I recently came upon an article asking the question why doesn’t the Department of Veterans Affairs provide money for service dogs?  There is no question about the benefits provided to disabled individuals by service animals.

… while the VA talks about “providing” dogs, the only thing they’ve really been trying to decide is whether to pay the same monthly stipend to disabled veterans with a service dog that they’ve been paying to those with guide dogs for many years.  That’s it – there’s been no intent (and that I’m aware of there still isn’t) to “pay for service dogs” the way some describe it, i.e., fund organizations who train assistance dogs.

There was a January 2008 memo signed by the former Secretary which summarized their position. …  I’ve read the memo, but I’ve got something even better for you – the man behind the memo describing the VA thinking about service dogs in his own words a few months later.

Fred Downs, the VA’s Chief Consultant, Prosthetics and Sensory Aids did an hour-long interview with Brian Lamb for C-SPAN on June 5th, 2008, during which he discussed many things, including his handling of the service dog issue.  You can watch the video below – skip to the 51:20 mark which is where the pertinent section starts.

Click the link: Al Brittain to read the entire article and watch the linked video.

Veterans have filed a class action lawsuit has alleging the VA has been downplaying PTSD diagnoses and reducting VA impairment ratings:

A class action lawsuit has been filed against the federal government by five veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The soldiers allege that they were illegally denied disability benefits despite being diagnosed with severe cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The soldiers were discharged by the Army after it determined that their damaged mental health left them unfit to serve. They were then assigned disability ratings well below the 50 percent figure needed to qualify for lifetime health care benefits. The complaint claims that the Army “systematically” ignored rules requiring that all servicemen diagnosed with PTSD receive an automatic 50 percent rating. In October, the Defense Department ordered the Army to stop deflating PTSD victims’ disability ratings.

The lawsuit asks the Army to award the soldiers the disability benefits they would have received, as well as unspecified damages.

I have personally heard stories from veterans, trying to get their Social Security disability benefits, of nurse practitioners downplaying PTSD diagnoses to reduce the benefits veterans are entitled to.  Shameful, shameful behavior.  

I am glad to see veterans standing up and demanding the government stop short changing them.  When we send our sons and daughters into harms way, giving them the highest quality medical care is the least we can do. 

via Veterans Sue Federal Government Over Lack of PTSD Disability Benefits | InjuryBoard Charlottesville .

Remember the article about veterans suing for faster disability rulings in VA cases? Sadly, the lawsuit was denied.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton in Washington, D.C., has ruled that the court does not have the authority to require the Department of Veterans Affairs to accelerate efforts to process disability claims.

Federal Judge Rejects Request By Veterans Groups To Require VA To Process Disability Claims Within 90 Days.

The lawsuit, filed by the Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of Modern Warfare in U.S. District Court in Washington, seeks to force the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide an initial ruling on every veterans claim for disability benefits within 90 days and to resolve appeals within 180 days.

The veterans’ groups also are seeking interim benefits for veterans whose claim rulings take longer than those time periods.

Don’t you wish someone would do this with the Social Security Administration?  

In case you missed my earlier post the average wait time in a Social Security case is 532 days!

Veterans groups sue for faster disability rulings – CNN.com.