VA decision....

[STCM(SW)]

Front page column today was how the VA is denying temporary
housing to vets who received less than honorable discharge or served fewer than two years continuous service in the military.

So, in Spokane of the 164 vets 25 will be ineligible under the new policy.

Looks to me that anyone who gets a BCD, general discharge other then Honorable shouldn't get anything.

Old Navy saying is "There's always 10%"

Rant over...

 

[Lee Barner]

based on my recent and ongoing dealings with the VA, nothing they do to deny veterans' services does not surprise me in the least. lee

 

[Bill_inBouse]

IMHO anyone who gets a BCD SHOULDN'T get anything. Unless authorized by law.

 

[straightshooter1]

Once again, I will probably end up in the minority, but my most recent experience with the VA Hospital was really good.

They fixed, actually eliminated, the cancer in my throat. Never had a single complaint about the way I was treated and I always felt like they treated me as if I was the only patient they had.

As to the Administration, I am always a bit more suspicious. I see a big difference in the treatment of the vet and the way the administration treats them when they seek benefits.

But I was wrong, this time at least. they rushed my claim through in 4 weeks from the day I walked in, till the day they sent the letter with their decision.

I did not agree with everything in their decision, but they did give me a higher percentage of disability and that, in turn, gives me more money and other benefits.

I tend to think my experiences with the VA are because of the size of the two hospitals here in the TampaBay area. I am told they are the largest ones the VA has.

But, regardless, they've treated me very, very well.

And, to keep in line with the original thought in the thread, I, too, don't think the government owes anything to those who failed to do what they were supposed to while serving in the military and wound up with a Dishonorable or Bad Conduct Discharge.

Bob

 

[Rustyt1953]

The military is fairly forgiving on discharges so to get a BCD, you really had to throw the fight so I agree on no bennies.

I have known guys with GUHs. They had a few speed bumps but still did their job so I begrudge these folks nothing.

Like Bob, I went through throat cancer but went the civilian route because of my wife's insurance. By most accounts, the VA hospital here is well run so if I have to switch, I'm not too worried. I'm glad it's there if I need it. After all, I paid the membership fee.

 

[Rastoff]

I don't consider anyone who got a dishonorable to be a vet.

 

[bulldog06]

two year benefits

The two year part of the policy is interesting. On one of my active duty tours, they demobed us at 1 year, 11 months, and 29 days. We were told that it was done to avoid making us eligible for 2 year active service VA benefits.
We all had way more active service than those 2 years so didn't think about it until now. Possibly a dirty trick for those who honorably served only that one tour on active duty. They would be one day short of qualifying under the rule in this discussion.

 

[Bajadoc]

"Less than honorable" to me means less than honorable. Benefits are for "honorable" service. If you did not serve with honor go elsewhere for your benefits.

 

[Kinman]

This is the first I've heard about this in Spokane, I don't take the paper.
My personal experience with the Spokane VA is A+, I was there yesterday for my blood draw a couple of weeks prior to my yearly exam. The place is continually being upgraded and is nearly unrecognizable from the VA I remember back in the 70's.
I do understand that there are always extenuating circumstances that could lead to a stellar troop finding himself getting kicked out of the military. From direct personal experience you have to be an absolute major F.U. to get an undesirable discharge. I got into a fracas with a couple of senior guys putting them in the hospital and was technically AWOL from my duty boat for a couple of hours during a drunken spree. My First Sergeant took me under his wing and we worked everything out, it cost me an extra eight months in the Army because I had to take a short and reenlist after putting in eight months but we sorted everything out. I was AWOL one day to out processing on my way to Vietnam because I could not put my shoes or boots on due to swelling following a motorcycle accident, again I had to serve the extra day on my enlistment (bad time) and it basically screwed me out of an early out that many of the other guys were getting.
People that get anything outside an honorable discharge as far as I'm concerned should have no benefits. I do know one guy that flew the coop and went full AWOL rather than report for duty to Vietnam, he received a Dishonorable Discharge. His old man was a close personal friend of Tom Foley who was our Congressman, he got it changed to Undesirable.
So back to the extenuating circumstances...there are always some. Maybe with Congressional approval, but it would have to be changed to Honorable, anything less don't cut it as far as I'm concerned.
I remember talking to young guys that washed out of boot camp, simply because they didn't like it....didn't like anybody telling them what to do. They got General Discharges. I remember taking a dim view of them back then and told one guy "Make sure you put down on all of your job applications that you don't like anybody telling you what to do."

 

[finesse_r]

The two year part of the policy is interesting. On one of my active duty tours, they demobed us at 1 year, 11 months, and 29 days. We were told that it was done to avoid making us eligible for 2 year active service VA benefits.
We all had way more active service than those 2 years so didn't think about it until now. Possibly a dirty trick for those who honorably served only that one tour on active duty. They would be one day short of qualifying under the rule in this discussion.

That is worst than just a dirty trick. Intentionally denying benefits that congress intended should be illegal, as it is certainly immoral. How can any government do something like that and then brag about how they take care of their vets?

 

[lonejacklarry]

How can any government do something like that and then brag about how they take care of their vets?

I don't know either but I've grown used to it. I don't like it but I have grown used to it, too.

I saw in the USA Today that the VA gave out something like 142 million in bonuses. That, my friends, is government at its finest.

Veterans Affairs pays $142 million in bonuses amid scandals