Taking care of wounded soldiers
How many times have you heard news stories of wounded soldiers coming back from Iraq to financial hardship? Especially for those seriously wounded and those who can't return to the military, our hearts go out to them as they rebuild their lives.Are you aware of the financial safety nets that the United States military offers to soldiers? I think that many consumers really don't know or understand what is available to disabled soldiers and former soldiers.
To start with, there is something called wounded warrior insurance. Basically, there are standard payouts depending on the soldier's injuries. The payouts range from $25,000 to $100,000, and obviously the more serious the injuries, the bigger the payout. This doesn't seem like a lot, but it can definitely help a family in the time of need or it can be the start of a savings account for future expenses.
The soldier then must be evaluated and assigned a percentage of disability. Medical evaluation boards evaluate the injuries and can assign a percentage from 10% to 100% disabled. The higher the percentage, the larger the other benefits soldiers can receive. While the evaluation teams have been accused of "low-balling" soldiers in the past, experts say the process is now very fair.
One benefit available is a medical pension (also known as disability retirement), which is given to every soldier discharged with a disability rating of 30% or higher. The amount of this pension is also influenced by the length of service prior to discharge. The basic formula is the soldier's base pay on active duty, multiplied by the percentage of disability. So for example, a soldier with base pay of $1,800 and 30% disability would receive $550 a month plus cost-of-living increases.
Then the soldier may also be eligible to receive disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is also based upon the percentage of disability, and the amounts currently range from $115 a month for 10% disabled to $2,471 for 100% disabled. There is also additional money that is paid depending upon whether there is a spouse or dependent children who are affected by the disability.
Continuing healthcare benefits are available too. If the soldier is 50% or more disabled, he or she qualifies for free healthcare for life. If the disability is less than that, lifetime healthcare from the VA is available at a significantly reduced cost. Wounded soldiers can also get monetary benefits for things like vocational training and adapting their homes for their disabilities.
So soldiers are eligible for a variety of payouts and programs to help them continue on with their lives even in the face of disabilities and injuries that affect them in the long-term. I think the best thing a soldier can do is prepare for the possibility of injury and make financial plans accordingly. Get educated about the benefits available in case of injury. Times following a major injury will be tough, but the federal government is seeing to it that there is financial assistance available to help those soldiers for the rest of their lives. Find out what's available and do everything you can to get the benefits you deserve.
Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-24-2008 @ 9:29AM
David H. Marshall said...
The "to harm" Ignored.
Continuing in 2008 is the U.S. Congress still overlooked CIA, Inspector General's 1957 "it was necessary to conceal these activities" [experiments on U.S. Military personnel] "from the american public in general, because public knowledge of the unethical and illicit activities would have serious repercussions in political and diplomatic circles...."; U.S. Supreme Court 1987 Stanley Case; Footnote 4, Page 688. [4] A 51 years later ongoing politically expedient, ignored U.S. Senate correction. [8] An in 2008 U. S. General Accounting Office (GAO) noted misplaced underlying evidence and overall U.S. Congress failure confirmed. [12]
The U.S. Supreme Court Did Not Know?
The "unethical and illicit activities" are demonstrated by the 1987 U.S. Supreme Court Stanley decision.[4] It extended the coverage of their 1950 Feres Doctrine that a death by a military barracks fire was an "incident to service". [1] Stanley is a 1958 "designed to harm" experiment [8] conducted in direct disobedience of the DOD Secretary's 1953 order [3]. Accordingly deliberate injury experiments are also treated as an "incident to service"! Despite the efforts of some, such victims have not been given the 1994 “to harm” recovery of, "The Feres Doctrine should not be applied for military personnel who are harmed by inappropriate human experimentation when informed consent has not been given."; U.S. Senate Report "IV. Recommendations. G." [8] In 2008 the U.S. Congress still treats as a 1950 "incident to service" [1] the 1953 order ignored [3] to-date "experiments...designed to harm" [8]! Thereby, because of honorable service afterwards lost are those prior to protection rights that convicted rapists and murderers keep! [5]
GAO and U. S. Senate Background. [7, 8 & 12]
The Senate 1994 "III. Findings and conclusions." "K. DOD and DVA have repeatedly failed to provide information and medical followup to those who participate in military research or are ordered to take investigational drugs." and "N. Participation in military research is rarely included in military medical records, making it impossible to support a veteran’s claim for service-connected disabilities from military research."[8] In 1994 the GAO identified experiments [7] and in 2008 they confirmed misplaced needed for treatment supporting evidence [12].
