As a veteran or active duty service member do you feel that your issues are being addressed?

2016-05-13T14:24:37-04:00

I ask this because the Senate is set to vote on the FY2017 budget and it includes cuts to VA benefits and military spending focusing on more out sourcing of military jobs. Do you think you should have to serve 15 year to qualify for medical retirement due to injuries suffered in combat? Do you believe that government should be able to sue you for your signing bonus if you fall to serve your full term of your enlistment due to hardships suffered during combat? Do believe that if you suffer disabling injuries during ative duty and are not allowed military retirement pension that you should receive the Maximum VA pension? Do you think that the most severely disabled service connected disabled veteran should receive Quality Of Life payments? Do you think that Veterans even have a right to ask for such support?

Response by SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM made May 13 at 2016 2:40 PM

2016-05-13T14:40:10-04:00

LCpl Timothy McCain ,
Great thought provoking question!

Response by Maj John Bell made May 13 at 2016 3:01 PM

2016-05-13T15:01:15-04:00

Are these "wickets" to support the subject of past or proposed legislations? If so, there is a SERIOUS problem. Where can I go to get information straight from the horses mouth?

Response by SSG John Karr made May 13 at 2016 3:23 PM

2016-05-13T15:23:20-04:00

LCpl Timothy McCain - when I joined in 1972 there were no restrictions to your benefits... if you got fucked up in service to your country, you were taken care of. I believe that any erosion of those benefits should require politicians to serve in he military. Bet there would be a quick reversal!

Response by PFC Stephen Eric Serati made May 13 at 2016 3:28 PM

2016-05-13T15:28:26-04:00

I personally believe we should cut the Senate and House members salary down and put that money towards VA benefits.

Response by SFC Wade W. made May 13 at 2016 5:14 PM

2016-05-13T17:14:39-04:00

I honestly believe that this would never pass. As soon as the VSO's get this info the fight is on.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2016 5:46 PM

2016-05-13T17:46:13-04:00

As of right now, we can cut the entire DOD and VA budget to zero and still be in a deficit. We need to look at cutting other areas. The people who serve should be the last to get cut.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Jan 13 at 2018 11:45 AM

2018-01-13T11:45:20-05:00

You are reducing the military to a Social Service Agency. Can you accomplish your mission or are they babysitting you

Response by PO3 Kyle Moser made Nov 5 at 2018 1:01 PM

2018-11-05T13:01:29-05:00

Yes, vets who are legitimately injured and can prove service connection should be compensated, what troubles me is the generation of servicemembers gaming the system for disability, and there are LOTS. Where do we draw the line and say, "you're gonna have to suck it up and go earn for yourself". My family is full of vets who served in wartime, came home, and went to work. My grandfather ran a cattle farm with one arm. An awful lot of these "I can't work anymore" claims are laughable, but I see VA getting pressured into paying. I can name names of guys medically retired for PTSD related to working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier plus a few fabricated physical claims. I work for VA now, and I see crap like this daily. If anything, I think VA needs to tighten up the whole disability system. You're not entitled to retirement at 25 just because you were in the service, but a lot of post 9/11 guys seem to think that having been in uniform makes you some kind of victim. Our idiot pop culture reinforced this notion for 10+ years before we were forgotten by Obama hysteria. It sends a bad message and sets guys up for failure in life. I see drug addiction, suicide attempts. Yeah, they aren't happy because they aren't achieving anything in life. What kind of existence is smoking pot, playing Call of Duty, and waiting for the mail? Its become almost an epidemic for a certain demographic of vets.

Response by SGT Daniel Myers made Feb 8 at 2019 4:01 PM

2019-02-08T16:01:12-05:00

Timothy, honestly son I didn't know that Marines could think such deep thoughts! Lol! Just kidding young man. Seriously, it sounds like another ploy they used in taking away the GI Bill and then giving it back, Agent Orange benefits, and then giving them back. Frankly those morons forget who they're working for! They're work for us not the other way around! Admittedly they probably are put in harms way when calling for a cab to get out of town for holiday, or something equally serious such as lunch breaks. They think their king sh*ts when they visit a war zone and get their helmets and flak jackets and are so far removed from the action that the slightest noise of an M80 going off makes them duck and sh*t their pants. F'ing cowards! If you fought and got hurt, no matter what the circumstances son, you're entilted and they need to stop screwing with our benefits.

Response by SP5 Dennis Loberger made Jul 26 at 2019 11:04 PM

2019-07-26T23:04:20-04:00

I am not a good person to say anything. I have never used any of my veteran's benefits

Response by MSgt Mike P. made Nov 9 at 2021 10:57 PM

2021-11-09T22:57:01-05:00

I feel that the current administration will reduce programs that work, may add programs that causes further discrimination against those that request assistance. God bless America!

Response by SPC Lyle Montgomery made May 10 at 2022 1:18 PM

2022-05-10T13:18:37-04:00

The services are always getting screwed by the congress and senate members who never wore the uniform. I feel fortunate myself to get good VA healthcare in Omaha NE. I'm a vietnam combat Army vet. It does seem that combat troops of the Army and Marine Corps do get some preferential treatment but they had the shittiest job of all. I have friends that served honorably and don't seem to get the same ratings that combat vets do. All who served deserve to be treated fairly,and some don't get the same treatment.