Posted on 04/15/2009 10:37:21 AM PDT by Michael Eden
This post is intended purely as a service to veterans, rather than as a commentary.
There will be a $250 stimulus payment made to all VA service-connected veterans beginning in June, 2009. According to the VA representative, ALL veterans receiving disability compensation - regardless of their rating (although I'm not certain if this applies to 0% ratings) will be eligible for this automatic payment.
Veterans receiving disability benefits do not need to file a tax return to receive the payment, as they had to in order to qualify for the $300 stimulus payment last year. This years' payment will be handled automatically through the VA payment system to all eligible veterans rather than the Treasury.
For more information, call the VA 1-800-827-1000 and press "0" to get to a live representative.
Now for my comment: Personally, I am opposed to these "stimulus" payments. I would vote against them if I could. However, since they are already being paid, and since so many others are receiving the payments, I want my little slice of the pie, too.
If we're going to bankrupt our country, veterans might as well get their money, too. Frankly, we deserve it more than anyone else, anyway.
Frankly, I hope somebody got W a presidential quality doobie for his first night of unemployment. He's earned one after eight years of the toughest job in the world.
The VA is disbursing the money directly to veterans.
Apparently federal and postal retirees are getting one too, altho I thought it will be a credit on 2009 taxes. Kiplinger.com had an article on this a week ago.
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For other working people, the money WILL come as a tax credit.
But you raise a good point. What about veterans who work? I didn’t ask. But from the gist I got from the Veterans Rep, the VA is sending out $250, and thus veterans wouldn’t deal with a credit.
But I could be wrong.
Thank you for bringing that up.
yeah, it’s nice that they thought of veterans...but as usual, we come in last to get ours, after social security, ssi, and railroad retires, guess vets were added as an afterthought....thanks...?
justanothervet,
I’m not quite sure why they did it this way, but I can tell you than a great many veterans received the stimulus as part of their tax refunds. It is those veterans who don’t file income taxes (such as certain retirees) who are receiving the stimulus a couple months later. The idea was to make this about workers’ (rather than welfare, which I agree with) which included retired/disabled workers such as veterans (and anyone who was ever a grunt knows veterans “worked” like dogs - and I mean sled dogs on an Iditarod). I never worked harder or longer than when I served in the infantry.
The VA was given control over disbursement. Why they are paying later is a good question.
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