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Army Blocks Disability Paperwork Aid at Fort Drum

An Army team visiting Fort Drum instructed the Department of Veterans Affairs to not help disabled veterans with their disability paperwork, National Public Radio reported Tuesday.

The paperwork helps determine what disabled veterans get after they're discharged, according to National Public Radio.

(See the full story here.)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18492376

NPR quotes one solder as saying "To be tossed aside like a worn-out pair of boots is pretty disheartening."

NPR quotes an Army spokesman as saying officials thought the VA should not be helping soldiers with their medical documents, even though the VA's assistance complied with military policy.

The team was based out of Washington, and complained to the VA's Buffalo office.

Late Tuesday, the military issued a one page rebuttal of NPR's story, calling it 'incorrect reporting.'

However, the rebuttal does not directly address the central point of the report - that an Army team told the VA to stop helping disabled soldiers with their paperwork.

When we put the question directly to a military spokesman - did the team tell the VA to stop helping with paperwork - the spokesman would say only he did not have any information with which to answer the question.

The rebuttal disputes several parts of the NPR report, including whether higher disability ratings cost the Army money, and whether Drum has a higher rate of disability retirements than do other bases.

(The military's answer: Drum is within one percent of the average.)

 

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Last Updated: 30 Jan 2008