This from the VFW web site:
House Leadership Assaults Veterans Disability Compensation
Washington, D.C., Sept. 10, 2003--A reported House leadership proposal to dramatically restrict how veterans' disability compensation is provided in order to cover the cost of a plan to phase in concurrent receipt for disabled military retirees was strongly criticized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.
"It is a blatant attempt to unfairly pit one group of veterans against another by forcing one group to pay for another's disabilities," said VFW Commander-In-Chief Edward Banas of Voluntown, Ct.
At issue is a House leadership proposal to deny VA compensation for disabilities and illnesses incurred while on active duty unless the service member can demonstrate that it was the result of the "direct performance of duty."
Commander-In-Chief Banas emphasized that, "disabilities incurred as a result of military service are not always clearly due to the performance of duty. All too many of our brave men and women fighting the war on terrorism in Iraq and around the world, for example, would be denied compensation for disease or injuries suffered during 'off-duty' hours under this draconian standard.
"Those who serve this nation in uniform, both at home and abroad, are on constant call, subject to relentless stress and danger. To limit their compensation and access to priority VA health care only to disabilities that can be proven to be the direct result of an on the job injury callously ignores this reality.
The VFW has long stood in the forefront in the battle to correct the long-standing inequity in law that unjustly forces our nation's disabled military retirees to pay for their own disability compensation by having to sacrifice, dollar for dollar, their hard earned retirement pay. But to attempt to address this financial inequity by imposing a grave injustice on all of this nation's defenders--noncareerist and careerist, alike--is cynical and morally wrong.
"The VFW strongly believes that concurrent receipt legislation can and must be enacted without undermining the VA disability compensation process," Banas said. "And we are dismayed and angry that the House leadership would attempt to address this issue in such a way. As unjust as the concurrent receipt problem is, it cannot be corrected by punishing present and future sick and disabled veterans."
Time to write some Congressional reps, people!!!!!!!!!!!!!
