This just in from the Washington Post concerning the VA

Delayed Benefits Frustrate Veterans

Hundreds of Thousands of Disability Claims Pending at VA; Current Wars Likely to Strain System Further

By Christopher Lee

Washington Post Staff WriterSunday, April 8, 2007; Page A04
In his last years, World War II veteran Seymour D. Lewis would stand at the door of his home in Savannah, Ga., waiting for a letter that never arrived.
The family of the former Army private, who lost the hearing in his right ear to a grenade explosion in basic training in 1944, spent years wrestling with the federal bureaucracy for his disability benefits, at one point waiting more than a year just to be told to fill out more forms.
In 2001, the Department of Veterans Affairs started sending Lewis a monthly check for $200, an amount he appealed as too little and too late for the lasting physical sacrifice he made for his country, his family said. The appeal was still pending when Lewis died last year at age 80.
"Every time I would call, they would send me a new form to fill out, with exactly the same information that they already had," said his son Frank A. Lewis, 61, a Navy veteran. "They run you around. They keep you dangling. . . . My father was elderly. He would wait at the front door for the mailman, waiting for something from the VA. When he would get a letter, he would anxiously open it, and when it said nothing, the depression he would go into was unreal. I have a feeling they were just waiting for my father to drop dead so they wouldn't have to pay any money. It's been one big nightmare."
Hundreds of thousands of veterans, many approaching the winter of their lives, await VA disability claim decisions that will provide or deny a key source of income. The monthly payments, which range from $115 to $2,471 for individuals, are available to veterans of any age whose disability is "a result of disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service," according to the Veterans Benefits Administration.
Nearly 400,000 disability claims were pending as of February, including 135,741 that exceeded VA's 160-day goal for processing them. The department takes six months, on average, to process a claim, and the waiting time for appeals averages nearly two years.
This already strained system may grow more overburdened in years ahead as many of the troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan return from those wars, experts say. VA gives veterans from the current conflicts top priority in claims processing.
"The projected number of claims from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will rapidly turn the disability claims problem into a crisis," said Linda J. Bilmes, a Harvard University professor of public policy who has studied the claims process and met with VA Secretary Jim Nicholson last month to discuss ways to improve it. Bilmes, who noted that those officially wounded in combat would be a small percentage of new veterans applying for compensation, estimated the long-term cost of providing them disability benefits at $70 billion to $150 billion.
Presidents, members of Congress and VA leaders have long promised to eliminate the backlog, but still the veterans wait. Some depict a cultural problem at VA -- an attitude of indifference or hostility among claims workers, a lack of appreciation for veterans' service reflected in snubbed phone calls, slow answers and repetitive paperwork. Some even believe the delays are deliberate, a way to keep costs down by deterring new claims or postponing awards until older veterans die.
"Once we can no longer be utilized as a soldier, we are of no use to them," said Michael Foley, 52, a former Navy intelligence specialist who served in Vietnam and Cyprus during the 1970s. "There is an impression of indifference when you are dealing with the VA benefits people. They are going to get a paycheck no matter what."
Foley has trouble sleeping and endures nightmares from things he saw in the service. The Thomasville, N.C., resident said he is in therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, but VA denied the disability benefits claim that he filed more than 2 1/2 years ago. He has appealed. Foley also wants VA compensation for a heart procedure in 2004 that he says left him in the hospital for 137 days with complications that included a paralyzed right leg.
"A lot of people think all veterans want a handout. That's not it," said Foley, who is unemployed and lives on less than $1,100 a month, including a $240 VA pension. "When I was in the Navy, they asked me to do things. At the time, it was exciting. My grandfather warned me that this was going to come back and bite me . . . one day. And it has. I lost my job, my house and everything else."
Ronald R. Aument, VA deputy undersecretary for benefits, acknowledged that the department needs to do better, but he rejected the idea that the delays and denials are motivated by money concerns.
"It's not as though we're working on commission here," Aument said. "There is very much a shared passion in this organization in trying to do right by veterans. . . . As far as whether or not we treat people rudely, I would certainly hope that's just an exception as opposed to the rule."
The department fields 7 million phone calls about disability claims each year, he said. Forty-eight percent of the workers who handle claims are veterans. In part, the process is slow so that veterans have time to submit documents and other evidence bolstering their cases, Aument said.
The VA load is getting heavier. Disability-related claims rose to 806,000 in 2006 -- a 39 percent increase from the claims filed in 2000. The workforce handling them grew by 36 percent over the same period, to 7,858 employees. VA officials expect 800,000 new claims this year.
Veterans' disabilities are also growing more complex, with increasing claims for PTSD, diabetes (often tied to herbicide exposure in Vietnam) and multiple ailments. As the veteran population grows older, those who suffer from chronic, progressive conditions -- heart, joint and hearing problems, for example -- file repeat claims, which account for more than half of all claims, VA says.
Earl Armstrong, 87, a former Army technician from Ravenna, Ohio, is a repeat filer.
Armstrong drove an armored vehicle and won a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star while serving under Gen. George Patton in France and Germany in 1944. He suffers from PTSD and persistent ringing in his ears, the latter from the machine gun that was mounted a few feet from his head, he said. The problems have worsened, and for three years Armstrong and his wife have tried to persuade VA to raise his disability rating from 50 percent to 100 percent, which would more than triple the couple's $781 monthly compensation to $2,610.
"I am sick of the VA and the way they've been treating us," Armstrong said. "I can't understand it. There's too many [claims], I guess, and they don't have enough people to handle them."
VA handed out $34.5 billion in disability payments to more than 3.5 million veterans and their survivors last year. Aument said VA has increased its claims workforce by more than 580 people in the past year and plans to hire more than 400 additional staff by June. "The cornerstone of our long-term strategy is to develop more processing capacity," he said.
It is too early to predict whether there will be a "huge surge" of claims from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, Aument said, and claims for severe disabilities such as lost limbs are those VA can process fastest. Still, some older veterans say their younger counterparts are in for a rude awakening when they apply.
Army veteran Raymond L. Goings, 61, served as a military policeman in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971, an experience that left the Las Vegas resident with PTSD, he said. He praised his VA psychiatrists, but not the regional office that denied the disability claim he has pursued for three years.
"Basically they said I was never being shot at, that the things I told them I saw, I didn't see," said Goings, who has appealed. "They wanted dates and times, even though I tried to explain to them that there are a lot of things about combat that I can't remember."
Jerrel Cook of Joplin, Mo., another Army veteran, breathes with the help of an oxygen tank and suffers from asthma, chronic bronchitis, hearing loss, hypertension and thyroid problems. Cook, 62, blames biological and chemical testing in Alaska while he was stationed there in the mid-1960s. VA has denied his five-year-old disability claim.
"They are playing a waiting game," he said. "It's easier to stall out until the veteran dies rather than to pay his claim. . . . This is ongoing practice with the VA, and it's certainly something that needs to be corrected."


