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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 |
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