Injured Veterans Denied Promised Reviews

Military Accused Of Manipulating Disability Ratings To Save Money

(AP)  There was nothing dramatic about how Spc. Cristapher Zuetlau's career in the Army came to an end: he stepped in a hole. But the damage to the tank crewman's wrenched back was so brutal he can barely walk.

The Army agreed he was no longer fit to serve, but in doing so determined his disability was not severe enough to warrant long-term care by the military. That turned his health care over to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which left him with no retirement benefits and cut off his family from government health care.

Thousands of similar stories caused veterans advocates to protest that the military was manipulating disability ratings to save money, and Congress last year ordered the Pentagon to accept appeals from wounded and injured troops.

So far, officials have yet to examine a single case.

"Congress finally took action to give those troops a fair hearing, and now the Department of Defense is dragging its feet," said Vanessa Williamson, the policy director at New York-based Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a veterans' advocacy group. "Establishing the review board was clearly not the Department of Defense's priority. And that's a real shame."

In the Army alone, thousands of soldiers injured since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - including many hurt in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan - are eligible for a review of the numerical disability rating issued by the Army's Physical Evaluation Board.

That rating is critical.

A number is assigned to the disability based on its severity and long-term impact. Those rated below 30 percent disabled receive a severance payment that is taxed instead of a monthly retirement check. The veteran continues to get health care, but from the VA rather than the military. But his family, once covered by military health insurance, no longer receives government provided health care.

A rating above 30 percent means a service member gets a monthly retirement check and his family is eligible for care at military hospitals.

"I feel like the Army has ripped me off," said Zuetlau's wife, Breana. "When he joined the service he was a fully functioning man. When he left the service, he is like my child. I have to take care of his needs. He should have been retired instead of just being kicked out."

Investigations by the Defense Department and The Washington Post found inconsistencies in how the military assigns disability ratings. Veterans advocates claim injuries rated below 30 percent by the Defense Department were being rated much higher by the Department of Veterans Affairs, while the government's Veterans Disability Benefits Commission has found the Army consistently assigns the lowest ratings.

The VA, for example, rated Zuetlau 100 percent disabled, and the Social Security Administration found him eligible for disability benefits for the back injury and several other ailments, including mental health issues, right shoulder tendinitis, and injuries to a wrist and knee.

The three-member Physical Disability Board of Review, created by Congress last December and managed by the Air Force, is charged with reviewing appeals from members and former members of the armed forces who received disability ratings of less than 30 percent.

Before Congress ordered this streamlined review process, veterans were subjected to a lengthy review by a military panel that rarely changed the ratings.

The board was supposed to be in place 90 days after the bill was signed, according to the Congressional mandate. But its formation wasn't formally announced until June, and officials have said they hope to take the first application for review this month.

"They move slow on those things they don't like to do," said retired Army Lt. Col. Mike Parker, an advocate for wounded soldiers. "If the Senate or House had approved a major acquisition program in their version of the (budget) that DOD had proposed, DOD would be ready to hit the ground running when the (budget) finally passed."

Eileen M. Lainez, a spokeswoman in the Defense Press Office at the Pentagon, said in an e-mail the panel's creation was delayed because the Defense Department had to create the application process, Internet information sites and develop training programs for newly hired staff.

Loren Dealy, a spokeswoman from the House Armed Services Committee, said lawmakers are not concerned about the delay, but are "keeping an eye on the progress of the board."

But veterans advocates said the delays reinforce a belief the Defense Department is trying to move wounded veterans off its financial books so that the service, already strapped for resources as it fights two wars, doesn't have to pay for long-term disability care. It is a claim the Defense Department strongly denies.

"I can assure you that budgetary constraints do not factor into adjudications at any point," Lainez said. "This has never been a factor and it will not be in the future."

Not all advocates are upset with the slow pace. Jim Lorraine, who heads the care coalition at the military's Special Operations Command, said his organization is spreading the word, telling veterans to keep track of records and to be prepared to submit applications.

"I'd like to be the first one to flood them with records when they are ready to go," he said.

