Look at what they are up to now.

[theoddz]

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gimpy]

Theo! But, thanks again for the reminder.

[Jerry D]

Ok folks now we just have to remind our Senators an Congress that a military service member is on duty 24-7 ! According to various regs you are only guaranteed 6 hours of sleep in a 48 hour period. As a service member you can be recalled at any time. I was probably one of the few SSgt's to retire after 20 years of active duty and lived in the barracks the whole 20 years. So, every time they needed someone to do some detail it was to the barracks the supervisors went knocking on doors and telling you to get to work that was within the regs and it still is the last time I heard. So every injury or illness I got while on Active duty was duty related as far as I was concerned. I think the only injuries they could hold you to being off duty would be any illness or injury incurred on Leave.
Ok here is a side bar on the CCR problem. If the War between the states hadn't taken place. The Southern Senators wouldn't have enacted this law after the war ended and the South had been plunderd by carpet baggers and William T. Shermans troops. It was to penalize union soldiers for the mistakes of Sherman and others who took advantage of southern civilians. And when they were elected to office these civilians remembers the atrocities enacted by the troops under Sheridan an Sherman and Enacted this law so the RA troops that retired after their hitch was up wouldn't get both their Retirement and disability. So, Dear friends if not for Lincoln and his Northern aggressors wanting to tax the South and build up the Northern States industrial base their would be no CCR problem today makes you want to say Hmmmm.

[BLUEHAWK]

Jerry -
Well, that sidebar up there IS a new wrinkle on this CCR discussion!

Any more info about that part of the thing?

[Gimpy]

There WAS another 'side bar" to this scenario as well however. It seems that the MAIN reason these "Southern Senators" wanted to pass this "legislation" was due to the FACT that while Union military veterans were being "compensated" somewhat for their wounds suffered in the War of Northern Aggression by the "Guvment" of Lincoln in Washington-----Confederate trooper veterans received absolutely "zlich", --nada--nothing for THEIR wounds suffered in that hostility. Henceforth, for the reasons mentioned by Jerry and the "confederate trooper" ---"omission" of "benefits"---- the "problem" languishs in the halls of Congress & the Whitehouse till this day!

[Gimpy]

And them thare gald-dern Yankee types are-a wonderin why we'un's down heanh keep on-a sayin-------------------------------------HELL NO WE AIN"T GONNA FERGIT---the GLORIOUS South WILL rise again!

[Tamaroa]

Boy talk about a mix up, whew!! But I'll tell you this. After the WBTS, Union soldiers were entitled to a pension if they suffered a disability while in the war. I have done enough research and seen enough pension files to file a couple of 5 drawer filing cabinets.

Now we come to his counterpart! The stalwart Rebel. Here is a soldier who fought like the dickens for a cause he believed in and he lost the war. At Appomattox, Lee and Grant shook hands, agreed on terms and the war was over. With the exception of Davis who was imprisoned without a charge and wirz who deserved what he got, NO OTHER Confederate soldier was hung or punished in any way. They took home their horses and side arms. In that sense the north was quite magnanimous. The question then becomes, does the Confederate veteran deserve a pension from the Federal government if he suffered a disability in the war? The answer is quite rightly no. After all he was a part of an army that tried to rip the country asunder.

After the war, southern states saw their old gray heros grow old and debilitated. the STATES distributed pensions out to the Confederate veteran. They also established confederate veteran homes for the soldiers when they were unable to care for themselves. In fact, my own ancestor was a North Carolinian. I had to get records of his through the state of North Carolina.

In 1961, when I was a wee lad of 13, i subscribed to the Civil War Times Illustrated. I remember reading an article that I thought was very interesting. in 1961, there were about 1600 living widows of civil war veterans, confederate and Union. As we speak there is one left, a widow of a Confederate soldier. She gets a pension from the government.

I have a problem with the southern legislators of that time. Don't you think it took brass - - - - - to do that!! Why should the feds support people that revolted against them?

By the way if our present senators had a set of cahones they could easily put a stop to this crap. Every one is for us vets when they want our vote. Then when they want money for their programs that lobbyists paid them to enact, funds for us vets are the first thing that dries up. Teach them a lesson and vote them out of office.

Bill

[BLUEHAWK]

Thanks Bill...

[Mom]

Oh well, same old bunch it appears....by the way a Dr at the VA called them "death threats and".....(part of my eval for 100%). "derogatory remarks aimed at Mrs.------" A nice VA rep called them disgusting and ....well, just is normal reaction to that sort of thing. They included them as proof of nasty folks causing more harm. My daughter's not too pleased nor is my son-in-law. As for who they are...so what, just SOLDIERS. Like I was except have a bit more training in the shooting etc areas.