NOW FOR THE COMMENTS:

*VA handed out $34.5 billion in disability payments* I really resent your use of the word Handed out. You are NOT handing out anything. The PayMaster is doing no more than his duty, and that , it seems is debatable. Veterans Benefits are Not Welfare to be doled out, they were earned in some of the most extreme surroundings for some. Maximum heroics in some of the other cases, and even mundane ways for some, but earned never the less. After years of Republican control in Congress and the White House, the next time a Republican or the President claims that the Democratic Party is against the Troops, remember this article. This should tell everyone that its the Rightwing Hawks that use up the Troops as cannon-fodder, then cast them aside to fend for themselves. Facts like 1/2 the Homeless in America are Vets should haunt every Conservative and Neocon and anyone that votes for them from here on out.
By OneCrankyDom Apr 7, 2007 10:41:05 PM Request Removal
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OneCrankyDom is partially right. However, there are bogus claims and bureaucracy has to sort them out. There were people who were screwed up before they got into the military or incurred an injury or illness while in the military but not on duty. There is no simple way to separate such claims from the legitimate ones. If this country stops engaging in unneccessary unwinnable wars like Iraq it will not have to worry about being overwhelmed with VA claims.
By RealChoices Apr 7, 2007 11:31:40 PM Request Removal
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Earlier this week I received my final denial of my claim for a service connected disability. The main reason is that the VA is responsible for my medical care, as I receive a non-service connected VA disability check each month, and the VA doctors refuse to help me with my case—they say what ever they want to in order to have me turned down, but when I provided specific info and two witnesses to what happened to me during my military service they refused to acknowledge what I said or contact the witnesses. Until all these stories about other veterans battles for disability claims began to appear in the Wash Post I thought that it was more or less just the way that my case has been mis-handled. Some of the disabilities that I receive my monthly check for are service connected but others are not. I am only after the VA for a fair determination of what happened to me while in the service. I want to pass on the info about non-service connected disability benefits—if you are a veteran who is 100 percent permanently disabled for life then you can get a check which equals about what a 60 percent service connected disability gets you. So if they turn you down for service connected than you may as well go ahead for the non-service connected—at least you will have some income coming in. The non-service connected check is also given to very low income vets over 62 or 65, I forget which, but if you are a very low income vet over 62 you should look into it. My case is all written out on one of my blogs at ursusdave3.blogspot.com/2006/12/part-9-of-lieutenant-t-gordon-barber.html
By ursusdave Apr 8, 2007 12:54:43 AM Request Removal
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As a veteran, I am part of this national disgrace. I have NEVER been treated so poorly and unprofessionaly in my entire life. My claim has been in the process now for over 6 years! I had a federal judge rule in my favor, but was later overturned by a GS-12 social worker, during a comp hearing. As of this date, Ive recieved a total amount of comp money of $3.08/ travel pay. Didnt even cover my local bus fare. The local papers here are reporting that it may take as many as 15yrs to resolve these claims, and by then many will have died, ...As I will. David K. Keith 45 E. main st. Clifton Springs, NY. 14432 315-462-2185 dkk059@hotmail.com dkk_smeggs@yahoo.com
By dkk059 Apr 8, 2007 3:40:54 AM Request Removal
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I am a retired Air Force veteran who sustained a knee injury during military service. The VA originally awarded a 30 disability to my claim. Over the years my disability has worsened, causing me to be unable to walk. I applied for increased disability benefits and have been waiting since Oct 2006 for VA to review my claim. On Mar 22nd, I underwent total knee replacement surgery since the cartilege in my knee is completely gone. VA knows all this and periodically sends me form letters saying they are still reviewing my claim.
By blkleader Apr 8, 2007 5:59:39 AM Request Removal
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I certainly dont doubt that there are disabilities that appear to have been overlooked by Vet affairs, however, I feel that the most disabling disabilities need the most attention. I, too, lost most of my hearing ability in my right ear from firing weapons from my right shoulder day after day without ear plugs or any attempt to baffle the noise. Just didnt think about it at the time. I do not consider this a critical disability and never consided making a claim for it.
By tom.law Apr 8, 2007 7:03:24 AM Request Removal
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I certainly dont doubt that there are disabilities that appear to have been overlooked by Vet affairs, however, I feel that the most disabling disabilities need the most attention. I, too, lost most of my hearing ability in my right ear from firing weapons from my right shoulder day after day without ear plugs or any attempt to baffle the noise. Just didnt think about it at the time. I do not consider this a critical disability and never consided making a claim for it. Non battle field injuries should take a back seat to others.
By tom.law Apr 8, 2007 7:06:05 AM Request Removal
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As a taxpayer, I would rather pay 10 suspect claims and sort it out later than to deny one veteran the benefits he deserves in a timely fashion. Sometimes a patriot must be ready to defend his country against his government. Most of the decisions, going to war and how veterans are treated are made people who never bothered to serve.
By waterbirds Apr 8, 2007 8:11:11 AM Request Removal
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After years of down sizing the VA. Years of VA employees getting away with not doing the job they are paid for. Thinking that they can not be fired from their Gov. jobs. I am not surprised that the VA is not ready to deal with the increase in older Vets and the problems that come with old age. In the last few years they should have been ramping up for the New Vets that are now entering into the VA system. But they have not. Instead they are reallocating funds from the services that we older Vets need. To help deal with the needs of younger Vets. The wait for compensation has now gone from when they get around to it. To wait until we have taken care of the younger Vets. Dont misunderstand me. All Veterans are entitled to be fairly treated in a timely manner. Lets face it. Once we Veterans have done what was needed of us. Our great country wishes that we would just go away. So that they would not have to be reminded of the price of freedom. I have been waiting on the VAs claims process for almost 5 years now. That is after have to wait for 20 years before I could even talk about what it is that had caused my PTSD. Why did I have to wait for 20 years? Because the Special Operation I was on was declared A matter of National Security. In truth what every Vet did and what these brave young men and woman are doing today is a matter of national security. No matter what it is that they do. If we did not server. We as a country would not have any national security.
By jeffreydennis Apr 8, 2007 8:48:02 AM Request Removal
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This is a disgrace! To think that so many vets from present and past wars are waiting for benefits that they deserve and having to provide dates, times of events - war does not allow one to sit and write every time and event. I am thoroughly ashamed that our country is treating its vets in this manner. I, too, would rather pay the money and then sort out the false claims. And it will be worse in the future if this situation persists.
By gwenpac Apr 8, 2007 8:58:03 AM Request Removal
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I am a 57 year old Vietnam Era veteran who served with the USAF in NKP Thailand from 1973 - 74. Ten years ago this October, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, even though there is no history of that disease in my family. In 2006, I was diagnosed with neuropathy in my legs, feet, arms, and hands. I filed a claim with the VA in 2003, and have been denied service connected compensation twice, even with the evidence from my doctors. In December 2006, an MRI revealed a brain tumor and a tumor in my pituitary gland. I have been on painkillers for the past two years and I am becoming more and more outraged at the VA system each morning when I wake up in ungodly pain. The US Government used a highly toxic herbicide in Southeast Asia and they continue to lie about it and stonewall the Vietnam vets in the hope that they will all just die off. The notion of a Handout is ridiculous because many of these Vets had careers and were working and making decent livings when all of a sudden out of the blue we all started coming down with these strange debilatating illness, which force many to retire earlier than anticipated. The military knew, years ago that this would happen, but did they have the decency to inform anyone that this would affect us in later life. Not at all. We were released from service and told we were in good condition. The politial appointees in the Veterans Administration and the Social Security Administration are their solely to complicate the process and are doing more harm then good. Like some many veterans, I am about to lose everything that I have worked for, for the last thirty years and I hold the the VA and Social Security directly responsible for these situations. Anything that I have to do to survive in this country will be their responsibility because they have driven me to what I feel is desperation. I have insisted in the strongest of terms to my son and his friends about serving in the military, because as they see in my case, this country will literally murder its own, and then lie about it without batting an eye. It is about time that someone shed light on this issue because as you see the Vets since WWII have been treated like crap. I personally have lost all faith in this Nation to do the right thing and have inform my wife that I do not want a military funeral because I do not want the Flag of the country that murdered me on my coffin. I want to be cremated and have my ashes flushed down the toilet because that is the way this country has treated me and an untold number of vets that have put their lives on the line for this country. Now that we need this country, we are all being treated like S**T!!!. In hindsight, I should have gone to Canada.
By wgriff3245 Apr 8, 2007 8:59:52 AM Request Removal
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What ever happened to the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other veterans organization? Have they gone the way of AARP? Becoming blogged down businesses rather than helping those they claim to represent. The politicians of both parties cant wait to get their pictures take on their front porch with soldiers, sailors and marines going off to war, but when the wounded warrior comes home they provide platitudes, and some quick fixes, but then the same dung goes on. God Bless them All.
By wmlroberts Apr 8, 2007 9:08:54 AM Request Removal
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This a national disgrace that has been covered up and not addressed by anyone for the past sixty years. The fact that the US Army and the large US chemical companies developed Agent Orange and other derivatives of that herbicide from 1944 until now and that they knew the mix that they used in Southeast Asia and throughout the world, including the US was in some case a thousand times more poisonous that what is used for commercial use because it was cheaper to manufacture is absolutely heinous and nothing short of a serious Crime Against Humanity they should finally be held accountable for. It is true that the conditions at Walter Reed was the Tip of the Iceberg, now because of the stonewalling at the VA, EPA, the Institute of Medicine IOM for so many years is the nasty bottom of that same iceberg. Many vets and their children have been affected and already died from the effects of this herbicide. Thousands are suffering very painful lives because of it and they have no one to blame but their own government. It is one that I am clear ashamed of.
By wgriff3245 Apr 8, 2007 9:17:05 AM Request Removal
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Yes, these Vets want a hand out. They earned and deserve that hand out. Although the VA has always been difficult to deal with, President Bust has not fixed the problem. He has compounded it by increasing the number of veterens in the system. Do not expect your country to remember your service. Do not expect your country to ease the physical burdens placed on you by your service. Looking back to Roman history where men served 25 years then were called back the service shows how callus governments are. Look back the WW1 vets to see how callus the American government has been in the past.
By sander3997 Apr 8, 2007 9:17:51 AM Request Removal
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Just look at the outcome of those that fought in the early 1990*s.. take a look at the denial, the claims, the deaths.. take a look at the age of the soldiers that died, how many fought and how few are left. Oops, things like DU do not exist--I almost forgot. The bottom line is that we never needed to be in Iraq and any words to the contrary are bases on lies--I do believe--and if you can not quite grasp the thorns of that word, try deceit and know that God is not mocked by profit making liars and their time has come. You as soldier should have expected nobility in goal, yet there was not any--only in the creativity and denial in ones mind could a trace be found, but GOD is not mocked. Save the Constitution no matter what--that is what you and I swore to do. www confidentialsources com
By abroadventure Apr 8, 2007 9:46:54 AM Request Removal
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the VA genuinely and savagely and actively hates veterans and will do anything to make a veterans life more horrible than it already is. they have absolutely no qualms about lying, falsifying records, perverting the truth and throwing money wrenches of every conceivable kind into the works, and if that doesnt get rid of you they accuse you of being a criminal and a coward and defient human simply for asking for your statutory rights and sacred civil promises. anything to make you go away.
By isafakir Apr 8, 2007 9:52:34 AM Request Removal
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*VA handed out $34.5 billion in disability payments* I really resent your use of the word Handed out. You are NOT handing out anything. The The VA handed out nothing but a lot of BS. We earned those benefits with our bones and our blood and our brains spoattered all over and our broken crushed lives and our tortured souls. WE pay the price every minute of every day and gladly for our country and our family and our children with our bones and our bodies and our minds and hearts and hopes and dreams and our love of country. We earned it and it is not a hand out. Is is a sacred contract and we pay the price every day and every minute. You asked us and we give. Where is your promise? Now YOU ALL keep your side of the contract. You all get the benefits of our labor and suffering and lost lives in your SUVs so stop begrudging us our pittances. What we politely and patiently ask for is ours under the law, under justice, and under human decency and under GOD. You gave us your word. Denying us is stealing. It is criminal. It is sacrilege.
By isafakir Apr 8, 2007 10:01:24 AM Request Removal
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The moral of this story is quite simple, veterans have sacrificed for a country that is in turn represented by a government unwilling to sacrifice for them. Were they expecting equitable or honorable treatment? How simple and trusting, remember this is the U.S. Government we are talking about!
By H5N1 Apr 8, 2007 10:06:44 AM Request Removal
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the VA genuinely and savagely and actively hates veterans and will do anything to make a veterans life more horrible than it already is. they have absolutely no qualms about lying, falsifying records, perverting the truth and throwing monkey wrenches of every conceivable kind into the works, and if that doesnt get rid of you, they accuse you of being a criminal and a coward and deficient and deceitful human simply for asking for your statutory rights and sacred civil promises. anything to make you go away.
By isafakir Apr 8, 2007 10:06:52 AM Request Removal
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This is more proof that Bush, dick Cheney and the GOP do not support the troops. They have consistently cut benefits, funding and employment at the VA since they took over Washington, and I do mean took over. Thank God the Democrats are back in charge of Congress and will bring back accountabilty to our federal government. Now its time to straighten out the mess left by the fascist neocon criminals.
By kevinschmidt Apr 8, 2007 10:07:07 AM Request Removal
The way this government treats its veterans is absolutely disgraceful! Those if office vote themselves healthy pay raises and have health care plans and a pension, that cant be beat. Now, if you have a connection with a defense contractor such as Halliburton-- your road is paved with taxpayer dollars and no questions asked. And then these people in Washington have the gall to call themselves patriots when many of them have never set foot on the battlefield or earned the right to wear a military uniform.
By morningglory51 Apr 8, 2007 10:08:56 AM Request Removal

