tdiu Iu Issue From Senate Member-

[Guest Berta]

I just received this from one of our former members-

havent read it all-

the idea seems to sound absurd---

http://veterans.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseA...ear=2005&id=295

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CRAIG WANTS VA TO HELP UNEMPLOYED VETERANS FIND WORK

October 28, 2005

Contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

(Washington, DC) With a dramatic rise in the number of veterans deemed unemployable, the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs took a look Thursday at what is driving the increase, and what steps can be taken to help those that can still work get the help they need.

At the hearing the Government Accountability Office reported that from fiscal years 1999 to 2004, the number of veterans receiving unemployability benefits more than doubled, from 95,000 to 197,000. There are now over 221,000 veterans who have been deemed unemployable by the VA.

(See pictures from the hearing by clicking on: 2005 - October 27 - Employability hearing. To watch the hearing on-line, Click Here to View Hearing.)

"With today’s modern technologies, individuals with disabilities have more opportunities than ever before to become productive members of society," said Chairman Larry Craig. "While the unemployability benefit may certainly be appropriate for some, the presumption must be that every individual with disabilities can overcome barriers to employment. A positive, employment-oriented attitude towards veterans with disabilities must be VA’s focus, and the eligibility assessment for IU should reflect that attitude."

Individual Unemployability, or IU, is a benefit paid to veterans with disabilities rated between 60-90 percent disabling and is granted when the veteran's individual circumstances suggest that gainful employment is unlikely because of the disability.

"The IU benefit should be viewed as the benefit of last resort," Craig said. "I reject the notion, put forth by some at the hearing, that veterans with disabilities can’t work, that we shouldn’t waste resources even making the effort to try, and that looking for work is somehow demeaning. We should provide people with every opportunity for financial growth."

Cynthia Bascetta, Director of the GAO’s Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues department told the committee that the VA could learn more from the private sector when dealing with people who have been deemed unemployable.

"Incorporating return-to-work practices could help VA modernize its disability program to enable veterans to realize their full productive potential without jeopardizing the availability of benefits for people who cannot work," Bascetta said.

That is just what the Chairman said he wants.

"I see a generation of people today, coming home, with substantial impairments, but with high hopes that they’re going to go back to productive lives. We ought to be doing everything we can to optimize those opportunities," Craig said.

#####

<<September 2005 October 2005

November 2005>>

28th - SENATE CONFIRMS THREE FORMER SENATE STAFFERS TO VA POSTS

28th - CRAIG WANTS VA TO HELP UNEMPLOYED VETERANS FIND WORK

25th - EXPLOSIVE GROWTH OF DISABLED VETERANS DEEMED UNEMPLOYABLE, TO BE EXAMINED THURSDAY

20th - VA OFFICIALS PLEDGE "INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY" REORGANIZATION TO THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

19th - 16 YEAR OLD LIVING IN GERMANY GETS U.S. SENATE PAGE POSITION THROUGH CHAIRMAN LARRY CRAIG

18th - VA’S INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO BE HEARING FOCUS THURSDAY

12th - NEW MOBILE MRI MACHINE WILL AID VETERANS AND SERVICE PERSONNEL IN SOUTHWEST IDAHO

5th - SENATE VOTES TO AWARD CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN

3rd - SEN. CRAIG’S BILL SEEKS TO PRESERVE DIGNITY OF ARLINGTON AND OTHER NATIONAL CEMETERIES

3rd - U.S. SENATE HONORS VA EMPLOYEES FOR HURRICANE EFFORTS

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Edited November 7, 2005 by Berta

[Ricky]

