better get their heads out of the sand..or somewhere else.....totally unacceptable the way the vets are treated...sent the politicians into battle and see how they like it... a vietnam veteran...
I seen a few civilians at Fort Benning, GA won't try to get everything documented if you don't have proof, if a reservist ending his/her second or more tours. It is best to have copies of prior DD Form 214 to have it all combine on the current one.
Another fine example of outsourcing at it's best ( or worse)! being a vet if I ever have to sit on a jury were a vet is charged with killing someone over some B.S. such as this I can personally garuntee a hung jury! pure B.S! having to wait 3 years!! Someone owes them and BIG! What the hell are these sleazy politicians doing? they can look into steriods in baseball and they can get the Giants - Patriots football game on 3 T.V channels , but they can't take care of their military, whom they have no problem with sticking them with multiple tours away from home in combat zones, then S@@t on them when they get back? WTF!!!!
Beware! If you are a member of the Texas National Guard and put in for a VA disability your records may disappear from the files when the VA requests them from the Guard. The full timers in the National Guard will go out of their way to make sure you don’t get anything they don’t want you to have.
Everything is the soldiers' responsibility. That's the trouble with today's Army. More and more benefits taken away. When out processing, most just want to get out. They are not worried about paperwork. The system should take care of them and ensure everything is correct to the best of its ability. Get rid of these contractors. If you have contractors, require they have a military background. Maybe revamp the DD214 to read in english where everything is spelled out and not coded or coded with an explanation. How about a 214 worksheet that the individual fills out and then compares with what the service has as official records. All differences filled out prior to departing. Require all to have a medical exam, no exceptions, no declinations. How long does it take to review a record? Simple code mistakes should be corrected immediately. Are records that bad in this ady and age of so called high tech?
Oh great. One more thing to look forward to! My son is in the Guard and is coming home from Afghanistan soon. We went to the re-integration briefing on Saturday and received so much information, most of it was conflicting and contradictory. I can tell from this article that our problems have only just begun!
I SEE THIS EVERY DAY..SERVICE MEMBERS DD214 IS INCORRECT. I ADVISED VETERAN TO GET IT CORRECT RIGHT AWAY...I ENROLL VETERAN ANYWAY CAUSE I HAVE BEEN THERE MYSELF...
Originally posted by LTCSTAN1: Everything is the soldiers' responsibility. That's the trouble with today's Army. More and more benefits taken away. When out processing, most just want to get out. They are not worried about paperwork. The system should take care of them and ensure everything is correct to the best of its ability. Get rid of these contractors. If you have contractors, require they have a military background. Maybe revamp the DD214 to read in english where everything is spelled out and not coded or coded with an explanation. How about a 214 worksheet that the individual fills out and then compares with what the service has as official records. All differences filled out prior to departing. Require all to have a medical exam, no exceptions, no declinations. How long does it take to review a record? Simple code mistakes should be corrected immediately. Are records that bad in this ady and age of so called high tech?
Add to that having a Veterans Organization Service Officer check over the 214 before signature...
That's what our kids need...one more thing to have to worry about.
Perhaps if record-keeping accountablity extended to having to pay for any expenses incurred by the veteran as a result of errors, then the 'Remington Rangers' would be more diligent.
In 1975 I was advised by someone who had gotten out two years before then to "copy ALL your records, especially your medical files" before being released from active-duty.
It was the best advice I ever got, because the same problems that are occurring now happened back then, only they blamed a "Fire" in St. Louis. But I had copies, and I could prove my status immediately.
Everyone who is being discharged should do the exact same thing, asap. Even if they think they won't need them? They will, and it may be their only defense against the system, a system that has no intentions of going out of it's way to be helpful to us.
Perhaps if they offered these positions to the Spouses of the Disabled Veteran there would be some accuracy! They then would be able to provide an income for a challenged household! My husband lost his foot to an RPG in '67, his DD-214 still shows his disability to be TEMPORARY! I would like to Know when the VA will have the capability of cloning a NEW foot for my husband! We have been patiently waiting for the System to Improve! Guess Hades will freeze over first! The VA system has been flawed all along! When will the machine be retooled?
