AP IMPACT: Almost half of new vets seek disability

[Baitball Blogger]

America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.

A staggering 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the estimate of 21 percent who filed such claims after the Gulf War in the early 1990s, top government officials told The Associated Press.

What's more, these new veterans are claiming eight to nine ailments on average, and the most recent ones over the last year are claiming 11 to 14. By comparison, Vietnam veterans are currently receiving compensation for fewer than four, on average, and those from World War II and Korea, just two.

It's unclear how much worse off these new veterans are than their predecessors. Many factors are driving the dramatic increase in claims — the weak economy, more troops surviving wounds, and more awareness of problems such as concussions and PTSD. Almost one-third have been granted disability so far.

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20120527/ac702a59-583d-4ce6-9fe7-6cd3a2563357

[txoctodem]

1. Vets seeking disability

Why are we surprised? Acknowledging PTSD is relatively new. We raise our sons and daughters to 'be nice', 'hitting isn't nice', 'love your neighbor', even self defense on playground gets both participants in trouble -- then they turn 18 and we put a gun in their hands and tell them: 'kill those *#**@ people, including innocent bystanders'. The surprise is that they don't all have PTSD or some other mental disorder! I honor their sacrifice and I pray daily for their body, mind and soul.

[dkf]

2. I hope "claiming" isn't some sort of derogatory comment.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. I wasn't sure either. The fourth paragraph made me uneasy at first.

"It's unclear how much worse off these new veterans are than their predecessors. Many factors are driving the dramatic increase in claims — the weak economy, more troops surviving wounds, and more awareness of problems such as concussions and PTSD. Almost one-third have been granted disability so far."

[dkf]

6. We send these guys and gals out into hell and then pull this crap.

As far as I am concerned just being in those circumstances is psychologically damaging for a lifetime and then they come back to no jobs and no help? Wth? Give them their disability. It's not like it's a windfall anyway. I hope they can eventually get back on their feet but if not this hardly begins to compensate them for what we have done.

[jwirr]

4. When you send them back into war time after time then this is what happens. They are disabled.

[cthulu2016]

5. 720,00 casualties?

Wow...

(Casulaties are dead plus wounded)