THOSE WHO SERVED NOW BEING SERVED...

Collection Papers Instead of Compassion Greets Newly Wounded GI's...

Les Aaron


Want to get a reading on our compassionate government?

Here’s one that will knock your socks off.

It was recently reported that a wounded GI had many of his benefits removed without notice including his COLA on which he depended.. Serving a tour in Iraq, he was on patrol when he had been wounded by a shell that severed his spinal cord. He was returned to the states for treatment only to discover collection papers waiting for him. The Pentagon, in all their compassion and mercy, had deducted his benefits from his pay. And when he hadn’t paid, they sent his bill to collection.

The wounded soldier said that although he’s being treated here, his wife and family are still in Germany and dependent on the extra money in his paycheck to get by.

It turns out that this is a fairly common occurrence in the Pentagon.

A survey of a sample of wounded GI’s found that 82% of them had problems with the Pentagon having denied them their benefits or having the government dun them for bills the government said were due because they shouldn’t have been accruing benefits like COLA or overseas combat pay. The wounded said that they would first find out when they received a paycheck with zero dollars due them or a bill for back benefits that the Pentagon claimed was paid and shouldn't have been.

An investigator looking into those charges said that more than 332 GI’s have been put into collection after they were wounded under battlefield conditions.

Most of the wounded claim that they need the extra COLA money and overseas pay to help their families survive.

According to the investigators, the Pentagon’s manual system is so convoluted that not even the pay clerks understand how it works. And the new system will not be installed until 2007.

In the meantime, GI’s are finding themselves unable to help themselves and denied
monies to help keep their families afloat. This is a travesty that has existed since the Gulf War and the fact that the government has not resolved it to date is indicative of a government that is disassociated from the needs of those who have given their lives to help preserve our way of life. It will only end when the public supports its military and their commitment.

Les Aaron
The hubmaster

The Incredible Blue Blog

http://lesaaron.blogspot.com/