Posted on Mar 13, 2018
Do you think that Veterans deserve a disability pay increase?
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As many of you are aware I've been working to get disabled veterans a modest base pay increase and a quality of life payment for veterans who's disability is so severe they are deemed unemployable. This is supported by the work done by the veterans disability commission setup by Congress in 2006. Click here to review their full testimony to Congress https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-110hhrg39461/html/CHRG-110hhrg39461.htm
So earlier this year I thought finally we were making progress. I reported that I spoken to Maj. Grabill from Congressman Joe Wilson's office and they seemed excited to write legislation that would increase the base pay and make the quality of life payment by one of two way. The first was just giving all disabled veterans a 60% pay increase in their base pay. The second slution was to give all disabled veterans a 25% base pay increase, make the rating of individual unemployability the primary rating paid at
100% (which is already being done), and make the Veteran's disability percentage a secondary rating allowing Veterans to receive payment from the secondary disability scale. After Maj. Grabill got a cost analysis done on the possible legislation he informed me that the Congressman would not be writing the bill. Because it added to much to the mandatory spending. He said it add as much as 50 billion dollars a year to the budget. I asked if considered the cost offsets that are being offered that amounted to 64 billion a year. He said that the Congressman wouldn't want to write the legislation if it couldn't pass with all Republican house votes. So we are at a standstill. So I ask since I have done all I can do to get this legislation written and passed is there anyone else who might be in a better position to help get this legislation done? Also what do you think about the legislation?
So earlier this year I thought finally we were making progress. I reported that I spoken to Maj. Grabill from Congressman Joe Wilson's office and they seemed excited to write legislation that would increase the base pay and make the quality of life payment by one of two way. The first was just giving all disabled veterans a 60% pay increase in their base pay. The second slution was to give all disabled veterans a 25% base pay increase, make the rating of individual unemployability the primary rating paid at
100% (which is already being done), and make the Veteran's disability percentage a secondary rating allowing Veterans to receive payment from the secondary disability scale. After Maj. Grabill got a cost analysis done on the possible legislation he informed me that the Congressman would not be writing the bill. Because it added to much to the mandatory spending. He said it add as much as 50 billion dollars a year to the budget. I asked if considered the cost offsets that are being offered that amounted to 64 billion a year. He said that the Congressman wouldn't want to write the legislation if it couldn't pass with all Republican house votes. So we are at a standstill. So I ask since I have done all I can do to get this legislation written and passed is there anyone else who might be in a better position to help get this legislation done? Also what do you think about the legislation?
Posted in these groups: 
New PoliticsU.S. House of Representatives
United States Senate
Republicans
Disabled Veterans
New PoliticsU.S. House of Representatives United States Senate Republicans Disabled Veterans
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 87
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Best of luck, LCpl Timothy McCain. Congress says SSI is an entitlement. Who knows how they feel about Vet pay in general, much less an increase. Keep fighting the good fight I guess. We're behind you, but not holding our breath at this point.
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SSG John Eroh
The difference is that our service to our country is what gave ùs our disability. I had an Army orthopedics doctor tell me I still would have bad knees and shoulders but it would have been 20-30 years down the road before Ì was at where I was if I hadn't been in the Army. And I was't in combat arms. So I believe we are owed our disability pay. I have 2 kids on SSI which is not enough to live on and they get docked if they try to work to have enough. Their disability isn't from military service but I do wonder if my Agent Orange exposure caused some of my son's.
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SSG John Eroh
LCpl Timothy McCain the call Social Security an in title mentioned and we pay into it all our working lives. In my case from age 17 until I retired (not by choice) at 63.
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TSgt David L.
SSG John Eroh - Anything I involuntarily paid into is not an entitlement. Just another pot for the government to dip into.
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So we can afford to increase the DOD budget by $50 billion this year alone for more wars, expensive toys that we don’t need, and to keep the defense contractors happy, but we can’t afford to give people a measly 25% increase that would only cost about $14 billion? I’m tired of people using us as props and putting us on a pedestal for political points but don’t actually want to give us help when we need it.