EMPHASIS ADDED.
By their inaction the U.S. Congress has approved the continuation on our sons and daughters of the 1994: "Introduction" A. "During the last 50 years, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL have been involved in human experimentation and other intentional exposures conducted by the Department of Defense (DOD), often without a servicemember's knowledge or consent.", B. "most Americans would agree that the use of soldiers as unwitting GUINEA PIGS IN EXPERIMENTS THAT WERE DESIGNED TO HARM THEM, at least temporarily, is not ethical." And "Forward" C. " The findings and conclusions contained in this report are those of the majority staff and do not necessarily reflect the views of the members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs." Chairman. [8]
In 2008 the opposing "views" resulted in a continuing on the general public of a version of the DOD Project 112 biological lessons learned.[9] This is by the 19 December 2006 established civilian "Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)".[11] Under the cover of its "national security missions", as it is for military personnel, withheld from the civilian "guinea pigs" are the cause and effects of its "Biomedical...Research and Development” (R&D) Projects.
Order Ignored.
From 1953 the U.S. Senate "to harm" lessons learned were in direct disobedience of the DOD Secretary's TOP SECRET order. The U.S. Senate’s 1994 "servicemember's knowledge" and "consent" was required forty one (41) years earlier. [3] Then known by the Secretary's of all Services, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and their R&D Board. The order was "UNCLASSIFIED" in 1975. Nineteen (19) years later, during the U.S. Senate’s reported past 50 years, most of the "to harm" service records were destroyed in a 1973 National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) fire. Those that survived had all witnesses censored by Congress’s 1974 Privacy Act! The "Veterans Right to Know Act" was proposed in the 2005 and H.R. 4259 [109th] 2006 Congress. It never became law. Thereby, DOD & Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System to-date covered up are these experiments and prevented is treatment as documented by the GAO and U.S. Senate Reports. [7, 8 & 12]
All Is In-The- Record!
Each Executive Branch (DOD, CIA & BARDA) Project completes the R&D process. The prior lessons learned are reviewed. The then Scope of Work defines what the experiment is "designed" to do. The how, where, when and who is identified. The conducted researched cause and effects are closely followed. From the results are developed safe production, use, the needed for treatment and protection, e.g., the DOD manufacturers handling of hazardous materials such as Depleted Uranium, Agent Orange, the biological agents of Project 112 [10], the jet-engine noise levels of Project 7210 [2] and the STANLEY “investigational” drug [4]. All is in the Executive Branch record! Under the cover of national security the revealing treatment evidence: 1. Is not cause identified in a subject’s Medical History, so that they never the wiser become. The deceived victim’s "to harm" effects are not Medical History recorded, therefore not addressed! Prevented is any follow up by independent civilian and VA physicians. And 2. For veterans’ the 64 years of experiment specific injuries are not in the VA "schedule of ratings for disabilities" [6]! In 2008 GAO reconfirmed. [12]
A few in Congress made certain that this revealing evidence will not be addressed. The year following STANLEY was the 1988 Veterans’ Judicial Review Act. Established was the Veteran’s Legislative severely restricted, Article I Court. "The court may not review the schedule of ratings for disabilities or the policies underlying the schedule.", i.e., the order ignored "to harm" R&D experimental effects and their causes! The Veterans Court Chief Judge's no teeth statement with his VA ignoring of the Court’s decisions! [6] The Secretary of the VA was given Final Decision authority on these issues. [10] Included is the power of NO APPEAL to this LEGISLATIVE Veterans Court or to the independent U.S. Judicial Branch Courts. If allowed an APPEAL, it is not part of the record at the Article I Veterans Court. The evidence is also missing at the next level U.S. Judicial Branch Article III, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Why “may not review”?
