Report: Army ""Deliberately Shortchanging" Troops on Disability

[marmar]

from the Army Times, via Truthout:


Critics: Army Holding Down Disability Ratings
By Kelly Kennedy
Army Times

Saturday 24 February 2007

The Army is deliberately shortchanging troops on their disability retirement ratings to hold down costs, according to veterans' advocates, lawyers and services members, and the Inspector General has identified 87 problems in the system that need fixing.

"These people are being systematically underrated," said Ron Smith, deputy general counsel for Disabled American Veterans. "It's a bureaucratic game to preserve the budget, and it's having an adverse affect on service members."

The numbers of people approved for permanent or temporary disability retirement in the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force have stayed relatively stable since 2001.

But in the Army - in the midst of a war - the number of soldiers approved for permanent disability retirement has plunged by more than two-thirds, from 642 in 2001 to 209 in 2005, according to a Government Accountability Office report last year. That decline has come even as the war in Iraq has intensified and the total number of soldiers wounded or injured there has soared above 15,000.

The Army denies there is any intentional effort to push wounded troops off the military rolls. But critics say many troops being evaluated for possible disability retirement accept the first rating they are offered during their first informal board - but that if they were to request a formal board, and then appeal the decision of that board, they would receive higher ratings. ....(more)

The complete article is at: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022507Y.shtml

[aquart]

1. We OWE them.

Any soldier who has been on active duty, I do not care where, should never have to worry about a medical bill again. Or where he's going to live or eat. EVER. WE owe THEM.

WTF are the construction projects putting Americans to work building veterans' housing and care facilities?

[marmar]

2. I know....

This is just unbelievably disgusting.

[MindPilot]

3. There is only one good that can possibly come from this

and that is that military people may finally realize that voting for republics is not such a good idea.

[malaise]

4. Bingo

Further their relatives will not sign up for this crappy treatment.

[MindPilot]

11. Yes, but I fear that the fall-off in recruitment resulting from

the serious mistreatment of injured soldiers becoming public will make a draft necessary just to fix our broken military.

According to Will Pitt, we've lost a quarter to a third of our troops and they aren't getting replaced by volunteers.

[marmar]

6. True. Which of the Republics' constituent groups haven't the f**cked over?.....

Other than the very wealthy.

[madmax]

5. K&R

Here you are folks... 'Support the Troops'.

[alfredo]

7. FGo to the original in Army Times then e-mail that article to

every one on your mailing list.

[marmar]

8. Good idea....

:think:

[Monkeyman]

9. Done to vets all over the country

[salin]

12. In the same email - link to this WaPo magazine story "Battle Worn"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x265026

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/22/AR2007022200891.html

[alfredo]

13. Thanks

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Truly UnAmerican. Unless, of course, business and capitalism is

the intended beginning, middle and end of our society.