Medical discharges in Bush's military ....?

Question

I work with a young man who has recently returned from military duty and has been given a medical discharge. He was ambushed in Iraq while his group was patroling an Iraqi neighborhood and received severe facial injuries. He was on the receiving end of a gun butt by an Iraqi and received a broken jaw, nose and cheekbone and lost several teeth. He is back here now and trying to start life over after serving 8 years in the army. I was asking him what his plan was and he said that when a soldier is medically discharged he loses his college money fund that he has paid into and even though they fixed his face the goverment will not pay to fix his teeth. Hence, he is working a full time job at my company to get insurance and tuition reimbursement so he can afford college. I told him that it would seem that if a soldier was wounded in combat they should not be punished by losing benefits. He said these changes have happened since Bush has been in office.

Now that is a real war crime!

Answer 1

It is true. Bush has really never helped out military and does not care. I know many military men and women who were wounded in combat in Iraq and Afganistan that are getting little help from the government. Some lost legs and some in wheel chairs at the nice young age of 19-25. Their lives are ruined by a war that really has no purpose other than get oil and push democracy down the peoples throats.

Many of these soldiers get limited medical and dental. They can not get jobs and can not support their families. It used to be the government would stand behind their wounded not anymore. Bush has changed all that. He just sends them out to be slaudered and then does not help them when and if they get home. Too many are coming home in BLACK BAGS.

Lets get our troops home, they have done enough.

Answer 2

You better be real careful with this one because you will get screwed big time if your not careful. I went through this back in the early 90's. After alot of BS I was medically discharged. I was involved in a parachute accident. I broke almost every bone in my body, punctured my lung (which never healed) and had multiple concussions while I was on active duty which has led to me having seizures. I really get taken care of all $112 bucks a month(10%)! I've been fighting the VA for more benefits because I was hospitalized for 2 months late last year. I'm not supposed to drive therefor how am I to work. I have seizures about twice a week which they can't figure out. None of this happened before my accident yet no one seems to give a sh*t now that I'm physically a mess. Get all the help you can fighting them because basically what they give you when you get out may just be all you'll get. Don't settle for the first offer either. I know it can be frustrating but please don't be as ignorant as I was. Good Luck.

Answer 3

I was in the Navy for ten years and received an honorable discharge. However for the last eight months that I was in the navy I worked in an office that processed people that were being discharged. We had people that were getting honorable, other than honorable, medical, administrative, and several other types of discharges. There are several avenues that your friend can take. Contact the local Veterans Affairs office. Have him get rated by the VA. They will render assistance with money and most likely they will fix his teeth. I had dental work done at a VA hospital. (wisdom teeth). As for him losing his benefits from a medical discharge.... There is more to the story than they are telling you. While there were several policy changes during the Bush administration, losing ones benefits was not one of them. I can only say contact the VA and let them help. That is what they are there for. Its free and it helps.

Answer 4

This is total hogwash! If this young man was medically discharged, he is getting money every month, and he can also recieve medical treatment at any VA medical facility in the country. Free medical treatment for 2 years if he is an OIF/OEF vet. Sounds like he is probably rated at 100% SC too. Which means he is getting a check. As far as the tuition being paid, he is getting that too, as long as he paid into the Montgomery GI Bill. He needs to do more research. He can get his teeth fixed at a VA medical center.

Answer 5

He's full of it, if he had a medical discharge he would still have his college money. Oh by the way he would also be recieving disability as well due to his injuries. If there are soldiers that are still serving in the Army with false legs there is no reason he would have gotten discharged for a broken face. US Army-9 years and still going!!

Answer 6

There is something wrong with this guys story. If he was separated from the service as 'medically unfit for further service' then he would be getting all kinds of benefits - including 4 years of college paid for by the VA.

BTW - the story of how he was injured does not sound right either. 'hand to hand' combat is virtually unheard of in Iraq.

I suspect that you were being given a line of BS.

Answer 7

I find it very hard to believe. I think it's untrue. Around here, there's many who've lost limbs and are still in the military. They've been given new assignments and a chance to rebuild thier lives. If the military doesn't kick out men with missing legs, I doubt they'd treat one with a broken face that bad. I'm sorry this has happened to him. I'm sure he's having a rough time. However, I know there's agencies and things available to him. I do know for certain, there's no way they took his GI Bill away from him. He paid into it and that's his money. I think he's probably looking for sympothy.

As for the person that said Bush has taken many things away from us, that's not true. Many things have changed, but that's not due to Bush. That's due to CONGRESS. Bush fought hard for us to get pay raises. Congress balked every step of the way, while they gave themselves one of the largest pay raises in history. Clinton cut the military so badly that many of us doubted we'd be able to rebound. However, thanks to Bush and a few like him, we're getting more back and our pay is finally close to what it should be. It probably never will be what it should. We should get all the benefits back we've lost due to past administrations. It won't happen though.

I'm glad you posted this question where you could get input from actual military personell. Especially if you don't have answers available where you live, like a military post. I'm sure things have gone bad for him, but not due to military treatment. He might be uninformed himself or just looking for pity.

Answer 8

Acutally, if he is Service Connected at 100% his Service Dental Records will show the condition to be honorable and worked at the VA Hospital. I don't know all of his story, but it is best that he seek the DAV for help.

Answer 9

He is feeding you a load of crap. Don't believe it. If you have paid into the Montgomery GI bill its garrenteed money. It just doesn't disappear. There also many other benifits he would recieve if he was telling you the truth.

Answer 10

That doesn't surprise me, the way this country has in the past and present treated its warriors. Take a field trip to your local VA Hospital and learn more insulting to injury stories. These guys and ladies, put their lives on the line and for what? Shame, shame and more shame!