All you Vets out there; grab a hold of a young one and HELP them to traverse this flawed system! They need your Experience & Support! NOW is a critical time for you Senior, Wise Warriors to come to the aid of this young Generation! An Organized onslaught of older Veterans, will assist this Generation to have it Better! We must learn from the mistakes of the times gone by, that can't be undone. But the power is in the CHOICE, to reach out and "Make a Difference!"
Thank You to all whom have Served & Sacrificed! We OWE You, so very much! Keep up the Fight! Don't allow yourselves to be discouraged!
Respectfully, The "Pillow Lady!" God Bless Our Troops, Our Veterans, Our World Leaders, & America!
"I have learned that in order to bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try. Each and everyone of us can make a difference." Rosa Parks
Originally posted by Allenfertig: Those people who prepare the DD214's should be held accountable for their mistakes. Of course, you cannot fire civilians who hold permanent status.
Errors will happen, I had to submit a few requests to have some changed. In my case I believe my last name having two "n"s instead of one caused me a lot of problems. Computers are not intelligent, leaving off an "n" will change who I am.
You have to contact ST Louis and request a change via a form they will mail you. Note, you do need verifiable proof. My wage and earnings could be useful in proving I was an E-5 the day I got out, etc.
Also some personnel may be behind it, identity theft cases or political sabatoge by someone that doesn't like you. In the case of political type sabotoge, bribery or the good ole boy system would most likely be the case.
"Errors Will Happen"? You can bet your butt on that one. Might as well blame "fate".
If you served in The Marine Corps (the Navy) you can write to St. Louis all you want, but they will NEVER be able to help you because your records do NOT go there.
If you join one of the better Veteran's organizations and stand ready to fight the system for however long it takes, you will get the information you need and you will "likely" get faster access to your earned benefits.
The problem is that there is lots of people taking care of admin stuff and get jeleous because they may not be entitled to benefits other veterans are.
Originally posted by jose_cuervo_1968: The problem is that there is lots of people taking care of admin stuff and get jeleous because they may not be entitled to benefits other veterans are.
A stretch, to put it mildly.
Everyone has to have an "Exit Physical", and at that time you carry your records with you to sick-bay/dispensary, and at that time you take them to any office copier and COPY them all, page by page.
I had a great Warrant Officer advise us in regards to admin problems: that no one takes care of you better than you. Don't expect that person out processing you to know that you have a problem. You have to make someone aware of it. It is your career, your DD-214, etc,.
Originally posted by Weatherguesser: "Errors Will Happen"? You can bet your butt on that one. Might as well blame "fate".
If you served in The Marine Corps (the Navy) you can write to St. Louis all you want, but they will NEVER be able to help you because your records do NOT go there.
If you join one of the better Veteran's organizations and stand ready to fight the system for however long it takes, you will get the information you need and you will "likely" get faster access to your earned benefits.
And COPY those records.
I am not saying its easy, It took me 4 years to get two discrepencies changed. I decided I didn't want to devote my life to getting all my training records, etc up to date or become a legal Officer so I stopped sending them the documents. They require proof and I had to have former COs write them, in addition to proof in many cases because all I had was a copy of the lost information.
I suggest for guys that are in that they get letters of support from key members and sit down with your administration personnel to verify your records are current and up to date before transfering to a different duty station.
For anyone that needs to make a change contact the veterans affairs legal offices for appropriate forms. Its a lot of work for all parties so be prepared for a long wait.
I have heard here already, "oh great, another thing for our kids to worry about" and "my son will be coming home soon and...." Come on, they are adults. They have been fighting in a war zone for God's sake. Besides, didn't they go to school and learn how to fill out contracts or read. Out of the thousands and thousands that have signed a DD214 and later needed to refer to it, it seems only a small percentage that have had a problem. Maybe these people should take the time to read the DD214 and treat it just like any other contract. When anything goes wrong anymore in this country it is always someone elses fault. Then they want to blame the government or big business and lodge a suit. That is what is really wrong in this country. Start taking responsibility for your own actions.
