$389,475 - In Retroactive Department Of Veterans Affairs Benefits

[carlie]

"CLINTON — For a 66-year-old Vietnam veteran, the check he received Saturday was a long-overdue thank-you for his military service,

He received $389,475 in retroactive Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, Anderson County Veterans Service Officer Leon G. Jaquet said.

Jaquet told county commissioners about the incident Tuesday during his update on benefits local veterans have received."

Full article:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/17/anderson-county-veteran-gets-back-payment-for/

[myround0]

I think in honor of any vet we should respect his privacy. If in the future, or should I say if someone here knows him please convince him to join the site and tell us about his experience. I am sure we are all happy for him and all vets who have achieved, but we must respect his wishes, no one needs to publish his name unless he grants permission. We don't know his circumstances, he might have greedy kids who he knows aren't deserving of earnings. But if he is convinced to come here, amongst friends and reveals himself to us, it would be great.

Edited January 22, 2012 by myround0

[Philip Rogers]

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree. They won't give out other info but they are required to give out where/who the money is spent. If you wanna send me your full name, city and state, I'll get yours. I don't need any personal info like your address, DOB, SSN or VA claim number. Just sayin'.

pr

PR

Probably not. There is an awkward "balance" between privacy laws and FOIA. RO decisions are not public. While BVA decisions are public, I can tell an attorney my "case number" and he can look it up..its not searchable on my name. Notice BVA decisions that are public use the term "the Veteran" and do not include name and SSN. This is mostly for attorneys to research case law.

I dont think the VA would disclose another Vets retro, medical history, or any thing else. When you calil the 800 number they do a verification, usually by asking the dates and branch of service. Ditto for IRIS.

This Veteran likely allowed his retro amount to be published...whether or not this was a good idea probably remains to be seen. He may regret allowing this to be published already.

According to the VBM, some CAVC cases are NOT made public. I dont know who decides whether they are public or not, I am speculating if there are "sensitive issues" such as MST, they dont publish the CAVC case.