How the military has repaid Iraq vets with permanent disabilities
March 21st, 2008
Why soldiers with traumatic brain injuries and permanent handicaps are considered partially disabled
One in a series by Bob Woodruff, ABC News:
As veterans continue to face the everyday challenges of living with a brain injury, some also must struggle with the military to get the disability payments they believe they deserve.
Marine Cpl. Jeff Landay suffered a severe brain injury when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in May of 2006, and had to have part of his skull removed to relieve the pressure on his brain. He received a rating of 10 percent disabled, well below the thirty percent mark that allows soldiers to receive medical retirement with full benefits.
“He fought for his life and now he is having to fight for his rightful benefits,” said his wife, Michelle. “And that’s shocking. And I’m outraged.”
The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs acknowledge that the disability rating process is confusing and often cumbersome. The two departments rate disabilities in separate processes, which are separate still from the Social Security disability process. A presidential commission last summer recommended sweeping changes, but little has changed.
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