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Disabled Veterans Fail to Receive Cost of Living Increase in 2010
Every year disabled veterans receive a cost of living increase for service-connected disabilities. However, they did not receive one this year.
Upon contacting the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office to inquire about the reasons for the lack of increases, VA Representatives stated that it was just a decision that the government made. There were no underlying reasons for the decision and no received prior notice of the decision.
Though the increases typically range between $20 and $40, many veterans depend on the increases because their disability benefits are their only source of income. With the current state of the economy, any benefits that veterans are entitled to is absolutely necessary and expected especially for veterans whose only source of income is their VA benefits.
For example, the cost of living in States such as California, New York, and Florida is higher than in most other States. There are many veterans settling in these States and are unemployed because of their disabilities, and or other reasons.
Whatever the case, it is imperative that government officials understand that cutting veterans benefits financially or otherwise is not the best solution for fixing or compensating for their recent shortcomings over the last few years.
The financial blunders that resulted in the current economic instability were made by big corporations, not veterans. It is an injustice to limit their benefits because of the current state of the economy. Veterans benefits should always be secure regardless of the state of the economy.
Let’s hope that cutting VA benefits do not become a trend throughout the Obama administration.
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Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=14924
Posted by Debrah McFarlane on Feb 11 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Benefits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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The cost of living is base upon the inflation rate (bad economy = no cola ) so it is not a taking just not a increase
Hey Hepe, Isn’t it that if “you did not give what was due” simply means you took it away? Especially since it has alwways been a paid out and expected? Those 2 demon-crat senators from CA greedily voted “yea” to the increase. And you sure sound like a damn-mocrat. And since the morons up on the hill did not get their own 2.5+% raise on Jan 2010, just meant they kept it for themselves since Jan 2009 when they voted on it March 2009 see URL below:
http://www.washingtonwatch.com/blog/2009/03/15/now-about-that-congressional-pay-raise/
So those 52 Senators who voted “Yea” to pass it, said “f*ck the vets” and kept it for themselves instead to the tune of $4,700 COLA pay increase that kicked in retro to Jan 01, 2009. When did we each ever get a $4,700 COLA pay increase? So in other words, they robbed Paul then raped Mary on their way to pay their own fat Peters. End of story. Did you get it buster.
COLA, Be damned,…..Congress can give an increase regardless of the COLA. As I have indicated before. The COLA does not affect the raise congressmen and senators are getting, nor is it affecting a VA employee who is getting a raise. Again, our national veterans service organizations sit around having tea and crumpets with the VA and no one word about this in their magazines or any type of ‘stick up’ by the veterans national commanders.
The COLA has been the only increase, as paltry as it is/has been, that S-C vets
have received since I have been receiving a S-C disability compensation in 1968.
What the VA has to do, and what a fact finding committee recommended last year,
is give all S-C vets an across-the-board increase in their monthly benefit. I
believe that I read about that 4-6 months ago, but nothing has been mentioned since. Almost like a cover-up !! And I believe that this committee recommended
a 50% increase, but stated that a 25% increase would be more plausible. So
what happened ??? We have to live some quality of life right ? Especially if the monthly benefit is one’s only source of income.
THe problem is, enlisted service members don’t have a job because all the officers have taken them. We trained the officers, yet all we qualify for is janitor and rental cop. The officers (due to their degree) use all the specialties they were taught by their staff nco’s they now can claim as their own.
All officers I know, have jobs lined up. The enlisted are still standing in line at the local college competing to get their benefits and education, oh and still working full time. God Bless the enlisted. The backbone of the military, the one the officers step on to get to the top. Semper Fi!
Social Security also had no COLA. But, grocery stores and drug stores have gone up substantially. As has gas, electricity and water bills. In my opinion, the problem is in our Congress and Administration. Most are lawyers who don’t understand numbers or money, other than lots of it in there pockets. Properly understanding money and costs, and how small everyday Americans (like Vets and retired people) spend it to keep people employed and products moving through the pipeline is THE key to having a steady economy that will encourage business investment. WDC just has no concept of that simple principle. It is so sad.
Oh, and taxes.
The politicians Dum Crats and Neo-Cons Republicans dont need pay raise’s. the corporations here in america see to that. their pay as elected officials by the people of america is not enough money for them to live on. GREED controls these criminals. the (2) party system realy SUCKS so does Washington D.C.( All people in america including all veterans need to change this system.) the only democracy in this country is for the politicans in washington, and americas wealthy. it dont pretain to average americans and veterans.
All of the above complaining is just to the choir UNLESS you are all telling your senators and congressmen the same thing. Register to vote and remember this treatment on election day!!!
yeah baby, we need to vote these bastards and fat cows out of their offices in DC. They all, yes all need to go, old and new. A fresh start is what this country needs, not those who are and have “homestead” their position for decades. There needs to be a constitutinal amendments to all these. How do we change these old rules and have the people vote instead of the rich moguls in DC? We need to change the tenure to max of 2 terms like the president, thank God for that. How can we put the power back to the people instead of these bastards? Help! Cause surely it will not originate from them cause obviously. Don’t expect Nancy Peloser, Diane Friedstein, Jo Buy-den and Obama bin laden to change the rules if it will shorten their stance in the oval, senate and congress seats. The people need to move and do something about this? How can we get started?
Oh yeah lets start by voting them all our of office this coming Nov elections and in the next 2 years too? Hurrah! That’s how. Vote for anyone other than those already in-office. Get them out of there quick. That’s the answer and we need to hold them accountable to the people not to their own pocket books. I sent 2 emails and 1 fax to diane Friedstein and asked her if she voted for the health care reform because she wants to or her constituents wants her to? she never replied? Not suprise. They are all self-serving that’s why they need to go and then we can also change the golden-fleece retirement system. Once the leave the office, they need to get another job cause the full time pay will no longer be there. That is a total waste of money for tax payers. How many former congressmen and senators do we have who gets their full time salaries after 2 terms? but no longer works for their constituents? That is just bogus to the hilt. That is highway robbery in broad daylight and the people can’t to nothing about it? bullcrap! lets vote on that too.
if they treat veterans badly im afraid someday the men and women will tell the goverment to fight there own wars,
we have way way to many goverment people employed, if they took half of those senators,ect,there $2000 chairs they sit in, air plains,limos.right off for dinners,ect.and gut the pay from the rest ,theres the money to payoff our dept,and plenty left over,to cut the veterans who give them the opertunity to sit in those jobs is just wrong,
RIGHT OF REVOLUTION
In political philosophy the right to revolution (or ‘right of rebellion’ or ‘right to resistance’) is first articulated by the Monarchomachs in the context of the French Wars of Religion, and is essentially the natural right of preservation. It was later taken up by John Locke in Two Treatises of Government as part of his social contract theory. Locke wrote that the people could instigate a revolution against the government when it acted against the interests of citizens and replace it with another. The right to revolution was cited in the US Declaration of Independence:
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is in the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security.
100% Disable Combat Vet since 1968, US Army & listed as retied DAV on my ID card. I want to know the names of the people that decided that this would be the 1st time I would not get a cost of living & next year as well? Our Goverment A-Holes all got their rises, 50% fold to our yearly tip. I’m a life member of the DAV & VFW but I now know what VFW stands for, Vets F&^%K by Washington. Now with this Obamacare crap we will get hit again, just heard tricare benefits are taking a big hit. My SS Medicare will be increased monthly so I’m told, Is this where I say “INCOMING” Is this another kick in the ass like we had in the 60′s & 70′s??? What did we fight for? Because we are still fighting just in our own country now.