Interesting Statements From The Disability Commission

[Guest Morgan]

These are statements from the Disability Commission's approved research questions. Be sure to see the footnotes to connect the dots to the source. The VARO's highest call seems to be to displace the Government's intention as they deny, deny, deny.

SMC at different levels is in place, but few veterans can get that; many don't even know about benefits beyond the 100% compensation. I am convinced that far more veterans are eligible for these benefits, but few VA and VSO representatives understand SMC enough to appropriately and successfully assist the veteran. I have spent months studying SMC and cases related to it. I have gleaned a lot of information about it, but submitting more than one paragraph to explain means THEY WON'T READ IT! I think it fries their brain. Even an act of Congress for evidence won't get SMC for most vets.

Here's the Disability Commission's approved research question about the veterans' quality of life:

How well do benefits provided to disabled veterans meet implied Congressional intent to compensate for impairment in quality of life due to service-connected disabilities?

The Government's obligation is to help veterans overcome special, significant impairments incurred as a consequence of their military service. The objective should be to return veterans as nearly as possible to the status they would have achieved had they not been in military service.

An implied part of Congressional intent was quality of life. Although the legislation does not explicitly state that the intent of the disability program is to compensate for reduction in quality of life due to a service-connected disability, this factor is evident in that Congress has set forth certain presumptions of eligibility for disability compensation and additional compensation for certain disability conditions that reflect a concern for loss of quality life. The law, for example, provides additional compensation for "loss of physical integrity" such as loss of a hand, foot, or eye. Subsections "L" to "S" in 38 U.S.C. §1114 provide additional compensation for veterans with 100 percent service-connected disability whose disabilities present additional disability or burdens (such as blindness or housebound status). Congressional Hearing and Committee reports support this as well. The rating schedule provides compensation for conditions that would not be expected to result in an impairment of earnings capacity, and Congress is awareof and has enhanced the compensation for these conditions, e.g., loss or loss of use of a creative organ and loss of female breast tissue.

7 The President's Commission on Veterans Pensions, 1956, Highlights of the Commission's Findings and Recommendations, pages 9-13.

8 President's Commission. page 4.

9 VA Disability Compensation Program, Literature Review, Economic Systems Inc., December 2004, pages 17-18.

http://www.va.gov/vetscommission

email: vetscommission@va.gov

Edited February 19, 2006 by Morgan