Of new U.S. veterans, almost half seek disability aid

AP ^ | 5-27-12 | Marilynn Marchione

[TurboZamboni]

America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.

A staggering 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the estimate of 21 percent who filed such claims after the Gulf War in the early 1990s, top government officials said.

What's more, these new veterans are claiming eight to nine ailments on average, and the most recent ones over the last year are claiming 11 to 14. By comparison, Vietnam veterans are currently receiving compensation for fewer than four, on average, and those from World War II and Korea, just two.

[DariusBane]

Mumbles. LOL

[firebasecody]

Our troops make so many tours in combat now, I am amazed that so many make it out alive. Yeah, I have tinnitus and nerve deafness too. RVN 69-70.

[SgtHooper]

I do not deny that it exists. But in this day and age, so much hearing degradation occurs from the music and never ending environmental noise before even entering the service. And it is NOT difficult to cheat the system on this one. Just sit there and do not respond. How hard is that! I have tinitus, and it was exacerbated to some extent during my stint in the army. We did not have noise protection gear when firing tanks or any arms. And of course, I did not claim it either. Yes, if a blast goes off closeby, get the disability. But waaaay too many and waaay too easy to claim.

[donozark]

I would suggest he refile using a skilled VSO. And all the documentation he can come up with.

[SgtHooper]

Eh!? Can’t hear ya Edd. Ears are ringin!

[JRandomFreeper]

I think I can get the hearing aids paid for.

Rethink that. If you get hearing aids, you have to listen to people. For important stuff, like morse code, you can get a cool DSP audio filter that can notch everything out but what you want to hear, and shift the frequency to something you can hear.

Mostly deaf isn't bad when you have family like mine. I'd never get hearing aids.

/johnny

[Mr Rogers]

Same thing here. I was told that after 25 years on the flight line, I was almost certain to get disability for hearing. I said, “Huh?” and left.

I have mild hearing loss, but I expected that with so much exposure to jet engines. The truth is, if they would let me fly again, I’d walk across broken glass to get there! How could I collect disability for that?

But the VA is pushing benefits, and their doctors aren’t all that honest, IMHO. If you are an administrator, and you want a bigger program, you need more people to need you...

[DariusBane]

We had hearing protection. The “soft” plastic variety. Non of them fit my ear correctly. I use the foam stuff now (around diesel generators, electric motors etc) they work just fine. My issue earplugs always fell out!

[ConorMacNessa]

I have tinnitus as well - not receiving disability for it but that may change. I am receiving disability for PTSD and Prostate Cancer - Agent Orange, of course - 60% combined.

Had a Hell of time with my ap - applied online in May, 2009. When I finally followed up with VA they couldn't identify my claim - I filed the hard copy with them and finally got assigned to the Regional Office in Baltimore, MD. From then, it was still over 6 months before they called me in for examination.



Nos genuflectitur ad non princeps sed Princeps Pacem!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Tijeras_Slim]

I do a lot of shooting. With pistols and rifles, muffs are OK, but for shotgun sports they interfere with gun mount. So I used disposable plugs for a long time. Finally they started to hurt because to get any kind of protection I had to screw them halfway into my brain.

I got some custom plugs professionally made a month ago. They block out just about everything and I can wear them for 6 hours without any discomfort. I went for maximum attenuation, but they also make them with filters or electronics to allow hearing speech, but still having protection.

I guarantee you’ll love them.

[tacticalogic]

Very, very difficult to get 100%. Requires mountains of paperwork. Many exams.

They like paperwork. They'll hire some affirmative action bureaucrat drones to take care of it. They count those as "jobs created".

[ansel12]

You chose the warrior life because it is in your blood.

The long term trend I see for the military is that labor costs will eventually overwhelm us, and that the focus will become more female oriented and about quality of life issues, social issues etc.

A volunteer military naturally starts focusing on pay and benefits in time, and everyone starts seeing it as a career more along the lines of other government jobs.

We will get farther and farther away from the days when we could attract a semi-pro level athlete with an IQ of 140 and executive skills, and the courage of a hero for the Green Berets for $10,000.00 a year, as the females and homosexuals fill the officer corp and become Generals the budget focus will move more and more to the human element and their families, and their financial compensation in relation to the rest of the federal employees.

I don’t know if the military would ever unionize, but it will take on some of that type of lobbying unity.

We are at war now, but many of us know what happens and who gets all the power during long stretches of peace time. When the military and officer corp is 50% females, and we have all the liberalism of a teachers union spread among our ranks and officers, the military will lose it’s traditional atmosphere and warrior culture, and spirit of masculine sacrifice and emphasis on adventure over pay and personal well being and health.

[texican01]

Sounds like too many ‘veterans” are following the lead of the Liar-in-Chief -— scamming the USA into the grounds

These statistics sound like a crock of BS

[daniel1212]

All too probable. I was surprised at the recent polls now on how they may vote, if accurate. But the body of Christ must be the real focus, and security found in Him.

[puppypusher]

If those Veterans have need for Medical Support they should get it.They Earned that support through their Honorable service to this country.Unlike a lot of clowns in the United States Congress and Senate.

Also Put these Veterans way ahead of the illegal Alians who are here suck off of Uncle Same Health care dollars.As I said they Earned it.

[puppypusher]

The hearing loss and tinitus is mostly a BS ailment. I wonder how much they get. The rest listed are certainly valid and we, the people, should pony up to take care of our military once they deros

Have you ever had an explosion go off next to you?I can almost gaurantee you have never been in a position to have something like that happen.

Hearing Loss is Not a BS ailment.

[MrEdd]

It is not rocket science to return to most troops serving one to three tours out of a sense of duty and then retiring.

A lot of people predicted that we would get to this point under HW Bush when the bulk of the military moved from open squad bays to dormitory style quarters.

Go back to sixty man rooms (living out of two seabags and a footlocker) and the bulk of the troops will leave before retirement or acquiring injuries that take an extended exposure.

[Tennessee Nana]

You are one sick jerk...

[ncpatriot]

Will the VA pay for hearing aid? They should

[donozark]

Yes. The VA will pay for hearing air if hearing loss service connected.Or in the case of extremely indigent. Or 100% for other injuries/disabilities. Less even on occasion.