusing them of abandoning values like duty and sacrifice. (Note: Buyer is a wealthy attorney, whose Congressional salary is about $158,000. With all the Congressional "perks," {not to mention his military pay!}, his only "sacrifice" is possibly in getting less than he normally would be getting in the private sector!)
It would be easy to dismiss Buyer as part of some lunatic fringe on Capitol Hill trying to stick it to veterans. But that is not the case. Buyer speaks for the majority in Congress who speak for the current administration.
And, Buyer is the one guilty of inflammatory rhetoric. Demeaning our service organizations and their attempts to preserve veterans' benefits is a slap in the face to ALL veterans. Our service organizations have, in the past, often done too little too late. Sometimes we wondered where they were as the VA budget took hit after hit. Now they find themselves in the position of doing what they were meant to do and being castigated for it.
Fellow veterans, if this is not a call to action, I don't know what is. We cannot allow Congress to redefine who is a veteran. We cannot allow Congress to restructure veterans' benefits and reshape the definitions of disability. We have worked too hard for too long to not receive proper recognition for our service to our country.
It's time to put severe pressure on Congress. Recently 400 disabled veterans did just that when they jammed Committee hearings, booing and jeering Buyer and others who want to cut benefits. This new level of activism must increase if we are to preserve our benefits and guarantee a properly funded VA for the veterans of the future.
In 1789 President George Washington said, "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars and how they were treated and appreciated by this country."
If we do nothing now we will only be able to say that we did nothing.
New benefit delay hits disabled vets
June 19, 2005
BY CHERYL L. REED\\
Chicago Sun Times Staff Reporter
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-wvets19.html
The most seriously disabled veterans will now have to wait for their claims to pass a second review before they can receive any disability pay from the federal Veterans Affairs Department, according to a new policy ordered last week.
Veterans who have been granted disability for post-traumatic stress disorder or are judged to be 100 percent disabled or unemployable by one VA disability reviewer must now receive a second VA nod before the agency will grant any disability pay.
VA officials defended the policy, which went into effect immediately Tuesday and was issued to all 57 regional VA offices through a memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's always good to have an extra set of eyes on this stuff," said Scott Hogenson, a VA spokesman.
Obama fears trend of denials
Denials for those same disabilities, though, do not require a second review. Veterans advocates, as well as Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), fear the new policy sends a message that VA disability reviewers are not to grant high-paying claims.
"It appears there's going to be a bias towards the denial of PTSD claims," said Obama, who serves on the Senate VA Committee.
Some veterans advocates fear the new policy is the VA's way to get back at veterans who complained about low disability pay, which ultimately resulted in the agency being investigated by its inspector general this year. Other advocates say the extra review will just increase the existing backlog of cases.
Currently it takes an average of 167 days for the VA to decide a new claim. At the Chicago VA office, it is taking 206 days. The VA estimates a second review could take a day or two if the second reviewer agrees with the first decision. But if there's a disagreement, officials admit it will take much longer.
"I think a lot of this is being driven by policy as opposed to trying to look at why these differences are occurring and correcting that," said Joe Violante, legislative director for the national Disabled American Veterans.
A VA inspector general's investigation concluded last month that the wide disparity in disability pay from state to state derives from the number of veterans who are deemed 100 percent disabled with PTSD.
30% may be affected
Disabled veterans in New Mexico receive the highest average payment of $12,004, and 12.6 percent of that state's disabled veterans are rated 100 percent disabled for PTSD. But Illinois disabled veterans -- who receive the lowest disability pay in the nation - get $6,961 per veteran, and only 2.8 percent of Illinois' veterans are rated 100 percent disabled for PTSD.
Mental health experts estimate that as many as 30 percent of all veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer from PTSD, a serious mental disorder characterized by violent flashbacks and paranoia that can render a veteran unemployable. Veterans diagnosed with PTSD and deemed unemployable are in among the highest-paying categories of disability.
After refusing money to the VA Hospital System to help treat Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and refusing the funds to up-armor vehicles in and bound for Iraq, 25 senators have voted against the proposed "Kerry Amendment to increase the military death gratuity to $100,000, effective with respect to any deaths of members of the Armed Forces on active duty after October 7, 2001. Now who could vote against this? 25 Senators could, several of whom are up for reelection in 2006. How can these senators vote to deny the families of veterans who have lost their lives $100,000? That's only a fraction of the annual salary for a Congressman or Senator.
The list of those who defeated the measure (a "Yea" tabled the Kerry Amendment):
Grouped By Vote Position YEAs ---25 Allard (R-CO) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Bunning (R-KY) Burns (R-MT) Burr (R-NC) Cochran (R-MS) Cornyn (R-TX) DeMint (R-SC) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Enzi (R-WY) Frist (R-TN) Grassley (R-IA) Hatch (R-UT) Inhofe (R-OK) Lott (R-MS) McConnell (R-KY) Santorum (R-PA) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Stevens (R-AK) Thomas (R-WY) Voinovich (R-OH) Warner (R-VA) ____
Original Message - From: Jack Cunningham
President Bush's Veterans Disability Benefits Commission
In order to give out more PTSD disability benefits to the NEW veterans, President Bush has a great idea to take away disability benefits from the OLD veterans... (note: actually, this is not correct - they aren't going to give it to new vets either - read some of the other articles - FJT)
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) say that the below commission is only looking into PTSD fraud, but I'm sure many veterans with true disabilities will be hurt and their disability benefits will be cut, or completely shut off. I'm sure there is fraud in some of the PTSD claims, however, if a veteran with PTSD loses his or her valid disability benefits, who will be there to help? Even without this commission, the VA plays many games with veterans over their disability benefits. They played the usual games with me, before I received disability benefits.
It takes many years, many procedures and tests for an average veteran to receive PTSD Disability benefits. (Additional comments from another veteran are below.) PTSD is called a disability for a reason...
http://www.va.gov/vetscommission/
Original Message From: VET66A@aol.com
Anybody ever hear of the VDBC - Veterans Disability Benefits Commission - recently generated by this administration? If you have concerns of Veterans continuing to receive benefits you better watch these henchmen very closely. Upkeep is getting expensive and the hunt for funds is on. What's left of this administration's time in power could have life long effects on all present day veterans. Watch it boys. The bullies want your lunch money! If you care, do something. If you disagree and think these guys are just being prudent, you're nuts. Just read your history. Goes back to the Revolutionary War when soldiers held long past their release dates never received what they signed up for years earlier. A mere 140 acres. Not in some town. Not that anyone owned. Did they get it? Nope. The newly formed United States Government declined them based on the fact that the promise was not made by them. Ha-rumph Ha-rumph. It was their predecessors. Those Continental Boys. Ha-rumph Ha-rumph. Legal, schmegal. What crap.
There is currently a move on to make it harder to obtain disability compensation on many levels and even one lump pay outs to cut cost down the road. The bean counters are hard at work. Hold on to your wallets boys. They'll be wanting some of what's in there. They got better uses for it than you. Follow this link on VDBC issues. Take time to read it.
http://www.vawatchdog.org/milcom/vdbcsmisleadingquestions.htm
Or here for more stuff:
David Roberts
"Kindred Spirits of the Nam War"
It’s sad that with the Veterans Administration the Veterans take a back seat to office politics, personal vendettas and budgets.