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SSG(P) Jeffrey Elwood
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
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Thanks for sharing LCpl Timothy McCain
This year VA disability for Veteran and Spouse:
100% $3,139.67
90% $1,932.68 [61% of 100%]
80% $1,719.25 [55% of 100%
70% $1,481.48 [47% of 100%]
It may well be time to review the VA disability scale. There has been much attention to comparing base military service pay to comparable civilian sector wages.
Establishing a comparable metric to VA disability to determine if a catchup make sense is problematic since Social Security Disability is based on level of income and FICA payments.
VA disability is rank independent as it should be IMHO.
Individual Unemployability is already exactly the amount of the 100% VA disability payment.
Last year the VA reduced my VA disability rating from 80% to 70% after claiming my heart disability functionally had gone from 60% disability to a 30% disability rating. According to my VA and Military cardiologists my heart is not doing better and in fact is leaking more.
The reduction was based on an older echocardiogram. On Monday March 19, 2018 I am scheduled fro my annual echocardiogram at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital [I worked out with military and VAMC that I would have my echocardiograms at the military hospitals and both could monitor my status.]
The VA Patient Advocate submitted an Individual Unemployability packet fro me but it fell through the cracks and another one was submitted last fall.
Thanks for mentioning me SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Orlando Illi LTC (Join to see) LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Jeff S. CPT Jack Durish MSG Dan Walther MSgt Robert C Aldi SFC Stephen King MSgt Danny Hope SGT Gregory Lawritson Cpl Craig Marton SP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT (Join to see) Maj Marty Hogan
This year VA disability for Veteran and Spouse:
100% $3,139.67
90% $1,932.68 [61% of 100%]
80% $1,719.25 [55% of 100%
70% $1,481.48 [47% of 100%]
It may well be time to review the VA disability scale. There has been much attention to comparing base military service pay to comparable civilian sector wages.
Establishing a comparable metric to VA disability to determine if a catchup make sense is problematic since Social Security Disability is based on level of income and FICA payments.
VA disability is rank independent as it should be IMHO.
Individual Unemployability is already exactly the amount of the 100% VA disability payment.
Last year the VA reduced my VA disability rating from 80% to 70% after claiming my heart disability functionally had gone from 60% disability to a 30% disability rating. According to my VA and Military cardiologists my heart is not doing better and in fact is leaking more.
The reduction was based on an older echocardiogram. On Monday March 19, 2018 I am scheduled fro my annual echocardiogram at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital [I worked out with military and VAMC that I would have my echocardiograms at the military hospitals and both could monitor my status.]
The VA Patient Advocate submitted an Individual Unemployability packet fro me but it fell through the cracks and another one was submitted last fall.
Thanks for mentioning me SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Orlando Illi LTC (Join to see) LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Jeff S. CPT Jack Durish MSG Dan Walther MSgt Robert C Aldi SFC Stephen King MSgt Danny Hope SGT Gregory Lawritson Cpl Craig Marton SP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT (Join to see) Maj Marty Hogan
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Cpl James Gilchrist
MAJ Donald Zlotnik - Major, Sir. PTSD is a very real affliction to anyone who has experienced extended serious combat. I know people who think of their combat experiences every single day. It literally interferes with one’s ability to focus and function.
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CPT Larry Hudson
Maj Zlotnik, I agree with your statement. I did not know what PTSD was until I joined VA after many years and it is the VA that diagnosed the condition. I have also met veterans who have learned to play the system like a concert.
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SSG John Eroh
Cpl James Gilchrist - I'm sure those aren't the ones the Major was talking about. I have seen ones with 199% without PTSD who get along better than I do with my 60%.
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SSG John Eroh
PFC Joe Fugo - Must have been my fingers putting the wrong keys again. lol. But it is quite common to actually have disability ratings add up over 100 % but the way their formula works we never receive over 100%. Then for us retirees you add into the mix that our VA Disability pay is deducted from our retirement pay. Congress finally admitted about 15 years or so that it was wrong so they came up with two ways to give our money back. It depends on what your percentage is and weather your disability is combat related or not weather you get it and if so if is taxable or not.
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