Military "disability" - they are freely handing these out

[usmctanker242]

I've seen it man. Sorry but it's true.

He did one tour in Iraq and one in fucking Curacao, both as SF. He has 70% disability.

I'm sorry you didn't get more % benefit. Maybe you were too honest?

BTW not being a dick here and I truly mean it but you should write a book about what you've seen.

Have you seen his medical record? Have you seen his VA findings? If not then you have no idea what's going on. There is no automatic 50% disability for going to boot camp...no matter what your buddy tells you this is 100% pure bullshit. Your overall VA rating also isn't a cumulative number of your partial ratings...ie 10% for hearing and 30% for PTSD doesn't equate to a 40% overall VA rating. There's a whole mess of things which go into that final number.

 

[usmctanker242]

You got out at 20 years old for...? So most likely you didn't deserve anything anyways.

God damned crayon eater...he said "20 years OLDER" not "20 years old." LMAO

 

[usmctanker242]

what ginds my gears is that the VA rules on nexus really suck. i know several marines, including myself, submit claims for hearing loss/tinnitus and get shot down because we didnt have it documented in our service record. i would have thought that being in artillery and security forces would be sufficient enough.... but no

We used to get told the same shit in tanks...automatic 10% for knees, 10% for hearing loss, etc. But who the fuck just gives someone money without any evidence? Also, you take a hearing exam at boot camp and one during your final physical... if you have no hearing loss then why would they give you a disability rating for it? If you legitimately have Tinnitus then go to the VA and have them set you up with a hearing exam and get it documented. Service connection could be a problem depending on how long ago you got out, but it's worth a shot.

Note : As I understand (and in my case) they don't give you any disability for Tinnitus, and instead will offer you custom ear plugs, and possibly a hearing aid if needed.

 

[plataoplombo]

I don't know were you guys are getting these super high percentages from. They gave me 20% for my back then a few years later it dropped to 10%. A buddy of mine got 80% but he ended up getting a couple vertebrae fused. I don't think it's easy faking an injury since you have to get all these MRI's and x-rays to prove you actually have something wrong.

 

[jamel]

I question the validity of most these claims.

Its obvious most of you are speculating and just pulling shit out of your asses.

You mpther fuckers rely on Web MD to diagnose yourselves and think you get to put a barometer on someone elses level of pain and suffering?

Fuck outta here.

I dont give a fuck how or where they were when they got hurt.

Neither should you.

"Ehh he/she never passed basic and took a header off a confidence ladder"

Bet you'd want some compensation too, hell.

 

[usmctanker242]

Something popped into my head reading some of the silly posts in this thread. Someone was complaining that they see DV (Disabled Veteran) placards at the gym all the time. Why is this a bad thing? Do you suppose that people who generally worked out their entire life should just flat out STOP working out once they get a disability? Just sit on the couch all day and drink Mountain Dew and eat Cheetos?

I've already posted my whole story here and I still work out...I don't go to the gym because I work 14 hour days running my BBQ business, but I still lift light weights at the house and do weight resistance exercises. My shoulder was reconstructed and the surgery was a success, but my range of motion is still diminished compared to be before I was injured. My entire shoulder is arthritic and it's often in pain doing minimal tasks, but it's just pain and the joint does work. You work through it because that's what most people do.

Something else just for discussion purposes I thought about as well. I did my VA claim about a month before I got out of the Marine Corps. I had my doctor visit about 45 days after I put in the claim (and I was officially a veteran) and I remember talking to the doctor about my injuries. One thing he had noted was that I had some lower back pain which is pretty normal, but the day I went in for the exam my back was feeling great. He asked me about the injury, we did some stretches, and I told him I felt really good that day and had no issues. He looked kind of shocked and gave me a quizzical face and said something akin to "it's refreshing to have someone come in here and tell the truth." He then went on to talk about how he gets a ton of PFC's who are getting kicked out of the Marine Corps and they magically have more medical problems than most 90 year olds. LMAO There is absolutely, 100%, groups of people out there who try like all hell to lie and cheat their way through life...doing the same to the VA is just par for the course for them.

 

[AgonyandIrony]

Your buddy is very wrong on what it takes to qualify for disability through the VA. There's TONS of veterans out there still fighting for disability. There is no "50% for boot camp" or "20% deployment / PTSD." Your buddy is just flat out wrong or he's trying to bullshit you for a specific reason.

