Army Lowballing

[Berta]

http://vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfAPR07/nf042407-1.htm

In part:

"Critics say the Army rates its injured soldiers at a lower level of disability compared with the other armed services and the VA so it can save on the costs of disability payments."

[Ricky]

Hey Bob, with yours and my attitude we should load up the van and travel around serving as poster children for the army!!!! You hit it right when you said they have no honor only calculators.

Hey Testvet - don't rain on my parade and deprive of my hate for Chu. I understand what you are saying but this is today and I really, really, really hate this worthless piece of crap. His is a dishonor to the uniform and country that I so love and to the young guys and gals that I love.

I am an equal opportunity hater. If I had lived in the 30's and 40's I assure you that I would hate whoever held his position during that time frame if they went out into public and inferred that my service to my country and the sacrifices my family made to allow me to serve were the cause of all the current DoD problems. Yep they would be riding in the same boat I have Chu floating in. Some of the things this worthless piece of crap is saying about our current young injuried hereos is just un-American. I know he is simply acting as the fall guy for a bunch of criminal politicians but his statements cut right through my heart.

So come on, I don't get much excitement out of life these days so let me hate him. After all it keeps me from kicking the dog hahahahhahaha. (JUST KIDDING - NO ANIMALS HAVE BEEN HURT DURING THIS POST) (I PITY THE FOOL THAT WOULD TRY TO KICK MY LITTLE BABY - THEY PROBABLY WOULD NOT LAST THE NIGHT AFTER I GOT THROUGH WITH THEM).

[huskerfanfl]

Bob,

I realize that the example I cited was an exception rather than the rule. I am truly sorry that you had to go through so much. I have heard so many horror stories from those who have been recruiters and yours is just icing on the cake. I have talked to some of the soldiers that were waiting medical discharge, and for the most part found that they were not being treated fairly.

[sixthscents]

All,

Please dont get me wrong. I believe and feel every word of what I wrote below... but, I still would serve in a flat second if they'd have me. The Army, from the ground is a noble, incredibly satisfying career. I have a great deal of respect for MY Army, but I have NO respect for the idiots, liars, thieves, and shysters foisted off as leaders who diligently work to undermine the very bedrock of our nation.

Testvet is right... Dr Chu is just the latest in a litany of lies, manipulation, and deceit. The history of America, and our military is replete with them. What is, at its very heart an incredibly honorable brotherhood, is tarnished by the acts of people who have seldom if ever even wore a uniform...

Today, right NOW, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are being sacrificed for the sake of budgetary concerns... not national policy, not foreign policy... domestic policy is at reign here. They go so far as to try and tar and feather US, saying that the veterans compensation and care is causing active military problems. They, the dirty little men, in their Brooks Brothers suits, want to cast US into the image of welfare recipients.... They have only forgotten one little thing. Nobody believes the US government anymore. The average American thinks that the government is made up of lies... and this trend has done nothing but escalate since the 50s'.

They deny just compensation, or DELAY such until the veteran dies, or just quits. They do this KNOWINGLY, as I cannot fathom how such a morass of legalistic tripe could be foisted off as being correct without a hidden agenda. I miss my Army. I miss my soldiers. I am a very firm supporter of both, but....

I look at the Roman empire, which in all truth is THE best comparison to America today... and I see what is coming. Anyone can... history repeats itself, and America, as it stands today, has already doomed itself to that end. So, I will fight for myself, my family, and my soldiers the best way I can, but... I already know the end of the book. When we seperated our citizenry from the idea that they must EARN their privlidges, and they became rights, when we turned our backs on the idea that was the foundation of our nation, we doomed our very nation. Today, only 1 person in 20 has seen military service, or less depending upon WHICH dissertation you read, but 1-20 being the highest possible... you see an America increasingly divorcing itself from the very thing which made it. So fell Rome, and so to... will America meet it's fate.

I am NOT anti-American... I am so PRO American that I refuse to cover my eyes from the train wreck which is coming. I look at Iraq, and I see Harridan's wall... the time is compressed because of technology, but... for what purpose was Harridan's wall built, for what purpose are we in Iraq?...

The comparisons fit all too well, in ANY way you wish to use them. So fell Rome, and so too will America. I am proud to be an American, as I know you probably are too, but... the America we are so proud of in our hearts, no longer exists in our world. I am sure the Romans were just as patriotic, yet the ampitheater is still ruins, and the great aquaducts are filled with sand. I swore and would happily swear again to support and defend the IDEA upon which our nation was founded, but I find very little to support in the reality of what our nation has become.......

WOW......... ok, sorry what the heck does this have to do with compensation and pension?..... I'll ask another mod please to look at this thread and determine if it needs to be moved. If so, fine....

To those whom I have upset I apologize. Make no mistake, I am very proud of most of our past accomplishments as Americans... and I am proud to be one today... but, I am proud of what we were, the Ideas we were founded upon, and the men and women I served with and for. Yet the very thing which makes me unable to NOT serve, makes me also unable to hide from the truth, or what I percieve to be the truth.

[free_spirit_etc]

I found a political science class I took very interesting --and one thing I noticed that was the difference that made the difference in civilations that survived for a long time was a strong military. No matter what tpye of civilation it was - the strength of the military is what kept the civilization going. If the military got weak --there went the civilization going....

[john999]

From what I understand a vet has to pay back the severance pay if he gets a VA disability. If a vet gets say 30% disability rating from the Army and then gets 70% from the VA does he have to make a choice between the VA money and the military disability retirement pay?

[sixthscents]

John,

In MOST cases a veteran does have to pay back the severance pay they received. The veteran does not get to choose severance or retirement, the MEB board rates the service member, and if they rate them 20% or less they are severanced. If they rate them 30% or more, they are retired...

The thing is the branches can pick and choose WHICH disability they say a person is unfit for, and ONLY rate that ONE disability... Like I said, I was discharged on a severance due to a back strain... after 4 surgeries, fusion, proven nerve damage, and a spinal chord stimulator being installed. The Army decided I was unfit to serve because of my initial diagnosis from my PCP, before any specialist etc... he diagnosed LUMBAGO.. so they rated me 20%, and shoved me out the door.

When the veteran files their claim with the VA, if the receive a rating the same as or greater than the rating given by the service, they can recoupe the taxes (28%) taken from the severance. Further, according to M21-1.... I'll get you a reference in a bit... the VA can only recoup the RATED amount that matches the reason given for discarge...

So for example, soldier A was rated 20% for lumbago, discharged, and given severance. He files his claim with the VA and they rate him at 70% for a whole bunch of stuff, of which 20% is also lumbago... then the VA can only recoupe the 20% compensation rate out of the total.... $210 or so... the rest the service member is allowed to receive. So, at 70%... say $1400 (guessing you can check the tables) the VA pulls out $210 for repayment of the severance... and the service member receives $1200 or so of the amount.

Now the Army has been getting slick here of late, and putting 2 seperate reasons for discharge on the DA-199 and rating each at 10%... but it doesnt matter.. they only get back what they rated, so if the VA rates both, and rates them at 50% each... the VA still is only supposed to recoupe the 10% compensation rate, for each.

Its kinda confusing, but I have seen the VA making errors lately and trying to recoup way tto much.... again I'll look up the reference later, but its under M21-1... I just have to dig thru it and find it again.

There are certain circumstances where recoupment HALTS... HA! For instance if a veteran is rated 100% for a disability OTHER than that for which they were discharged - recoupment stops... Trust me, I was happy to read that, and sure enough, when it happened, my recoupment stopped.. so I get my full pay without any deduction other than insurance.