I prematurely endorsed the Dole/Shalala Commission report before I fully understood what Senator Dole was proposing, as usual his verbal statements did not match the written facts. (Seems as if many republicans have this problem) the most famous is "We support the troops" until it comes to paying for them as veterans, then they vote against the majority of the bills offered as shown by their own voting records exposed in this article on VA watchdog.
I have learned after more reading and newspaper articles that Senator Dole is proposing to pit veterans against veterans in the fight for future benefits. The old vets against the "new vets". I got one thing for Senator Dole "Sir, please shove this idea in a place the sun don't shine". Disabled veterans are disabled veterans regardless of when they served or how they served, unless it was dishonorably.
For those of you who don't know, compensation payments are based on rating percentages of the disabled veterans service connected injuries or medical problems contracted while on active duty.
There are a lot of problems with the way the different states Regional Offices of the Department of Veteran Affairs awards the ratings. In one state a veteran with a severe case of PTSD may only get rated at 50% while in another state they may be rated at 70% or even at the 100% rate, it depends on the "rater". Mental issues are vague and hard to set to a percentage compared to a lost limb for example, a lost leg is 40% or an arm is 40%, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is 10% those type of injuries are cut and dried.
Up to now, for the past 100 years give or take a few, the purpose of VA compensation is to replace loss of income caused by the service connected problems.
Now, the new commissions are talking about compensating for loss of quality of life, earning ability, how it effects the vetrans life with his wife/husband, the children, the types of outdoor activities they did before service, skiing, skating, bowling, golf etc, and what can they do now after they are injured. In other words they are looking past just a loss of income. Like any other type of disability award in on the job injuries or accidents the victims are paid awards for pain and suffering, and this is what the Dole/Shalala Commission is proposing, although they are saying it will only apply to "new veterans" from 2001 thru the future, now we even have pre 911 veterans benefits and post 911 veteran benefits.
HELL NO not in any way shape or form should Congress allow this to happen.
I have heard that the Dole/Shalala Commission has recommended up to immediate 25% pay raises for disabled veterans, excuse me why does it cost post 911 veterans 25% more to live than it does us Vietnam, Gulf War, Korean War, WW2 and disabled peacetime (Cold War) veterans to live?
It doesn't we all pay the same for gas, food, light's, phones, housing costs, normal life is the same for all of us, if disabled veterans deserve a raise then all disabled veterans deserve a raise, not just the "terror warriors".
In this article in the New York Daily News the writer explains part of this mess
It's the fight nobody wanted - older vets competing with wounded troops from Iraq for scarce funding and hospital beds, with Bob Dole as referee.
The battle lines began forming last week at a Senate Veteran Affairs Committee hearing on revamping the overloaded military and Veterans Administration health care and disability payment systems.
"There's been some pushback," Dole said, from World War II, Korea and Vietnam vets to the reforms touted by the presidential commission he headed with former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala.
"We front-loaded the recommendations" to focus on troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, said Dole, the former Senate Republican leader and presidential nominee
One of the regular members of the daily Kos community is also quoted in the article:
Younger vets are also upset at the possibility of facing off against vets of wars past for money and hospital space.
"We shouldn't be fighting each other for priority," said Paul Rieckhoff, head of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Rieckhoff called for boosting the proposed VA budget, now about $80 billion, to accommodate all the generations.
But the 84-year-old Dole suggested that older vets might have to settle for less.
Senator Dole we don't have to settle for less, we will be demanding the exact same treatment from our Congressmen and Senators, your attempt to help the Bush Administration to make a 2 tier veterans system is wrong, just on face value and the harm it will do in the future.
We all served this nation and we believe in equality for all, and here you are a former Presidential candidate, a Senator, and a respected politician, until now, you Sir, have sullied your reputation by even proposing this BS piece of work that will divide the veterans communities.
HOW DARE YOU, Sir? Did Dick Cheney or President Bush ask you to help destroy the Veterans Administrations and groups by proposing this insane idea?
I ask all readers to please contact your Congressmen and Senators to push back against the Dole/Shalala Commission on a 2 tier system fix the VA system so all veterans and their families benefits that apply equitably across the nation and the veterans of all wars are treated the same.
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