Posted on 04/02/2016 5:21:26 PM PDT by huldah1776
Army Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta has received notification from the VA that his benefits for a caregiver are ending in 90 days, at the end of May. The letter he received from the VA states “he is no longer appropriate for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.” They say they are pleased to inform him of this. According to the VA, even though Acosta, blinded by a mortar attack in Iraq, is still blind, they are excited (with an exclamation point to prove it) to let him know they have determined he’s “graduated,” and no longer needs a caregiver. Seriously?
Acosta served with distinction from 1975 until his retirement in 2010. In 2003 he joined the Individual Ready Reserve program until he was recalled to active duty in 2005. He deployed to Iraq in August. Everything changed on January 16, 2006 when he was struck by a mortar. His injuries included the loss of both eyes, injury to the frontal and temporal lobes of his brain, loss of part of his jaw and teeth, a back injury, a herniated calf muscle that won’t heal and loss of a kneecap so that one knee is bone on bone. He was not expected to survive when he arrived at the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
But survive he did. Over the course of forty surgeries his jaw and eye sockets were reconstructed but his vision was lost forever. Today he’s a fine-looking man. In good shape, fit, his service dog by his side. You wouldn’t know looking at him that he’s been rated, in addition to his blindness, 70% disability from PTSD and 100% disability from TBI.
Jesse Acosta returned to his employer after Iraq, but he needs some assistance to do his job. Likewise, at home he needs some help. That’s what the caregiver provides: help getting to medical appointments, managing medication refills, help with paperwork and shopping. The daily things that sighted people take for granted. His service dog helps both with mobility and with PTSD. But the caregiver fills an essential need. Whether or not the VA agrees.
When I spoke with Jesse, he told me, “When the VA representative called to tell us the caregiver benefit had been canceled, we were told verbally that ‘the VA does not consider blindness a disability’.” You can understand how the VA might look at him…he’s employed, he has a service dog…and think his blindness does not completely disable him. But how humane is it not to take into consideration the effects of PTSD and TBI? The VA has treated him for both and they have complete records. He can appeal his case, of course. But how long will that take? Based on a 2012 VA report, about two and a half years.
By the way, here are the eligibility criteria from the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act,” Public Law 111-163:
Section 1720G (a) (2) ‘‘(2) “For purposes of this subsection, an eligible veteran is any individual who—
”(A) is a veteran or member of the Armed Forces undergoing medical discharge from the Armed Forces; ”(B) has a serious injury (including traumatic brain injury, psychological trauma, or other mental disorder) incurred or aggravated in the line of duty in the active military, naval, or air service on or after September 11, 2001; and ”(C) is in need of personal care services because of— ”(i) an inability to perform one or more activities of daily living; ”(ii) a need for supervision or protection based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury…”
The act was intended, among other things, to assist members of veterans’ families who have left careers to care for veterans with catastrophic disabilities. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is failing to implement the law (Public Law 111-163) as Congress intended. Paralyzed Veterans of America testified on this point on March 11 before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health. Carl Blake, Legislative Program Director for Paralyzed Veterans of America, said, “(VA) said the only way a caregiver will be eligible for this is if the veteran would have otherwise been institutionalized. Blake explained that such an interpretation would lower the number of families eligible for these benefits, such as monthly stipends and health-care benefits through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA), to about 840. According to Blake that number is less than 25 percent of what Congress intended.
An article in the Illinois Statesman on Feb. 23, 2016 states that about 7,000 veterans who were receiving caregiver benefits are no longer getting them. “About a third were cut because VA staff members determined that they did not meet medical criteria for the support.” The program, passed into law in 2010, was never intended to be a permanent benefit. Only last year did the VA publish an official rule on how the program should be run. Stipends were to be provided to families as long as the veteran’s health met certain criteria. If the situation improved, the VA might remove patients from the financial part of the program.
Based on his experience, Jesse says, “I have never been VA friendly, and because I question and challenge the VA process, I truly believe I have been targeted in having this benefit canceled.” He was also quick to say he’s not the only one receiving this kind of treatment by the VA, and he launched into a story about another vet in the LA area whose VA care came from…are you ready? VA facilities in Long Beach, West Los Angeles, San Diego, Loma Linda, East Los Angeles and downtown LA. This is Southern California. That’s miles and miles of driving, not to mention hours of car time because of traffic, and then the expense on top of that. It’s no wonder that so many vets suffering from PTSD and TBI also have anger management problems. I can’t help but think the run-around treatment, some of it looking like harassment, that these vets experience from the VA is a factor in the number of veteran suicides. 22 a day. Still.
Sergeant Major Acosta served with distinction in the U.S. Army from 1975 until 2010. Among his many awards are The Legion of Merit, The Bronze Star, The Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal and six Army Commendation Medals.
What’s it going to take to get any reform in this mega-bureaucracy? The VA’s budget for fiscal year 2016 is $163 billion. The proposed 2017 budget includes an increase for VA funding. Maybe money isn’t the problem. Maybe it’s the structure of the VA, how large and unwieldy it is. Maybe it’s the entrenched culture of no accountability. I’ll grant that changes are being made. But how do we explain to the Jesse Acostas who served this country that it’s just too much trouble to take their cases individually? That in order to get through the number of cases, there’s more investment in blocking treatment than in authorizing it? Because that’s how it looks to me.
At the National Veterans Foundation, all of us wish that Acosta’s case was out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, it’s not. If you know a vet who needs help, here’s our LifeLine for Vets: 888.777.4443. It’s vet-to-vet, the only one of its kind.
