From my home state too.
Senator Tom Coburn is upset that some Veterans are receiving "triple benefits." Meaning that they get Retirement Pay, Disability from the VA and Social Security.
This will be a short diary.
I know that there are a lot of people out there who think that all military vets and retirees are rich. Well wake up and smell the bullshit.
If someone qualifies for all three of those programs simultaneously, you are probably looking at someone who is severely disabled or terminal. And chances are, their family is struggling.
I know that it's difficult for people to understand in this Union Busting world, but there is this thing called a Contract. And when a person enlists or is commissioned to serve in the US military, they sign a contract in which the US government agrees to certain rates of retirement depending on the rank and years of service, as well as compensatory payments for any injuries suffered while in the line of duty.
The government is whining about all the money they are spending right now because we all know how they hate having to pony up after a big war. Funny thing is a lot of people never use their benefits or all of them for that matter, so in reality, the government saves big bucks on people who just don't bother when they get out, even if the could file for compensation. (All those women for starters).
And all the while we are in the military, WE PAY FUCKING TAXES. And that includes Social Security. We don't get that shit for free. We pay into it out of each and every paycheck just like everyone else.
So all three of those programs are not "Free Entitlements" as some might have us believe, but programs that are the product of a contractual obligation via the government to military personnel, and of course, the result of participation of US Citizens in US Tax Law.
So whine all you want Coburn, you look like a grinch that is about to steal healthcare and housing from a bunch of disabled vets.
Another reason to vote a straight Democratic Ticket this year.
The assistance that vets receive in many cases is so poor, that we have to have civilian organizations to step in and make up for the gaps in care. Wounded Warriors, various charities that urge you to give old clothing and furniture for resale to benefit Veterans, and a whole lot more.
The government should cover all of this but it doesn't. Even when it says it will before you sign your shiny name on that dotted line. And then when the shit hits the fan, well this is what you can expect.
Substandard care (if you get it at all)
Long long waits (that can be life threatening, unnecessary and purely contrived)
Army Times--Phoenix VA Waits Tied to Deaths
Nationwide story from USA Today
Investigators have found that 13% of VA schedulers across the country were instructed how to set up appointments at the convenience of an overburdened system rather than the veteran and that 8% kept unofficial lists of patients whose care was delayed.
Get screwed by big banks so they can take your house.
Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in partnership with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is issuing warning letters to approximately a dozen mortgage lenders and mortgage brokers advising them to clean up potentially misleading advertisements, particularly those targeted toward veterans and older Americans.
WaPo has a story from the year before on a suit filed, claiming big banks were scamming vets.
And Senators that never served moaning about the fact that your living off of too high quality of catfood.
No doubt the Coburn story is related to this one at the Military Times. (I highly recommend you read this story)
Veteran suffering from mental illness are targeted as the leading group causing the jump in payouts.
Golly G that looks like they are going after people who suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Funny thing that, with all the TBI, MST and just plain old Combat. So the next time you read about someone who can't get help from the VA for their mental illness, likely brought on by their service, think of old Tim Coburn and the Congressional Budget Office. Remember Vets--they are all about helping you--Right out the door.
PTSD and other conditions brought on by military service can take years to surface. That's in part because we are all teenagers or young adults when we serve. We don't show damage as quickly. It takes a while for these conditions to become so bad that we seek help. I know these assholes want to make it sound like we come looking for handouts out of the blue for no reason. But most Vets are too proud to seek help at first and think they can handle it by themselves. Some of us do for a long time too. Until the burden becomes so great that it disrupts our lives in ways you don't want to comprehend. Think of all those homeless Vets suffering on the streets with PTSD and substance abuse issues.
Anesthetizing themselves because of the injuries--physical and mental, suffered in the service for this country. Many were married, did have homes and good jobs until they just couldn't carry that secret burden any more. Some don't even know what is wrong with them, because the military and the VA often ignores our plights in favor of budgetary issues. If they can wait until you die, they get to keep your money. That's how it works.
Vote a straight Democratic Ticket and then hold those Dems accountable too. Our service people should not be begging on the streets. Not a single one of them.