Welcome to Veterans Voices —which highlights stories about the men and women who serve our country, including active duty military and veteran. The stories are written by award-winning writer Ken Olsen, author of Lasting Valor and frequent contributor to The American Legion Magazine and other magazines.
Veterans Voices- ‘Like a giant X-ray’ They had a front-row seat to secret nuclear weapons tests. Now they’re fighting for recognition and compensation
- An Army of One: Oregon widow dedicates everything to providing housing for homeless veterans
- The Lost Graves of Tarawa: Hastily buried following one of World War II’s most horrific battles, the remains of missing Marines are coming home
- Growing Veterans: A Marine Corps veteran teams up with a trauma counselor to prevent suicides, through farming, fellowship and an effort to end the stigma of getting help
- ‘Nothing wrong with you:’ Twenty-five years later, Gulf War Illness often treated as a mental condition
- Home at Last: Seventy-five years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, men who died on USS Oklahoma are finally being returned to their families
- Thoroughbred Therapy: How Saratoga WarHorse rekindles life for soldiers dealing with PTSD
- ALASKA’S VANISHING CARE: How VA’s “Choice” program sabotaged a hard-earned network of local health care across the state’s vast and inaccessible wilds
- Wrongful discharge? Board that corrects military records ‘stacked against servicemembers’ critics charge
- BOOTED AFTER BATTLE Thousands of combat veterans have been kicked out of the military for misconduct without regard to PTSD, TBI or their right to medical retirement
Veterans Voices 
The VA contends that Service Medical Records (SMR’S ) are not relevant to claims becuase they are for periods that are not covered by the law becuase they cover periods preceding the eligibility period. This newest twist is covered in Vet. App. No. 08-4333, Frederick L. Payne, Appealant, v. Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Appellee. The VA states that evidence developed after separation is the legal evidence of record. If the VA decides not to address a issue covered by the service medical records then there will be no medical evidence of record after separation becuase the VA failed in its duty to provide a complete medical examination of all identified and unidentified medical conditions during the compensation and pension process.
This is exactly what the DVA is argueing in this particular case, becuase they failed to address issues during the initial examination and then failed to adjudicate the claim because of a failure to issue a Supplemental Statement of Case (SSOC) due to irregulartiy in mailing. The DVA mailed the SSOC to the wrong address, and now take the position that the claims of the veteran are unwarrented becuase of a lack of evidence.
I would certainly like the opportunity to discuss this again.
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Does the proposed legislation resolve this issue?
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A Update on case 08-4333 Payne vs. Shinseki, it appears the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims agreed with the Veteran and vacated the Department of Veteran Affairs December 2008 deicsion and remanded the case back to the Lincoln regional Office for further development to include all service medical records.which the Court held to be the most relevant medical evidense in the file at the time of medical retirement. 19 years of fighting by the VA wiped out by the Court, and now it starts over again, hopefully it does not take another 19 years (Could be dead by then)
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I’d like to invite you to take a look at “‘Like’ it for TIME” (LIFT). LIFT is a grassroots effort to get TIME Magazine to consider the military family as its 2011 Person of the Year.
Rudy Giuliani was chosen for Person of the Year following the September 11 attacks because he “embodied what was really most important, what we learned about ourselves, which was that we could recover,” a TIME editor explained.
The military family embodies what is most important, what we learned about ourselves, after a decade of war and multiple deployments: undeniable resilience and dogged support through year after year of painful, and sometimes permanent, family separations.
With the kind of attention this campaign is trying to generate, the military family will become a topic of conversation among the general public, people will take a greater interest in their experience, that interest will lead to a desire for more education, and that education will lead to awareness and – finally – empathy.
Empathy is needed if there’s ever to be change.
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Thank you for what you’re doing. There are other stories that ar e untold, those of family members. I and active duty and veteran family members feel that their stories are worth telling and listening too.
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I sorry but I need your help,I don’t know where to go how can I get the results from a VA complain that I set forth on the 23 of May this year? I was at the VA hospital in Long Beach try to get medical help for tingling sensation physical pain in my arms, shoulders and neck. I was not treated or given any medical treatment or advice. But I was peper spray in the eyes, faces and arms. I was also jailed at the Long Beach City Jail. After being release I went to Kaiser emergency and they gave me a shoot of morphine.
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I would like to hear from all of the veterans and social security disability veterans who got a big surprise,from the VA Medical.When they took money from our checks with out notice.And they said they have the write to do as they want.I get1000.00 they took166.00 they said they have the write to do what they want.
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Sure wish you would put some focus on and join the struggles tens of thousands of us have in dealing with the VA. It’s disgraceful.
Please review the sites (and their archives):
diasbledveterans.org
hadit.com
veteranslawblog.org
KARE11.com (Search for “Veterans” or “A. J. Lagoe”. He is the reporter who has stepped-up.)
There are other sites as well; but we could use some help in educating the public as to just how terrible the VA has and continues to treat us.
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Hi Ken, do you remember NZ in 1992? Do not know if you are the good friend there (Auckland and then with Paul on Northern Island) 🙂 if so, feel free to contact me, would be soooo cool after all this time!
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Apologies for missing your note. I am not this same Ken. Hope you find him.
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