I have a disabled friend that was Special Forces in Vietnam, and he has a few questions about his benefits.
1. He had heard that Michigan was one of five states who receive lower benefits than the rest of the country and that Obama was planning on evening it out, but he doesn’t know how or when, and would like some details.
2. When he called the VA trying to find out about the above question, they told him he would get $250.00 extra June 1st, but they couldn’t tell him what it was for, or if it had anything to do with what he called about, so he’s wondering what the $250 is about.
Any help would be appreciated, and Thank You Vets, for all of your service.
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but I couldn’t find anything about Michigan getting less, or a plan for evening it out.
what I usually do anyway. I have absolutely no clue as to what this veteran is entitled to or where he should even begin to inquire about his status.
I do so wish I had something tangible to offer on this, but I confess, I am clueless.
When I have confusions like this as to what to do, I usually think of going to the “top” to see where that will take me. So, maybe, a call to the Veteran’s Adm. direct would/might produce some answers.
(Hugs!)
Your friend should contact the veterans service officer for his county. This is the “go to” guy that typically helps vets file their claims and follows through on the appeals process. Look in the phone book under State & County Government. Most national vet associations (such as the VFW, DAV etc) also have service officers that perform this function.
When we lived in WI. our service officer had interesting statistics to back up our suspicions that vets in the Midwest were awarded PTSD diagnoses at much lower rates than vets on either coast….As a matter of fact, the Midwest, for whatever reason, adjudicates fewer numbers of disability claims than other parts of the country.
The award amount your friend receives is set by percentage of disability and is consistent nationwide. I’ve never heard of any discrepancy in the actual disability payments being less because of the particular state you reside in…More information can be found here.
Another helpful site is VA Watchdog.org. Larry Scott is a veritable fount of helpful information and is more than willing to reply to inquiries.
That $250.00 payment that’s due to be disbursed in June sometime is for Social Security disability recipients. Most vets that are 100% disabled and getting VA compensation also qualify for SS disability. This is a one time payment & is part of Obama’s stimulus package….