Ramblings of One Weary Soldier

Traveling with a service dog is not as easy as it should be

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:24:00 +0000

While returning home from a vacation in Texas, Terri and I recently checked into the LaQuinta Inn located in Covington, LA 70433. I had no problems checking in with my service dog because they allow dogs. The night desk clerk was a young, friendly gal who welcomed us with a smile and greeted my service dog, Strudel, like she was an old friend. She told us LaQuinta was a dog friendly hotel but she especially liked the service dogs because they were always so well trained.

The following morning, Terri and I went downstairs to enjoy the free breakfast that LaQuinta offers. Of course, I had Strudel with me and she was "vested up" all nice and proper. There was no mistaking that she was a service dog. Just as we sat down to eat our breakfast, the front desk clerk, "Corliss", came in and and told me my dog had to leave because they weren't allowed in the breakfast area. I pointed out to her that my dog was a service dog, NOT a "pet" and that I'm a 100% disabled veteran. She didn't care. She repeated again that my dog had to leave. I refused to leave and she walked out and never came back. This was NOT the same clerk who had checked us in the night before. This was someone who didn't have a clue. Terri and I finished our breakfast, Strudel under the table where she was supposed to be, just as quiet and invisible as I've taught her to be in a restaurant.

After breakfast, Terri and I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I'd eaten my breakfast in silence, horribly embarrassed by the interaction with the front desk clerk, Corliss. I don't do well in crowds at all which is one of the reasons I have a service dog with me at all times. To make matters worse, the breakfast room was almost fully occupied. At a long table perpendicular to ours sat a dozen Veterans from the 1st Air Cavalry Division. They were there for a reunion; celebrating their 45th anniversary. They sat and watched the entire exchange. Talk about total humiliation!

Finally, time to check out. I had to deal with Corliss again. I asked her if she was familiar with ADA laws regarding service dogs. She said that she was. If she was, then why did she try to kick me out of the breakfast area? I asked her that question. My intent was to educate her and not belittle her. She said she'd spoken to the manager and the manager had told her it was okay for me and my dog to be in there. So then I asked to speak with the manager. I was told the manager doesn't work on the weekends. I felt I was due an apology from Corliss. What I got was attitude.

LaQuinta is a major hotel chain. How in the world can they NOT have a manager on duty on the weekends to handle difficult issues?

When I returned home, I wrote an email to LaQuinta and it was forwarded to the manager of the hotel we stayed in. Her name is Meghan Lee and her email address is lq0866gm@laquinta.com. She apologized and said she would handle the matter, but nothing was said about educating the rest of the staff. Allegedly, Corliss claimed she didn't know that Strudel was a service dog. How could she not know? Strudel and I walked around the "buffet" to pick out our breakfast before we sat down. Strudel always wears her vest. Corliss had to have seen us walking around in there from the front desk. Once we sat down, it was impossible to see us from the front desk. I told her, not once, but twice, that Strudel was a working service dog and not a "pet". How hard is it to understand that concept?

The hospitality industry just doesn't get it, my friends. More and more of us are out there traveling with service dogs. And guess what? We spend money, too. We are a viable part of society. Our dogs turn our "disabilities" into "abilities" and what once seemed like a cold, cruel, world for many of us is now becoming more accessible thanks to our four-legged friends. I can't tell you what a difference my two dogs, Rocco and Strudel, have made in my life.

The next time you're out there with your service dog, my friends, and an employee gives you a hard time about it, let me know. I'll blog about it. If you have a cell phone with you and can access Facebook, post your troubles to Facebook immediately. I'm sure your Facebook friends will take up the fight for you instantly. I've seen it happen before. In retrospect, I wish I had done that but I was too upset to think that fast. That's one of the reasons I have a service dog .... I get rattled quickly when confronted in a crowd. My service dogs react to my anxiety and they know just how to respond to calm me and remove me from the situation. Since I wasn't about to leave, Strudel responded by putting her head in my lap. We were in a restaurant and she's trained, as most service dogs are (or should be) to lay quietly under the table. Most times in a restaurant, no one even realizes I have a service dog with me until I get up to leave. My dogs are that well trained and in tune to my needs.

