Wednesday - February 16, 2005

Reader’s Corner: Post Three

Steel brought up a point that I am struggling with but feel has enough merit to post about.

A few days ago I wrote about how the MSM is have a tizzy fit over the proposed cuts in the VA budget.

Allan followed up with a chart which showed it was actually GOING UP 2.7%!!

This led Steel to email me with a very valid point but my problem is I can not seem to be able to substantiate the actual numbers of people involved in the same situation Steel is in.  I will post what he sent me so you can read and then I want you all to hear me out.

Here is his first post:

I am a vet on total disability. My pension is 846.00 @ month. It goes up adjusted to inflation. Approximately 3% per year.

SSI is supplemental security income. The threshold for qualification is, and has been, about 8 dollars shy of ‘total disability’ from the VA. This too, increases with the cost of living annually. Approximately 3%. (actually, I think the figure is 3.4% for both)

Therefore, I can’t get it.

Now you may have heard that W’s budget seeks to limit the increase in the VA’s budget to 2.7%

The left screams outrage. But wait a minute.

If the annual increase in my benefits is restricted to 2.7%, then next year I will be under the SSI threshold and thusly ... qualify. Full SSI for me would be about 850.00 a month, thereby doubling my income.

I suspect that this is intentional. It is a sneaky, under-the-radar way of increasing vet’s benefits. If the left doesn’t get wind of it, they can’t fuck it up. BUT, if I’m right it’s a story that would be headline material tomorrow ... BIG TIME!!!

And if it’s brought to fore, then W gets a big hand. And the left can’t say no.

Now stop and think about this for a moment. If my assumption is correct, well then yahoo and bully for Bush. If I’m off a bit, then it COULD become a movement for all the vets to say, ‘We want to contribute and we don’t need the annual increase’. In so doing, they double their pensions. Elegant no?

So I wrote him back trying to get a better feel for what he meant.  I also had concerns about the actual total number of people eligible.  His response was this: (stuff in parenthesis is mine for clarification)

SSI is a program for disabled people run by the SSA as an adjunct. The qualifying threshold for SSI has historically been a few dollars less than total VA disability.

For instance. When I first started getting my VA, I got 812.00 per month and the threshold for (getting) SSI was 805.00.

Both go up the cost of living index annually so ... I will always be about eight bucks away from getting SSI.

I’m not retired (from the military). I’m 56. AND I have never put enough into Social Security to get any payments were I 62. Avoided working in system for very long time. And knew I’d never see 60.

But anyone can get SSI. Provided they are disabled.

TWO DIFFERENT THINGS ENTIRELY.

Now if the VA’s pension is limited to 2.7% and SSI still goes up 3.4% ... I’ll get SSI next year. Because I will be under the threshold. Remember, the cost of living index is tied to annual inflation. Should be about 4% this year.

Full SSI is the same as the threshold amount. Should be about 838.00 this year since I get 846.00 per month. Do you follow?

I don’t know how many vets are on full disability (but) it’s a bunch. THAT is why SSI is under our reach. The dollars would be significant.

Also, SSI will not let you reject the difference back to the VA to qualify. It’s a catch 22 that has been in place for ‘Nam vets for YEARS.

IF this is not the case ... then vets should rally to ... give back the COL increase to help with ... ‘whatever’ for a year and THEN would qualify for SSI. Doubling the income for totally disabled vets.

He went on to say:

Based on the vets I’ve met while in or around the hospital, the number will be huge. A couple of hundred thousand I imagine nationwide. Not many ‘Nam vets on SSA yet. But plenty are labeled ‘total’ disabled. Agent Orange is one reason. Soon, Gulf War Syndrome. The situation affects any vet not yet 62 who is totally disabled and not yet retired with pension. They can be disabled for any reason. Car wreck for instance. Cancer for instance. Drug dependency for instance. 

OK, readers.  Here’s the part I want you to bear with me on.  To try and find this info, maintain the blog, do my yard work, eat, do daily chores, read/respond to emails, do research and such takes up most of my day and part of my night.  Plus I am on dial-up (OK, OK, damn it!  I think I may go to cable really soon as the DSL thing did not work out.)

So, if any of you can find it, will you let me know how many people are disabled vets in the US that fall under this threshold?

And is the next raise REALLY 2.7% or is that just the increase in the budget (as both numbers seem to be identical)

So far I found this site which says:

The amount of basic benefit paid ranges from $106 to $2,239 per month, depending on how disabled you are.

At the VA site I saw this. By clicking on the first link you can see a spreadsheet with numbers of vets but I could not break the codes.

So if anyone can help here, it just might mean that Steel may be on to something.  And President Bush may be doing our vets one hell of a great service.  I would just feel better knowing how many vets fall under that threshold he mentions as this could really be a wedge to throw at those who claim to want to help vets but ignore this little loophole.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 02/16/2005 at 07:49 AM   
Filed Under: • Economics • Politics •  
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