Include General Dynamics in the war profiteers of defense contractors.
By morningglory51 Apr 8, 2007 10:10:51 AM Request Removal

the VA genuinely and savagely and actively hates veterans and will do anything to make a veterans life more horrible than it already is. they have absolutely no qualms about lying, falsifying records, perverting the truth and throwing monkey wrenches of every conceivable kind into the works, and if that doesnt get rid of you, they accuse you of being a criminal and a coward and deficient and deceitful human simply for asking for your statutory rights and sacred civil promises. anything to make you go away.
By isafakir Apr 8, 2007 10:16:38 AM Request Removal

The term benefit has been substituted for entitlement. Entitlement was the term was used when I was processed out of Vietnam in 1969, not benefit. There were no strings attached such as income levels, degree of injury, place/time of injury, etc. You were supposedly entitled to medical care regardless of cause/source for the remainder of your life. I have called the VA numerous times to check on medical care - I have been told not to bother: my income was too high, I couldnt document military related problems, I had private medical insurance and on and on. I never made it to the door, much less into the system.
By sbarkley Apr 8, 2007 10:17:06 AM Request Removal

Facts like 1/2 the Homeless in America are Vets should haunt every Conservative and Neocon and anyone that votes for them from here on out. By OneCrankyDom Apr 7, 2007 10:41:05 PM hey cranky one: i would really like to see that statistic: got a reference anyone?
By isafakir Apr 8, 2007 10:18:35 AM Request Removal