I must mention that I wasn't alone. My wife, Terri, was with me. I don't go anywhere without her. My service dogs are well trained but Terri can be a Pit Bull when she believes someone has done me wrong. She was furious at how I was treated and I have no doubt things would've gotten ugly if Terri had gotten her way. One of these days my loving wife is going to knock the piss out of someone for discriminating against us. I love my wife. She's the strength that keeps me going every hour of every day.

That's it for today, my friends. Remember to stand up for yourself and your service dog as best you can. Report those who discriminate against you. Tell me about it. I'll spread the word here. Post the facts to Facebook. Report it to the corporate offices of the offender. Talk to the media if you have to. This kind of illegal discrimination has to stop.

As for me ... well, it's October 14, 2011. I'm going to sit here and wait for UPS to deliver my new iPhone 4s. Yep, I'm a sucker. I pre-ordered one as soon as I found out my service provider was going to start carrying them. I've held off until now because I'm a diehard Sprint customer and have been for the last 11 years. Now that Sprint is carrying the iPhone, I have no more excuses. Hurry up, UPS!

The other thing I'm waiting for is our son to call us and tell us he's been sworn into the Army as a "Future Soldier"... what us oldtimers used to call the "Delayed Entry Program". Terri and I have been texting back and forth all morning to see if the other has heard from him. We're both very proud of him.

Until the next time.....

Senator Patty Murray and the VA... Now hear this. By Jenny McClendon.

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:33:00 +0000

The following letter was written by Veteran Jenny McClendon. I am proud to call her my friend. I am also honored to publish this for her. The letter will be sent to Senator Patty Murray on behalf of MST Victims everywhere. I've done no editing other than to add a few pictures that weren't a part of the original letter.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to share this with everyone you know. Until the next time. Wendi.

**************************

Dear Senate Committee on Veteran’s Affairs Chairperson Patty Murray:

This letter is being written to expose a problematic behavior that appears to be rampant at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter is lengthened by the groundwork that is necessary to put this obscene practice in its proper light.

To begin this letter I want to thank you for your steadfast efforts on behalf of those of us that have served. A sailor, soldier, Air person, or Coast Guards person never forgets the people that they served with. The collective “We” never forget what those that we serve with mean to us. Moreover, we never forget who fights for us on that enchanting and alluring law making “Hill.”

From the core of my soul, I thank you for all that you do.

There are a few other things that soldiers and sailors never forget. The incredible solidarity and the unity of purpose within the ranks is something so special that it evades description. Unfortunately that unity of purpose is often lost to the strife that is generated by a prejudice that has long haunted this great nation.

To borrow a phrase that one of my undergraduate professors used to describe the road to Abolition, “There is a cancer that is eating away at the stability of our troops and that cancer is sexism.” Dr. Stevens said “A young nation and slavery” but the shoe still fits.

That cancer has been resistant to the radiation therapy of bi annual regulations training and cultural diversity training that begins in boot camp. That very cancer is expressed in sexual violence against women and men in order to dominate them.

Many great Soldiers, Sailors, Air persons, and Coast Guard Personnel are lost to the effects that follow Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Some survivors are lost to medical discharges and countless others have their futures scarred by “Other than Honorable” discharges from active duty service.

Those personnel that are lost often have no choice related to their discharge. There is little legal recourse if you are raped and less recourse if you are illegally discharged.

This unimaginable, indescribable, and reprehensible horror is only trumped by the fact that some of us are murdered and lost to suicide during or after service.

This takes me close to my point.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is supposed to be a place where mental health and general health services are available to veterans. An atrocity that exacerbates betrayal in the ranks beyond measure is betrayal at the Department of Veterans Affairs (The VA).

Treatment for MST and PTSD at VA trauma clinics is misrepresented as a series of “Evidence Based Therapeutic Practices.” This is an unsettling euphemism for “Express line therapy.”

These therapies are not unlike a therapy car wash where the VA gets you in and gets you out scrubbed down and washed up. When one out of every five national suicides is a veteran, therapy in the express line may be ill advised at best.

Eighteen suicides a day among veterans is alarming. Five losses to suicide per day by veterans under VA care cannot be described with accuracy. Are we sure that the VA should be running a therapeutic car wash?

