Social Security Cuts Put Vets Back in Line of Fire

http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/05/26/social-security-cuts-put-vets-back-in-line-of-fire/



Social Security is crucial to veterans and military families when those who have served our country retire, become disabled, or lose their lives. Yet Republican lawmakers have put Social Security in their sights, willing to trade Social Security cuts for tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations in the name of deficit reduction. But cuts to Social Security or privatization would hurt millions veterans and military families.

Today, nine veterans’ organizations—including the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council—and several lawmakers joined the Strengthen Social Security campaign and released a report “Social Security: Serving Those Who Serve Our Nation” that shows the deep harm cuts would do to veterans and military families. For example:

Most of the more than 4,000 children who lost a parent since the beginning of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars now receive Social Security survivors’ benefits. More than 771,000 veterans receive Social Security disability benefits. Social Security currently pays benefits to over 9 million veterans—about 4 in 10 veterans today—and the vast majority of veterans will become Social Security beneficiaries in the future.


The report highlights the personal stories of how Social Security has helped several veterans to make ends meet and build a better future.

Social Security disability benefits enabled paralyzed veterans Sherman Gillums, Jr. and Terence Moakley to make choices that restored their economic independence. Social Security benefits allowed retired veteran Dabney Montgomery to pay for emergency home repairs. And Social Security survivors benefits give Vivian Johnson and Sarah Slayton, both young military widows, the ability to invest in their children’s’ care and development.


Military men and women contribute to Social Security just like other working Americans, from their first paycheck at boot camp, to their last paycheck at the end of their career. As for any other working American who contributes, Social Security needs to be there for veterans and their families.

The report points out that more than 200 years ago George Washington said:

The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by our nation.

DD214s (all of them) when applying for Social Security. Many MAY be eligible for extra credit for the time served.

The agent that did my paperwork several years ago went through every single one of my DD214s (and there were many from a 28 year career), and showed me the results.

http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/military.htm