[arnoldbowers]

MrSudoNim I agree w/you w/ ever bone in my old body,I served for 8 yrs in the50''s,the time I served they were no president w/so much greed&hate in the White House no vice president likewish neither served 1 deserted&cheney got 5 deferments.
The problem with the young men who R serving they have no brain cells working in the manner that God gave them to us to work.The president gives them large tax payers bonus&reenlistment payments 2 get them2 stay & they have no brain so they reenlist&volunteer 2 become fodder for his big guns,his big guns R the oil companies the ammo companies, gun companies, humvee &other military equipment&chopper makers such as bell in Ft Worth,Tx no they have no brain and most can not walk&chew sgum in order to chew gum they must set down &think of what do next.20 to 30 % of our militaryR illegals wanting citizenship for their women(all of them)their kids a free education&free birthing&citizenship for them as well before it is over we will have no military just a big black water group reaping billions each month for acting out their will on innocent civilians in foreign countries&if not careful in America.
Sad facts glad I am 71; sorry I have two daughter&4 grandchildren who will have2pay for this BIG MISTAKE OF THE DESERTER&DRAFT DODGER GW&CHENEY WHO HAVE GIVE AWAY OUR COUNTRY FOR THE OIL COMPANIES&WAR MACHINE.
The very best of good byes from Austin,TX Frank Bowers

[mrsudonim]

Anyone who joins any branch of the military under these circumstances has a pre-existing medical condition and doesn''t deserve any benefits whatsoever - the pre-existing condition: they''re brain dead.

[tnz650-2009]

How long is our government going to treat its citizens this way before we rise up against them and throw them all into the gutter? There have been SERIOUS problems with the way the military treats soldiers and veterans and it only seems to be getting worse. Banks are kicking disabled veterans and their families out on the street, while at the same time taking hand outs from tax payers. There is a warped disconnect going on with the hands of power in Washington and I don''t have a shred of faith that Obama will have the courage to do what is necessary. This multi-billion dollar tax payer bail out of fat cats is the seed that sows the begining of the end. Stories like this one and the "blowback" they are creating, can only (ultimatley) cause a major shift in American society. And I don''t think it will be for the better. We''re in a pressure cooker and someone had better let out the steam before it explodes.

[biblethumpar]

SHRUBs legacy of failure continues.

[ofbyfor3]

This is disgusting. The admisistration says ''Support the Troops'' to cover its own butt, then turns around and shows them such disrespect and neglect. There has to be a special place in hell set aside for such hypocrites.

Hopefully, Shinseki will try to turn this around as soon as possible. It''s a disgrace.

[pirmin3]

Why would anyone think that Bushit and Cie. give a toss about our military? They have demonstrated time and time again that profit is their sole interest in life and pi$$ on those who are fed into the machine.

[ahrats]

Let hope the panel chosen to review these people do not come from BUSH appointees. the Bush administration has wasted so much of our money to make him & his cronies rich and do not give a care for the rest of us. If the military wants soldiers then they should take care of them even after they have left the service, but the Bush administration is look to cut cost. Those who volenteer for the miltiary is intitled to all benifits, this 30% is B.S.. If you lose only a hand does qualify its only a small part of your body, it does not matter if you are injured in combat or just doing your job these peolpe are willing to sacrifuce themselves for our country and deserve everything we can give them.

[airboatboy1]

Republicans hate ALL Americans - especially troops and veterans.

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Posted by IamHungry68 at 12:18 AM : Dec 11, 2008

I don''t think it''s limited to Republicans, it seems the whole government hates us. It''s unbelievable how outta control things are but nothing ever changes. At some point they''ll pi$$-off a big enough group of people that something will change, and I bet it won''t be peaceful.

Whoever wrote this story clearly knows nothing about the difference between retirement pay and disability allowances or where a medically retired service member receives care or how the family fits into a retirement versus a medical discharge. The VA is responsible for giving a rating to vets so they can receive benefits and they are woefully slow. When an appeal is submitted to the VA, they tell you to just forget about it because it will be a long time before a decision is reached... I''m in year 4, waiting for the next decision in the appeal process.