Veteran suicide, in your own words, “Has had a tragic impact.” This letter is about to report a sinister problem that compounds or illuminates the tragic impact.

The VA has an “Out” for the treatment of MST survivors. If a survivor is also a survivor of child hood sexual trauma, the VA often dismisses the need for MST treatment due to a “Pre-existing condition.”

I fell victim to this practice. My father raped me when I was 14. He is a purple heart earning combat wounded Marine.

I made the tragic error of reporting this to the VA when the intake resident asked me. When I had some trouble in Cognitive Processing Therapy -the car wash- I ended up being pushed away from the trauma clinic.

I wanted desperately to stay in Trauma Services” just to stay with my psychiatrist. If the psychologist needed to take her leave of me, this was one thing but I needed some stability and I did not want to lose a connection with my psychiatrist. I did not have a choice; I was given the VA version of an other than honorable discharge from trauma services.

The given excuse was that I was bad for the group and that the group had to come first. I was allegedly “Bad for the group” because I had been offended as a child and that complicated treatment. I have found this to be common and not isolated to a single VA trauma center.

MST survivors are familiar with both of the excuses that I have listed. “The good of the group over the needs of the individual” is used to suppress rape reporting within the ranks. I wonder how many of the five people that we lose each day while under VA care are ostracized in similar ways.

Historically, the “Good of the group” mentality is a common excuse to ignite genocide and/or rank and file McCarthyism.

How we end up with some veterans being less valuable or less deserving than other veterans is an alarming question that probably does not have an answer worthy of the power of the question.

The “Pre-existing condition” excuse is used by military doctors limit the efficacy of medical boards for MST survivors that are trying to salvage their careers. We are more or less discharged for being raped “Again.” I do not have to qualify this with an adjective. I think that you have a word in mind by now.

When the VA is guilty of heinous behavior toward veterans we scratch our heads and wonder what to do and where to go. Whether this is for a clinic or clinician’s exoneration from duty to veterans or something else, this is repulsive to a power of ten. I ask for your action on this letter.

I am writing to you to report this problem and ask for legislation that prevents the VA from asking the question, “Were you a victim of childhood abuse.” There is a moral obligation to “Do no harm” among doctors. This is not the only ball that is dropped at the VA.

VA therapists will push back by saying that they lack the ability to treat the whole person without full disclosure. This argument would have traction if the VA operated by treating “The whole person.” They do not; they put us in a car wash. If we have a carwash for some veterans and dismissal for other veterans, then we have betrayal. Upon a premise of betrayal and another premise of express line therapy, the “Whole person” argument fails muster.

With all due and well delivered respect,

Jenny McClendon

Veteran, mother, wife, ethics and logic professor.

Denied Veterans Benefits Over Same-Sex Marriage, Carmen Cardona Sues - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:58:00 +0000

The article below by James Dao of the New York Times says this appeal may be the first of its kind. Considering I started this fight in June 2010, I kind of doubt that. However, that's neither here nor there. I'd like to talk to Carmen Cardona. Do you know her? Have her email me at onewearysoldier@gmail.com. Tracy (the other Veteran in this battle) and I need to touch base with her. We should all be fighting together on this. There is power in numbers!

Terri and I on our wedding day. May 30, 2010.

Denied Veterans Benefits Over Same-Sex Marriage, Carmen Cardona Sues - NYTimes.com

War? Who Cares? By Leo Dougherty

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:45:00 +0000

    Since the beginning of the war in Iraq I have been saying to anyone who would listen how easy it is for those in Congress who never wore the uniform and who do not have loved ones in the service to send other people’s children, brothers and sisters, and moms and dads into war. It’s real easy to do when you have never served or spent any time in the dangerous situations that often occur during military service. Most often the response I get is an odd look from the person I am talking to. And, if I’m in a public place I notice others who overhear my comments shake their heads while smiling knowingly, probably thinking I don’t know anything about what I am saying.

    I have also been saying for a very long time that multiple deployments are unfair and jeopardize the health and welfare, not to mention the lives of those who experience those multiple deployments. And I normally add that it’s shameful that a great majority of Americans just don’t care so long as it’s someone else’s loved one in harm’s way.

