Should veterans and retirees be "Triple Dipping?"

If someone is using the system when they are actually relatively fine then shame on them but I know some guys who are extremely fucked up in every sense of the word, for these guys, I think the government should carry them and their families through the rest of their sub par existence. I say existence because I'm not going to kid you or I by calling it living. Being in pain (both physical and mental) every day of your life is an unenjoyable life. So yes, pay those men what they deserve and give them some sort of comfort instead of daily struggle to survive.

As long as the disability issues are legit, I say go for it.

Ok, so, one of the benefits of the military is that you can retire and still collect your retirement if you work in the civilian sector. Many civilian jobs pay disability if you are hurt while performing your job. If you are physically unable to work due to a disability, you can collect Social Security Disability. Given all this, I don't see what the problem with triple dipping is. Just because you were hurt while you were in the military disqualifies you from doing this? How stupid. The very few people that qualify for this are very likely deserving an need it. They are three separately funded and independent benefits with their own criteria to qualify. One has no bearing on the others.

I almost forgot to mention, the military can and will get what it wants from you before you get to go home, (hopefully with an Honorable discharge), when you swear in, you're giving up everything that you are to become all that they want you to be and more often than not, you're broken somehow when you get out. I strongly feel that you should be able to get what you earn, if that means you can triple dip or quadruple dip, go for it.

I'm thankful i got 60% medical retirement from the army and 100% from the VA. I applied for SS twice (once while still in and at Ft. Polk, once a while after being out of service in TX) got denied both times. On the second application i put in the comments section that it feels like they stole from me. The SS office in Temple, TX treats you like dirt and you almost have to beg them to accept supplemental or supporting documents for your claim. I will eventually apply again. I sent off paperwork for CRSC back in November, i call each month to check on it. They say that the process is backed up til May or June. I pray that i get it. I encourage anyone who medically retired to apply for it. Does anyone know anything about it (CRSC)? Like maybe how hard it is to be approved or what the pay table is for it (CRSC)?

I think the wrong question is being asked. I'm a huge proponent of applying for EARNED benefits. If you earned it, go get it. Simple as that. The question we should be asking is how many veterans are LYING to get what might have been a legitimate benefit, except that they are not nearly as "broken" as they make themselves out to be.

Before I get too far, let me say that I think the numbers of those abusing the system are relatively small. However, it only takes a few to ruin a good thing for everyone. And there's the whole issue of individual honor and integrity at stake. If you lie to get benefits, you should rot in hell. You've made a choice at that point to throw away whatever integrity you once had, and I no longer care much about you. I certainly wouldn't lump you in with the rest of the veteran population.

That said, I personally know of a few veterans who are drawing a retirement check, 100% VA disability, and also SSDI (not SSI, that's something different). These particular veterans EARNED their retirement check by virtue of serving longer than 20 years. It's impossible (I think) to fake that. The problem starts with the VA disability rating. Some of these veterans have "gamed" the system. There are specific things you can do to get a VA contractor to award you a higher percentage during your evaluation physicals. I'm not going to say what those things are, because I don't want anyone running out to "get theirs" based on fraudulent claims of physical disability.

Once they get that 100% rating, it's easy to justify in their own minds trying to claim the Social Security Disability Insurance. While we do pay into SSDI during our careers, not everyone rates it. VA disability ratings have little to do with actual physical disability. Those ratings are simply a number the VA uses to base their compensation payments on, and they are often increased or decreased based on changes in individual circumstances. Although you may have a 75% or even 100% rating, that does NOT mean that you are necessarily even close to actually being 100% disabled, as in home-bound or bed-ridden. You might be, but not necessarily. That's part of the mystery of the VA rating system.

On the other hand, the SSDI definition of "Disability" is far stricter. Here it is, copied directly from their website:

"To meet our definition of disability, you must not be able to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) because of a medically-determinable physical or mental impairment(s):
1. That is expected to result in death, or
2. That has lasted or is expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months."

That means that you are permanently and completely reliant on someone else to get by in the world. I know guys who are missing limbs who don't qualify for this! On the other hand, I know a few who are up and moving around just fine, working jobs, going to school and dealing with crowds and other people just fine - and yet they're drawing SSDI. They are FRAUDS. They had to have LIED to get that benefit. I'm not a snitch, but I will certainly let them know that I know, and I have turned my back on those individuals. They will get what they deserved. DON'T BE THAT GUY.

If you are still in uniform, you need to make up your mind right now what kind of veteran you want to be. Do you want to suck off the system the rest of your life, throwing away your integrity at the same time? Or do you simply want what you earned, nothing more, nothing less? In that case, I'm assuming you want to continue to be a leader and a force for good in your own community. Please be that guy. That's what America needs her Veterans to be!

I am a GWOT vet, and worked for the VA...during my time there, they really pushed getting me out to recruit patients...they called it "community outreach"...and it was focused on Vietnam vets...they asked me to go up and talk to them every chance I got...I can't tell you how many emails and memo's I got concerning "reconnecting to Vietnam era veterans"...after being in the system and learning about the VA and how it works, I was really pretty disgusted by that...why? Because each veteran who has seen a VA Doctor every 36 months (could be 24; can't remember exactly anymore) was worth $3600...the VA was losing so much money because the WW2 guys were dying off so quickly...so it had nothing to do with "mending relationships" and everything to do with replacing that revenue stream...my point? The VA doesn't help you at your lowest points...you want to be noble and not take what you can get bc other guys need it more than you do? If you expect that loyalty to be rewarded when you "need" it? You're dreaming and it'll cut your guts out watching these Federal employees rolling their eyes at you and saying "shoulda, woulda, coulda" while you got no place to go...I saw it every day...be loyal to your Corps (Service)...be loyal to the brothers and the Honor you bestowed on your country...but NEVER confuse that with the VA...the VA is MOST DEFINITELY NOT THE ORGANIZATION YOU SACRIFICED FOR!!

Those aren't free benefits they are earned why don't we talk about the nuns using wellfare as a carreer

Congress triple dips. Why not our military. Congress has millionaires. There are billionaires who collect Soc Sec. So... & it's not like the benefit would go to someone else. Congress would just steal it.

If you're qualified to do something you might as well, when there's an opportunity available it would be wasteful not to take it