Are veterans receiving the

benefits that they deserve?

A Research Analysis
Carlos Duarte
Senior Seminar
Stacy Joslin
05/21/15

Introduction
War complicates the living conditions for all soldiers in any country. During combat,
soldiers experience continuous emotional and physical trauma day and night. These conditions
haunt that soldiers mind until their discharge period. However, after returning from the
battlefield, soldiers discover a difficult journey to a normal life. To help cope with this, the VA, or

Duarte 1

Veteran Affairs, provide benefits such as, transportation, housing, and healthcare. If a soldier, for
instance, is unable to pay their dental medical expenses, the VA would happily provide that
financial coverage. However, these benefits offers little support to all deserving soldiers. For
example, Veteran Affairs provide only a fraction of financial support to veterans of Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder, or PTSD. This is due to the shear number of veterans entering retirement and a
shortage of donations. This correlates to the concept of bureaucracy. US state officials prefer more
economic stability rather than US elected representatives who have the legislative power to help
veterans. Therefore, system needs radical changes so that veterans receive the benefits to which
they are entitled. The lasting psychological effects of the war and the confusing bureaucracy are
the main reasons why veterans do not receive benefits. In order to improve access to these
benefits, better services for veterans to receive the help they need.

Background on the effects of war for veterans:

The effects of the war on veterans has psychological effect. PTSD, for example,
negatively affects the soldier's mind after witnessing a tragic event. If this condition is not treated
inside or outside the battlefield, it could become an incurable disorder; a disorder which makes
makes it difficult for veterans to access the benefits they deserve. Without the assistance of the
Veteran Affairs organization, veterans would eventually turn to drugs and alcohol potentially
leading to depression and possibly suicide. There are other effects from the war such as TBI, or
Traumatic Brain Injury, and survivors guilt. The VA limit benefits to those who are unable to
receive them. Veterans who are mentally unstable or physically injured can not fend for
themselves. Due to this emotional and physical trauma veterans are in no shape to access the
medical benefits the VA offers them. It is a dual problem that they face, post war problems and the
confusing VA bureaucracy. For instance the VA does not have enough funds to give to all
Duarte 2

veterans. All of these factors contribute to the inability of veterans to get the benefits that they
deserve and need (Veterans Statistics).

Section 1: A Confusing Bureaucracy

Veterans are entitled to numerous benefits including home loans, medical insurance,
pensions, survivors benefits, and life insurance. In order to access these benefits veterans may
receive assistance via the state veterans service officer (Military.com). This is a division of the
federal government which creates red tape to allow the veterans to access the benefits. The
United States tries their best to ensure that each veteran receive their benefits. The only problem
with this is that veterans get different care in each state. This is because each state has a different
method of applying for benefits. This procedure of applying for benefits has multiple complicated
rules that impede the veterans from accessing the benefits they are entitled to. The state of West
Virginia give $7500 per person while in New Jersey they might give $5000 to each veteran. There
appears to be no rhyme or reason as to how the money gets handed out to the veterans. Many of
these issues play out in Massachusetts, in general the VA spends four times as much on health
care for veterans in Boston as it does on Cape Cod(www.npr.org). This may possibly be due to
special services and sicker patients. These problems make it harder for veterans to access their
benefits in certain places.
In terms of benefits, veterans are not getting the right care that they need. What the VA
mainly covers for each veteran is healthcare, home loans, monthly disability checks, education
and life insurance (Department of Veteran Affairs). Each state varies when it comes to the
distribution of funding for the veterans. If youre a veteran and rely on benefits from the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs, where you live may have an effect whether you receive the
benefits youve earned(www.npr.org). West Virginia and Arkansas had the highest per veteran
Duarte 3

spending which was just over $7500 per veteran. Other places like Indiana, New Jersey,
Delaware, and Pennsylvania had the lowest per veteran spending which was less than $5000 per
veteran (www.npr.org). This could only be fraction of what they should be getting. This is
troubling because they should get the right care that they deserve. When veterans do not get any
benefits they become depressed and feel as if nobody will come and help, and they do not have
access to the money and health care that they deserve.
In places where more veterans are enrolled in the VA health benefit plans, spending per
veteran did tend to be higher (www.npr.org). This happens because some veterans live farther
away from VA offices. Ron Percey, a Vietnam veteran and Cape Cod resident said that I was
diagnosed with prostate cancer, so I had to go to Providence every single day. I cant breathe.
There is no way I could go the 75 miles to Providence(www.npr.org). In this example, Mr. Percy
was not provided with the transportation he needed in order to get treated for prostate cancer.
Thus, some veterans have severe illness and must see the doctor everyday but have no
transportation. This makes an already difficult situation even worse. Another example in San Juan
County, Washington veterans have to take an hour long ferry ride to a VA hospital, most of which
have to go everyday and can not afford it (www.npr.org). As a final point, organizations like the
VA need to support more veterans. To make veterans get noticed, people need to understand that
veterans are in dire need of help.