I did 4 tours of duty...first was a MEU "float" which left 9 days after 9/11 happened. We ended up in Pakistan and Afghanistan (I stayed in Pakistan) as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. My next 3 deployments were to Iraq...in 2003 when we ousted that piece of shit Saddam. My next was 2004 when we pushed into Fallujah, and another tour in Fallujah in 2006. I was never injured in combat but did see some pretty heavy stuff... during my 2004 deployment my tank alone shot over 300 main gun rounds...actually so many that it was noteworthy on my personal award citation. LMAO
We got blown up by an anti-tank mine in the 2004 deployment but no injuries, and I hit 3 IED's in the 2006 deployment and no injuries.

In 2008 I fucked up my shoulder while playing with my dog...we were playing tug of war (German Shepherd) and he yanked me tripped me and I fell right into a tree stump. It separated the A/C joint requiring reconstructive surgery...my Medical Officer misdianosed the issue and bascially just called me a pussy for 7 months...until my clavicle traveled over 2" and was sticking up and and making a huge bulge in my skin. Then I finally got the treatment I needed after I suffered through 7 months of severe pain and still had to do my normal day to day stuff. I ended up with 60% disability which includes the fucked up shoulder, PTSD, hearing loss, and they made us take Mefloquine during the "float" as an anti-malaria drug. Come to find out that it has some brutal side effects which can permanently alter thoughts and "perceptions of reality."

From the CDC on Mefloquine side effects :
Mefloquine can cause dizziness, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, vivid dreams, and visual disturbances. In rare instances mefloquine can cause seizures, depression, and psychosis

The PTSD was only in my record because I had a bad drinking problem which was medically diagnosed as PTSD. I had to go to a psychologist, do a 2 week in patient alcohol "rehab" course, and that's the only reason it's even on my record book. They don't just put PTSD in your book because you deployed...doesn't happen.

So I ended up at 60% after all that horseshit...9 years of beating up my body and constantly deploying or being in a pre-deployment tempo where we were busy as fuck. I know tons of guys who did the same tours as me but ended up getting out with 0% disability and had a hard time even getting their hearing loss "service connected." I'm writing all of this just to let you know that it's a complicated and drawn out process...nobody is getting shit just because they made it through Air Force boot camp. Did those fuckers get hurt while riding their bicycle? LMAO

Edit : @Ophydian ...NOBODY is coming out of boot camp with an automatic 50% disability. And what the fuck do you mean "they all go for 70%?" You are so far off that it's not even funny.

We don't often see eye to eye but I just wanted to let you know this is an incredible post.

 

[evansusmc2]

God damned crayon eater...he said "20 years OLDER" not "20 years old." LMAO

I humbly stand corrected.

 

[usmctanker242]

We don't often see eye to eye but I just wanted to let you know this is an incredible post.

Cheers man...I don't recall us having any negative conversations in the past, but I'm sure the way I come off in some threads can rub people the wrong way. There's no tone or inflection with text so it makes conversing a bit less nuanced.

 

[Cyrano200]

Yea some people game the system to fake and get whatever they can.
However they are out numbered by a huge amount by the people that deserve to get it and are having a hell of a time getting it.

I'm very proud of my father's service (combat wounded in Vietnam) but I'm much more proud of his life since. Strong, self-reliant, compassionate. I never remember him complaining, just going to work and always improving our lives. Now that he is retired, after 30 plus years in a factory, he drives a van taking Vets to the VA hospital a hundred miles away. He's why I couldn't live with myself if I gamed the system.

 

[Ophydian]

Have you seen his medical record? Have you seen his VA findings? If not then you have no idea what's going on. There is no automatic 50% disability for going to boot camp...no matter what your buddy tells you this is 100% pure bullshit. Your overall VA rating also isn't a cumulative number of your partial ratings...ie 10% for hearing and 30% for PTSD doesn't equate to a 40% overall VA rating. There's a whole mess of things which go into that final number.

Ya I said earlier the boot camp could had been hyperbole on his part. I think he got listed with back issues due to boot, hearing from a mortar round and PTSD for close combat and if I'm not mistaken breathing issues.

Funny enough, he wasn't allowed to carry a weapon while on duty due to PTSD.

 

[Confucamus]

I don't see the problem. These are people who gave up years of their lives to serve their country.

 

[uncommon]

I don't see the problem. These are people who gave up years of their lives to serve their country.

The pressure to be excessively safe during training exercises in order to mitigate the costs of disability can impact training negatively, which would in turn degrade national defense.

