Dole-shalala Recommendations

[Guest morgan]

Are any of you concerned about the rush on the Dole-Shalala recommendations? I am very concerned that this may eventually cut off disability benefits for veterans at retirement age, or at least offset SSA benefits. Larry Scott wrote me a few weeks ago saying the recommendations were surely going to sit on the shelf for a very long time, and if ever reviewed again, would be unlikely to get through congressional approval. Now he's changed his mind about that, in light of the developments this week--Bush is fully supporting these recommendations.

I realize that Larry's opinion is worth no more than any of ours, but he does seem to keep up with VA behind the scenes.

What do you hadit members think? Much ado about nothing?

http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfOCT07/nf101807-1.htm

[Pete53]

Call me naive but I am not worried as I approach retirement age in14 months but who is counting. Maybe I can be grandfathered?

[john999]

I think it is an attempt to placate the public regarding Iraq vets. Most of it concerns future vets. It is an attempt to pit one group of vets against the others and have a two tier system. I don't like it one bit. I am not too worried about it since I have been getting SC for 35 years. What worries me is that our compensation will not keep up with real inflation.

[Berta]

Some of the ideas are good in my opinion- then again-

Larry Scott gives his take on it all-

http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfOCT07/nf101807-1.htm

I am more worried about the IOM PTSD report-

It seems to indicate that there will be potential "cures" developed by VA for PTSD.

Maybe in some cases PTSD can be helped-but surely not all cases-

It almost seems that the Dole Shalala report wants viable care for Iraq and Afganistan vets with PTSD but the IOM report seems to indicate the VA will come up with some medical voo doo to make sure they never get appropriate compensation for PTSD.

[Stretch]

The entire Shalala and Dole theory takes in to account that there will never be enough funds to care for or compensation veterans. It also shows that the long VA Claims process, for VN vets, will grow even longer. I agree with John999.

[SLEDGE]

How many past changes have served to speed up or make the claims process more accurate?

Smoke and mirrors.

sledge

[Guest morgan]

Deleted

I didn't see tbird's update on the Dole-Shalala report before I posted the update.

Edited October 22, 2007 by morgan