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Army 'shortchanging vets over costs' »
Posted by: Aidenag 2 years, 8 months agoThe Army is deliberately shortchanging troops on their disability retirement ratings to hold down costs, according to veterans' advocates, lawyers and service members.
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Aidenag
Photographer by day, news junkie by night. My main areas of interest are politics and the environment.
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Comments: 96
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tehranchik
Feb. 24, 2007, 11:52 a.m.Excuses, excuses. This reminds me of the homeless getting dumped from hospitals. Now it's the disabled soldiers getting dumped from the rolls to keep the cost down.
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bubba2
Feb. 24, 2007, 12:02 p.m.This is just totally unconscionable!
Earlier in the week, Tony Snow had to backtrack on himself, first saying that Bush knew about the issues at Walter Reed and other military hospitals, then changing his tune and saying that he wasn't necessarily totally aware of the problems.
Wounded troops have to wait a year or longer just to get ANY 'hearing' regarding any disability status. Most are only getting 20 to 20% of what they are entitled to, and most do NOT fight it after the 'first round' because they cannot afford to wait more years to get what they really deserve.
THIS is how the administration "supports the troops"??
Lying Hypocrites!!!
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Dionys
Feb. 24, 2007, 1:45 p.m.The VA's budget has been cut every year by Bush.
Bush is the most extraordinary liar of our times.
He is no Christian, supports nothing but the filling of his friends' pockets and is a disgrace to the office of the President.
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winstonsmithredux
Feb. 24, 2007, 2:59 p.m.But, but, but....sputter-sputter....so many 'true Americans' have those neat little yellow magnetic ribbons, right? So how can it be that the Bushquest government lacks sensitivity on veterans' issues?
This is all just more evidence of liberals hating Bush, right? No?
Too bad it's Saturday, and Rush is not on until Monday, so I can know what to think.
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winstonsmithredux
Feb. 24, 2007, 3:06 p.m.Is anyone else on this board old enough to remember when Walt Kelly had 'Pogo' saying, "We has met the enemy, and they is us"?
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Foxman
Feb. 24, 2007, 3:11 p.m.This is reminiscient of the 'Bonus Marchers' after WWI. The soldiers were promised a bonus for their service. The senate was voting to push back the pay-date even further, denying their deal, in which the soldiers had already done their part.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_march
The above wiki-link has most of what went on highlighted.
I hope to heck the government isn't trying to pull the same thing again.
Also; "The Pentagon was unable to provide data on severance costs, the GAO said." A number-runner could pull up and tabulate at least a ballpark statistic in about 2 minutes, 5 if the computers were slow that day. The information might be considered classified, but it seems everything is these days.
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ONEMEMPHISDUDE
Feb. 24, 2007, 7:17 p.m.Please leave President Clinton out of this. He will not return until '08.
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winstonsmithredux
Feb. 24, 2007, 3:23 p.m.I'm getting out of here before the neo-nazis storm the board and point out to all of us that the vets are all VOLUNTEERS, and, thus, deserve everything they get.
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NelsonR
Feb. 24, 2007, 3:42 p.m.How much money is Haliburton and the other Iraqi no bid contractors donating. They like Bush are true slime balls.
AS A VET I HAVE THE RIGHT TO AVER MY CONVICTIONS FOR THIS LUDICROUS ADMINISTRATION. SO DOES EVERY OTHER OUTRAGED AMERICAN CITIZEN.
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BhaktaRajPrabhu
Feb. 24, 2007, 4:43 p.m.This is no longer the United States, it's a company, the CEO and all his execs are corrupt as it gets, and the workers - in this case, the soldiers - are getting shafted.
I'm totally ashamed of this administration and all its works. The Founding Fathers would've hanged these people from the closest tree!
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AnvilHead
Feb. 24, 2007, 7:22 p.m.All in all this is another example of what vets have allways called Chicken Hawks. Civilian leadership totally ignorant of the real cost of war. And completely unwilling to pay the butchers bill when it's due.
Every republican administration gives rousing cheers for the soldiers in the field and the veterans after the war but when it comes to lending actual monetary support to either one there isn't any. Everyone remembers how Reagan finally welcomed Veitnam Vets back and thank them for their sacrifices, while at the same time gave bonuses to administrators that denied medical treatment and benefits to qualified veterans based on the amount of benefits denied.
