CBO's 100 Options to Reduce the Federal Budget

pb_ak

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Wondering if anyone else has read the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) "Options for Reducing the Deficit: 2014 to 2023", and specifically option #21?

In short, it reads:
Narrow Eligibility for Veterans’ Disability Compensation by Excluding Certain Disabilities Unrelated to Military Duties

This option would cease veterans’ disability compensation for the seven medical conditions identified by GAO. Under the option, veterans currently receiving compensation for those conditions would have their compensation reduced or eliminated following a reevaluation, and veter- ans who applied for compensation for those conditions in the future would not be eligible for it. The option would not alter DoD’s disability compensation system, which focuses on fitness for military duties rather than compensation for disabilities.

Those conditions are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arteriosclerotic heart disease, hemorrhoids, uterine fibroids, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and osteoarthritis.

Appears this report, which spans all government spending and revenue programs, is CBOs attempt to propose ways to implement Sequestration, and each option would have to go thru the legislative process. However, I don't know that for sure and I find this specific option alarming and disheartening.
 
it is a cbo report and nothing more, not even a proposed bill etc. not only would each and every one of the cases have to be re-eval'd, the entire va regulation would have to be re-written and arguments can be made in a majority of those that they cannot blanket statement anything less they run into the same problems like agent orange down the road. Burn pits can contribute to 1 and 2, poor hygiene conditions to 4, no one know what causes MS or Fibroids or what would increase/decrease chances as their are known triggers that the military would expose one to for MS. Osteoarthritis is directly linkable to our lifestyle or rough adn ready, RA may not be but they would have to disprove every case. and I do not know enough about Crohn's to say anything. This is just a case of the test's becoming more clear, the knowledge that the va "getting the word out" about rating stuff before sep. etc, and now they have remorse that members are getting their benefits, as opposed to before where it was pure hell to get everything so many gave up for simple items or just did not know their condition was rateable.

Our previous leadership/members/retiree advocate associations complained and helped fix a lot of these issues concerning withholding of benefits and the Governments answer was to do a better job of educating troops who were retireing/separating, now that it has shown to be working, they found out it costs money.

Until this admin is completely overturned, the military will be an easy target for these things, we are a loud, but ultimately small voting block, and the majority of Americans have shown their own budgets and their own handouts are more important than taking care of the countries warriors time and time again, just yesterday the Democratic led senate, elected AGAIN to allow illegal aliens to claimed child tax credits ILLEGALLY, instead of restoring our pension raises. Remember what the last 5 years has done to our benefits and what they are trying to do to our benefits and how this justice department has labeled ALL veterans as potential terrorists and that being a veteran who has a gun and has served overseas is 3 of the 5 main indicators that you may be a terrorist, a bad parent, and eligible for a no-knock warrantless inspection from DHS. (department of health and human services)
 
I see. Thanks for the info. Im at the last stages of my MEB. I should hear something by mid Febuary on my rating. It was sent to the VA and Active duty for that 120 window.
 
good luck on the 120 day rating thing, mine went to afpc on 17 jul and it took until 18 sep for peb to find me unfit and send to va. and I am hoping by mid feb.
 
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