F**K the Veteran's Administration

[Niteshift]

WARNING- I am not in a good mood.

Now that I can sit down from being d*cked by the Veteran's Administration..........

You have 10 years from the last date of active duty to use your GI Bill.
Two years ago, I went to the VA and sat down with the education counselor face to face. The man told me that there had been 2 changes in the GI Bill since I got out. One was that the total payout was no longer limited to $10,200. That was true. The second thing he told me was that now, if you are enrolled in a program and stay enrolled, they will keep paying even if I pass the 10 year date. I just had to be continually enrolled. That was not true.

So, mistakenly presuming that this flunky actually knew what the F**k he was talking about, I planned out my program. I chose a longer, more comprehensive program and began it.

Today, I found out that this tax paid jackass didn't have it right. The VA will cut my funding off in mid-program.

I don't know what possessed me to think that this moron would actually know something about the specific job he was hired to perform.

Of course I called the regional center and was told by another half-wit who feeds off my tax dollars that I should have just read the laws. Now, I'm not a stranger to reading laws, but those are some confusing damned laws in spots. Anyway, he was thoroughly unsympathetic and told me it was "too bad" that his collegue had misinformed me, but that's life.

I know that I honored my contract with the United States when I went in. I didn't tell them "sorry, I didn't sign up for combat" when they sat my happy *** in the middle of an invasion.

F**K the V.A. This is just round #1. I will aggravate these *******s every way I can think of.

[Blonde Heat]

This might seem a long shot but give it a try, I would write a letter to the highest person you can find and tell them in a nicer way, just how you feel. Make copies in case there is more than one person higher up on the list. Explain your situation and tell them you did not flake out on your end of the bargain when fighting for your country. Then if you still get no results, inform them that you will be going to your local and national newspapers and let them tell what a no good system is set up for military persons. And that they lie to just get you in. I bet with the problems facing getting new recruits and the speed of people unlisting instead of staying in they might reconsider in your case. Sometimes they just have to know that they can't mess with the little guy. I hope it works for you. And tell them they might want to better train their employees to do thier job and not give false information. Good luck.

[Mitzi]

Do you have the name of this jerk, Niteshift? And the date you talked to him? GO higher up and keep going, Niteshift.....Til you find someone who will listen. And as far as YOU knowing the laws.....They are the ones who are supposed to know the laws!

[ 07-19-2001: Message edited by: Mitzi ]

[Dave Cohen]

Nightshift: Put your congressperson or U.S. senator to the test...see if one of them will go to bat for you. It's often a fight they like to get involved in.

If one of your city's tv stations or newspapers has someone who does consumer-type reporting, that might be another avenue. It's amazing what can happen when the news starts calling on behalf of a veteran.

[Tiger Lily]

Niteshift,
If you get the guy's name--I know about a hundred Veterans and sympathetic civilians who'd be happy to take your back on the issue and start whipping off enough letters to congressmen, sentors, and media that it'd become a PR nightmare for them to keep jerking you around!!!!

You kept your part of the damned bargain, it's not like you could get up and walk away from a hot zone if the mood struck you! I'd like to help apply some pressure on your behalf---just give us a name. You are owed at least this much!

Or you can go stright to the source yourself here: http://forums.military.com/1/OpenTop...38&f=409192893 . Just lay down a copy of your post and watch the backup arrive en force!

[ 07-19-2001: Message edited by: Tiger Lily ]

[Niteshift]

Oh, I was speed-dialing today. I called my Congressman, who has always made vet issues a priority. I called both Senators, the Inspector Generals office of the VA and yes, I called the friggin White House. I was (am) ****ed.

The Congressman's office promised to have their vet affairs guy call me tomorrow. I talked to the vet affairs guys in both Senators offices and they were sympathetic and asked for it all to be put in writing, but when I pinned one down and asked him for a no BS idea of my odds, he said "not great". The VA IG office said "Nobody that can help you is in right now". And the White House......well, at least I know "your complaint is important to the President "

I WILL keep aggravating them.

[BHPD]

You've taken the right avenues. I think contacting your congressman was a good move. Good luck. Unfortunately, we vets are finding it more and more common to be di**ed around and treated as though we have done nothing for this country. I experienced it in the Air Force even before I got out. And good friggin luck trying to iron out any problems with the government. But hey, if you were sitting on your *** sponging off society, the government wouldn't mind giving you whatever you wanted!

[Tiger Lily]

The mistreatment of our nation's Veterans is just inexcusable! Absolutely intolerable!

I've never even been in the service and I know better than to take the kind of commitment and sacrifices that servicemen and women are making, on behalf of this nation and her people, for granted.

MSPIntern, you make a good point--it's a shameful but undeniable truth.

[RachelR]

It's funny how these guys will jump when the emdia paints a portrait of a poor vet and the evil administration. I suggest getting the local media involved.

