armytiger96

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wonder what data they base this on? even with Ft. Polk that's a small number of people, you'd think lot of south La Parishes outdrink them

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Exactly . . . From my experience no way this is true. Unless over drinking is relative to the parish avg.

I received my AARP Card in the mail.

Now get off my lawn!

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thats the way it should work, but doesnt happen at all that way now. The people I know or have met seemingly have 0% disability yet get 100% disability benefits. It might take a while to get through the system to get approved but any vet who dedicates the time and effort to it will get it.

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That's your opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

However the Department of Veteran Affairs says:

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VA disability compensation (pay) offers a monthly tax-free payment to Veterans who got sick or INJURED while serving in the military and to Veterans whose service made an existing condition worse. You may qualify for VA disability benefits for physical conditions (like a chronic illness or injury) and mental health conditions (like PTSD) that developed before, during, or after service. Find out how to apply for and manage the Veterans disability benefits you’ve earned.

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This is direct from the VA site. Just because the program wasn't written to match your criteria doesn't mean the vets who are applying for "benefits they've earned" doesn't make them low character, scam artist, scheming the system, etc.

This is no different than utilizing tax deductions that you qualify for, receiving SS, Medicare, Flood Insurance, etc.

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So if someone notifies the VA and files within a year and gets approved before the 1 cutoff, you're looking at a nice fat check of $25K or more if you're at 100%

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Yes, but the one year cutoff is on filing. If you file at the one year mark it could take 6-8 months or longer for the VA to collect evidence, review, and make decisions. Those that get 100% on a first time filing would more than meet the OT's definition of disabled or disfigured.

But in reality only 20% of vets receiving disability are rated at 100%. Apparently, they all either post here or know someone that does.

Most vets get rated somewhere between 10-50% for various injuries or diagnosis. Its the accumulation of rated injuries that gets them to the higher %'s. The higher you get the harder it is to get to 100% due to "VA math". For example two 50% ratings is an overall 75% rating which pays at 80%. Three 50% ratings would equal 87.5% that pays at 90%. Ratings also change over time as conditions get worse or better. Several vets have had ratings reduced as they refile because their conditions have gotten worse and VA reevaluates their entire case file.

The other part is the VA is starting to crack down on the actual ratings. For example tinnitus used to be an automatic 10% rating no questions asked. However, they are in the process changing it where that is no longer the case and has to be paired with a measurable hearing loss. Sleep apnea linked to a service related injury used be an automatic 50% with CPAP. That's in the process of changing as well.

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I think you only get back pay from the day you file, not from the day you leave service.

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This pretty much correct but its actually from the day you notify the VA of your intent to file. You have 1 year to file a completed claim. If you fail to file within one year then it reverts back to the day you actually file your claim.

Good stuff. Not much of a drinker but we got the package because it was heavily discounted when we made our reservations.

What excursion did you do in Ketchikan? Recommendations? I'm considering a bear encounter by land or sea.

Any other excursion reccomendstions for Juneau or Skagway?

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So your opposition to abortion is constitutional?

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Yes opposition to anything is constitutional because it's protected by the first amendment.

The ability to own guns is also constitutional because it is protected by the second amendment.

There is no amendment or clause in the constitution that gives you the right or choice to murder a fetus.

Only if they are eligible for African American benefits.

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He was probably on Holland American LIne and the Eurodam ship. I was on the Eurodam last week and the 9th floor was named Lido and it had the typical large buffet, a couple order off the menu restaurants, 2 or 3 bars and an indoor and aft deck pool.

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I figured HAL when he mentioned Lido. We're cruising on Zandam this summer. Any suggestions or pointers would be appreciated.

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it's designed for people that NEED THAT MONEY to help them get through the rest of their lives with whatever physical problems the military caused them that limit their abilities.

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That is your opinion but its actually designed to reimburse vets for the damage to their physical and mental health and its lingering effects for injuries that occurred while they were in service. Regardless of NEED. It is essentially a very large employers compensation program for fricking you up while you were in service. Only you can't make the claim until you are no longer employed by the US Gov and there is no statue of limitations.

Most of the 100%ers are a cumulation of multiple service related injures and degradation overtime not 100% disabled from a single injury.

My biggest point is that you and the rest of the people on the board don't know what's going on with these individuals and whether or not they are disabled according to your definition of disabled. Who are you to judge unless you know all the facts about each individual and their respective injuries?

Just know that for them to qualify for disability they have to have an existing diagnosis from a doctor.

The diagnosis has to be linked to a documented injury that occurred while in service.

The claim then gets reviewed by the VA's doctors to determine validity and what level of disability rating. There are pretty clear definitions and guidelines assigned to the ratings.

In my opinion the biggest reason why this thread exists is because of the "burden of proof". The claims are reviewed based on your symptoms on your "worst day" and the linkage to military service related injury has to be "more likely than not" which means a 50% probability. Ties go to the vet.