Commission On Va Benifits

[maxwell18]

I read in the paper today that the commission on VA benfits said older vets are drawing too much disability pay and the younger vets are not drawing enough. The reason being the older vets have already made their careers and did not need the extra earnings with disability pay. The younger vets have have longer to live and are not drawing enough money for the long haul. I just wonder how these people can say older vets deserve less because of age and time to live. I guess they don't count all the years some vets put in over seas, combat, not living with your family? Lets cut the congress and senate retirement benifits and all the other perks they draw. They do not pay social security. Let us see what all they draw for life time. Enough is enough,

Bruce Maxwell CMSGT ret

[john999]

Older and younger vets should be getting more money because both groups have needs that are unique. Younger vets need more money because they do have to pull for the long haul. Older vets need more because even if they were to recover they can not find work that will pay them a decent living. The Commission is trying once again to pit one group of vets against the other. They want to split off the Iraq and Afghanistan vets from the Vietnam vets and the WWII and Korean vets.

[sleepyjenn]

I think this may be the article you're talking about?

benefit commission article

[Ricky]

Their assumption is made on an older vet who has left service and held a post service job successfully and retired from that job, then filed for I/U at age 55 or 60 vs a younger vet who receives the same amount of disability payment for total disability and was not able to persue and maintain such post service employment.

Kinda makes sense in a way, however, I agree that they will use it and anything else they find to split groups of veterans. Also could be used to attack I/U again if you began drawing I/U at a late age.

Now if you had to quit your job because of a service connected disability that would be ok but if you retired from a post service job and then applied for I/U hmmmmmmm..........

[Guest RickB54]

We have had this discussion before in various forms.

Basically it confirms what I have stated for years.

If a veteran works until age 65, and then takes a normal retirement he should not be awarded TDIU, why? because va compensation is based on loss wages, it is not an entitlement program. Where are the lost wages if someone is already retired and then decides he wants TDIU.

As a service officer years ago I helped two veterans who were both in there 70's who had service connected hypertension, who later had heart attacks. The were both retired for years when they had their heart attacks, but because they were sc for hypertension, they requested and were awarded TDIU. To me this was an abuse of the system, but regardless it was legal.

I think we will see the rules change in a year or two, and we will not be seeing veterans at 65 or 70 being awarded TDIU. Why because as I said, it makes no sense to award TDIU to someone who is already retired for non medical reasons. Any way my two cents.

[sixthscents]

Rick you rolled right on passed the "commision was also to investigate... the implied intent of congree to compensate for loss of quality of life...."

now think on that for a second... implied intent to compensate for the loss of quality of life....

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, just stating that there may be other factors involved here... I am unsure personally I have never heard that it was an implied intent, but it was stated as such in the article... I wonder if its phrased that way by the commission as their charter... I'm going to have to look that up.

TDIU for someone who is 70... hmm... yeah I guess I'd have to think long and hard about that as well, BUT... I filed a claim for a vet who was 63 had lost half his foot and never received a cent from the VA nor any medical care since he lost it in vietnam.... I think he was a special case but there ya go, i think he deserves whatever I can get him... they threw him out onto the streets and he never even knew he could file a claim, or get care.... until he was 63 and I met him.....

Its a ... hard decision in any case...

[71M10]

My 2 cents,

What about those of us that were lowballed in the 1980's and wern't smart enought to appeal (yep that was me). Go to work everyday (in pain) and then finally it begins to impact work performance and quality of life (can't grin and bear it no more).

I can relate to the argument about if one is retired why should they be entitled to a TDIU rating, but lets start paying vets what they are due in a timely manner instead of forcing them to fight the system for years (I haven't had it bad, but am picking up on the horror stories).

Sorry not much of a substantive post, but its a burr that is beginning to rub me raw!!!