Posted on Oct 24, 2013
Incapacitation by invisible injury, line of duty. Advocacy.
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Nature has just as many ways to injure a man as enemy action. The last century has shown us that the more incursions into remote areas, the more previously unknown illnesses, injuries, and anatomical dysfunctions we encounter. The typical result is the use of the "Discharge under other than honorable conditions" after a short psychiatric review to deny benefits. This has been the procedure of choice since the automatic review for Dishonorable discharges became mandatory. Malaria, heat injuries, Post traumatic stress disorder, Jungle rot, Unidentified chemical agent exposures, and more. Should a mandatory review of dishonorable discharges be expanded to include any discharge other than honorable in character? Could many of these abuses be neutralized by a patient advocacy program?
Posted >1 y ago
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Too many are put in harm's way then cast aside when they are actually harmed. Any program that is shown to be misused for the purposes of denying benefits to those who are forever damaged by their service needs more than an external review. It needs major revision.
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SGT Leigh Barton
It needs more than that. Just as the services have a specified code of conduct, General Orders, and the UCMJ to govern our conduct, it should be obvious that a similar standard needs to be in place for the government. Any service member should expect to come out in the same condition they went in or receive assistance in full recovery, both physical and mental, including living expenses and retraining. What you're doing is paraphrasing something I've said repeatedly for many years now, The phrase "The Army takes care of it's own" (you may substitute any service branch in that statement), leaves out one important detail. You get hurt, you aren't "their own" any more. You're the veterans administration's problem. And they don't give a rat's @$$ about your recovery.
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The determining factor is medical occurrences within uniform whether training or combat. Yes, medical decisions need to be reviewed for benefit eligibility. It happens with standards 12-18 month reevaluations. Too many people suffering without proper healthcare in military and Veteran community. This is not new to Veterans of the World War II, Korean Conflict, Vietnam War and Gulf War. The system needs overall!
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SGT Leigh Barton
The system needs more than an overhaul, it needs to actually be thought out from the ground up before it's implemented. Not just palliative responses to public outrage.
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I can't speak for anyone in the DH or OTH category. That being said I can speak first hand for unseen illness. This is the reason why I am going to Seattle this week tomorrow. I had received a freak tumor, I emphasis freak. That is believed to be attributed to the burn pit in Balad Iraq. This tumor was called myxoma, I received it in my jaw bone. What is sad is the dental when active said on the x-ray it is an abscess don't worry about it. I started to see a lump on my gum as a civilian (November 2011). I find out through the VA it is a freak tumor. To make this long story short I had my fibia removed out of my right leg to transplant into where 9 teeth of jaw bone used to be. Lost more than 3 months of work, just on leave of absence. As well as still more procedures. So this does hit a personal note for me of hidden things to come.
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SGT Leigh Barton
Good luck on your surgery. Pay more than passing attention to building up the healing factors in your body prior to surgery, nutritional supplements, eggs, milk solids, heavy on the proteins (red meat), and ask your physician for advice on the matter.
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