Sorry lads! We are no longer an asset, but a liability.
By jhuer Apr 8, 2007 10:21:09 AM Request Removal

“You were supposedly entitled to medical care regardless of cause/source for the remainder of your life.” Right, if you can prove you have a service related injury or illness. Fortunately, I made it through my time in the Army without incurring either, but I saw others make claims. Sometimes the claims were valid and other times they were just trying to get a handout or trying to get disability for something not connected with anything that happened in the line of duty. Someone has to sort this out, you can’t just agree to every claim.
By RealChoices Apr 8, 2007 10:34:45 AM Request Removal

I filed my claim for medical probelms related to the chemical weapons and drug experiments at Edgewood Arsenal that the Army and CIA and DOD funded and ran from 1955 thru 1975. I was there in June thru August 1974, there are 77 toxic substances in the drinking water, and soil of the base, let alone anything we were exposed to on purpose. The program was stopped in 1975 when it came out publicly that these experiments were in violation of the Nuermberg Codes of 1947. Of the 7120 men used in that 20 year period 2098 are presumed deceased as of FY 2000 when the last data was gathered and 54 of the 4022 survivors are disabled, that makes a 74.43 death and disability rate and the VA will not address the issues, I filed my claim in Dec 2002 and it is still on appeal. I have written Senators Graham, Demint, Congressman Joe Wilson and many other elected officials on the VA committes of the house and Senate VA committees, after more than three decades these veterans used and abused in this program deserve the benefit of the doubt, due to the amount of possible toxins they were exposed to. Yet, no one will make the VA help these men or their widows and children, why?
By mikey30919 Apr 8, 2007 10:46:27 AM Request Removal

the 54 should be 54 about 2200 men are disabled the report from the IOM failed to mention how the men became disabled not did it mention how the 2098 men passed away, these are men that would have been aged 45-65 in FY2000. The SSA says 3 out of 10 men will become diabled by age 65, it doesnt say anything about 7.5 becoming dead or disabled by age 65 Common sense says there is a link here
By mikey30919 Apr 8, 2007 10:51:55 AM Request Removal

I just noticed it doesnt use the pecentage sign anywhere the 54 is 54percent and the 74.43 is 74,43percent I apologize
By mikey30919 Apr 8, 2007 10:53:15 AM Request Removal

Bush produces terrorists at a pace, all the armies of the world cannot contain them or stop them. Right now, at this very moment, we have sleepers by the millions thanks to the efforts of this administration. THE WORLD NOW HAS BECOME A DANGEROUS PLACE, CAUSED BY THIS ADMINISTRATION. The ONE choice and plight is: ** STOP THIS ADMINISTRATION ** NOW !!! DEAD OR ALIVE !!!
By jw.holtkamp Apr 8, 2007 10:55:28 AM Request Removal

As a veteran of El Salvador, I can attest to the endless cycle of repeat requests for aid...it was 15 years before my service there was even acknowledged and by that time I had sworn an oath never to step through the doors of the VA unless it was to visit someone else. I was treated as though I was taking up their precious time with my requests and more than once I left in tears...crying like a little girl. I now seek private therapy for PTSD and most of my support comes from interaction with veterans organizations and a loving third wife. I volunteer at Stand Down every year...knowing that there, but for the grace of a higher power, go I By the way, the statistics are as follows: between 27 and 38 of homeless in this country are veterans - 50 - 60 of the MALE homeless population are veterans with undiagnosed or untreated PTSD, mental illness or related substance abuse issues. These statistics vary about 2 - 3 depending on source but come from come from National Coalition for the Homeless, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill NAMI, and the Urban Institute, along with field studies by several veterans groups including the VFW, DAV and Vietnam Veterans of America. and JHUER, you are right...we are expendable assets. A dead veteran costs nothing to maintain. Veterans are the final casualty in every war reason...enough to end war forever. Thanks to all who have served...and may all chickenhawks and war profiteers burn in hell.
By donaldalbares Apr 8, 2007 10:57:31 AM Request Removal

Nothing new to any veteran who has dealt with the v a or the usual happy talk from who ever heads the administration. Waiting a month to receive a perscription by mail because the local pharmacy was closed to speed the process is some federal genious idea to help. too bad the illness doesnt wait
By gonville1 Apr 8, 2007 11:02:52 AM Request Removal

I WOULD DISAGREE WITH Ronald R. Aument COMMENT ABOUT NOT WORKING ON COMMISSION. iN A WAY THEY ARE, THE LESS VA CLAIMS APPROVAL, THE LONGER THE MANAGEMENT KEEP THEIR JOBS AND IN THEIR VIEW WATCHDOG THE BUDGET. THESE PEOPLE DONT GIVE A CRAP ABOUT THE VETERANS, ONLY ABOUT THEIR JOBS AND THE POLICICAL FALLOUT. PRESSURE NEEDS TO BE INCREASED TO FORCE THE VA TO DO THE RIGHT THING. IF YOU WANT AN EXAMPLE OF COMPLETE ARROGANCE LOOK AT HASS V NICHOLSON.
By mwohlstein Apr 8, 2007 11:04:43 AM Request Removal

Veterans who do their duty should be afforded all benefits promised in a timely manner. The so-called backlog is just a symptom of a greater problem which is a Veterans Administration which is out of touch with those they are supposed to serve and a government who would sooner see a veteran just die or otherwise go away than collect what is rightfully theirs. It pains me to see that while so much as changed since the Viet Nam era so much remains the same. Those who serve in the military deserve at least as much as the illegal aliens we are so predisposed to helping. We are too concerned with the rights of the criminal and should concentrate more on the rights of the hero.
By drwilliamson Apr 8, 2007 11:06:02 AM Request Removal

I believe everything these vets are saying.The VA does purposely ignore information.If I had time I could tell you horror stories.I spent 4 months in a VA in 1989.Was told I would not be able to work again.I was discharged with a 50 percent disability from the military and worked clear up to 1989.When I was discharge from the VA hospital,I had applied for benefits.It took 7 years of having doctors reports from their own staff being ignored.In many cases they turn down appeals based on answers they gave to completely different statements the doctors had made or questions I had asked causing me to have to wait another 90 to 180 days to try and get a proper decision.They had to do that on purpose,noone could possibly be that stupid.Once the DAV had misplaced my file for an entire year.When I complained about it I was told by the worker that if I didnt like the way they handled my case,I could go somewhere else,which I did. I lost my home,my cars,my boat and everything I had worked for ,for twenty years,and finally my family.By the time they reimbursed me for the 4 months I had spent in the hospital.It was too late.I had lost $170,000 in equity of my property.When I complained of the way the VA had handled my case to the main office in Washington D.C.They wrote back and gave me the disability but said what the local office did was harmless error.Maybe to them it was harmless to me it was devestating.This only scratches the surface.Every vet can tell stories like this.And for the record,I served with the 3rd Marine Division with a Recon unit and I was not a rear-echelon Marine.I left Vietnam with 4 pieces of metal in me and a trashed leg,and after the seige of KheSanh,a nervous system that would never be the same.Theyre so backed up in my opinion because they keep so many vets tied up with appeals because of intentional turndowns,vets that should never be turned down,if they would just bother to read their own doctors reports on the men.The Veterans affairs is the enemy.They dont give any veteran the benefit of the doubt when all evidence is equal,like their federal VA guidelines say.They just deny guys and to hell with regulations.Every Veteran in the system knows these things are true.If they would admit the problem,they could fix it.But how do you fix a problem that no one will admit to? There a lot of good honest hard working people at the VA.But there are also a lot of lazy-ass dont give a damn about anyone or anything except their own jobs which they have the normal attitude of a lot of government workers.They know it takes almost an act of congress to fire a government worker,so they dont care how rotten a job they are doing.A lot of employees actually resent the veterans.It needs to be fixed.But likely,it wont happen.The top heavy admin wont admit the problem.We had one supervisor hired at the VA here that came down from the VA in Cleveland Ohio to avoid sexual harassment charges.That came from the Saint Petersburg Times,on an article about the Bay Pines V.A. in Bay Pines,Florida.The first thing this guy did was remodel his office,as tight as the V.A. budget is,to the tune of $125,000.00 including $17,000.00 for a damn Fish tank.These problems continue today and go on and on.Thanks for reading this.Dont believe any of these lying ass Government V.A. Admin or any of the politicians that lie about the condition.Ronald R.Aument from the V.A says he rejects the idea that delays and denials are delayed because of money concerns.Hes a liar.They always turn down everyone in the hope they will get so frustrated they will just go away.And a Lot of combat veterans often do go away.Or,commit suicide.So far more Vietnam veterans have commited suicide than were killed in the war. They could not get help.Thank you!
By Nightsticker1 Apr 8, 2007 11:21:17 AM Request Removal

