good news, maybe? finally?

[cheezyflier]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100226/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_gulf_war_illness

[tigisfat]

What's sad is the VA is considered one of the worst medical care systems in the country, and I can't believe how good they are coming off active duty with the healthcare there.

I don't know what happens to people from America in the military that go to Iraq and the middle east, but I've had some wierd and unexplained health problems for a while now. I still have my arms and legs and can walk, so I'm better off than some, but nine short years in the USAF stole my livelyhood and health. My VA doctor says I have the back of a 65 year old man. I guess that's what happens when you spend eight years at war in a tiny little AF. The best part is when older WWII vets that were in supply or the band or something tell me how easy I've got it and what wusses we are in the military now.

[Ken Stallings]

What's sad is the VA is considered one of the worst medical care systems in the country, and I can't believe how good they are coming off active duty with the healthcare there.

I don't know what happens to people from America in the military that go to Iraq and the middle east, but I've had some wierd and unexplained health problems for a while now. I still have my arms and legs and can walk, so I'm better off than some, but nine short years in the USAF stole my livelyhood and health. My VA doctor says I have the back of a 65 year old man. I guess that's what happens when you spend eight years at war in a tiny little AF. The best part is when older WWII vets that were in supply or the band or something tell me how easy I've got it and what wusses we are in the military now.

That's because those vets were in supply or the band. The vets who fought don't ever tell another vet that crap! They have too much respect. They also realize they have no room to gloat because they left too many buddies dead on the battlefield. The vets who fought are too busy counting their blessings to be alive and to have lived a full life to spend it ridiculing other vets.

Every time I've been around a World War II vet who faced combat, I've actually been quite humbled by the generosity they have shown me. It's uncomfortable really in the sense that I know these men faced dangers I never did. But for them, it doesn't matter if they faced more or less risk. They just understand it takes the same courage to go into combat.

Most of the problems in the VA are caused by woefully too few people to process the paperwork. Rarely are the mistakes due to outright negligence and rarer still due to malice.

Cheers,

Ken

[cheezyflier]

i had banana bob in mind when i posted this. i know the va is giving him a hard time is all.
i just would like to see some guys get a break for once, you know?

[CADFather]

Timely thread, I just got my rejection letter from the VA this week, denying me benefits. I've got no job, no money , no insurance, and plenty of health problems, plus I am in constant pain. I'm a veteran, albeit a peacetime vet, but I paid for my ticket now I would like my ride.

[TeaSea]

I must be the odd one out....

I have had nothing but good experiences with the VA, as did my father who died two years ago from injuries sustained in Viet Nam. He had few worries regarding his treatment (which undoubtedly extended his life by at least two to three years -- long enough to see his grandkids graduate high school).

That being said, the VA is a large bureaucracy, and you need to be prepared to walk into a process with them with patience, perseverance, and DOCUMENTATION, DOCUMENTATION, DOCUMENTATION.

They aren't just going to take your word for it.

I had a significant claim coming off active duty and most of it was recognized...not all, but most. The most important things were:

1) I took the time to do it.

2) I actually got a physical coming off Active Duty (you wouldn't believe how many people blow this completely free service off because they "just want to get out of here").

2) I kept good records when I was active, and had the records to backup my claims to include a complete copy of my entire medical record from active duty...dental too. The VA only considers claims on conditions incidental to service....you've got to be able to prove it. Your having a bad back at 40 is not good enough, just about every male over 40 has a bad back.

3) I consulted with advisers early and often, and listened to what they had to say (i.e. "the day of your physical do not take the Motrin").

4) I did not get emotional nor did I waste my time pursuing issues that were simply too difficult to substantiate. I will be blunt, most of us are aware that many people coming out of the first Gulf War had a variety of illnesses that are difficult to isolate---if you're pinning your hope on the vagarious of your health after serving in Shield/Storm...you're wasting intellectual and emotional capital.

5) I took the time to read the law and corresponding regulations regarding compensation claims and paid attention to the news.

6) I maintained copies of all correspondence.

Last month I strongly advised my father in law to return to the VA with documentation on his health issues. He had been out of the Navy for over 15 years and the last time he talked to anyone in the VA was the day he left the service. Imagine his suprise when he discovered the amount of additional compensation he was entitled to, and the various programs he had available to him now that were not available at the time he left the service.

He's also a packrat and has every scrap of paper the Navy ever gave him...so the documentation was resolved by just going through the mounds of paper.

[GT182]

Every time I've been around a World War II vet who faced combat, I've actually been quite humbled by the generosity they have shown me.

Same here Ken. Whether it's a signature or just a handshake, it makes me proud to just have had that pleasure. And times too so see a tear in their eye, that someone cares enough to thank them for all that they did...... no matter what war it was.

[Willy]

My experience with the VA has been good. I didn't wait around to get hooked up with them. I already had all my paperwork done and approved before I retired. Then they put me through college on a Voc Rehab plan for a full four years. The only problem I ever had with the VA was the county rep up in Texarkana Arkansas. And that was just him. As soon as I could get above him the problem was rectified.

That said, I use my Navy retired medical as I know the VA is crowded these days and I'd rather stay out of their way as long as I can and let the new guys in the system that don't have anything else be taken care of.