A staggering number of veterans...

[John Ranalletta]

...are applying for disability benefits.

 

A fellow passenger on a flight back to Indy said he worked for a company that does the "work up" on VA disability claims. He said the VA has contracted for this service for the first time because there is a waiting list of over a million vets applying for disability payments.

 

That is a staggering number. I'm not making a judgment about the claims nor the VA's ability to serve its constituents, just marvelling at the scope of the problem.

[yabadabapal]

I cant make any judgments on this either, but I my question is,

are American people, American businesses doing enough to help those in the military make a somewhat smooth transition back into civilian life and the american workforce.

With unemployment at record highs and a society that thinks all we have to do is vote and pay taxes, i would think its pretty rough for these youngsters to be coming home. Maybe,and I mean maybe this is all they can do to keep going and create a minimum of security for themselves while they re acclimate. Re acclimating is a big issue because I dont think any who has gone to war and come home is essentially the same person they were before they left for duty. So, on one level it might be like being a new person in a new world and starting over again.

And it would be especially difficult after serving duty to come home to one of the richest and most powerful countries on earth to find out how little people and or the government is willing to do for you and or concerned about you. I dont mean to make this as a statement of fact because I dont have enough facts, but it is at least a thought of consideration. And of course there will be those who simply want to soak the system for everything they can get.

[Quinn]

Wonder what the percentage of National Guardsman applying for benefits is. Also wonder what the claims are for--physical or mental.

 

 

[Husker Red]

I work in a VA hosptial and I will tell you we are getting absolutely crushed by new demand. Swarmed under. It's not "new" veterans from Iraq and Afganistan either. Of the 120 patients we see a day in my clinic, maybe 1 or 2 are under the age of 30. Most are 55+.

[upflying]

I have two close friends who are a Vietnam vets. One is 62 and he was recently fitted with VA benefit hearing aids. He was crew chief on a Huey and he damaged his hearing from the .50's mounted on the doors.

The other is 60 and he recently lost a leg due to cancer, presumably caused by Agent Orange exposure.

Both endured several years of doctor visits and the morass of VA bureaucracy to qualify for treatment and benefits. Not surprised to hear the VA is having problems.

 

[Marty Hill]

3/4/5/6 and even 7 tours in the sandbox. Is anyone really shocked?

[John Ranalletta]

I didn't get many details, but I'd supose that with the WWII guys and gals dying at a rate of 1k/day so I've heard, the bulk are Korean and Viet Nam vets.

 

This fellow's company was formed by two vets who saw a need and while making a business also want to help expedite the process. He said his job was to take the application, gather the required data for the application; then, set up an appointment with a physician they engage, because the VA is overwhelmed. Once a case is developed per VA guidelines, it's submitted to the VA for disposition. His firm has nothing to do with making the decisions.

 

 

Here's some official info for those interested.

[taters]

i spent 2 tours in viet nam and was wounded....i can honestly say that i get the best medical and dental care bar none. they have done great by me.......

[Shaman97]

i spent 2 tours in viet nam and was wounded....i can honestly say that i get the best medical and dental care bar none. they have done great by me.......

 

And thank you for your service. Happy to see you are being taken care of properly.

[Agent_Orange]

I did three tours, 66,67, and 68. When I got out I had a 20% disability. 10% for malaria ( I had vivax and falciparum ) and 10% for the damage to my intestines from various worms and intestinal parasites.

One year later I was called back to the VA hospital in Miami. I was examined by a "doctor' who spoke little, if any, english. Not only that, but he didn't care about the nightmares, cold sweats, and bouts of rage. The VA then told me I was no longer disabled, and recinded my benifits. I appealed ( to the VA ) who turned it down.

 

As such, I am a life member of the V F W.

 

Veterans F***ed by Washington

 

 

 

 

[LandonBlueRT]

Veterans F***ed by Washington

 

I am another one. I have a hearing impairment that I am confident resulted from flight line duty in the USAF during the mid fifties. I buy a new set of hearing aids every five years and I am well into my eighth set that cost over $6,000.00. I have never had insurance that covered this expenditure. When I filled a claim with the VA they did every thing but laugh at me. I have never been treated with such disrespect.

[John Ranalletta]

Likely, this'll be put into the "too political" bin, but here goes...

 

Last week, I had a business gig in DC and I had a free afternoon before returning home.We walked from the Rennasaince Hotel to the Mall, to the Washington Monument, toward the Lincoln Memorial. We wanted to visit and pay our respects at each of the Korean, WWII and Viet Nam war memorials.

 

Frankly, as we walked back past the White House and viewed Congress, I experienced a feeling of revulsion and wondered why we build war memorials in a town that epitomizes the cesspool of self interest and deceit. Would the men and women honored by the memorials fight for what our country has become?