Now that the vets cant fight anymore they become just like the rest SCREWED by this ADMINISTRATION. The Dick n Bush show stealing money and killing Americans for their profit. Saddame was killed for what? The same thing??
By ezwider420 Apr 8, 2007 11:33:46 AM Request Removal

Nightsticker1 welcome home brother sorry you had to pay such a high price before the VA came thru with you earned benefits
By mikey30919 Apr 8, 2007 11:37:18 AM Request Removal

effreydennis - I must take issue with your observations regarding WWII era vets. Here in Minnesota, we have 2 medical centers with Adult ay Health Care Centers that are overwhelmed with reqests for admittance. The one I have been in since 1994 [yes I am an octegenarian] has a very dedicated staff which is overburdened, It has 5 persons caring for a census of over 70 vets. The same number of staff they had when the program started with 15 vets.This year our facility has not yet been notified of the funds they were to be allocated. If you must blame someone, blame the Congressmen who lade the appropriation allocations with their pet pork projects and if signed into law brag to their constituents how much they have helped them and the veterans
By rbj11320 Apr 8, 2007 11:37:45 AM Request Removal

Does the American public realize that a VA disability rating of 30 pays the injured veteran $389 a month? A 100 rating earns $2280 a month. Thirty percent of $2280 is $684. I would appreciate someone explaining the rationale for the VAs arithmetic in shortchanging veterans in this manner. It should be noted that if a soldier loses a forearm and gets an 80 disability determination the veteran gets somewhere around $700 to $1,000 a month in benefits. captstan
By stansmilans Apr 8, 2007 11:42:21 AM Request Removal
It gets harder and harder to be jingoistic.
By richw32001 Apr 8, 2007 11:48:25 AM Request Removal

The Herr decider Commander in Chief is now blasting away more hot air about the troops in the Iraq War and others. Simple facts are we would not have Iraq war Vets etc, if for his fraud war with falsified and fabricated evidence. After close to 3500 dead and over 50,000 permanently maimed, handicaped and crippled that the tax payers has to maintain for life, all would have been spared, had it not been for the megalomaniac, his compulsive-obsessive, sociopathy, with his divine religious mandate and being the messenger of his god. More to the point as far as the Vets are concerned, this is just the begining of their woes. They be better off to remember that millions of Vietnam vets, menatlly ill, crippled and mamined were turned out and put on the streets and wound up being homeless and unwanted dregs of society. Further more the MBA Presidency with all the incompetency has managed to hang a over $4 trillion federal deficit around the nations neck since the dubious Presidency. Along with another over $13 trillion national assests hocked to the foreigners like the Chinese, Arabs, Japanese and others. At home our natural resources in particular oil is at the lowest ebb, while the Commander in Chief files around in that 747 at the cost of over $10,000 per hour just of aviation fuel.
By winemaster2 Apr 8, 2007 12:06:16 PM Request Removal

I do not mean to take away from a sad story, But wake up America! Our goverment didnt start screwing vets when we read the story about the conditions at the VA hospital a few weeks ago! This has been standard procedure for many disabled vets that are still living!!!! As much as I would like to blame the Bush crew, they have only kept-up the pratice. Its time to take a stand about what we Americans will tolerate from our goverment.
By tbellamy22 Apr 8, 2007 12:25:54 PM Request Removal

Nightsticker1- I know your frustration. In hindsight the only regret that I have in life now a age 57 is that I did not go to Canada. Instead, when this country called I answer and now when I was looking forward to a rewarding retirement I am about to lose everything. At age 57 there is no starting over. At this point I have only anger towards both the VA and the Social Security Administration because they both seem to be working out of the same playbook. I am suffering from the effects of Agent Orange, and for all practical purposes life is over for me. I have made it clear to my family that I do not want the flag of this country on my coffin.
By wgriff3245 Apr 8, 2007 12:32:08 PM Request Removal

I have to disagree with Ronald R. Aument, VA deputy undersecretary for benefits, when he rejected the idea that the delays and denials are motivated by money concerns. The sad truth is that every dollar not firmly nailed down has been diverted to the Iraq War. This effects the VA, Walter Reed, needed benefits, no programs, the list is endless. This is in addition to the billions passed by the Congress. The rank and file folks at the VA sincerely want to help more but they are limitted by inadequate resources$.This sad state will continue until we leave Iraq and stop the bleeding in dollars and lives.
By ramos Apr 8, 2007 12:42:11 PM Request Removal

To jeffreydennis and others who state that VA employees bear responsibility for the delays, etc. Please realize these are normal good folks that, by and large, want to help the vet as much as humanly possible. The root problem is lack of resources $. Even the relatively small funds provided to VA are further reduced when the administration cuts the budget to support the Iraq War. Now that the media has moved on to other matters, does anyone want to bet that the improvements to WR and VA facilities will take place as advertised? One thing I cannot understand. The problems within the VA system and its principal cause above are well known to the average person. Yet when Bush/Cheney want a safe audience to make a speech tooting the Iraq War, they pick venues like the VFW, American Legion, other veteran organizations and military installations. I understand respecting the Present and Vice Present positions but could not the organizations just express their displeasure beforehand?
By ramos Apr 8, 2007 12:52:54 PM Request Removal

As a Vietnam Era Veteran I came to the conclusion that as written that the Department of Veterans Affairs does try to stall long enough for a veteran to die. Basicly, Its cheaper to pay for a coffin sized flag and a letter of appriciation from the President than supply medical care and/or a pension to a veteran in need.
By ojelland Apr 8, 2007 1:27:02 PM Request Removal