Most folks would consider "40 surgeries" to be care for his injuries.
VA changed policy on income based care? Didn’t know that existed, but I will find out.
Is he fully healed? Is he restored to his condition. Before he sacrafice his blood for his country?
No? Well then perhaps he deserves ongoing care you shithead.
Is he still getting treatment as needed - nothing to suggest he isn't. He just isn't going to get a full time administrative assistant an chauffeur at taxpayer expense.
Well, at least I've smoked out a batch of ignorant, inarticulate freepers who have the vocabularies of urban youths on this thread.
Yes run away. Let others do the fighting for you.
Who’s running away? I know that a gang of you are sitting there with your fingers on the abuse button, hoping that I rise to the bait and respond in kind to the gutter vocabulary to which you all have to resort.
Sorry to disappoint.
13 stupid posts from you.
Congratulations!
In the Land Of The Stupid, you, with your diligent efforts in stupidity, have taken the crown of King Of Stupid!
Long live the King!
Put on your crown of dirty underwear and smell your royalty!
Spring Break is over. Nobody invited you to go to Florida, again.
Go back to school and hit the books for your Art Therapy class.
Must be frustrating for you all to not have someone fall into your trap.
By the way - since you all don’t seem to have a wide range of vulgarities to use in debate, perhaps you should beef up your knowledge of Anglo-Saxon monosyllables.
Why would anybody want to trap you?
Your posts display the kind of person you are.
Each time you post, you reaffirm what you are.
Keep posting.
You are the new standard to judge stupidity against.
This Soldier literally had his face blown off. His face was blown off while he was serving his country.
I had an Instructor in the Army whose face was burned off. It was awful to look at. Great guy and a great Instructor, but it was really hard to look at him. We had great respect for him, but I can’t imagine what it must have been like for him when he was around civilians.
I don’t know why he stayed in. I suppose he loved the Army.
We were all mighty quiet when he was teaching. Probably because we were all wondering if that could happen to us.
To have people write on this thread to quibble about the benefits this blind, disfigured man receives is beyond the boundaries of humanity.
No human being would quibble about the benefits a man in this condition should receive.
We have sub-humans quibbling about this man’s benefits.
Do you have any idea what it costs to hire a qualified care giver? If a veteran needs one they usually need one 24/7/365, and the people who do that usually need medical training, must be reliable, a very hard worker, and if they don’t understand TBI, PTSD, and other issues the veteran may have they will not last long. That sure eliminates paying lower wages to get adequate care. In many cases a wife, parent, or other relative has been willing to do it which even receiving payment from VA it actually saves the VA a lot of money.
The real sadness is the VA tries to cut corners where they shouldn’t, at the expense of the veteran. Many think disabled veterans get paid so much money but the reality is it costs a lot to be disabled, there are a lot of extra expenses people don’t realize. What is it worth to be disabled? There is no real way to put a price on what this man or any other disabled veteran deals with every day.
As for me I think our disabled veterans deserve much better treatment than they ever get.
Amazing to me when they say, “I was simply doing my job.” Honor is something that is foreign to most these days.
Little more background...
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2013/11/19/watters-world-wounded-warrior-edition/
The 376th AG BN DET. 4 mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom August 20, 2005. The unit was assigned to LSA (logistical support area) Anaconda in Balad, the largest support base in Iraq. 1SG Acosta received his hard-earned promotion to SGM (Sergeant Major) effective January 1, 2006. On January 16, 2006, SGM Acosta was wounded in a mortar attack on LSA Anaconda.
Despite his injuries, he continued on active duty for four years. Sgt.Major Acosta then retired in 2010 from the Army to begin another battle for his fellow veterans.
Acosta’s injuries included loss of his eyes and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He was leading his troops in Iraq, just three miles into a training mission when a mortar round blasted through the left side of Sgt.
Major Acosta’s face and exited on the right, and another shelling permeated his brain and went out through his left eye.
At the time of his injuries Acosta was one of the highest-ranking, non-commissioned officers with the most severe injuries. Shrapnel remains in his legs. His face was reconstructed using wires, Teflon and pig skin, his jaw was bone grafted, and implants were installed for new teeth. He also suffered some hearing loss, and the cartilage was blown out of his knee. His calf muscle was left herniated.
http://www.tavnow.org/#!president/c24sx
Thanks. My ‘about 30 years’ was a bit low, then.
Knew a West Pointer that got blasted in Viet Nam (as best I can recall, it was a grenade, not a mortar round). Only lost one eye, and didn’t get near that much reconstructive surgery.
There’s really very little ore vulgar than what you’ve already said.
Sorry Sargeant Major. There’s no money for you because LaShonda needs another welfare check.
And the billions given to enemy nations.
I know it’s been a while, but I just got a reply so I was reading all of it again.
You know, there is a MILAGE limit that has been extended but seriously, if I was in Kansas and had to travel 60 miles at 60 mph I would be doing what your son has to do. However, there is a 40 mile limit, I think, that allows vets treatments closer. So why don’t they use the GPS program for time during rush hour to figure out if it equals the same time? 40 minutes should be the limit?
https://military.id.me/vet-pack/new-law-lets-vets-choose-doctor-va-will-pay/
With PTSD, any change even to a closer doctor is stressful. Irritating that Obama let things get so out of control.
You are so kind...”irritating”
I’m pissed as hell. He hurt them. He has blood on his hands.
Hey, I was just thinking. You know how you can do ground level searching on google earth? I wonder if going to places first through that would help with the actual initial travel to a new place. They could make a 3d version... hmmm. Gonna contact someone. :)
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