Should veterans and retirees be "Triple Dipping?"

The first 15 years after retirement, I felt fine. Then at age 55, I started going down hill. I am 63 yrs old now with limited mobility because of weak legs, two back surgeries, and a neurosurgeon scheduling me for neck surgery this month. I retired from the Army, USDOT, Baker Hughes Oilfield, Inc. I am a licensed private investigator and own a trucking company. I get all of my military and civilian benefits. Don’t stop until you get yours. Hoooaaah!

Argh! I hit wrong vote button! I meant triple dip is okay. God knows none of us got what we were worth while on active duty.

I did 14 years in the Army, was granted a 50% disability a few years after my discharge, meanwhile, I worked for the Department of Defense for 9 years until other major health problems stopped my ability to continue working. I received disability retirement and then after a year of fighting, I got my SSD. I guess you could call that triple-dipping, however, the total is barely allowing me to get by. Thank God for the VA, because if I had to pay for my medications out of pocket, I would be doomed.

Yes.

Always take the money. You earned it and you sacrificed. Your body will never be the same so take what you can get.

Dip all you can. I know how it is to have chronic pain, unable to sleep ETC. All the dipping in the world will not make it better, but it will increase your opportunity to distract you from the pain by having some resources for it

The idea of not making more in retirement than while serving being somehow more honorable is ridiculous value signaling. If you retire healthy, or at the very least able to pretty much work without restriction, you will make as much or more than when retired. There is still a cost of living. Whoever disagrees that a disabled person should be able to live as well as a non disabled person is a jackass.

I paid into my military retirement with blood sweat and tears. I get a retirement from a civilian company they paid in with hard work and matching dollars. I paid into Social Security because the government said I had to. The VA gives me a disability payment. Because the American people and all their wisdom said that I deserve it for the disability that I received in the Vietnam war. I guess I’m in quad dipper because I get four checks I don’t feel guilty about any of them I earned each one honorably and each one is authorized by a government or business that I have very little control over. For those that question the pension checks I asked them did they feel guilty when they get the check at the end of the month. They earned it so why shouldn’t they get it

The disability pay is to reimburse you for the functions that you can no longer perform. This is separate from the time you served towards retirement as well as the amount you contributed towards social security. Each are separate. I payed into SSI my entire working career. I also worked my time to earn my retirement. I didn’t ask to be hurt in combat or to feel pain each day. The disability paynent is to reimburse for the bodily functions that I no longer have. Not to take place of my retirement that I also earned.

You guys are talking about me again; I earned what I get paid. I did not enlist in the military to get rich and believe me, that hasn't happened. But, I did spend 20 years and during that time, I sustained some injuries, which I live with everyday, and without any medications. Until early 2000, veterans were only able to draw either their disability pay or their retirement pay, not both. According to what I've read and been told, Pres. Reagan noticed that, except for the military veteran, other federal employees were able to draw their pension as well as disability and social security and he changed it so that we could be paid both, our disability and retirement. This took effect in early 2004, and I believe it was called the CDRP Program. So YES!!!! If you've served and were honorably discharged, then yes, you deserve every bit of your pay, whether disability, retirement, or social security, and you deserve all three, not just one or the other. Blessings.