As a retired Federal Employee, I would never blame the rank in file for this fiasco. They work very hard to try to make the system work properly in spite of which Administration is in power. Unfortunately, it is the higher ups in the management system who are trying to impress the politicos and the political appointees who come in an agency which an agenda which in most cases that I have observed have been contrary to what the agencies goals actually are. The rank in file are constantly trying to work within the mandates of each new administration. They are some of the hardest working individuals that I have ever known. As a former supervisor, there were many supervisors who I was familiar with that should not be in government service who treated their section as their own little feifdom. They were unwilling to take anyone elses opinion into consideration which eventually led to their downfall. For the most part, it is the rank in file Federal employee that keeps it from completely falling apart. It has been my experience that under most Republican Administrations their motto should be If it aint broke, break it.
By wgriff3245 Apr 8, 2007 1:38:43 PM Request Removal

tbellamy22 is right. This treatment of our veterans is not new by any stretch. Plus ca change. Watch the 1989 movie called Article 99 Ray Liotta and Kiefer Sutherland. My dad Vietnam veteran and I watched it together a couple of years ago. My dad pretty much laughed because otherwise hed cry. He said whoever wrote it must have had personal experience with the VA.
By misskate Apr 8, 2007 1:45:55 PM Request Removal

My mistake Article 99 is from 1992.
By misskate Apr 8, 2007 1:48:05 PM Request Removal

But some o` them VOLUNTEERED...! Ain`t that right, Brownie?
By philip_riggio Apr 8, 2007 1:59:42 PM Request Removal

Auments flip comment regarding working on commission is typical of the attitude in VAs leaderhsip that perpetuates the inattention veterans receive at the hands of the clerks and case workers who administer the claims system. Perhaps if Auments workforce received performance-based pay, and the most important element of the performance was customer satisfaction, attitudes at the worker-bee level would change in a heartbeat. Its interesting that an administration headed by an alleged MBA would ignore the most fundamental aspect of customer service in its operations. Auments attitude is simultaneously unbusinesslike and shameful. Shame on the Post and Christopher Lee for using the imagery of a handout in connection with the VAs administration of veterans disability payments. The VA administers, disburses, or simply pays out benefits to those who have earned them in the service of the nation--it doesnt hand anything out. Its ironic that the Post would let such a sloppy characterization slip through such editorial process as might exist, when the point of Lees article is that vets have a hard time getting anything out of the VA. The irony calls into question whether Lee and the Post understand what theyre publishing. They certainly seem incapable of empathy.
By pjohnabq Apr 8, 2007 2:04:58 PM Request Removal

This is exactly what happened to my dad, a WWI veteran. He had applied for a small pension to help with end-of-life medical help and the VA delayed and delayed getting it to him even though it was obvious to all that he qualified and like there were a lot of WWI veterans making claims in 1984. Thankfully, he had a young son me and a very good county VA person advocating for him as he was very feeble at the time. Between us we spent three years badgering the VA until they came thru. Six months later, my dad passed away at age 87. Remember the Rule of Bureaucracy not just the VA: *We exist to serve ourselves before we serve those for whom we were created.*
By grossman Apr 8, 2007 2:31:00 PM Request Removal

For those veterans who are having a tough time filing claims and keeping up with the bureacracy that is the VA, you need to get in touch with a representative of any one of the veterans organizations, that will, hopefully, act as an effective advocate for you while you pursue your claims. Of course, there are the better know orgs, such as the American Legion, but lesser known ones will sometimes put up a better fight, and these include the Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
By ripsnortinroy Apr 8, 2007 2:34:29 PM Request Removal

rip I have used the American Legion, The DAV and am now using the Paralyzed Veterans of America none of them will push hard when the VARO is playing ignorant on the issues there are 7120 Edgewood Arsenal veterans that everyone have ignored for three decades why help them now
By mikey30919 Apr 8, 2007 2:40:27 PM Request Removal

O! so true, I have had an on going saga with the VA since 1963.At the time of my release when I was returned from the Far East I was told my disability was 60 but i would have to extend my ETS to be able to get them or I could accept the discharge and then apply when I got to my home.foolish me I wanted to go home so I agree as 6 months to a year was a long time.To this day I receive a 20 rating, which I started receiving in 1998.I have been trying to get it corrected as I wish to have the full 60 here at Waco,Texas and they told me it would be at least 2 years before they can get it completed this happened about 30 months ago and it is still 2 years. I wish this Ronald R Aument would pull his head out of gw bushs ass just long enough to tell the truth just once prior to my death.My disabilities all Service Connected.I know for sure the story or this article is correct as I have fill the same form out many times and have copied it and resubmit it when ask.I have had to do all the ground work of looking up my records of injuries, friends of 30 years past to gather the info they kept it concealed from me as I did not have the right to look at it.tThe best of good byes Frank Bowers in Austin, TX
By Arnold67 Apr 8, 2007 2:54:34 PM Request Removal

mooches, we are all a bunch of mooches. americas richest have sacrificed and you dont see them complaining -- ha ha. just keep sucking it up fellow vets, BOHICA!
By egalitaire Apr 8, 2007 3:07:03 PM Request Removal

Thank you Washington Post for helping keep the focus on the screwing over of our own Military Veterans by Liar in Chief George W Bush and Vice Liar Draft Dodger Delusional Dick Cheney and Bushs Total Incompetent Sec of Veterans Affairs Former RNC Chairman Political Hack Jim Nicholson and Id say the American Legion,DAV,VFW and company are too busy kissing Bushs butt to do any real help for any of our veterans,since all these phony Veterans Organizations do these days is run around wearing their little red overseas caps and have Liar in Chief George W Bush make a speech to them every time we turn around! And that makes all of them,the American Legion,VFW,DAV etc just as much of the problem as Bush,Cheney,Nicholson and our Gutless Congress,who constantly rubber stamps Bushs Cuts In Funds for The VA and I mean both the Democrats and Republicans here that support this national disgrace of how Bush Cheney Nicholson run the VA! Its also why we need to throw Co-President Looney Toons,Botox Beauty Queen World Traveler and Part Time Democratic Speaker of the House San Francisco Madame Damascus Nancy Pelosi out of Congress so we can force Congress to Impeach Whiner in Chief George W Bush and Vice Liar Draft Dodger Psycho Delusional Dick Cheney! So Wake and face Reality Bush will not do one damn thing to fix the problems at the VA unless we all force him to do so and to fire Jim Nicholson!
By SherryKay2004 Apr 8, 2007 3:19:27 PM Request Removal

Its not as though were working on commission here, Aument said. and then There is very much a shared passion in this organization in trying to do right by veterans. . . . As far as whether or not we treat people rudely, I would certainly hope thats just an exception as opposed to the rule. Mr Aument, rather than HOPE get off your duff and consult a few vets. You will find this is the norm not the exception. I have seen this at every regional office I have delt with for over 38 years. I would suggest that perhaps some folks need to do the math... a 100 percent sevice-connected disabled vet receiving the max benefit receives 2900 dollars a month.....3200 or so a year. Ever try to feed your kids or pay the rent or have a car on that kind of money? Thats the best scenario, it goes down hill from there rather quickly.
By gerry Apr 8, 2007 3:30:09 PM Request Removal

It saddens me to read the comments posted by my fellow vets, it is all true to me having experienced much the same treatment by the VA. I am aging and I worry about my health care and what I will do, god knows I cant trust the VA Hospital to provide proper care. It took me 7 years and 4 Congressmen to get the benefits I have and then was paid for less than 6 months back pay. Now I am concerned that raising hell will cause vindictiveness against me. So what the hell can we do guys?
By jwhanley Apr 8, 2007 3:41:59 PM Request Removal
The truth is obvious....support the troops is Bushs warcry when they are fit enough to fight his immoral war. Once he has used them up... they are no more than a costly nuisance and he employs armies of government pen pushers to frustrate their right to compensation or pensions.....Bush cares not one iota about these people!!!
By nicoleatnoosa Apr 8, 2007 3:57:05 PM Request Removal

