Socialist Obama administration throws $5B tax money at veterans with PTSD

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The government is preparing to issue new rules that will make it substantially easier for veterans who have been found to have post-traumatic stress disorder to receive disability benefits, a change that could affect hundreds of thousands of veterans from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam.

The regulations from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which will take effect as early as Monday and cost as much as $5 billion over several years according to Congressional analysts, will essentially eliminate a requirement that veterans document specific events like bomb blasts, firefights or mortar attacks that might have caused P.T.S.D., an illness characterized by emotional numbness, irritability and flashbacks.

For decades, veterans have complained that finding such records was extremely time consuming and sometimes impossible. And in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, veterans groups assert that the current rules discriminate against tens of thousands of service members — many of them women — who did not serve in combat roles but nevertheless suffered traumatic experiences.

Under the new rule, which applies to veterans of all wars, the department will grant compensation to those with P.T.S.D. if they can simply show that they served in a war zone and in a job consistent with the events that they say caused their conditions. They would not have to prove, for instance, that they came under fire, served in a front-line unit or saw a friend killed.

The new rule would also allow compensation for service members who had good reason to fear traumatic events, known as stressors, even if they did not actually experience them.

There are concerns that the change will open the door to a flood of fraudulent claims. But supporters of the rule say the veterans department will still review all claims and thus be able to weed out the baseless ones.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/us/08vets.html

[Used to be broken 143]

The government is preparing to issue new rules that will make it substantially easier for veterans who have been found to have post-traumatic stress disorder to receive disability benefits, a change that could affect hundreds of thousands of veterans from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam.

The regulations from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which will take effect as early as Monday and cost as much as $5 billion over several years according to Congressional analysts, will essentially eliminate a requirement that veterans document specific events like bomb blasts, firefights or mortar attacks that might have caused P.T.S.D., an illness characterized by emotional numbness, irritability and flashbacks.

For decades, veterans have complained that finding such records was extremely time consuming and sometimes impossible. And in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, veterans groups assert that the current rules discriminate against tens of thousands of service members — many of them women — who did not serve in combat roles but nevertheless suffered traumatic experiences.

Under the new rule, which applies to veterans of all wars, the department will grant compensation to those with P.T.S.D. if they can simply show that they served in a war zone and in a job consistent with the events that they say caused their conditions. They would not have to prove, for instance, that they came under fire, served in a front-line unit or saw a friend killed.

The new rule would also allow compensation for service members who had good reason to fear traumatic events, known as stressors, even if they did not actually experience them.

There are concerns that the change will open the door to a flood of fraudulent claims. But supporters of the rule say the veterans department will still review all claims and thus be able to weed out the baseless ones.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/us/08vets.html

So he is a socialist because he wants the government to care for veterans who have been damaged in a war? Not sure how that adds up.

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So he is a socialist because he wants the government to care for veterans who have been damaged in a war? Not sure how that adds up.

He is opening the door to fraud and hoping the fraudsters vote for him. Buying votes sounds socialist to me.

[evli1966 88]

He is opening the door to fraud and hoping the fraudsters vote for him. Buying votes sounds socialist to me.

I can see how Obama could twist it to that outcome.

I do think this is a good move although it is going to be expensive and once again it is money we do not have and it affects the economy 0%

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

He makes good on a promise that we all owe to each and every servicemember who we ask to put their life on the line for this country. It's a disgrace how many of our veterans end up on the streets.

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He makes good on a promise that we all owe to each and every servicemember who we ask to put their life on the line for this country. It's a disgrace how many of our veterans end up on the streets.

But... but... this isn't a good use of taxpayer money. This is more of the socialism we've gotten used to from this Muslim communist homosexual President.

[Dan J 277]

But... but... this isn't a good use of taxpayer money. This is more of the socialism we've gotten used to from this Muslim communist homosexual President.

What would you expect them to do? PTSD can quite negative affect a person's life. Making them much less productive, or causing problems with their family/relationships.

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What would you expect them to do? PTSD can quite negative affect a person's life. Making them much less productive, or causing problems with their family/relationships.

I don't see making people more productive or helping them with their families as being one of the enumerated powers of the federal government. Read your constitution, librul!

[peejay 327]

He is opening the door to fraud and hoping the fraudsters vote for him. Buying votes sounds socialist to me.

I wouldn't call it "socialist", but buying votes and creating dependency has been stock and trade for the Democrats for decades. Who is going to vote to end their own lifelong financial dependency?

Edited July 8, 2010 by peejay

[Obama 2012 1,714]

I'm just wondering about those of us who have PTSD from this economy!

[evli1966 88]

But... but... this isn't a good use of taxpayer money. This is more of the socialism we've gotten used to from this Muslim communist homosexual President.

That word as a description was not nice and untue (atleast it is not proven)

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... buying votes and dependency has been stock and trade for the Democrats for decades.

[Dan J 277]

I don't see making people more productive or helping them with their families as being one of the enumerated powers of the federal government. Read your constitution, librul!

So does that make soldiers just mercenaries? They get paid to do a job, and after that, they are on their own?

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That word as a description was not nice and untue (atleast it is not proven)

Look at him! He looks like a ###.

So does that make soldiers just mercenaries? They get paid to do a job, and after that, they are on their own?

They can still apply for PTSD benefits if they can prove it. Obama is basically saying, everyone come and get some! No evidence required. Shameful.

[peejay 327]

So does that make soldiers just mercenaries? They get paid to do a job, and after that, they are on their own?

That is pretty much what everyone else that works in the private sector gets.