Section 2: Lasting psychological effects of war.

As long as there is war, veterans will suffer from physical or mental stress. As soldiers, it
is their duty to serve in the battlefield, which means killing the enemy, getting wounded or
possibly getting killed, assisting fellow soldiers and watching their friends and innocent victims
die. After being traumatized continuously, they come home awfully traumatized and confused.
Duarte 4

The effects of trauma on people is not really a good thing for anybody (Andrew Pomerantz). It
is difficult for the veterans to receive the benefits because of the continuous physical and mentally
effects of the war.
The mental and physical effects have war a massive impact on veterans. Alcoholism and
drug abuse are major issues as well for veterans coming home because they use this to cope with
the effects of the war. Veterans also usually come with PTSD, which is one of the most prevalent
mental health issues that veterans suffer from. PTSD is an anxiety disorder which can occur after
being in a extreme emotional trauma after witnessing death or being injured (Mayo Clinic). Most
soldiers will witness many injuries and possibly even deaths during their time in active combat,
leading to high rates of PTSD among soldiers. A soldier can come home and get PTSD three or
four months after they have been in combat. They have difficulty transitioning from war life to
everyday civilian life. It is difficult because certain triggers like hearing a sound will frighten
them. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there has been in increase of patients with PTSD.
PTSD has gained a much higher level of importance during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
than in any prior conflict-not because the problem is greater in veterans of these wars, but because
there is greater political interest and public awareness of the mental health effects of war(Hoge
2). Veterans continue to be diagnosed with this mental condition. For this condition to improve
there needs to be more treatment, awareness, and understanding.
Depression is a derivative of PTSD and it is also a major health issue for returning
veterans. Of the the 200,000 veterans who go to the VA(Veterans Affairs) for health care, 14% of
them are diagnosed with depression (Veterans Affairs). Depression is a serious medical condition
in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal
way (Mayo Clinic). This may lead to suicide for veterans. Nearly 5,000 suicides have been

Duarte 5

reported each year. Some veterans come home with a loss of interest in the activities they used to
enjoy. Sleep deprivation, hopelessness, and guilt are also symptoms that are all tied into their well
being causing depression. Veterans reported using alcohol and drugs as a treatment for their
depression (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Depression has many different consequences.
For some, it will look like anger while for others it may appear isolated or aloof. Once they realize
they need help, it may be too late. The families and veterans need education and help from the
VA. The VA does not have the staff and services to fully support the many veterans and their
various illnesses.
Other problems veterans face are the physical and mental handicaps from the war. For
example TBI(Traumatic Brain Injury) is when an extreme force to the head leading to permanent
or temporary impairment of the brain. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to increased
awareness of the impact of traumatic brain injury on troops(www.npr.org). For the past five
decades, traumatic brain injury has been common for returning veterans. Soldiers receive a
concussion to the head or any type of brain injury due to weaponry such as land based vehicles,
self propelled rockets, and advanced sniper systems. The postwar problems such as anger,
depression, memory loss, are the result of untreated concussions (Once a Warrior Always a
Warrior). It is crucial for veterans to be treated for TBI, depression, PTSD, and survivor's guilt
because if untreated, it could lead to severe consequences. Consequences that could possibly
endanger not only their life but they might hurt as well as kill somebody. This is why it is
important for the VA to help veterans receive their benefits that they desperately need.
Depression is not the only physiological effect that veterans face. Another serious
condition that they face is survivors guilt. This is mental condition that occurs when a person
perceives themselves to have done wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not

Duarte 6

(Mayo Clinic). Throughout the veterans lives, some feel guilty about why they survived and not
their partner or platoon. Standing somewhere at the right time saved their lives but costs a friends
life. Captain Adrian Bonenberger was head of a unit in Afghanistan. He had a friend named
Jeremiah Pulaski who was shot by police in the wake of a bar fight shortly after he returned home.
Captain Bonenberger recalled a time where he and his friend were in trouble. Captain
Bonenberger and his friend were inseparable. One time during combat, Bonenbergers friend died.
Bonenberger feels responsible for not saving him (Psychology Today). I have seen war. I have
seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded I have seen the dead in
the mud. I have seen cities destroyed I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of
mothers and wives. I hate war(Pacific Standard). Veterans coming home cannot cope with the
loss of a friend, especially if they think it was their fault. The mental and health effects for
returning vets are complicated by a confusing bureaucracy at the VA and the psychological impact
of the war. This is why they need intensive care when they come back.

