Isaac Stevens, a disabled veteran, ended up in a homeless shelter while waiting for his benefits.
Nearly 20,000 disabled soldiers have been discharged in the past two years, and lawmakers, veterans' advocates and others tell The Associated Press that thousands may face financial ruin as they wait for their claims to be processed and their benefits to arrive.
"The anecdotal evidence is depressing," said Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., who heads a subcommittee on veterans disability benefits. "These veterans are getting medical care, but their family is going through this huge readjustment at the same time they're dealing with financial difficulties."
The Associated Press explains:
Most permanently disabled veterans qualify for payments from Social Security and
the military or Veterans Affairs. Those sums can amount to about two-thirds of their active-duty pay. But until those checks show up, most disabled veterans draw a reduced Army paycheck. The amount depends on the soldier's injuries, service time and other factors. But a typical veteran and his family who once lived on $3,400 a month might have to make do with $970 a month. Unless a soldier has a personal fortune or was so severely injured as to require long-term inpatient care, that can be an extreme hardship.
Typically, the first 100 days after discharge are spent just gathering medical and other evidence needed to make a decision on disability, VA officials say. If paperwork is incomplete, or a veteran moves to another state before the claim is decided, the process can drag on longer. Disagree with the VA's decision, and the wait time grows.
"The claims are a lot more complicated than people think," said Ursula Henderson, director of the VA's regional office in Houston.
Isaac Stevens, 28, (pictured above) descended from Army private first-class, 3rd Infantry Division, 11 Bravo Company to being a penniless wheelchair user, fighting off the sexual advances of another man in a homeless shelter.
"When I got out, I hate to say it, but man, that was it. Everybody just kind of washed their hands of me, and it was like, `OK, you're on your own,'" said Stevens.He was discharged in November and was in a shelter by February. With help from Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization, he now lives in a temporary apartment in San Antonio, Texas.
