I recently attended a memorial service in Colorado Springs for a veteran of OEF who had returned almost two years ago. He shot himself with a 9mm pistol while wearing his Army Combat Uniform. He was in the USAR and about to be deployed back to Afghanistan this Fall.
In 2005, Congress directed the VA IG to investigate why there was such a disparity between the benefits determination by the different states. The results of that survey were that most of the disparity was due to mental health issues and the inability to quantify them. I wonder how many of these suicides can be attributed to cuts in benefits to bring the states back to parity with each other.
I''m a vet, and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of conflicting information, conflicting departments and conflicting regulations that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after a year of watching the VA foreclose on my house and living off of help from my and my wife''s family (the AF wasn''t paying me while it tried to figure out how to pay me as an IMA reservist on active duty in the process of being medically retired).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
When is humanity going to realize that killing another human goes against what they KNOW is right. It is becoming harder to pretend that war helps anyone but the rich, after all we see it is the poor that die. Who will save you from your own knowing?
When a child lies for the first time their hands instinctively reach for their mouth as if to hold it in.. but with time you can overcome this natural reaction. Numbing ourselves is the surest way to make sure this is a human free planet, because we will surely destroy ourselves if that is how we continue to act.
I''m a vet, and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after waiting over a year while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of veterans in need.
Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I''m a vet, and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after waiting over a year while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of veterans in need.
Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I''m a vet, and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after waiting over a year while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of veterans in need.
Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I''m a vet and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after a year of waiting while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) vets in need.
Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I''m a vet (not of Iraq/Afghanistan), and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after the VA foreclosing on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty). Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I''m a vet (not of Iraq/Afghanistan), and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after the VA foreclosing on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty). Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
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The results of that survey were that most of the disparity was due to mental health issues and the inability to quantify them.
I wonder how many of these suicides can be attributed to cuts in benefits to bring the states back to parity with each other.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after a year of watching the VA foreclose on my house and living off of help from my and my wife''s family (the AF wasn''t paying me while it tried to figure out how to pay me as an IMA reservist on active duty in the process of being medically retired).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
When a child lies for the first time their hands instinctively reach for their mouth as if to hold it in.. but with time you can overcome this natural reaction. Numbing ourselves is the surest way to make sure this is a human free planet, because we will surely destroy ourselves if that is how we continue to act.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after waiting over a year while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of veterans in need.
Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after waiting over a year while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of veterans in need.
Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after waiting over a year while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of veterans in need.
Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after a year of waiting while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).
Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) vets in need.
Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after the VA foreclosing on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty). Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.
I just received my disability rating of 170%, after the VA foreclosing on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty). Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.
This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.
The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.