An Urgent Call to Action to Save Veterans Benefits!

[Tom Rinaldo]

A remarkable personal plea for help for all disabled Veterans was posted today at the Clark Community Network. I will quote sections from that piece below, but the bottom line that everyone should know about is this:

"On Thursday, May 18, the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) will meet to decide whether to combine my disability payments with social security -- thus reducing the amount me and my family have to live on to bare subsistence levels. The veterans community is up in arms, as they feel the VDBC is out to off set VA compensation against Social Security Disability benefits, which are granted and earned in two entirely different ways."

The above comes from Michael Baily's (one of the Edgewood Test Vets) Blog, part of a new series on Vet issues being published at CCN. Don't know about the Edgewood Test Vets? Read a little more from Michael Bailey then:

"The proposed changes could be detrimental to tens of thousands of disabled veterans, but as just one of many, how will this change affect me? As a disabled veteran who receives VA Compensation at the 100% permanently and totally disabled rate, I would lose more than 1/3 of my family's income with no way to go back to work and earn the money. A large part of the problem comes from fact that the VA will not address the chemical weapons tests at Edgewood in 1974. For two months I was exposed to several unknown chemical weapons and drugs. Exposure to LSD is in my Army medical records. I have a picture of me in one of the tests sometime between June 25th and August 22nd, 1974. During the Edgewood tests there were 254 different substances used, including LSD, PCP, scopolamine, BZ, Sarin, etc. Most of the surviving test vets do not really know what they were exposed to. Edgewood is now on the EPA Super fund site as one of the most contaminated bases in the U. S."

The way Veteran benefits will be impacted by the changes being considered by the VDBC is drastic and deplorable. Let me quote one more time from Michael Bailey's Blog:

"My Social Security Disability (SSD) check was earned by my paying my SS taxes every payday for 37 years, SSD is insurance, not welfare. All Americans pay into it, and all Americans that become totally disabled get it, even if they can collect large lump sum payments from their jobs, or from auto accidents that caused their disability.

These are options, however, that no military service member has".

Please read Michael's full story here:
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/6049#new

But please don't stop with just reading about this. Action now is Urgent! Michael instructs us:

"HOW CAN YOU HELP? Call or write: Ray Wilbon at [phone] or [e-mail] or please also call your elected officials and tell them to stop cutting disabled veterans benefits by combining them with social security".

Michael Baily provides other contact links that provide further important information in his blog, along with a list of all of the current Veterans Disability Benefits Commission members.

The link to his full blog again is:
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/6049#new

Please help stop the Bush Administration from once again stealing from the Poor to pay the Rich, except this time they are stealing from the very same men and women who the Republican Party never hesitates to crassly exploit for political campaign photo op back drops. They have no shame. Allow them no refuge from our anger!