STUNNING: 150,000 Returning Vets Filing Disability Claims-1 in 4

STUNNING: 150,000 Returning Vets Filing Disability Claims

The National Security Archive at George Washington University has uncovered a dirty little secret of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts: one of every four veterns of the of the Bush regime's global war on terror has filed a disability claim with the Veteran's Administration. Perhaps just as importantly, the VA stonewalled the NSA's FOIA request for nearly nine months. In a release today, the NSA said:

...Only after the Archive administratively appealed the VA's “no documents” claims and advised the VA that it was prepared to file a lawsuit did the agency manage to locate the records. One is a January 30, 2006, document: “Compensation and Pension Benefit Activity Among 464,144 Veterans Deployed to the Global War on Terror.” It reports that more than 150,000 deployed Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) veterans, out of more than 560,000 veterans of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), filed disability compensation and pension benefits claims with the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)...

...According to Veterans for America, the newly released data suggests official estimates dramatically understate the future cost of the current Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. If the current trend continues, then VA could receive as many as 400,000 disability claims from the 1.6 million deployed active duty and reserve service members in the Global War on Terrorism...

Snip>>> http://allspinzone.com/blog/index.php?itemid=3518

or something

.... I do not have the link, but that was the report.

I remember reading that there had to be a massive discharge from service of soldiers returning from Gulf War I and II because the demand for medical services was going to crush the system.

This is a lot of dead soldiers. Think about that number for a minute. Normal expected lifespan for soldiers in their 20s at the time of the wars they participated in would mean the great majority of the 185,000 should be alive today.

I would imagine so....

The rate of permanent disability for wars prior to Vietnam was 5% and for 'Nam it was 10%.

This one could top 20%.

Bush Administration underfunded veterans' health care by $2 billion. The Bush Administration's 2004 budget underfunded veterans' health care by nearly $2 billion. ("Vets Health Low on Bush's Priority List," The Hill, September 17, 2003; "Support for Troops Questioned," Washington Post, June 17, 2003; U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs, September 2002)

Bush Administration proposal would end health care benefits for 173,000 veterans. More than 173,000 veterans across the country would be cut off from health care because of Bush Administration proposed budget cuts and its plan requiring enrollment fees and higher out-of-pocket costs. ("Support for Troops Questioned," Washington Post, June 17, 2003)

Bush Administration budget cuts force more than 200,000 veterans to wait for health care. Over 200,000 United States veterans have to wait more than six months for a medical visit because of health care shortages. ("VA Health Care Funding Alert," Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Press Release, January 31, 2003)

Bush Administration opposed plan to give National Guard and Reserve Members access to health insurance. Despite the war efforts of America's National Guard and Reserve Members, the Bush Administration announced in October 2003 its formal opposition to give the 1.2 million Guard and Reserve members the right to buy health care coverage through the Pentagon's health plan. One out of every five Guard members lacks health insurance. ("Bush Opposes Health Plan for National Guard," Gannett News Service, October 23, 2003)



Twenty: song and lyrics by Robert Cray:

When you’re used up, where do you go, Soldier
Mother dry your eyes, there’s no need to cry, I’m not a boy, it’s what I signed up for

When you’re used up, where do you go, Soldier
I can’t take the heat, and I hardly sleep anymore, What’d we come here for

Standing out here in the desert, Trying to protect an oil line
I’d really like to do my job but, This ain’t the country that I had in mind
They call this a war on terror, I see a lot of civilians dying
Mothers, sons, fathers and daughters, Not to mention some friends of mine
Some friends of mine

Was supposed to leave last week, Promises they don’t keep anymore
Got to fight the rich man’s war

When you’re used up, where do you go, Soldier, Late in 2004
Comes a knock at the door, It’s no surprise, Mother dry your eyes

Mother don’t you cry, no, no, Someone told you a lie, Yes they did, why
Mother don’t you cry, oh no, Mother don’t you cry

When you’re used up, where do you go, Soldier


http://www.robertcray.com/minisites/live/index.php