Does anyone ever feel guilty about undeserved high ratings on their disability claims?

2018-01-14T01:36:39-05:00

Does anyone ever feel guilty about undeserved high ratings? I have friends who are angry about only having 80-90%, disability, but will then acknowledge they can walk, talk, run, work out, etc.
A quadruple amputee can still talk, thus sales job would be possible. So even they are not 100% disabled. Stephen Hawking holds a job. Christopher Reeve held a job..
Does no one's conscience bother them?

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Jan 14 at 2018 2:39 AM

2018-01-14T02:39:10-05:00

How about the morality of Veterans who are disabled having to spend years fighting for their VA disability and in many cases dying before receiving any or very little due to years of delay ? Disability can come in many forms but certainly there are professions that a disability may prevent You from doing. I don't happen to be disabled Myself but I'm still well aware of people that had to fight tooth and nail to get any level of increase or even get a rating in the first place without a battle. I worked for a man that didn't claim disability until He had only months to live due to Agent Orange exposure in Viet Nam, He did get it but only had six months to live but did continue to work until He died and never complained. About all that did was try to help His wife and kids as He was no longer with us to help them any longer. Its easy to point out what others can do when Your not dealing with those problems Yourself. Yes, I'm against any fraud and anyone receiving a disability when they don't deserve one. I hope I never qualify for disability pay but there is enough stress if You need it without having to wait years of delays from a system that needs to work better.

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 14 at 2018 4:49 AM

2018-01-14T04:49:21-05:00

Why should anybody feel guilty about a system that does not do enough for our Veterans? More needs to be done for our Veterans and their families! Just another story trying to divide Veterans and make the Public perception negative of Veterans. Our Nation has fought many Wars and has sent Young American Men and Women into harms with some of our Brothers and Sisters giving the ultimate sacrifice! So we each have our own opinions and views but I'll always be on the side of my Brothers and Sisters who are owed every cent of the benefits they've earned! My fellow Veterans watch out for those who are judging other Veterans and trying to question their disability ratings....they're snakes in my view...like it or not!

Response by CPL Robert Ray made Jan 14 at 2018 8:08 AM

2018-01-14T08:08:02-05:00

"A quadruple amputee can still talk, thus sales job would be possible." I ask you to seriously consider that statement for a few moments, then try to put yourself in that veteran's position. Consider your life without hands AND feet. I can't do it and I have mobility problems. I just can't imagine not even having hands with which to shave, or more embarrassingly, to wipe my own ass after a trip to the toilet... no way to feed myself... no way to clothe myself. Then add the pain, the searing, blinding pain from the nerve damage done that probably contributed to the cause of the amputations. The phantom pain of crushed limbs... finally, consider the problems of the health care system these soldiers face to help them with all this. Not every vet who has lost all four limbs has all of these problems, but before you make such blindingly broad and ignorant statements as you have, before you bring into question someone's ability to work, or their level of compensation, you need to stop and consider the big picture, the whole picture.

Even those who are mobile as you pointed out, may have other issues. Walking, talking and the ability to "work out" (whether this means lifting weights or Tai Chi is uncertain) does not give one the automatic ability to hold down a job. Brain injury, mental stability, pain levels, training and skills, and a myriad of other things factor in. Maybe a person can spend 30 minutes lifting weights but has an inability to sit in an office chair for 8 hours a day. Maybe a person "runs" but really it's just a shuffle for a few yards with a lot of walking in between. But they do it because it's the only time they can still their mind from the horrors they've seen and the pain they have. And when they are done and the endorphins begin to leave their body, they are wiped out and unable to do anything else for hours, but without the exercise, they face bigger depression, weight gain, anger, God knows what else... the things that contribute to the 22 veteran suicides per day...

I respect that you feel that guys who can still walk and talk and run and work out aren't on the same level as a guy with no arms and no legs, but your question does not talk into consideration quality of life. It jabs at our brothers who maybe deserve to be compensated for what will become life-long dehabilitating pain, amd possibly other problems because of their service based on your own subjective concept of what they "deserve". This is exactly why the VA has the system it does. It is far from perfect, it has many flaws. And like all systems, it can be gamed. But until something better comes along, it's the best system we have.

So in conclusion, I humbly ask that you reconsider your attempts to pile guilt on those service members and veterans who receive high disability ratings from the VA. Your comparison and particularly your compassion is weak to nonexistent. Your point of failure is to walk a mile in their shoes. You ask about other people's consciences when, imho, you need to consider your own first. I hope that you never have to experience a situation such as a devastating disease, a freak accident leaving you with only your mind as a your fully functioning system or even the dehabilitating pain that takes away your quality of life. But I do ask that you ask the question, what if it were you. seek to not only know, but truly understand what Paul Harvey would have called, "The Rest of the Story". Good Day.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 15 at 2018 8:24 AM

2018-01-15T08:24:30-05:00

I've wondered about those percentages before as well. Every now and then I'll see a license tag that says 100% Disabled Veteran and I think, "Shouldn't you be dead then?" And at any rate, "Should you be driving?" I'm not knocking the system because I (thankfully) don't know it. It just always seems strange to me.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jan 16 at 2018 10:12 PM

2018-01-16T22:12:49-05:00

SFC Michael Hasbun No, as we don't make the rules that VA follows. I am not sure how you could angry about 80 or 90%... I guess, because it is not 100%?

I understand your point, as I did not understand this until I retired. I thought, until I retired, ratings were based on the things you said. But, as I am sure you know, disability ratings are a cumulative sum (which is not actual straight math) of all of your service related injuries and disabilities. The military takes a toll. I think the VA needs to look at the calculations, as they make no sense... 50+50=75+30=83+20=87... etc...

That said, it does not make sense, based on your examples of losing limbs, eyesight, cognition etc. It is confusing, and does not make sense.