Perhaps the time has come for blue collar Caucasian males to stop volunteering to die for the Bushes, Cheneys and Clintons? After all, illegal aliens im Maryland may soon qualify for education and other freebies that vets dont get. Why fight for a nation that has turned its back on those who fill up Arlington Cemetery when there is dirty work to be done overseas? When are whites in this country going to figure out that the rich white man has been selling out the poor white for over a century???
By jrharr46872 Apr 8, 2007 4:24:39 PM Request Removal

The veterants need to speak up against the war for themselves. If they dont, nobody can fight for themselves so they have themselves to blame.
By HoaLu Apr 8, 2007 4:25:38 PM Request Removal

This is so typical of years and years of Republican assault on government services, and of course Veterans are not to be exempted from the deliberate and malignant neglect. They only value soldiers when they are shoving them into harms way over and over, without adequate resources once those same soldiers come home, injured and disabled, they remind us of the folly of so many of our wars. We havent fought a truly necessary war since WWII. I only omit Afghanistan because the Bushistas have put only minimal effort into that war, as if it is some illegitimate step-child to the one they wanted the most: Iraq. And denying benefits makes money available for the next wars in Iran and Somalia weve already got troops in both countries. Every time Cheney or Bush opens his lying mouth about how Democrats dont support the troops, I just want to puke at the stench of their dishonesty and corruption.
By windrider2 Apr 8, 2007 4:34:51 PM Request Removal

So, as a life member of the SFA and VFW, I suggest you do as I did and also join Veterans for Peace, honor the warrior and not the war, and start using your legitimate veterans voice to end this war and stop wasting our resources, money and most of all, the lives of our soldiers on wars which have nothing to do with defending our nation, but only the right of mega-corporations to operate without oversight or restraint on foreign soil under the terms contracted for by whatever Tyrant flavor-of-the-month happens to be economically and politically expedient at the time. Remember, the enemy of my enemy is my friend is not a legitimate basis for foreign policy, and it has come back to bite us in the butt for more than 100 years. 3-part strategy to keep us out of BS wars for profit: 1 Make war a no-profit venture - all defense contractors must operate on a Zero-Profit basis. Nationalize the war industry. Nobody is permitted to get rich on carnage and blood. 2 No more war-powers delegation. Only Congress may declare war...only in event of a massive nuclear strike may the President exercise a unilateral war command. 3 Institute a zero-deferment draft with a guarantee of infantry and combat - tell Daddy warbucks that his kid is going to Baghdad instead of Harvard next year, and tell me if our foreign policy doesnt change overnight. You want war, grab a rifle slugger! Show us poor dumb enlisted combat vets how its done! Peace, Don
By donaldalbares Apr 8, 2007 4:51:36 PM Request Removal

WaPo Editors: I feel obligated to add my comment to those who are lamenting the cavalier attitude of the Veterans Administration toward their unfortunate legal charges especially those from WW-II, the last GOOD war, Viet Nam, Korea, etc. I am an 88-year-old disabled veteran of WW-II. I got mine in a swamp on Bougainville Island, a few weeks after we had invaded it. I was in said swamp when a Jap 88mm shell was lobbed into my position. I threw myself down into the water and swamp mud and had the right side of my head submerged when the shell went off. The concussion blew out the tympani in my right ear and damaged tissue envelope that covers my bain. These injuries left me with migraine headaches, equilibrium problems and serious hearing loss that have lasted off and on until today. I was first evacuated to Navy MOB-8 hospital on Guadalcanal, then to the Base hospital on Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, and then to Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in California. There they decided I was incurable and transfered me to the Sun Valley Separation Center in Idaho. They kept me a few months, looked me over, declared me 50 disabled and gave me a medical discharge. Some twenty years ago that 50 disability rating was summarily reduced to 10. I now get $115 a month in disability payments. I desperately tried to get into V.A. domiciliary care in the United States, but the VA did not even answer my letters. I am now living in Mexico, because I cant afford to live in the land of my birth. My VA disability payment plus my Social Security check add up to about US$900.00 a month. You cant live on that in the Land of the Free. I married a Mexican lady who has Mexican Social Security. She added my name to her S.S. account, so now I get free medical care and medicines courtesy of Mexico and we get by. So much for the concern of the great YewEssoFAY for its war heroes. expletive deleted If American kids of military service age understood what their future likely holds, if the are unlucky enought to be just wounded and not killed, the Defense Department would have to send out kidnapping squads to keep the armed forces up to functional strength. I have had five strokes in the past year and have a life-expectancy of about 15-minutes - so these comments are not for me, but for those who will follow me. They deserve better than they will likely get. Call it politics. My advice to the pentagon, the congress and the White House: Quit talking about patriotic obligation and start talking about quid-pro-quo. Military service is a thankless task for the wounded and service families especially. The overstuffed public servants who have created this disgrace should be, themselves, put in uniforms and sent to become heroes if they think so highly of the calling. L. Dee Belveal Veteran USNR - South Pacific WW-II Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
By ldbelveal Apr 8, 2007 5:01:06 PM Request Removal

The VA system needs to over hauled from the top down. the doctors dont know what they are doing or dont care. It months to get appointment. It takes an act of congress to get your benifits. It has all gone down hill since Bush took office
By gareece Apr 8, 2007 5:13:25 PM Request Removal

This is another consequence that few people know about as a ongoing cost of Bushs Folly. None of this I believe will effect him because i think after 2008 he will move to his new ranch in Paraguary,,in South America. I also think Cheney will take up residence in Dubia. As usual we the American electorate will have to pay for the clean up if this and the rest of the GOPs past sins.
By mcwatersrobert Apr 8, 2007 5:18:41 PM Request Removal

We owe it to our vets to furnish a speedy response to disability applications and appeals. Why does it take so long to process a claim in the Computer age. These people deserve compassion and respect, not excuses and the bums rush.
By normster621 Apr 8, 2007 5:36:24 PM Request Removal

Having read though the letters posted here. There is a wide range of opinion. Using an old addagethe pen is mighter than the sword. Veterans do have an option. With over twenty million veterans available to voice their concerns shows a strong influence could be voiced when it comes to veterans care. Just a few million emails and letters to this countries leadership could bring about change. The website firstgov.gov supplies both addresses and email addresses to voice ones opinion. I have voiced my dissatisfaction with the Department of Veterans Affairs this way for some time now. If nothing else its good for a persons moral. AND JUST MAYBE things will get better for veterans if not for myself.
By ojelland Apr 8, 2007 6:30:51 PM Request Removal

I am a veteran who filed a claim back in 1992 for several documented service connected disabilities , one of which was denied though I provided a copy of my own military medical records, I was eventually forced to drop that claim after I appealed the decision, which then was upgraded and I appealed again, on my second appeal I had to wait 11 years. During that time I missed out on a lot of other benefits that I was entitled to because you could not file a new claim until the original appeal had been cleared. I fully believe the VA does try to wait it out hoping that you will give up once you receive any kind of compensation, which I had to do in one claim and I was not very happy about it but they had me over a barrel. I even asked my Congressman for help and they gave him the run around. Its a waiting game that just not funny anymore, we served our country voluntarily and we deserve better.
By rottwlr02 Apr 8, 2007 6:32:50 PM Request Removal

