"For a sense of how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is coping with an unprecedented number of disability claims, consider that nationwide nearly 900,000 disability claims are backlogged or sitting in the processing queue...[T]he biggest issue by far is how the current system defines 'disability.'...The reality is that the majority of veterans' disability claims are for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or minor physical conditions, including common age-related ailments such as hearing loss, lower-back pain and arthritis...By categorizing minor conditions as disabilities, the process threatens to become a kind of stealthy welfare system, where those with minor conditions might feather their nests at the expense of both taxpayers and truly disabled veterans trapped behind them in a line that stretches over the horizon." Daniel Gade, WSJ
As someone said, it's really hard to give away money. Why would this cluster-firetruck surprise anyone?
Nod to Kevin Lewis
5 comments:
Excellent video.
Ironically, I just began outlining a NSF grant proposal!
Aside from my lefty bleeding-heart notion that we'd have a lot fewer disabled veterans if we had a lot fewer useless and stupid military actions--it's unclear what you might suggest as an alternative.
Providing no support for disabled veterans?
Issuing a blanket refusal to recognize psychological disabilities?
Coming up with a "queue before the queue" to try to expedite the review of the cases that appear more severe on first glance?
Admitting that this was part of the decision to go to war and raising taxes to cover the costs of processing and paying more disability claims?
"age-related ailments such as hearing loss, lower-back pain and arthritis"
When you're 25 with those problems, they aren't age related.
We have a similar situation in Australia. A huge number of Vietnam ( and later wars) are getting very generous disability benefits. Most of them for non physical injuries such as PTSD. I know od one who worked full time and never had a problem till he found out that with the right symptoms he could get the benefits. Now he hasn't worked in years and travels the country on permanent holiday.
You create incentives and there will be a market.
Those who are dependent upon the gov are easier to control in the end.
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