Jay your dollar for dollar example would deplete benefits for all vets. I know that you were probably addressing PTSD vets but lets say that a veteran is 70 % disabled (physicaly). However, he is a collage grad and finds work at a company that uses his mind. Lets say that he is making a salary of 75,000.00 per year. If your recommendation would call for the complete depletion of his VA benefits. Why should a vet that has the ability to overcome his disability and provide for his family have to give up his disability payments. He is working and providing a good living for his family. He is working along side other non-disabled people doing the same tasks but he has to come up with 70 more percent stamina to do so. No matter how much he is making both of his legs are still missing or he still faces 24x7 pain etc......... Just because he decides that he wants to provide the best he can for his family does not mean he should just suck it up. If the government is allowed to do this to those who have the hardest time of all, PTSD vets, then it would be a snap for them to stop all payment for vets who work and make more that than paid by the VA. I am productive and have an very high paying job. However, it makes me feel great when I get that 30% payment. It lets me know that my government appreciates the things that I did for them at the drop of a hat without even thinking about the sacrifice or future effects on my wife an children. Let us stay away from the dollar for dollar theory especially for those who suffer the most and that would be those of you that have PTSD. Not arguing just my two cents and the knowledge that if the VA was allowed to start any work related program which would allow a dollar for dollar reduction in benefits for those with mental problems those who have straight physical disabilities would not have a prayer.

[Jay Johnson]

Jay your dollar for dollar example would deplete benefits for all vets. I know that you were probably addressing PTSD vets but lets say that a veteran is 70 % disabled (physicaly). However, he is a collage grad and finds work at a company that uses his mind. Lets say that he is making a salary of 75,000.00 per year. If your recommendation would call for the complete depletion of his VA benefits. Why should a vet that has the ability to overcome his disability and provide for his family have to give up his disability payments. He is working and providing a good living for his family. He is working along side other non-disabled people doing the same tasks but he has to come up with 70 more percent stamina to do so. No matter how much he is making both of his legs are still missing or he still faces 24x7 pain etc......... Just because he decides that he wants to provide the best he can for his family does not mean he should just suck it up. If the government is allowed to do this to those who have the hardest time of all, PTSD vets, then it would be a snap for them to stop all payment for vets who work and make more that than paid by the VA. I am productive and have an very high paying job. However, it makes me feel great when I get that 30% payment. It lets me know that my government appreciates the things that I did for them at the drop of a hat without even thinking about the sacrifice or future effects on my wife an children. Let us stay away from the dollar for dollar theory especially for those who suffer the most and that would be those of you that have PTSD. Not arguing just my two cents and the knowledge that if the VA was allowed to start any work related program which would allow a dollar for dollar reduction in benefits for those with mental problems those who have straight physical disabilities would not have a prayer.

I can agree with you in principle, but that is NOT what VA benefits are for....congress has stated over and over again that VA compensation is supposed to represent a veteran's potential loss of wages. Personally, I think it should be for pain and suffering as the SS system is meant to address lack of ability to work, but that's not the current reasoning behind veteran's compensation.

Also, most younger vets who are severely disabled due to SC are also medically retied from the military (not all, but most), so these vets can still draw retirement on top of any wages they earn in the civilian world.

P.S. - I said that my plan would only cover those who are 70% IU or 100% scheduler...you're hypothetical would not count under my plan. There are physically disabled vets who are 100% schedular and still make good money...IMO, these individuals are acting against the regulations as they currently stand and either the regulations should be changed or they should not be collecting the 100% payment.

[wallyg]

Jay,

If you haven't already realized it, most opinions, as far as the amount of the award, or the validity of the claim that you will see here are self-centered, as they are at most veterans forums.

You will find the occasional veteran who can look past their own set of circumstances, and draw conclusions and give opinions that look realistically at the whole picture, but they are not in the majority.

That is not to say that they are wrong, after all the foundation of our curent society is self interest - one reason we are in such terrible shape today. When people stop caring about civilized behavior and a sense of fair play, society is already on the slippery slope to decadence and decay. It has happened to every Empire so far, and the USA is well on the way to being the shortest lived Empire in history.

[Jay Johnson]

Jay,

If you haven't already realized it, most opinions, as far as the amount of the award, or the validity of the claim that you will see here are self-centered, as they are at most veterans forums.

You will find the occasional veteran who can look past their own set of circumstances, and draw conclusions and give opinions that look realistically at the whole picture, but they are not in the majority.

That is not to say that they are wrong, after all the foundation of our curent society is self interest - one reason we are in such terrible shape today. When people stop caring about civilized behavior and a sense of fair play, society is already on the slippery slope to decadence and decay. It has happened to every Empire so far, and the USA is well on the way to being the shortest lived Empire in history.

Wally,

Couldn't agree more.

