Should Veterans feel bad about being awarded and receiving VA disability compensation for non-combat related injuries?

Do civilians feel bad when they get government disability? I don't feel bad. I served my country and would have gone anywhere they told me. So, absolutely not!

Absolutely not. As "invisible" young troops, we were exposed to chemicals and fuels that we had no way of knowing how they'd impact our lives years down the road. Agent Orange, burn pits, jet fuel, hydraulic fluids, deicing fluids, asbestos, God knows what they sprayed in the air to keep the bugs down...years later, neurological issues, heart disease COPD, cancers...yeah, you need not get combat injured to have a service-connected problem.

No.

Agent Orange was a chemical used in Vietnam and later veterans started getting cancer and after 10 years of fighting the DOD they finally got the benefits for the damage it done.
VA benefits isn’t just for people in Combat it’s called SERVICE CONNECTED benefits, that covers all the people who transported and handled Agent Orange, or the non combatants who came in contact with Asbestos, Heavy metals and even working in electrical space. How about all the physical damage done to our bodies or even the hidden damage like radiation.
If I had it my way Every service member would get lifetime healthcare and cash payments for damages done that includes damages that show up 20-30 years later. No member in Government can say we don’t have the money when they are spending Billions on Illegal immigrants healthcare and housing.

This is something I struggle with on a daily basis because I was in for 12 years 1 month and 25 days when I was retired and of course because of a military surgeon error I developed a condition that required a device to be implanted inside of me, therefore, I had to be either discharged or retired.

Thankfully, I was retired, however I could’ve been sitting at 23 years of service today and it still bugs the hell out of me.

But being is that I lost my job for said medical conditions if I did not have my disability, my husband and I would probably be dead because we wouldn’t be able to afford to live anywhere and barely live hand to mouth if we didn’t have our disability.

But then again, I also get the funny looks that wow you’re a female who served in the military got injured while deployed and got retired. That shit gets old REAL QUICK. As always everyone thanks my husband for his service and give me dirty looks when I park with my Disabled Veteran license plate at a store.

It’s a balancing act, but it’s something that a lot of us who get disability following medical retirement struggle with.

So... I should feel guilty about my 80% service connection because it's not from combat? So, all of us Wonderbra who suffered MST and have service connection for the PTSD should feel guilty? Fuck no

I am 100% P&T. I USED to feel badly when I would go to the VA for treatment and I would see a kid with one leg or something similar. I slowly came to realize that the thirteen years of loyal and faithful service I gave the Marines had value, and hence, my injuries and diseases had value. Besides, you are taking nothing from the seriously wounded.

Absolutely not. Why would this even be a question?

VA disability is workers comp for the military.

Veterans deserve anything that the law says they qualify for.

I was awarded 70% last year for depression and anxiety stemming from an incident in 1985 where my roommate killed my other roommate. Stabbed him with a dull knife. I was 19 years old at the time. I ended up being a character witness at the General Courts Martial about 90 days later. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, reduced to the rank of E-1 (he was only E-2), forfeiture of all pay and allowances and got a bad conduct discharge that changed to a general discharge under honorable conditions a year later. He was sentenced to 2 years at Fort Hood with parole at eight months and credit for time served (90 days). He was sent home five months later.

I've had recurring Army dreams ever since. Some are the exact same dream that I've had so many times, that when I dream about being in the Army now, I'm on my 3rd or 4th hitch. (I only served one hitch with the Army)

My sweet wife asked me to file with the VA and it was only upon her asking that I did so, and then only after I had spent about four years talking with the VA psychologist once a month about that. I was shocked that I was awarded anything. I was never deployed, just stationed.

I meet weekly with a veterans for God group at a local cafe on Tuesday nights. A couple of those guys have had prostate cancer from Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, but have never filed for anything.

I have to say, a lot of the time I feel like I'm not worthy of my 70% disability rating from the VA when I see these guys and I also wonder if I'm taking something that I don't deserve from one of my VA brothers or sisters. My sweet wife and another Vietnam Veteran friend of mine who's over 90% tells me that I served and bad things happened to me while in and I'm being compensated for that now.

According to Pew Research, less that 10% of the US population are veterans and of them, 22% served only during peacetime era. Whether you go to war or not is determined by politicians, not us and as long as you served honorably, all veterans are equal in their willingness to serve the country. VA disability compensation is just that, to compensate a veteran for the loss of health received during service to our country. Whether I was injured in training (and I have had that happen) OR wounded in combat (and yes, I have had that happen too) is immaterial. You lost some health and the country owes you compensation for that. Just asking the question shows an ignorance as to the topic and a potential over (or under) valuing of your service compared to others.