Combat Veteran's Compensation, Hospital Food
John W. Slagle
March 11, 2006
A bill that would guarantee a portion of retirement benefits to military members forced out of service because of combat injuries was introduced on Wednesday, March 8th. in the U.S. Senate.
The compensation bill would pro-rate retirement pay for injured veterans. Currently, service members who are injured before completing 20 years do not qualify for the benefit.
"People who had planned to make the military a career are being forced into premature retirement because of medical problems," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the bill's sponsor. "That means they lose their retirement pay, and I think that's unfair."
The problem has come into particular focus because of soldiers being wounded in Iraq, Reid said.
The bill would allow those veterans to get both disability benefits and a portion of retirement pay, he said.
From March 20, 2003 to January 31, 2005, 16,598 American soldiers have been physically wounded in action. According to the Department of Defense, about half of the sustained injuries were considered severe enough that return to military duty was impossible.
Many were treated at Poly Trauma Hospitals for two or more serious Injuries. Curiously, military service personnel who received monthly Basic Allowances for Subsistence while deployed could eat meals at bases without cost, but had to pay for hospital meals if injured in combat.
The war wounded were exempted by Congress in 2003 for meal payments but on January 3 ,2005, free hospital food would be given only to military patients confined to beds or certain classes of outpatients. Congress later approved H.R. 1268, Public Law 109-13 that prohibits charging service members injured in Iraq or Afghanistan for their meals while they are undergoing medical therapy or recuperation at military hospitals.
As more and more combat Veterans return from Iraq they are discovering help is limited. When dealing with the stress of returning to everyday life, many feel the Bush administration has failed to prioritize veterans services.
While the Veterans Administration (VA) is being criticized for its strained budget, VA officials claim budget shortfalls resulted from calculations made in haste during the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) appeals process. The OMB is under direct control of the Bush White House.
The VA suffered a $1.3 billion budget shortage last year. After the fiscal year 2006-07 budget projections were published, Republicans and Democrats both called for congressional investigations by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO is the bipartisan investigative and auditing arm of Congress.
GAO investigations found that the VA?s budget was based on unrealistic assumptions, estimating errors and insufficient data. As a result, the VA ended up under funded.
Over the past 10 years the need for veterans services has increased 49 percent. World War II, Korean and Vietnam War vets are often not factored into the VA?s budget.
One of the biggest disabilities veterans face is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a psychological disorder affecting individuals who have experienced or witnessed profoundly traumatic events, such as wartime combat.
The symptoms are characterized by recurrent flashbacks of the traumatic event, nightmares, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, forgetfulness and social withdrawal.
With the cuts in VA services and the closure of veterans hospitals, vets are seeking treatment through civilian facilities.
As President Bush pushes to increase funding for the war in Iraq and decrease funds for veterans, the number of vets forced to seek help at civilian facilities is also going to increase.
The Bush administration needs to prioritize funding for veterans services and benefits.
It?s the Government?s responsibility to care for returning servicemen and women who have been severely injured or crippled due to military service.
President Bush recently said, ?A budget is much more than a collection of numbers. A budget is a reflection of a nation?s priorities, its needs and its promise.?
A nation?s foremost priority should be for our nation?s military, their needs. Budgetary considerations should not be secondary when Veterans are often paying the ultimate price.
sources:
Veteran affairs, net facts
The compensation bill would pro-rate retirement pay for injured veterans. Currently, service members who are injured before completing 20 years do not qualify for the benefit.
"People who had planned to make the military a career are being forced into premature retirement because of medical problems," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the bill's sponsor. "That means they lose their retirement pay, and I think that's unfair."
The problem has come into particular focus because of soldiers being wounded in Iraq, Reid said.
The bill would allow those veterans to get both disability benefits and a portion of retirement pay, he said.
From March 20, 2003 to January 31, 2005, 16,598 American soldiers have been physically wounded in action. According to the Department of Defense, about half of the sustained injuries were considered severe enough that return to military duty was impossible.
Many were treated at Poly Trauma Hospitals for two or more serious Injuries. Curiously, military service personnel who received monthly Basic Allowances for Subsistence while deployed could eat meals at bases without cost, but had to pay for hospital meals if injured in combat.
The war wounded were exempted by Congress in 2003 for meal payments but on January 3 ,2005, free hospital food would be given only to military patients confined to beds or certain classes of outpatients. Congress later approved H.R. 1268, Public Law 109-13 that prohibits charging service members injured in Iraq or Afghanistan for their meals while they are undergoing medical therapy or recuperation at military hospitals.
As more and more combat Veterans return from Iraq they are discovering help is limited. When dealing with the stress of returning to everyday life, many feel the Bush administration has failed to prioritize veterans services.
While the Veterans Administration (VA) is being criticized for its strained budget, VA officials claim budget shortfalls resulted from calculations made in haste during the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) appeals process. The OMB is under direct control of the Bush White House.
The VA suffered a $1.3 billion budget shortage last year. After the fiscal year 2006-07 budget projections were published, Republicans and Democrats both called for congressional investigations by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO is the bipartisan investigative and auditing arm of Congress.
GAO investigations found that the VA?s budget was based on unrealistic assumptions, estimating errors and insufficient data. As a result, the VA ended up under funded.
Over the past 10 years the need for veterans services has increased 49 percent. World War II, Korean and Vietnam War vets are often not factored into the VA?s budget.
One of the biggest disabilities veterans face is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a psychological disorder affecting individuals who have experienced or witnessed profoundly traumatic events, such as wartime combat.
The symptoms are characterized by recurrent flashbacks of the traumatic event, nightmares, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, forgetfulness and social withdrawal.
With the cuts in VA services and the closure of veterans hospitals, vets are seeking treatment through civilian facilities.
As President Bush pushes to increase funding for the war in Iraq and decrease funds for veterans, the number of vets forced to seek help at civilian facilities is also going to increase.
The Bush administration needs to prioritize funding for veterans services and benefits.
It?s the Government?s responsibility to care for returning servicemen and women who have been severely injured or crippled due to military service.
President Bush recently said, ?A budget is much more than a collection of numbers. A budget is a reflection of a nation?s priorities, its needs and its promise.?
A nation?s foremost priority should be for our nation?s military, their needs. Budgetary considerations should not be secondary when Veterans are often paying the ultimate price.
sources:
Veteran affairs, net facts
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