[grum]

sue 'em. It sounds like you had a verbal contract at some point in time along the way. Maybe that's enough to take to court?

[shooter1201]

I have a friend that still has shrapnel in his hip from the Korean 'conflict'. On his last visit to the VA hospital, a 'doctor' examined him and gave him a cane....which had a little gold sticker on it proudly saying 'Made in China'.

[Pintobean]

I know this is off the topic a bit, but will your Dept also help you pay for classes? Maybe you can start a program if they don't have it already. Sorry to hear about the VA...I too met problems when I used my GI bill....keep at them...

[Sparky]

Nite, I believe that you should qualify for both the American Legion AND the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Both of these groups have programs to straighten out problems just as you are describing. Both have been trying to get the gov't to improve vet services. In fact, they had alot to do with getting the gov't to "improve" their response and pony up about the Desert Storm Illness.

I saw how one of my 1SGT's was treated and that sent a clear sign to me...not only are you expenable on the battfield, but at home as well. Even after I got the shaft on a LOD injury on my knee, I still had some faith. But after I saw how they hung him out to dry, I was over the top.

It didn't suprise me later when I saw a CW4 have to return for one year of service after he got his 25. Evidently, when he was on his third tour in VN and was wounded and had to be sent back to the states, this "interrupted" his service and that year "didn't count". And this was for a helicopter pilot that was shot down SIX times throughout his tours...a guy who kept re-upping for VN because he felt that was where he needed to be. (and we all know how long chopper pilots tended to live in VN!!)

Regrettably, our gov't has a long history of giving vets the old in-out, in-out.

I truly love my country, but the government I sometimes wonder about!

[Tiger Lily]

Re: Life expectancy of helo crews in Vietnam...

EVERYTHING I EVER NEEDED TO KNOW IN LIFE I LEARNED AS A HELICOPTER AIRCREWMAN IN VIETNAM
- Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if this is a good idea.
- It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While it may be possible to ward off this natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the crew, always be prevented. It's just what they do.
- NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition than the other guy.
- The engine RPM and the rotor RPM must BOTH be kept in the GREEN. Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew.
- Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover for you.
- Decisions made by someone above you in the chain-of-command will seldom be in your best interest.
- The terms Protective Armor and Helicopter are mutually exclusive.
- Sometimes, being good and lucky still is not enough.
- "Chicken Plates" are not something you order in a restaurant.
- If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as planned, you're about to be surprised.
- Loud, sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention.
- The BSR (Bang Stare Red) Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the gauges. The longer you stare at the gauges the less time it takes them to move from green to red.
- No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get you. So, too, can the ones addressed "To Whom It May Concern".
- If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they need.
- If you are wearing body armor, they will probably miss that part.
- Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.
- Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative.
- If you are allergic to lead, it is best to avoid a war zone.
- It is a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas all at the same time.
- Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations which, in turn, are better than cold C-rations, which are better than no food at all. All of these, however, are preferable to cold rice balls, even if they do have the little pieces of fish in them.
- Everybody's a hero ... on the ground ... in the club ... after the fourth drink.
- A free fire zone has nothing to do with economics.
- The further you fly into the mountains, the louder the strange engine noises become.
- Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one piece at the end of the day is better.
- Getting shot hurts.
- "Pucker Factor" is the formal name of the equation that states the more hairy the situation is, the more of the seat cushion will be sucked up your *******. It can be expressed in its mathematical formula of S (suction) + H (height) above ground) + I (interest in staying alive) + T (# of tracers coming your way)
- Thus the term '****!' can also be used to denote a situation where high Pucker Factor is being encountered.
- Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. A few were even awarded.
- Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all bad ideas. Any combination of these can be deadly.
- There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the rules.
- C-4 can make a dull day fun.
- There is no such thing as a fair fight-only ones where you win or lose.
- If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose you don't care.
- Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do tomorrow. What is important is what you are doing-NOW-to solve our problem.
- Always make sure someone has a P-38.
- Prayer may not help . . . but it can't hurt.
- Flying is better than walking. Walking is better than running. Running is better than crawling. All of these, however, are better than extraction by a Med-Evac, even if it is, technically, a form of flying.
- If everyone does not come home, none of the rest of us can ever fully come home either.
- Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR.
- A grunt is the true reason for the existence of the helicopter. Every helicopter flying in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. It is unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity to fulfill their one true mission in life, simply because someone forgot this fact.
- If you haven't been there and done that . . . you probably won't understand most of these.

[DoD Police]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Niteshift:
[QB]WARNING- I am not in a good mood.

Now that I can sit down from being d*cked by the Veteran's Administration..........

You have 10 years from the last date of active duty to use your GI Bill.

Um, here is a sure fire way to get your benifits... REENLIST!!!!