People like this are Scum, always were scum and always will be Scum.
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ONEMEMPHISDUDE
Feb. 24, 2007, 7:29 p.m.Hi Nelson! Congress is the place to make these needed changes. They control the money! It's so easy to blame The President, any President. (and I must admit, this President is an easy target.)
Wanna make a change? Hold your local Congressmans' feet to the fire! Mobilize the local VFW. Make it a LOCAL issue! You wanna see change, then get off your backside, stop acting like yapping little poodle dogs and get in the fight. If you personally know of just ONE soldier who has been mistreated by The VA, make it your mission to help them. Charity starts at Home.
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Openeyes
Feb. 24, 2007, 7:37 p.m.This admin shorted the troops from the very begining.No armor for the transports or the men on the ground,lack of ammo in some units,and few spare parts for the equipment.Then when they come home in pieces they get shafted by the bush run VA.This bunch is a national shame!That the joint chiefs haven't stood up and made themselves heard just adds to it.
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NelsonR
Feb. 24, 2007, 7:43 p.m.ONEMEMPHISDUDE - Remember the BIPARTISAN Iraq study group who made reccommendationS for a change in Iraq? Now, also do you know how many of these Bipartisan reccommendations your President Bush accepted? None. He is the decider in chief that makes all decisions for both you, me and our elected representatives. Now why should I waste my time? I have to bide my time like the rest of America till hes gone.
His mark on history will be epitomized by a large BLOT.
Hopefully he will be stopped from getting us into more unjust wars of inaccurate intelligence and manipulation.
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okitech
Feb. 24, 2007, 7:50 p.m.i beleive the ratings are intentionally low. as the percentage goes up there are additional benifits such as education and federal hiring prefrences........all added expenses! all we deserve. the number of claims will increase and the first percentage will be very low, now the number of reviews will increase, all this will add up to longer waits and more frustrated vets. this does not play well with those thinking about joining!
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LABELDUDE
Feb. 24, 2007, 8:19 p.m.All this Liberal Sh1t is makin' me sick. When we got back from Viet Nam it was the Sissy Left that hated us and spit on us. NOW, different folks maybe, butt the same hatred for the troops. Also, they got the BUSH ADMIN raining sh1t down on 'em TOO. WELCOME HOME GUYS!
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lovermanComment has been removed: User banned.
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fotoman1133406
Feb. 24, 2007, 9:18 p.m.Guys,
An age old story...get the call, serve; and "get the shaft". The rich get richer(even in government) and the poor everywhere, keep getting the shaft.
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1-2-Oscar
Feb. 24, 2007, 9:41 p.m.Disability ratings are only part of the story. Over many years the military has closed many of the hospitals built stateside to care for active duty personnel, retirees, and their dependents. These people include career servicemen who were told that they could expect quality healthcare for as long as they lived--now it is no longer available to them. The CHAMPUS program is no substitute for the benefits that lured them to stay on active duty, and to risk their lives over and over again. Sadly, it often appears that the government targets hospitals for closing purely on the basis of how many retirees they serve.
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Fritzydoodle
Feb. 24, 2007, 10:42 p.m.My son's appeal hearing is the 28th. Pray for the best. The review board is a joke. His doctors (Note plural) say he's disabled due to severe migraines - cause unknown. The first review said they were hereditary and he had them prior to enlisted. Except he never had a single attack until 3 years AFTER his enlistment and after his second deployment to the middle east. All they'd have to do is check his records. But why bother checking or listening to his doctors.
Not that he's ever been exposed to different vaccines... chemical agents... and who knows what. Not to mention several compression fractures in his spine from hard landings when parachuting.
Pray. Pray. Pray for my son and all the others being screwed by our government. They did their part - now its time for us to provide for them to be whole. They're not asking for a free ride. They deserve to be made as close to whole again as possible.
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B737Tech
Feb. 24, 2007, 11:36 p.m.Typical Bush bullsh-t. Send the guys to war without proper equipment & then screw them over when they get injured.
Give the rich another tax cut...that ought to fix it.
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IcCaRus
Feb. 25, 2007, 12:02 a.m.this administration has gone past incompetent. they are traitors to the american people in every sense of the word. ALL they care about is profit for their masters.
IMPEACH, then IMPRISON
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