 

As one returns to the city center one sees every bloodsucking leech-like organization, all trying to get the first milk of government spending. They include all political parties, industry associations, AARP and unions.

 

When one hears the stories of how vets are treated and add that to how the Treasury is cooking the books regarding the recent CARS payouts to lower TIPS yields and Social Security inflation adjustments, one knows for sure that the US Government is a predictibly unreliable business partner. It simple does not keep its promises.

 

Thank you for you service.

 

[Dave McReynolds]

This thing with hearing aids is sort of an enigma to me too. My father-in-law flew P-51's in WWII and the early generation of jets afterwards, including F86's. He turned out almost totally deaf after a career in the Air Force.

 

I served a year in Vietnam in the infantry. I remember during our rifle training in those days, we were offered cotton to stuff into our ears (if we wanted it). I remember going to bed after day after day while on the range with a ringing in my ears. Of course, in Vietnam, there was no cotton for our ears. I remember one night in particular when we were doing perimeter guard for a battery of 155's, that were firing over our heads. Every time one would fire, I would be covered with a thin layer of dirt that would shake down off the walls of my foxhole. These and similar experiences have left me partially deaf. And yes, the experiences of 40 years since them have no doubt contributed, including years of riding motorcycles back in the days of no helmets and no ear protection.

 

My father-in-law's hearing loss is certainly connected to his years of flying military airplanes without adequate hearing protection, and I would say any reasonable evaluation of my hearing loss would say that at least a part of it was service connected. His claim for hearing aids was denied, so I was never inclined to file one for myself since I thought I had a weaker case. However, when I filed a claim for a disability that I knew would be approved, I threw in the hearing loss also, just because it was no extra trouble. But aside from a VA hearing test, that confirmed my hearing loss, my claim was denied too.

 

I guess to get any VA coverage for hearing loss, you have to prove hearing loss at the time you leave the service. It seems odd to me that that's the rule, since most hearing loss doesn't turn up until later, but I guess there would be a massive expense if they had to start giving all of us old farts $5,000 hearing aids.

[LandonBlueRT]

I probably would never have submited a claim had I not been advised to by a Veteran's Advacate from the VA. Nor would I have been offended with my claim being denied had the VA handled it in a civil manner. They were rude and offensive from the git-go. They made statements that simply were not true, and accused me of not complying with instructions when I had done so to the letter. They also told me at first that my military records had burned in a fire at the bldg. where they were housed in St. Lewis. They couldn't find records showing that I had failed a re-enlistment physical berecause of my hearing, but they found my discharge physical that supposedly indicated there was nothing wrong with my hearing at the time of discharge. If I was even given a hearing test at that time it was the kind where a person held a sheet of paper in front of his mouth and said "can you hear this?". I was not given a real hearing exam. From my experience, I would not give the VA 'the time of day'. It also causes me to be prone to believe any story I hear giving them hell.

[Selden]

I wonder if there are regional variations in VA quality of service? My father-in-law, who will turn 88 next month, is a WWII veteran, and from the many trips that I have accompanied him to the Atlanta VA hospital in the past year, I would say that he is receiving excellent care.

[John Ranalletta]

I wonder if there are regional variations in VA quality of service? My father-in-law, who will turn 88 next month, is a WWII veteran, and from the many trips that I have accompanied him to the Atlanta VA hospital in the past year, I would say that he is receiving excellent care.

My brother-in-law is visiting this weekend. He has a follow up visit at Roush VA center here in Indy. He is seen every six months following skin cancer surgery. He is very satisfied with the quality of service and care in the last two years.

[LandonBlueRT]

I understand the quality of care is good in VA hospitals and clinics. It is the claims division that my experience was with. They are not there to help you with your claim. They are there to deny it if you don't have an iron-clad case. According to the policies of the VA, the 'benefit of doubt' is supposed to go to the vet In my case it certainly did not.

[Selden]

I understand the quality of care is good in VA hospitals and clinics. It is the claims division that my experience was with. They are not there to help you with your claim. They are there to deny it if you don't have an iron-clad case. According to the policies of the VA, the 'benefit of doubt' is supposed to go to the vet In my case it certainly did not.

Not to appear cynical, but how is this different from other insurance companies?

[Dave McReynolds]

I understand the quality of care is good in VA hospitals and clinics. It is the claims division that my experience was with. They are not there to help you with your claim. They are there to deny it if you don't have an iron-clad case. According to the policies of the VA, the 'benefit of doubt' is supposed to go to the vet In my case it certainly did not.

Not to appear cynical, but how is this different from other insurance companies?