I think congress should clarify the rating's system so it more accurately reflects their own intentions....if VA compensation is only supposed to reflect a veteran's ability to earn wages, then how can a veteran who has lost ALL ability to earn income (IE - 100% scheduler), also be able to work fulltime and earn a good living? IMO, there is a horrible stereotype in this nation between physical and mental disorders, to which physical disorders have a much lower threshold for compensation. Everyone who is 100% should be deemed unemployable under the current regulations, but many physical disabilities are automatically rated at 100% despite the veteran's ability to be gainfully employed.....this isn't to say that missing both hands isn't a horrible thing to live through and definitely doesn't impact one's choice of careers, but under the standard of "how much does it affect gainful employment", this sort of disorder can be completely debilitating or one can lead an almost normal life (yet the VA gives a blanket rating). Also, the VA uses a clear double standard for how treatment affects a physical disability as opposed to a mental one.....if a veteran can manage his or her psychiatric symptoms through medications/therapy, then the VA often lowers said veteran's compensation level; conversely, a veteran who is missing 2 or more appendages yet is able to rehabilitate via prosthetics almost never has their compensation questioned.

This goes to an even bigger stereotype in american society towards "mentally disabled" people in general. First of all, there is no such thing as a mental disorder....it is a PHYSICAL disorder of the brain's ability to properly regulate chemistry that deals with sympathetic and parasympathetic responses (fight or flight). If a person has a bladder control issue due to the brains inability to properly regulate hormones that control bladder function, we don't send said person to s psychologist, do we? We also don't tell the person with the bladder problem that it's a "mental disorder". It is no different in people with PTSD or other "psychiatric disorders"....a person with severe PTSD lacks the ability to control fight or flight responses (actual complex chemical functions of the brain). When someone attempts suicide it is nothing more then the brain's over-reaction to those very responses (the body is attempting to remove itself from the painful situation [ie - fight or flight]).

I, also, don't believe in psychology as a tool to help "cure" people with "mental disorders". A psychologist is nothing more then someone who can help teach you to cope with the disorder and has no more ability to fix a PTSD vet then you or I. IMO, psychiatry is still in the dark ages of medicine, in that they have little knowledge of exactly what is broken or how to go about fixing it. The medications act as a prosthetic and merely mask the underlying disability, but the VA uses the common stereotype that "it's all in their heads" and gives preference to physical disabilities. After all, why is it that americans can't come to believe that the most complex and misunderstood organ in their body can be prone to malfunctions?

With all this said, I would like to see VA compensation reflect pain and suffering, rather then one's ability to work. Veterans cannot sue the military directly for the hell their injuries cause them and, though I may agree with some protection for the military under most circumstances, the veteran's need compensation for their truamatic events. To say that compensating a veteran only for their ability to work is enough is to completely ignore ALL of the secondary affects of said disabilities.....I would venture to guess that 90% of vets end up divorced, in prison or homeless due to their disabilities and their entire lives are turned upside down. What do they get for these secondary problems? It simply isn't enough to say that the government will help you with month to month finances, because those finances won't bring the veteran's lives back to them, nor will it make the daily pain and suffering go away.

[Guest jstacy]

I have bad news, This issue is definately a much discussed item and it may be a done deal. If a Vet is Iu and The VA thinks the vet is able to work then the VA may take the benefit. What it amounts to is the budget. There needs to be an increase in VA budget to pay for the programs. It is a sad situation. If a person is 100 percent IU I would consider filing for 100 percent schedular if the requirements are met.

I think that unverified ptsd stressors are next. What a bunch of chumps we have elected. Our only recourse as veterans is to fire the members in the senate and house and elect a more veteran oriented group. As veterans, We have the nimbers on our side. Once a law is passed, The courts have no jurisdiction to nterviene.

[Guest phubai70]

I have always been against jumping at TDIU. I know many Vets with PTSD

who were advised to go for TDIU as as soon as they received 50 - 60 -%.

Think about it. If a vet has evidence to verify unemployability he should

take a look at the rating criteria for 100% PTSD and keep plugging away

until the VA responds appropriately. To often Vets are advised that TDIU

is a faster way to improve financial matters.Physical disabilities that

don't meet the 100% are a different ballgame all together.