Section 3: Radical changes for the veterans

To support every single veterans medical needs will be extremely difficult but not
impossible. To do this, organizations like The VA will have to improve the ways they entrust
benefits to veterans. Sometimes it takes months to get help. Even those that are eligible for
benefits have to travel long distances to receive VA benefits. Due to the difficult paperwork to
apply, veterans do nothing but hope they get benefits. These problems continue to persist every
year. If somehow the paperwork changes, veterans will have access to the benefits that they
deserve.
Most veterans are aware of the lengthy process it takes to complete the paperwork.
Currently the VA will distribute benefits without written applications. VA is changing its
Duarte 7

monetary benefits regulations to simplify the program and pay eligible survivors more quickly
and efficiently(U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs). As of last year, most Veterans are no longer
required to complete the annual financial assessment known as a Means Test. Instead, The VA will
receive income information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security
Administration (SSA), and will contact the Veterans only if the information received indicates a
change in their VA health benefits may be appropriate (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs). With
this, veterans will not have to worry about the Means Test and they can benefit from their health
benefits more quickly and with fewer complications. Veterans are slowly getting the help that they
need. These changes are just a step at a time for the VA. In a couple of years, the VA are hoping to
change other benefits as well. This will mean that soldiers coming from Afghanistan will not
struggle when they need to access their benefits.

Counterargument:
Once a veteran is stabilized, they should be let go of their benefits after they have been
able to support themselves. After years of giving free care to veterans, there wont be any for
other veterans that are more crucially injured. After years of recuperation from a psychological
conditions or physical injury, veterans still receive benefits. Questions of fairness regarding
veterans disability was a major issue in World War I, both in the U.K. and the U.S. and disability
compensation has continued to be an issue in every war since then, especially following
Vietnam(Nation Time). With some veterans being cured of what they have, it isnt fair that they
still get help while other veterans are in dire need of help. This issue has always been a problem
since newer veterans are continuously coming from the war. Republicans like Paul Ryan had hit
roadblocks trying to change the way veterans get their benefits. Recently the Senate of Wisconsin
passed a bill for Ryan to cut the budget for the military benefits. According to Ryan, the veterans
Duarte 8

benefits are Taking resources away from training and modernization and putting our troops at
risk(All Voices). Furthermore, the benefits given to veterans should be reduced. Giving benefits
that they dont need does not make it fair for other veterans that need it.

Conclusion
Eventually, the VA will have to change the way veterans receive their benefits. The
veterans risked their lives for this country and need to be properly compensated. The lasting
effects of the war and the way each state gives these benefits make it difficult for veterans to
access them. It could take years for every single veteran to receive benefits. To keep future
veterans from struggling, the VA will have to change the way they disperse benefits to veterans.
For example, the VA will have to provide free or reduced transportation for veterans. For the
financial statist, the VA will have to find a way to give each veteran a fair and equal amount. In a
medical standpoint, the VA must lower the all healthcare cost to all veterans so that when it comes
to time where one veterans requires dental assistance, the VA better judge that individual. The
issues that they go through each day are serious. Which is why the VA has to find a way to
accomplish giving veterans equal benefits.

Duarte 9

Work Cited Page

"Compensation." Burial Benefits. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 7 July 2014.
Web. 11 Jan 2015
"Depression." NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness.
National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015
Dilegge, Dave. "Almost Half of New Veterans Seeking Disability Benefits."Almost Half of
New Veterans Seeking Disability Benefits. Small Wars Journal, 27 May 2012. Web. 2 Feb.
2015
"Health Benefits." VA.gov. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
7 July 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015
Lawrence, Quil, and Martha Bebinger. "VA Data Show Disparities In Veteran
Benefits Spending." NPR. NPR, 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2015
Murphy, Patricia. "In Remote Washington, Veterans Services Are Ferry Ride Away."
NPR. NPR, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015
Ritchie, Elspeth C. "The Unintended Consequences of the Current PTSD Diagnosis | TIME.com."
US The Unintended Consequences of the Current PTSD Diagnosis Comments.
Time, 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2014
Sherman, Nancy. "The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt." Psychology Today. Psychology Today,
20 July 2011. Web. 1 Feb. 2015
"Veterans Statistics: PTSD, Depression, TBI, Suicide." Veterans PTSD Statistics. N.p.,
2 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Jan. 2015
Duarte 10

Tobin, Maryann. "Paul Ryan Hits Roadblock on Path to Entitlement Reform."

Paul Ryan Hits Roadblock on Path to Entitlement Reform. Allvoices, 13 Feb. 2014. Web.
2 Feb. 2015.
"Veterans Statistics: PTSD, Depression, TBI, Suicide." Veterans PTSD Statistics. N.p.,
2 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Jan. 2015h

Duarte 11