I am a civilian that is on SSI. It took about 4 years to get it. Two applications and then a lawyer. The paperwork on my side is over 2 inches thick. The lawyer sent it to me. He got about a third of the settlement and the only thing he did was get the doctors to write the letters. I couldnt get them to write them without paying in advance, which after a year of unemployeement, I didnt have. You see, to apply for SSI you cant be able to work for a year. I did get some food stamps and my mother put me up for those years. After you finally begin to get the pittence they allow you, you have to wait another year plus for your Medicare card. I feel for the vets but the civilians that are disabled have the same if not more problems. Our disablitiy payments arent based on percentage of disability, its based on what our income was before our disability. Im glad I had a high paying job and get enough to live on, somewhat. I served, I was a nurse, not in the armed forces but civilian and that is just as hard.
By cattnapp Apr 8, 2007 6:41:44 PM Request Removal

Why are people still suprise by anything that happens with the current administration or with anything like the VA or let 26 million Vets info go missing for weeks without reporting and only doing so because the WaPo reported it first!
By ag1976 Apr 8, 2007 7:37:12 PM Request Removal

When I was processing a claim in VARO Waco, I got the impression that anything awarded to me was going to come out of the pocket of the employees there. Good strong Christians they were, conservatives, to the last drop. After moving and transferring my records to a different VARO, was awarded 100 percent within 6 mos. Woe behold those who live in a certain VARO, such differences just shouldnt be. Several years ago, one of the newspaper chains did a special report on the differences between different VAROs, Eye opener to say the least.
By jerryf01 Apr 8, 2007 7:37:14 PM Request Removal

Christopher Lees well written article missed one problem, especially concerning VA PTSD claims. I have had PTSD since 1966 Viet Nam-combat related and have difficulty getting qualified therapy that is not coerced by the VA adjudication board to give me a rating lower than other therapists not being paid by the VA gave me. The result is a lower level of therapy usually some meaningless test and a delay in claim completion which does result in the government paying less than the laws require. This must come from the top echelon of the government! We Vets would risk our lives for our fellow warriors, but then the pencil pushers accuse us of stabbing each other in the back. How much money does the Vet recieve per tax dollar diverted to V A affairs? James L Johnson PO Box 709 Big Timber, MT 59011
By lartimber Apr 8, 2007 8:12:56 PM Request Removal

29 years after my retirement, the VA finally came through with a 40 disability rating and $501.00 per month for my disability. My disability payment is taken from my retirement pension. Is this a great system or what? Art Holman Major, USMC Ret Marinette, WI
By Artholman Apr 8, 2007 9:03:50 PM Request Removal

Rudyard Kipling Tommy I went into a public-ouse to get a pint obeer, The publican e up an sez, We serve no red-coats here. The girls beind the bar they laughed an giggled fit to die, I outs into the street again an to myself sez I: O its Tommy this, an Tommy that, an Tommy, go away But its ``Thank you, Mister Atkins, when the band begins to play, The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play, O its ``Thank you, Mr. Atkins, when the band begins to play. I went into a theatre as sober as could be, They gave a drunk civilian room, but adnt none for me They sent me to the gallery or round the music-alls, But when it comes to fightin, Lord! theyll shove me in the stalls! For its Tommy this, an Tommy that, an Tommy, wait outside But its Special train for Atkins when the troopers on the tide, The troopships on the tide, my boys, the troopships on the tide, O its Special train for Atkins when the troopers on the tide. Yes, makin mock o uniforms that guard you while you sleep Is cheaper than them uniforms, an theyre starvation cheap An hustlin drunken soldiers when theyre goin large a bit Is five times better business than paradin in full kit. Then its Tommy this, an Tommy that, an Tommy hows yer soul? But its Thin red line of eroes when the drums begin to roll, The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll, O its Thin red line of eroes when the drums begin to roll. We arent no thin red eroes, nor we arent no blackguards too, But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you An if sometimes our conduck isnt all your fancy paints: Why, single men in barricks dont grow into plaster saints While its Tommy this, an Tommy that, an Tommy, fall beind, But its Please to walk in front, sir, when theres trouble in the wind, Theres trouble in the wind, my boys, theres trouble in the wind, O its Please to walk in front, sir, when theres trouble in the wind. You talk o better food for us, an schools, an fires an all: Well wait for extry rations if you treat us rational. Dont mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face The Widows Uniform is not the soldier-mans disgrace. For its Tommy this, an Tommy that, an Chuck him out, the brute! But its Saviour of is country, when the guns begin to shoot An its Tommy this, an Tommy that, an anything you please But Tommy aint a bloomin fool - you bet that Tommy sees!
By ripsnortinroy Apr 8, 2007 9:07:36 PM Request Removal

Thank you ipsnortinroy for Tommy Atkins. I wonder how many people touting our brave wounded remember that was the attitude of the American public towards our military in 1939?
By rbj11320 Apr 8, 2007 10:11:39 PM Request Removal

I feel sorry for these veterans who are being denied the benefits to which they are entitled. The main problem is that the government keeps putting off and creating problems for conditions that are justified and backed up by sufficient documentation to prove the disability. All the VA is doing is trying to save money by denying benefits and hoping that the veteran will go ahead and die where they do not have to pay any compensation. It is the usual, government run-a-round for which it is famous as I know from experience though it was not the VA. If the government can keep from paying compensation then they save money and there is more for them to waste. What every veteran needs to do to put pressure on the VA and other government agencies is to write their Senator who has the means to do something. And with the number of veterans who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with various aliments caused by their exposure to various causes of PTSD, IEDs, etc. then they should be compensated as high as possible. Someone needs to put an IED under the chairs of the ones doing the denying and then they just might learn what it is to be tramatized.
By sclaires Apr 8, 2007 10:37:31 PM Request Removal

Typical of this Republican administration! They claim to support the troops but short-change them any way they can. It should send a message to all young people who want to enlist: you are just IED fodder. Your government does not give a hoot about you.
By aa_desmedt Apr 8, 2007 11:30:42 PM Request Removal
What if they had a war and nobody came?
By zkatsrus Apr 9, 2007 12:39:31 AM Request Removal

I went to the va one time for help, if i could have got my hands on the fellow that was behind the bars, i would have strangled him...i swore never again to go to the va...i recieved no respect, was treated like a beggar. This was over 30 years ago, and i havent been back, nor do i expect to go back unless there is no other choice...I am totally ashamed of the great patriot leaders [bushies] and the way they treat vetrans. Except for lip service that is about all we get...jimmanicke
By jimmanicke Apr 9, 2007 2:23:04 AM Request Removal

The VA benefits system is broken! It is in need of repair! The system is dealing with laws and policies from the 1940s that have never been updated and are not suitable for todays medical world. The entire system should be destroyed and reestablished to 2007 standards.
By ronmccown Apr 9, 2007 3:08:17 AM Request Removal

The Post should send the original article and every comment attached to it to the chairs of the veterans committees in both houses. But no doubt the chairs would only respond with the usual, As you arent a constituent from my district Im forwarding your letter to your representative who doesnt give a damn either. I, my father, my uncles and my brother have served and every one of us received none of what we were promised for having done so. My father and I made careers of the military only to see our benefits watered and whittled down. Therefore my sons will serve when the Bush girls serve which will be NEVER.