Dithering VA slams door on more vets
'A lot of people are falling through the cracks'
Published: 9 hours ago
Nearly two years after the veterans’ health-care scandal broke, hardly any meaningful change has occurred, and now reports suggest a growing number of vets aren’t just having to wait for care but are being told they are ineligible.
The latest black eye for the Department of Veterans Affairs is a new report from the veterans group Swords to Plowshares showing that more and more vets are being denied access to the VA system because of “bad papers,” the military term for anything less than an honorable discharge.
The report indicates that veterans since 2001 are more than twice as likely to be denied medical benefits for an “other than honorable” discharge than their counterparts from the Vietnam era and four times as likely as those who served in World War II. All told, 10 percent of Marines have been denied under these circumstances while the rate across all branches stands at 6.5 percent.
In real numbers, 125,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are being denied care due to “bad papers.”
Get the hottest, most important news stories on the Internet – delivered FREE to your inbox as soon as they break! Take just 30 seconds and sign up for WND’s Email News Alerts!
Even those who regularly advocate for veterans admit this can be a thorny issue for the military.
“You can understand why the Pentagon and the VA would have to draw a distinction between the nature of the service and the nature of the benefits, so if you were kicked out of the military for terrible conduct, there’s a consequence potentially on the backside with your VA benefits,” said Pete Hegseth, a veterans advocate who served both in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is now a Fox News Channel contributor.
At the same time, Hegseth said the government’s policy punishes a lot of veterans for conduct that stems from their service to the United States.
“The problem becomes maybe you went to Afghanistan, suffer from post-traumatic stress and act out when you come home, which leads to a dishonorable discharge,” he said. “Now you’re barred from VA benefits, but you’re the very person that needs those VA benefits. A lot of those people are falling through the cracks.”
Listen to the WND/Radio America interview with Pete Hegseth:
Read more at
http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/dithering-va-slams-door-on-more-vets/#3p25UMdRc0TWDOXg.99
