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.

[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....