Also healthy service members will be the ones responsible for carrying the burden of disability fraud in the form of lower quality of living/ less chance of a raise given that budgets remain constant.

If budgets compensate then it will be the taxpayers being defrauded.

 

[Confucamus]

The pressure to be excessively safe during training exercises in order to mitigate the costs of disability can impact training negatively, which would in turn degrade national defense.

Also healthy service members will be the ones responsible for carrying the burden of disability fraud in the form of lower quality of living/ less chance of a raise given that budgets remain constant.

If budgets compensate then it will be the taxpayers being defrauded.

Those are actually some pretty good points. I have a hard time believing they'd compromise the military training to avoid a few extra costs and I just don't feel like money should be an option when taking care of our current and former service members. Disabled Veterans get bumped to the top of the list for firefighters and police in Massachusetts and I have no problem with that either.

 

[Brazilian HKD]

I don't know were you guys are getting these super high percentages from.

PNN

 

[BassAckwards]

26 MEU but Semper Fi! Yeah, that Mefloquine was some nasty stuff...same active ingredient in the shit they were giving the soldiers who went home and killed their wives. Remember those super vivid and sexual dreams you had after taking the Mefloquine? Some of those guys thought they were premonitions or psychic visions of their wives cheating on them.

The Mefloquine wasn't in my medical record, but when I made my VA claim they sent me to a psychologist and I brought it up. It's known to be a serious issue...some shit about permanent altered brain wave activity in some studies.

Pakistan...that's where I got stuck at that airbase, PAF Pasni doing 4 on 8 off duty for 2 months...fucking miserable! First month it was hotter than all hell, then it rained, and the 2nd month it was freezing. LMAO

hey-you guys relieved us! i was in jacobobad for a month and a half; we left the ships and started out in pasni, then made our way up to guard the airbase up there.

 

[BassAckwards]

We used to get told the same shit in tanks...automatic 10% for knees, 10% for hearing loss, etc. But who the fuck just gives someone money without any evidence? Also, you take a hearing exam at boot camp and one during your final physical... if you have no hearing loss then why would they give you a disability rating for it? If you legitimately have Tinnitus then go to the VA and have them set you up with a hearing exam and get it documented. Service connection could be a problem depending on how long ago you got out, but it's worth a shot.

Note : As I understand (and in my case) they don't give you any disability for Tinnitus, and instead will offer you custom ear plugs, and possibly a hearing aid if needed.

separation physicals can be done up to 12 months before eaos. most of us got them done early but did a lot of field time before we got out, so any changes afterwards weren't captured. my separation physical noted a 5 decibel difference in one ear compared to my baseline audio exam; military wont do anything unless its a 10 decibel difference. the audio exams that the military did was the push the button when you heard a tone; they didnt do what the VA does, which includes the tone test and a whisper test where you listen to the word and have to say it out.

most of us were young and dumb and didnt check any of the boxes; we wanted to get out and didnt want anything delaying it. nonetheless, i submitted my claims last november; should get something back by march

 

[plataoplombo]

PNN

They should probably vet their sources.

 

[surrealworlds]

I went to basic, and two wars and am not getting a disability check. So NO, basic is not an automatic 50% and NO, not all soldiers game the system.

 

[usmctanker242]

Ya I said earlier the boot camp could had been hyperbole on his part. I think he got listed with back issues due to boot, hearing from a mortar round and PTSD for close combat and if I'm not mistaken breathing issues.

Funny enough, he wasn't allowed to carry a weapon while on duty due to PTSD.

I don't believe this for a single second. You said he was never in combat, but now you're saying he had severe enough PTSD to be getting a high disability rating...up to the point that they wouldn't allow him to carry a weapon? None of this makes any sense and your buddy is feeding you a line of a bullshit in some capacity.

In the military if you are so messed up that you can't carry a weapon they will discharge you because you're entirely useless.... either a normal discharge of they'll put you on a Medical Board and discharge you medically (or medically retire you depending on the severity). Either you're misinterpreting what your buddy has told you, or he has fed you a line of complete bullshit.

Special Forces in the Air Force (whatever that even means?), guarding CIA planes, no combat, but somehow PTSD severe enough to where they won't allow him to carry a weapon while on duty? To anybody who has served in the military this all sounds like pure bullshit...it almost sounds as bad as the stories you'll hear from stolen valor people (not accusing your buddy of this).