A Question Which I Hate

[purple]

I just got an e-mail from a lady who helped me get an appt at the Dayton Vet Center. This lady works at another vet center in another state.

She wanted to know when my appt was and was I an OIF/OEF vet. What? Why does that matter what "type" of vet I am??

I find I get asked this question more and more and I hate it because I see how it has a negative impact on appts.

I told her that and I also told her that a vet is a vet is a vet.

[jfrei]

On 6/6/2009 at 11:09 AM, john999 said:

Bring back the draft and make those with a family income of 250,000 or more top priority to serve. All our problems would be over. If sons and daughters of ruling elite were the first to serve in combat units I think the VA would get an immediate face lift. As long as poor boys and girls do the heavy lifting these "Fallen Heros" will just continue to rot in their graves as the rest of the nation goes to the Mall.

That more likely to get others killed due to their inexperience 

[kent101]

On 6/5/2009 at 9:50 AM, Testvet said:

it didn't help when Bob Dole said he didn't see a problem creating a 2 tier system where "new vets" could be paid more than older vets WTF all compensation should be the same based on the disability percentage the things he claimed affect us all loss of wages, quality of life etc......why should new vets get 25% more than older vets that just would NOT be right Bob Dole needs to go back selling sex pills....

I can't get a COE for VA home loan because I served less than 2 years. For some reason Vietnam Vets only have to serve 90 days to get the COE but I have to serve 2 years. How's that fair?  http://www.benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/purchaseco_eligibility.asp

Edited June 21, 2017 by kent101 (see edit history)

[Testvet]

for some reason the new thing is to "help" the new vets, us "old vets" can go suck wind for the most part

[purple]

Wonder what they would say if I answered with: "No, but I was violently raped by an OIF/OEF active duty member...does that count"?

Yeah, I know...I can be a smart-ass.......but I'm a truthful smart-ass.

[kw34]

Purple,

it is a shame its like they forgot about the rest of us as a gulf war vet i could not get the time of day but when you a say OEF things part like the Red Sea.

[john999]

When I call the VAMC or the VARO I am greeted by the salutation "Welcome home, OIF and OEF vets". I expect to get a salutation soon saying "No Vietnam vets need apply. Aren't you guys dead yet"? Gulf War vets are forgotten and they will have a hell of a time with the presumptive diseases in the future. Vietnam era vets are the predominate group using the VA at this time. We have the numbers or we would be sucking wind completely. However, the Vietnam war is forgotten by most Americans. I never thought that would ever happen in my life time.

[Pete53]

I don't have a problem with giving new Veterans some kind of priority. Especially when they first enter the system.What does bther me sometime is being treated exactly the same that non service connected Veterans are although in my heart I know I should not feel that way.

[Testvet]

it didn't help when Bob Dole said he didn't see a problem creating a 2 tier system where "new vets" could be paid more than older vets WTF all compensation should be the same based on the disability percentage the things he claimed affect us all loss of wages, quality of life etc......why should new vets get 25% more than older vets that just would NOT be right Bob Dole needs to go back selling sex pills....

[jim n ok]

on veterans day ,i posted this link. no one seemed to be moved by the direction the media was taking on what veterans day was for...now i see that purples thread has hit a nerve. we need to be united in all ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090528/ap_on_..._veterans__cuts

[Testvet]

I am not the brightest bulb in the bunch but why are veterans dependent on state budgets for veterans service officers, I thought the DAV, AL, PVA etc were National groups who charge money to veterans to belong to their groups, and are chartered by Congress, so why are cuts in state budgets wracking such havoc across the nation?

If Congress is the one giving these groups charters and allowing them to field such lousy SOs that don't know what they are doing, and screwing thousands of veterans and widows out of benefits because they don't know the rules, and if Congress is not funding the office's of these groups, why are they in charge of them?

If they can't provide oversight and make them provide educated SOs that know the rules so we aren't getting screwed because of ill informed SOs, and they aren't funding the office's then Congress needs to get out of chartering veterans groups and quit collecting funds from veterans for providing PP service, turn it back to a state choice of who they charter and standards for training before a SO is allowedto handle claims on behalf of the states veterans.

This system has been screwed up since WW1, something needs to be done to change it, and Congress has really done a PP job of it.

[purple]

There is alot that has to do with Vet's issues that Congress needs to change. Does anyone see them moving very fast to change anything?

I write to my elected officials on a regular basis...does it help? Who knows.

[Rockhound]

IMHO, which isn't worth a P**s in the grand scheme of things, but here goes.

I don't mind have a teared system, if that system has to provide limited services, using limited funds.

1) SC war time, In combat zone.

2) SC war time, outside combat zone

3) NSC war time

4) NSC not during war time.

5) All others.

It should not matter the when the war took place or where, but a Veteran in combat, to me deserves a bit of preference, and so on down the list.

But, and here is the big BUT. Like Purple stated, " A VET, IS A VET, IS A VET, IS A VET."

The VA should be fully funded, fully staffed, and fully trained and Veterans being treated at any VA medical facility should be respected and treated by a fully credentialed DR. and not some 90 day wonder Nurse Practitioner. A Nurse Practitioner is OK for screening purposes, but not for Diagnosing illness and/or injuries or for doing such examinations as C&P's when the Veterans benefits are at stake.

I'm also tired of being a ping pong ball, bouncing from one Intern to another without actually ever seeing the Dr who is over seeing their work. Also having to explain my whole medical history over and over and over again, because the interns do not take or have the time to read and/or research your whole history, espeically like some of us who have histories that go back 35 years and even more for those left from WWII and Korea.

