Have you called the Whitehouse hot line for Veterans lately?

[Richard1954]

I wonder how many veterans have called the Whitehouse Hotline... and more important how many veterans actually had their concerned addressed?

I just made a call this morning, my call concerned the new inflation rate of 8.6% and Disabled Veteran Compensation.

First, I don't expect my call to generate any concern for veterans, in fact the call isn't even answerd by Whitehouse personnal, its answered by employees of 

the VA.  ( Who knew) Had I know this upfront, I would not have bothered to waste my time, ( regardless it was probability a waste of time anyway).

I basically asked what the Whitehouse, or President was going to do for Veterans concerning inflation and Veteran Compensation, I indicated this president has not 

done a darn thing for veterans since he was elected, except get our soldiers killed in Afghanistan.  With that said the guy on the other end didn't

 say anything except hello and goodby. One thing I am sure of is  no matter when a veteran calls the hotline  the odds are that nothing will be done to help veterans.

Normally I would not have made such a call, ( In fact, I believe if you have no control over something, why worry about it, because worry won't help) but recently my wife (of almost 50

years) has been going back and forth to San Antonio to help my son care for his young Children. Its not that he cannot afford a babysitter, but his wife recently walked out and he/we

don't think the children should be rushed off to a babys sitter at this time.

It use to cost about $35 for a round trip, to San Antonio and Back to Killeen, Now it cost over $100 a round trip.  Sometimes she makes the trip twice a week, this week she has not

been home once. Factually. like most Americans, I have seen our savings go down quicker than we would have expected and its all because of Inflation.

Anyway I felt the need to vent, knowing it doesn't really help.   Have a good day all.

 

 

Edited June 10, 2022 by Richard1954

[broncovet]

While it very well could make you feel better, ONLY CONGRESS has control over Veterans compensation increases.  (You know the national increases, not an increase in your disability level because it worsened).  

You could write multiple congressmen/congresswomen and ask them why Veterans compensation has not been increased for decades, except COLA, which pretty much never keeps up with inflation.  Its time Vets got an increase over and above COLA to compensate them for years of "falling behind" in inflation.  

Did you ever wonder "why" 100 percent Vets get $3456, but 10 percent Vets "do not Get $345, but instead get less than half of that at $152?  Its the same thing "all across" VA comp rates.  

Congress should also "right this wrong".  

Edited June 11, 2022 by broncovet

[Richard1954]

1 hour ago, broncovet said:

You could write multiple congressmen/congresswomen

I am well aware of who holds the purse strings, and I never expected my phone call to do anymore than allow me to spout off.  As to writing multiple congresscritters,  I have tried that before and not one even acknowledged my letter. Frankly contacting congresscritters or anyone with power is a waste of time, at least when it comes to veterans affairs issues. All they ever do is send a copy of your letter to the VA. and then the VA answers you letters with lies (been there done that).

My biggest surprise was finding that the Whitehouse does not monitor the Hotline, of course I should have expected this was the case.  I don't usually get upset over something I can't do anything about because  it just seems like wasted energy. 

[john999]

Bronco....well said!  If 3 million vets called their congressmen something might change.  VA compensation is so low that it does not compensate vets for real lost income.  Say you had a good job before being disabled.  Now you have to live on half that much and like it.  The DAV, VFW and AL should be leading the charge.  Where are they?  Many younger vets don't have a pension or significant SSA money coming to them.  They must live on VA alone.  I could not do it and I make more than most from VA I think.  We need more money from VA.  If not us then who deserves it more? We got hurt for our country sake.

[Vync]

6 hours ago, broncovet said:

Its time Vets got an increase over and above COLA to compensate them for years of "falling behind" in inflation.  

Adding this to the end: "...over the past decades."

[john999]

Here, here....we need an increase to basic level of compensation.  It has not changed since WW11.  My father got 10% in 1947.  It was 8 dollars a month.  I got 10% in 1973.  It was 28 dollars a month.  That was almost 30 years and it went up 20 bucks a month.  100% in 1973 was $650 I think.  It was low!  An insult to all vets.  No wonder they can't find people to join up. 

[Dot09]

I am asking Congress to compensate our grossly underpaid disabled veterans fairly this year. This must be corrected by appropriate legislation now.

In 2022 a totally disabled veteran with no dependents is compensated at the ridiculous rate of $39,984.72 annually. The National Average Wage Index (NAWI) for 2020 was $55,628.60 per annum and the median income for 2020 was $67,521.00. The per capita GDP in 2020 was $63,416.00, among the highest in the world. This low rate of compensation to disabled veterans is deliberate and cruel.

Disabled veterans are only compensated for projected lost wages not to include a "loss of quality of life" payment. That is an antiquated approach to injury compensation and has not been used in courts awarding personal injury compensation for at least two generations now. This is done specifically to keep taxes low on our elites who pay next to nothing in federal taxes every year.

Once our youth realize that serious injury or sickness received in the armed forces will mean a lifetime of near poverty due to artificially low compensation as disabled veterans the armed forces will collapse. It will happen very quickly and we will not be able to stop it once it starts.

A young person would have to be unbalanced to accept this social contract as reasonable between an enlistee and the government. No clear-thinking young person would agree to this lopsided arrangement.

This is a danger to all of us.

I ask Congress to work very hard this year to ensure that legislation is introduced and passed to award fair and adequate compensation to our disabled veterans.

https://auburnpub.com/opinion/letters/letter-disabled-veterans-deserve-fair-compensation/article_a6c1e279-595c-5562-a76f-03b39a8d4e9a.html