Should veterans and retirees be "Triple Dipping?"

All circumstances are different. The one thing that bothers me is that I've encountered situations were veterans who never seen combat and never reached retirement receiving up to 80 % VA disability. Where as I served 35 years with three combat tours served. In 2 different branches and am fighting to get a rating over 50%. All C and P evaluations concour service connected conditions and still am battling to get what I believed I've earned for my sacrifices. Oh did I mention some of the forementioned veterans work as VA raters.

I’ve never understood why the DoD, the government, whoever, feels that disability pay is a benefit and treated like income. For crying out loud, we are being compensated for something that happened to us while serving, that we can never get back. I think most would agree, whatever we lost or suffer from, that we would rather be whole than get the money, but sadly we don’t have that choice. I think it’s a travesty that some of us (depending on disability rating) have our disability pay subtracted from our retirement pay. It’s time our political leaders end this nonsense and keep disability pay separate from retirement pay. They are two different things for two different reasons.

That is one sorry-ass comment, that one should not make more in retirement than while serving. You only get paid, if you are entitled to it sir. Seems that you have some jealousy or envy going on here. Look who you are speaking of, these are our your brothers and sisters. The Bible says, you ought to care more about them then yourself. The second of the Ten Commandment is, love other person's as yourself. Would you be speaking this way if you want entitled?. Have a heart and allow our veterans to enjoy that which they are entitled.

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.