Getting all the disability benefits one is entitled to isn’t an easy task. Some likely find it to be an uphill battle. That’s an even more appropriate analogy perhaps for military veterans who find themselves permanently disabled due to injuries suffered while in the service.
As we noted in a post last month,the challenge many veterans face when trying to get the help they deserve is in making the best possible case for their claim. It’s not simply a matter of telling a compelling story. It also requires backing up the narrative with details and the medical evidence that the Social Security Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs demand when considering requests.
But, as is often the case with any military battle, it isn’t enough to achieve the main objective. Once taken, it has to be held. And that can be hard to do if support from the home front is flagging.
That appears to be the concern of one veterans’ group right now. The Paralyzed Veterans of America organization has been active in providing programs and services to injured veterans and their families going on 69 years. And now the House of Representatives is in the group’s sights.
The PVA complains that the latest proposed budget from the Republican-controlled House looks to cut the federal deficit and restore fiscal responsibility by undercutting government support to low-income Americans, the elderly and people with disabilities. The group observes that many of those same people have served their country honorably and deserve better.
Of particular concern are proposals that back privatizing Medicare and block anyone from obtaining disability benefits and unemployment compensation. The PVA says the first move would cut quality of care to millions of people and at the same time saddle them with higher costs for the care they do get. And it says the second could discourage disabled people who lose a job through no fault of their own from trying to find another job.
The PVA says lawmakers should work to ensure that promises that have been made to those who have paid into the system through taxes or military service are kept.