Why is their mention of a tear anyway, you get an appointment when their is an opening, whcih if your lucky, is three to six months from now. Getting one sooner is a crap shoot, but sometimes it's well worth the role of the dice, unless you want to take your chances with any of the under staffed, under trained, under equipt Emergency Rooms at a VA Hospital.

Sorry guys this is a sour pill for me, It angers me to no end how the VA likes to pit one era of Vets against another, when like us sailors like to say, we're all in the same boat and we all have to deal in our own way with the pitfalls of the VA system, no matter how old or new a Veteran we are.

I'm too tired to sleep and my meds are taking their time kicking in. Why I should feel this way confounds me, since I get pretty good treatment, for the most part, at my VA hospital, it's those S*B's at the VARO that my anger is directed at.

I guess I have vented enough and probably made even less sense, so I'll stop and let the next person do a little venting on this subject.

Rockhound Rider :D :D B)

Edited June 6, 2009 by Rockhound (see edit history)

[purple]

What the VA is doing by catering to the OIF/OEF vets is creating a very specific set of statistics to present to the public and the lawmakers. Since this group of vets are getting quick appts, quicker turnaround on claims...quick everything; the VA can turn in those stats and say "Look how good we are doing at taking care of our vets!"

It won't matter that they are only talking about 3% of the total veteran population--oh no--they will leave that part out; and no one will be the wiser.....except those of us who know the truth.

[Pete53]

I really think that there is one giant misconception on this thread. That the VA is catering to OIF/OAF Veterans. The VA has always been more attentive to Veterans who are recently discharged. We can see on this very Board OIF Veterans who have been waiting a long time and being chumped by VA and the merry go round with hurdles.

What is mainly going on is the VA turning Veterans against each other.

Except for the VA propaganda film I saw the other day I have never heard of a Veteran getting full benefits without a real fight.

Social Security in less than 4 months

100% in 1945 Days or 5 years and 4 months

Hasn't changed all that much either in my opinion except Vets can hire their own lawyer for appeals.

I recognize all Veterans but if there is to be a priority it should be for Service Connected Veterans.

[john999]

Bring back the draft and make those with a family income of 250,000 or more top priority to serve. All our problems would be over. If sons and daughters of ruling elite were the first to serve in combat units I think the VA would get an immediate face lift. As long as poor boys and girls do the heavy lifting these "Fallen Heros" will just continue to rot in their graves as the rest of the nation goes to the Mall.

[Testvet]

I recognize all Veterans but if there is to be a priority it should be for Service Connected Veterans.

Pete this is a fine idea but look how many of us spend "years" fighting the system to get service connected? Despite the fact that the majority of veterans are SC the VARO spends months if not years putting us on the "hamster wheel" fighting to get that determination of being SC,,,,,until then we are only claimants then you have the people that want to pit "combat vets vs all other vets" veterans that are medically or mentally harmed in service are all disabled veterans why is a guy that gets shot by an Iraqi or Afghan more important than another veteran that was shot by friendly fire they are both shot

why is a veteran that almost killed by fellow soldiers while they were robbing them on a military base anywhere in the world less deserving of speedy service on a claim than a veteran who falls off a truck in Afghanistan, Kuwait or Iraq?

The claims should be handled ona first in first out basis any other special treatment is just that "special treatment" but as long as we have reasons to allow special processing veterans older than 70 are supposed to go to the Tiger team for expeditious handling, homeless vets are supposed to get expeditious, most of us have seen expeditious handling - all that means is the claim gets denied faster and the appeals are handled the same as everyone else's Slooooooooooooooooooooow boat to China route the best thing that has happened to veterans and widows is the fact we cna now hire lawyers to handle our appeals we have actually become full fledged Americans with rights to attornies, despite everything the service organizations could do to stop them, at least the lawyer returns my e mails and my phone calls that was a lot more than any of the Service organizations ever did, and I have used a lot of them in the past 7 years American Legion, DVA, PVA they are all real good at asking for life time memberships except the PVA due to my back and heart I qualified for automatic membership and they charge nothing for it, it's the only Service group I am a member of and get their magazines and I do support them, but with that stated their SO is no more intelligent than the other 2, he was useless also and told me that I could not win secondary SC for CAD and hypertension to PTSD, BVA judge proved them all wrong

If I had listened to the SOs over the years I would have been a grateful little boy with the initial award of 50% for PTSD and would have quit wasting their time and the VAROs time I am glad I found Hadit and am really happy I refused to be the nice little boy they had wanted me to be, my family would have been cheated out of their full benefits they are entitled to, and CHAMPVA health care, DIC benefits in the future etc, the Service Organizations really need to assess who they are actually working for veterans or the VA system.

[da_old_ chief]

In their zeal to not make the mistakes to the oif vets that they did to the vietnam vets they are slapping all other vets (ww2 Korea viet nam gulf) in the face

[purple]

Pete-

It's not a misconception, they are catering to the OIF/OEF vets. There are programs out there which you have to be a OIF/OEF vet in order to attend. Ex...there was a seminar one day at the Dayton VAMC about money management...ok, kewl...I wanted to attend. However, it was only for OIF/OEF vets!! There are many things advertised with the notation that its only for OIF/OEF vets...and to me, that is complete BS.

The next time I see a seminar I want to attend...I'm going. And I'll let them know that a vet is a vet is a vet.

There were plenty of men at the Ohio Women's Veterans Conference...I was told they were welcomed to attend....