Special Report: United States Government Shutdown Effects
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Using Veterans & Military As Pawns
The photo above is my color guard. I am a 100% disabled veteran.
As a US Air Force veteran, I am proud to say that I served my country honorably. There are many others who served before me and many still who have served after me. That said, I am disgusted and appalled that our government has failed our citizens miserably.
The immediate affects towards veterans began the day it was announced by VA Secretary Shenseki that VA cannot pay veterans without funding approved by our government due to the shutdown. Many people including myself were blindsided because not three days earlier it was put on the VA website that our pay would not be affected. Therefore we immediately had to worry and watch every day for the past THREE WEEKS while the circus of stupid we call government engaged in a pissing match at the cost of our veterans and federal employees who were furloughed.
The next slap in the face came with the vindictive closure of our memorials. How do you look a 90 something year old veteran in the eye and say they can't see their memorial that was paid for by private funds? The final slap in the face came when our fallen heroes killed in Afghanistan were denied death benefits, thus disgracing their sacrifice and further harming their families.
The affects of the shutdown have grown more and more severe as the weeks went on. Last Tuesday all regional Veterans Benefits Offices were shutdown & the employees furloughed. This left advocate groups like DAV and the American Legion to scramble for alternative offices (as theirs is at the regional VBA locations) to assist vets. If we want to get our medical records we are unable to do so. If we have questions we cannot simply call someone-you are referred to the useless 1 800 number where many times the call centers are overwhelmed and you get this message "We appologise but the VA cannot take your call at this time, please hang up and call back at a later time." Click. The backlogs of claims grows by the thousands each day. I myself had to wait for THREE YEARS to have my benefits reviewed & approved. I just got my adjustment in March, and now after digging myself out of debt, I am slapped again by our government because they cannot do their jobs I don't get paid. Makes a whole lot of sense huh?
Many veterans who are severely injured or just returning home from service have had to wait years because of the overwhelming backlogs. The VA made a 30% increase in processing claims and the progress helped me finally get my case closed. But there are many others who are now stuck in limbo and it is no fault of the VA that our elected officials failed. The VA can only work with what it is given.
For veterans who are in college trying to make a better life for themselves, their monthly checks to support their living arrangements & tuition will not be paid. For veterans like myself who are in the independant living program, those offices too are now closed as of last Tuesday. There are widows & families who depend on the benefits paid by the VA just to survive and now because of the government disfunction, they are now in jeopardy.
Va Secretary Shenseki stated that burials at VA owned cemeteries will be at a modified schedule, maintenance at the cemeteries may go lax as there just is not the funds to keep things up to normal standards.
Last Wednesday Mr.Shenseki addressed the House and he said it best-" I never thought you all would allow things to come to this." Agreed.
The unrealized affects on our disabled veterans, widows, & families is yet to come. Without our benefit pay it means our bills don't get paid. Our own credit will take a dive because we will now have late payments. We will not have money for food. We will not have money for gas. November 11th is the day set aside for us, Veteran's Day. Is THIS how our government says thank you for your service? Thanksgiving is at the end of November. We won't be able to buy dinner to celebrate with our families because these banshees in office want to see who will blink first. It is stupid, irresponsible, and completely reckless to do what they have done. I am worried for our veterans who may consider suicide over this. It is no secret that suicide has been an issue facing our service members who feel there is no way out. I was one of them at one time. We need to stand together and protect our brothers and sisters in arms as we face this gross negligence by our elected officials who failed to honor our sacrifice. Remember that there are many many American citizens who love us and are just as angry that our military and veterans have been mistreated. I have not slept well since this whole mess started because I am uncertain if I will be paid the first.
There are new reports that Wounded Warrior Project will step up and pay it's members $500.00 to help offset the effects if we don't get paid. And that is great. But there are so many more of us who do not belong to that organization, there are veterans who are not part of any group. And therefore they will have zero income Nov 1. And our officials are silent. They are more worried about Obamacare and the debt ceiling. I have a debt ceiling too Washington. I cannot simply call Verizon, National Grid, and all my other monthly bills & say-oh gee the government is not paying me so you're SOL. Do you know what happens to me? My phone gets shut off, my fridge gets empty, my car insurance does not get paid, THIS IS HOW YOU THANK OUR VETERANS??
I am so angry with this that I am inclined not to go to any more ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day because there is always politicians there who say how much they love us blah blah blah. Those SAME individuals flipped us the bird by not passing the VA funding bill that went through the House four times.
I am scared for our country. Truly. The direction we are headed is the point of no return if people do not wake up and get rid of these crooked individuals who do not have the PEOPLE of this country at heart. IT IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS IT IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE.
