What does quality of life mean and how will they define it? Example: some types of cancer render a man impotent. This can be as devastating as some wounds, and can and does result in divorce, or worse. Not sure where they are going with this, but if they use the first Iraqi action, post 9-11, or later, there will be an uproar. And not taking away from our troops today, but their disability payments, when compared to those that served during Korea and RVN or higher as the salaries have increased dramatically since those periods. An intersting discussion to follow.
Admiral Dunne forgets his place as an advocate for veterans and should be summarily dismissed from his position. His position, which is similar to every position is to delay and deny through "more discussion", "more commissions", "more debate". The General should not hesitate but do what is necessary to terminate the Admiral from his job, and if it is the position of the General that this is not the case, then the General should resign his position and/or be terminated. Veterans have had to wait ninety-five years for an updated disability schedule, have had to wait many years with a criminal combined disability payment schedule, Congressional inaction, and delayed and denied claims. Tear the whole thing down brick by brick, it is a despot bureaucracy meant to humiliate the service of America's best.
And not taking away from our troops today, but their disability payments, when compared to those that served during Korea and RVN or higher as the salaries have increased dramatically since those periods. An intersting discussion to follow.
I would like to see a reliable study, with nice charts or tables that clearly show the effect inflation and salaries have had on the relative amounts of VA Comp over the last 40 years before I agreed with that claim. Also, there are literally hundreds of thousands if not millions fewer Veterans who receive disability payments now than at any time since WWII, because there are literally millions fewer Veterans now than at any time since before WWII, as most of them have died. Also, more Veterans are now living longer lives but with more terrible disabilities than ever before, thanks to modern medicine. There are many more variables now because of those longer lives and better medicine. Still, there are way-fewer Veterans now than 10 years ago.
Therefore, it must also follow that as a percentage of GDP, we are paying out less to disabled Veterans than we were just 10 years ago, and every day that passes means fewer of those millions of WWII and Korean War Vets. Wouldn't you say?
Hmm...quality of life compensation, interesting. My husband was in the Army for almost 26 years, he was 100% disabled from 1978 until he passed away in 2005, due to Agent Orange illnesses. We didnt have much quality of life all these years. I couldn't go work to afford a little more, I took care of him. They can't even get the CRSC straighten up, most retired disabled veterans still don't receive their full retirement pay. How much longer do they have to fight for that? If they would get their full retired pay and compensation (what they deserve), would they not have a little better life? Then, how can you put quality of life into a Dollar amount? As for my husband, he is gone, both of us could't have the quality, he was ill and I took care of him. The little quality we had, was gone. As a widow, it's a struggle since.
Well I wouldn't let the VA have any say in this issue. All they want to do is give the veterans less.
So they can have more funds to build additions on their facilities and the veteran gets less and less care. The renovations or remodeling of the outside of thier buildings are way better looking from the outsides than what is on the inside where the veterans need care.
Remember the old saying "Never judge a book by it's cover" Well maybe Congress should take a field trip to all the Veteran Hospitals, Vet centers, Care facilites and judge for themselves.
As far as the Quality of Life discussion the VA should not have a say in this. It should be handled by independent firms and report to congress. If you leave it up to the VA "WE" The veterans will get nothing.
It is hard enough to get them to acknowledge we even have a service connected disability, let alone a need for quality of life.
Agent Orange disablities is a major priority especially when we the veterans didn't even know we were sprayed with the stuff. Now. we are dieing from it and they will not even acknowledge that.
Cost of living (COL) increase are not enough for this day and age. Let alone what they would want to give us for Quality of Life.
