Printer Friendly Page

VA DENIES FRIENDLY FIRE BENEFITS FOR THIRD TIME --

"I have a feeling that the VA's main thing is just to screw

over veterans when they come asking for a little help."

 

 

Background on Ryan Riddle's fight for VA benefits here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/
nfMAY07/nf052707-2.htm

Story here... http://www.wtnh.com/Global/
story.asp?S=6802534&nav=menu29_2

Story below:

-------------------------

Southington vet denied benefits

by News Channel 8's Alan Cohn

(Southington-WTNH) _ Veterans across the country and here in Connecticut are caught up in red tape trying to get disability claims processed, including Iraq War veteran and Southington native Ryan Riddle.

Those problems may have cost Veterans Secretary Jim Nicholson his job, who announced his resignation today.

The case of the Southington veteran is an example of what many people believe is wrong with the VA.

When Riddle got his long, anticipated response from the Veterans Administration, he could not wait to get home to open the letter up.

Twice the VA rejected his claim for benefits saying it could find no evidence he was shot in Baghdad, despite x-rays showing bullet fragments still lodged in his thigh.

News Channel 8 presented the VA with letters from his Sergeant in Iraq and a former soldier who say they were with Riddle when he was wounded.

Riddle says the VA has barely budged on their stance.

"The bottom line - Go to hell, that's what they're saying," said Riddle.

Although the VA has finally acknowledged his combat-related injury, they say Riddle is not disabled enough to deserve benefits.

"I have a feeling that the VA's main thing is just to screw over veterans when they come asking for a little help," said Riddle.

Connecticut's Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, Linda Schwartz, understands Riddle's anger and she even lobbied the VA on Riddle's behalf.

Unfortunately, the VA is so steeped in bureaucratic red tape that Schwartz says even veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury are having a hard time getting 100-percent of the benefits that they deserve.

"You know people with half their brain missing are told 10-percent. It's a real downer. It's a system which does not meet our expectations for our people in uniform," said Schwartz.

-------------------------

Larry Scott  --