I bristle when gung-ho Iraq war supporters accuse those who do not support the war in Iraq of “not supporting the troops,” and I have written extensively on what it truly means to support our men and women in combat and our veterans.
The Boston Globe this morning in “Veterans still waiting on disability appeals,” provides yet another story of what is NOT an example of supporting the troops.
The article leads with a story about how an Army tank crewman, Specialist Cristapher Zuetlau, who was injured severely enough “that he can barely walk,” and where the Army “determined that his disability was not severe enough to warrant long-term care by the military.”
Thus, the soldier had to turn to the Department of Veterans Affairs for health care and was left with no retirement benefits and without government healthcare for his family.
Apparently, there are thousands of similar stories where “the military was manipulating disability ratings to save money.”
According to the Globe:
In the Army alone, thousands of soldiers injured since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks – including many hurt in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan – are eligible for a review of the numerical disability rating issued by the Army’s Physical Evaluation Board. That rating is critical.
A number is assigned to the disability based on its severity and long-term impact. Those rated below 30 percent disabled receive a severance payment that is taxed instead of a monthly retirement check. The veteran continues to get healthcare, but from the VA rather than from the military. But his family, once covered by military health insurance, no longer receives government provided healthcare.
A rating above 30 percent means that a service member gets a monthly retirement check, and that his family is eligible for care at military hospitals.
In response to this travesty, Congress, last December, ordered the Pentagon to accept appeals from wounded and injured troops.
But, would you believe that, one year after the bill, our gung-ho “support the troops” officials have yet to examine a single appeal!
According to the Boston Globe, a three-member Physical Disability Board of Review was created by Congress last December to review appeals from members and former members of the armed forces who received disability ratings of less than 30 percent. “The board was supposed to be in place 90 days after the bill was signed, according to the congressional mandate. But its formation wasn’t formally announced until June, and officials have said they hope to take the first application for review this month.”
What does Zuetlau’s wife, Breana, say?
“I feel like the Army has ripped me off…When he joined the service he was a fully functioning man. When he left the service, he is like my child. I have to take care of his needs. He should have been retired instead of just being kicked out.”
And what does the Pentagon say? According to the Globe:
Eileen M. Lainez, a spokeswoman in the Defense Press Office at the Pentagon, said in an e-mail the panel’s creation was delayed because the Defense Department had to develop the application process, Internet information sites, and training programs for newly hired staff.
Bottom line: “Supporting the Troops” is still merely a slogan—“a process”— with this administration.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.