Re Budget Cuts And "super Committee"

[slangpdx]

Just trying to get a little reassurance here. Quote below from article in url says VA disability benefits would be exempt from surprise cuts. Would like to know if anyone has independent knowledge of this. The new process as recently passed will be that proposed cuts will be made in secret by a committee of 12 and then sent to both houses for yes or no vote, no changes possible, from what I am understanding.

Carl Blake, legislative director of Paralyzed Veterans of America, said he has real concerns about the effect the law will have on veterans' health care.

Veterans Affairs Department pension and disability programs are fenced off from cuts or sequestration, Blake said, but not the massive 247,000 employee Veterans Health Administration, which is expected to care for 6.2 million patients in 2012. Blake said VHA operates under discretionary funding, which makes it a target for cuts.

http://www.govexec.c...oref=todaysnews

Edited August 6, 2011 by slangpdx

[john999]

Employees at my VA got 500,000 in bonus payments for screwing money out of vets on copays etc. Some of that 500K could have been used to pay for a crown on my tooth and to do the implant I had to pay for since the VA would not do it due to cost.

[broncovet]

You are going to get a different opinion from everyone. Personally I would not be surprised by more cuts. Cutting Veterans Cola has already resulted in cutting Vets benefits by a projected 8% in the past 2.5 years , since military and government employees, and especially government executives, got their raises. The cut in the debt rating for America, tho, coulld be even worse.

[carlie]

Just trying to get a little reassurance here. Quote below from article in url says VA disability benefits would be exempt from surprise cuts.

Would like to know if anyone has independent knowledge of this.

There is another thread going on this.

Yes, VHA falls under Discretionary spending -

VA Disability Compensation falls under Mandatory spending.

Unless the USA goes into bankruptcy -

the VBA will not be able to cut out and stop providing medical care

for our service connected disability's.

[slangpdx]

There is another thread going on this.

Yes, VHA falls under Discretionary spending -

VA Disability Compensation falls under Mandatory spending.

Carlie, I searched but cannot find the thread. Can you provide link? At least for now the disability payments seem to be safe, thanks.

[carlie]

Carlie, I searched but cannot find the thread. Can you provide link?

At least for now the disability payments seem to be safe, thanks.

Here's a link to one thread that was closed because it went political.

[Testvet]

You are going to get a different opinion from everyone. Personally I would not be surprised by more cuts. Cutting Veterans Cola has already resulted in cutting Vets benefits by a projected 8% in the past 2.5 years , since military and government employees, and especially government executives, got their raises. The cut in the debt rating for America, tho, coulld be even worse.

Bronco this is stretching the truth more than a little in the past three years even people on SS and SSD and SSI and all others affected by the CPI index have not had a "COLA" it was NOT just veterans Our COLA is supposed to be around 3.5% and depending on August and Sep it could go higher or lower yet we will not know until the middle of Sep I think it may be the middle of Oct in which ever month ends the fiscal year and SS and VA will pay the increases after Jan 1, 2012 since the CPI index has not raised until this year there was no COLA's for anyone since that last 5.8% we all got in Jan 2009

you make it sound like they were only picking on veterans and that is not the case old disbled and retirees were all affected since then

Edited August 7, 2011 by Testvet