The may not be reviewed needed for treatment records and underlying policies restrictions are to prevent alerting medical, administrative and judicial "activities"! This is due to the still in 2008 reasoning of "it was necessary to conceal these activities from the american public in general, because public knowledge of the unethical and illicit activities would have serious repercussions in political and diplomatic circles and would be detrimental to the accomplishment of its mission." U.S. Supreme Court 1987 Stanley Case; Footnote 4, Page 688 on its proven 1958 CIA "to harm" experiment on U.S. Army personnel. [4]
"Right to Know".
There now is no 64 years later "Veterans Right to Know". After they complete Honorable Service despite the efforts of some Congress has not given back to veterans their rights. Revealed would be the few’s corrupt “may not review” for the greater good of all. As accomplished by the end justifies the "designed to harm" means. Carried out under the cover of our nation’s wars! A few key members in Congress, have dishonored all those that serve.
Hold Responsible.
Now BARDA Experiments Conducted on You! Please, Hold Your Members in the U.S. Congress Accountable! These U.S. Supreme Court, GAO and U.S. Senate Documented Facts Are Internet Censored.[13] Passing this on to Others So That They May Do the Same Would Be Appreciated. Thank You.
David H. Marshall
REFERENCES:
[1] U.S. Supreme Court, Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135, 146 (1950).
[2] USAF Project 7210 "A Compilation of Turbojet Noise Data", Bolt Beranek & Newman, Inc. Cambridge 38, MA. Sound pressure levels for all jet-engines in-service. Conducted at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio in 1952. 1954 logged in as the 401st report for that year published as Report 54-401 July 1956.
[3] DOD Secretary's 26 February 1953 NO non-consensual, human experiment’s Memo pages 343-345. George J. Annas and Michael A. Grodin, "The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code; Human Rights in Human Experimentation" (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992). In Reference [8] as NOTES 72, 168 & 169.
[4] U.S. Supreme Court, June 25, 1987, U.S. V. Stanley, 107 S. Ct. 3054 (Volume 483 U.S., Section 669, Pages 699 to 710). In Reference [8] Cited in Note 169.
[5] U.S. State Dept., "U.S. Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights July 1994, Art. 7".
[6] Chief Judge Frank Q. Nebeker, State of the Court for Presentation to the United States Court of Veterans Appeals Third Judicial Conference October 17-18, 1994. In the Veterans Appeals Reporter. www.firebase.net/state_of_court_brief.htm Annual Judicial Conference Transcript. www. goodnet.com/~heads/nebeker
[7] United States General Accounting Office (GAO) Testimony Before the Legislation and National Security Subcommittee, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives. September 28, 1994 Human Experimentation. http://archive.gao.gov/t2pbat2/152601.pdf
[8] U.S. Senate December 8, 1994 REPORT 103-97 "Is Military Research Hazardous to Veterans' Health? Lessons Spanning Half a Century." Hearings Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 103rd Congress 2nd Session. With NOTES 1 to 170. Committee Print - S. Print. 103-97.
[9] "Project 112 (Including Project SHAD) Home" chemical and biological experiments; www. 1.va.gov/shad/
[10] United States Code (USC) Title 38, 511. Decisions of the Secretary; finality. http://www. law.cornell.edu/
[11] "Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)" S-3678.
[12] The 2008 GAO Report On Chemical and Biological Tests conducted on American Veterans. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08366.pdf
[13] From: MAILER-DAEMON@n7.bullet.ukl.yahoo.com Subject: failure notice. Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:43:22 -0000 Sorry, we were unable to deliver your message.... Remote host said: 550 SC-001 Mail rejected by Windows Live Hotmail for policy reasons. Reasons for rejection may be related to content with spam-like characteristics or IP/domain reputation problems. And From: MAILER-DAEMON@n5.bullet.ukl.yahoo.com Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:52:58 -0000 Subject: failure notice Sorry, we were unable to deliver your message to the following address. XXXX Remote host said: 554 The message was rejected because it contains prohibited virus or spam content [BODY].
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