 

Before I became cynical, I used to believe there were reasons why the VA should be different from other insurance companies.

[John Ranalletta]

I've never understood why the VA can't engage existing health care providers to care for vets. We've four, very good hospitals in Indianapolis, but one VA med center. I can understand the need for separate LTC facilities, but not hospitals, at least in the major metro areas served by first-rate hospitals and physicians.

[bayoubengal]

In reading thru this thread what strikes me is the variation of the quality service provide. I believe herein lies the problem. My father is a WWII vet and gets excellent service and care here in GA from the VA. And he even got approved for a hearing aid. I hate to see others having the challenges they are having.

 

Several years ago my father was at a non-VA clinic for a procedure and had a young physician being very rude to him. My father quickly set his attitude straight and the young doc apologized "I'm sorry Mr. Hutchinson, I spend 4 days a week at the VA clinic and forget I've got to be nice to people when I come here"! Wrong guy to say that to. My father, again being a WWII vet with a son (me) and daighter-in-law (my bride) that are both USAF Officers, ripped him a new one. My father is the most caring gentle soul I know but this guy crossed the wrong line.

 

I'd like to see the VA work on providing consistent quality service so service at every clinic in every region looks the same.

[doc47]

As a health care professional it has been my privilege to care for vets from WW I up through Vietnam. IMHO, they deserve the best a grateful nation can give them.

 

Dave, you are right about hearing loss. As a disability evaluator it is difficult to determine how much loss is service-connected. When a guy has been exposed to excessive noise in the service, then goes on to work in a shipyard for 20 years, or as a long-haul trucker with the window open and Merle Haggard cranked up to 90 db it can be difficult to assign culpability. There is an AMA Manual on Determination of Disability that is the bible for all the involved agencies but I find it a heartless, mechanical method that almost never seems fair.

 

As for regional differences at the VA. Hospitals are run by people. Period. One career jerk with tenure at the top can set the tone for everyone down the line.

 

I don't buy the knee-jerk line that anything government does is automatically worse and less efficient than private industry. I haven't seen too many government boondoggles to match Enron. How many would have hired Blackwater to fight WW II?

[Agent_Orange]

" Hospitals are run by people. " Yep. But staffed by what, my good Doc?

 

Never forget...........never forgive! The SOB couldn't even speak english.

 

And if I sound bitter................well I guess so.

I'm not talking about my hearing loss. I notice that you didn't address my problem. Too tough, eh? An excuse for everthing, just like the VA.

[Shaman97]

" Hospitals are run by people. " Yep. But staffed by what, my good Doc?

 

Never forget...........never forgive! The SOB couldn't even speak english.

 

And if I sound bitter................well I guess so.

I'm not talking about my hearing loss. I notice that you didn't address my problem. Too tough, eh? An excuse for everthing, just like the VA.

 

Might I suggest you enlist the help of an ally. In this case, the DAV. They knlotslot about how the system operates. If one door is closed to you, they may know another route.

 

And you might consider giving the Doc some slack. His motives appear to be above reproach.

[motoguy128]

I wonder if there are regional variations in VA quality of service? My father-in-law, who will turn 88 next month, is a WWII veteran, and from the many trips that I have accompanied him to the Atlanta VA hospital in the past year, I would say that he is receiving excellent care.

 

 

I've only heard good things about the VA hospital in Iowa City. But like civilian healthcare, I think the "Claims" department are not related to the treatment facility. It seems like once you can get approved to recieve treatment, the treatment will be good.

[bakerzdosen]

It seems like once you can get approved to recieve treatment, the treatment will be good.

Usually. However, my grandfather (WWII POW who was NOT treated well while in captivity) has had health problems ever since. He gave up on VA treatment years ago when one of the doctors accused him of "faking" his pain - which is exactly the opposite of his persona.

 

It's taken over a decade to convince him to even consider returning to VA healthcare - which is too bad considering he's been entitled to over $1k/month which he gave up because of one bad doctor's attitude.

[doc47]

Agent Orange, my brother, I didn't address your specific post. There is no excuse for the way you were treated (or not treated!) A very close friend died of pancreatic cancer at age 39. (Pancreatic cancer is a disease of people 60 years old and older.) He was heavily exposed to Agent Orange in II Corps. He must have been in the same VFW post as you.

 

The advice to contact DAV is good. VVA might be worth contacting, as well.

 

For what it's worth, thank you for your service in Vietnam. Would that you had been treated better. I wish you healing.

[Agent_Orange]

Thanks for the reply and your wish. But I will probably go to my grave before the VA does anything for me, and others.

 

I'm not gonna contact anyone.

 

 

The time has long passed!