    Last night, Wednesday, October 5, 2011, Brian Williams and Jim Miklaszewski reported on NBC Nightly News about the disconnect between Americans and the wars. Among other statistics, it was reported that only about 25% of civilians pay any attention to the wars.

    Can you imagine that? Seventy five percent of our society do not care about the wars and, apparently, about our young men and women who daily place their lives in danger for us. Despite the fact that we all pay to clothe, feed, transport, arm and, at least while they’re still in the service provide for the medical care of military personnel, 75% of Americans don’t care.

    Last week I received the October 2011 VFW Magazine and on the “Now Hear This” page was the headline, “Military Draft Opposed.” The short story said, “According to a Rasmussen Reports poll in July, more than two-thirds (67%) of likely American voters oppose bringing back a military draft. 15% are not sure. Only 18% of the voting public favors conscription.”

    Whether our society intends it or not, this is the majority of America appearing to say they don’t care about war, about those who serve, and those who have served so long as it’s someone else’s loved one. That’s a pretty bold statement and I confess it’s only my opinion but even if I am incorrect, it is a perception that many who have served share. Sometimes, perceptions are stronger than reality.

One thing is for certain. If the draft was reinstated, members of Congress who never wore a uniform would much more carefully consider when and where we send those who serve into combat. And, if those members of Congress who never served and yet have loved ones who would be required to serve in the event of war, you can bet they would make a careful determination about war. They would very likely be attuned to, concerned about, and willing to support with benefits those who did serve when they come back home.

In this morning’s Tampa Tribune a story by the Associated Press said that a Pew Research Center poll indicated one in three veterans say the wars are not worth it. The story said, “Nearly 4,500 U. S. troops have died in Iraq and about 1,700 in Afghanistan. Combined war costs since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have topped $1 trillion.”

    How many houses could have been built with this money? How many bridges, tunnels and roadways could have been repaired, rebuilt or upgraded with this money? How many critically ill children could we have cared for with this money? How much investment in scientific, medical, or technological research could have been made with this money?

    For a sobering eye-opening experience on the cost of the current wars, go to http://costofwar.com/en/ and just watch as the numbers move so fast it will make you dizzy. While I cannot vouch for the veracity of the figures, they do present a picture of spending that will make you wonder just what these wars have done to our economy.

    The Iraq war has cost more than $798 billion. The Afghanistan war has cost more than $461 billion. Both figures appear to increase by more than $1,000.00 each second. It’s mind boggling.

    Should only a small minority of Americans be required to fight our wars? Should only a small minority of American families bear the brunt of worry and loss? Should we send those who volunteer to serve back into combat again and again? Should we accept that a great majority of Americans just don’t care about the wars and the warriors? Should a group of politicians who have never worn a military uniform be permitted to decide whether or not to plunge our country into war? Should we continue spending more than $1,000.00 per second for each of the current wars?

    I’m just one person but my answer to all of those questions is no. If the draft was reinstated, even if just on an as-needed basis, those questions would not have to be asked.

Finally, why are we allowing 75% of America to enjoy the protection of our military without bearing any of the burdens the warriors and their families must bear? It’s long past the time for veterans and veterans’ families to speak out.

**** Leo is a regular contributor to VA Watchdog Today dot Org. You can find his previous articles by clicking here. He is an accredited agent advocate who has been representing Veterans for 25+ years. He is a Navy Veteran and I'm honored to call him my friend. ***Wendi***

Shout out to Women Vets in the Tampa Bay area -- Will you meet me at the Tampa VA Hospital on October 4, 2011?

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:40:00 +0000

Calling all Women Veterans in the Greater Tampa Bay area. This one is for you. I don't think you need a reminder that the month of October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All you have to do is turn on the television, open a magazine, read the newspaper, or go online and there are reminders everywhere. They are definitely IN YOUR FACE. Do I mind? No. I'm one of those who is religious about going in for mammograms. I have a maternal history of breast cancer in my family so I know I have an increased risk for developing it. My doctors are aware of it and my primary care physician at JAH is very pro-active when it comes to getting me scheduled for my annual exam. If you haven't had your annual done lately, what are you waiting for? Call your PCP and get scheduled. Now. It may just save your life. The phone number to the Tampa VA Hospital is 813-972-2000.

If you're in the Tampa area, Pamela Smith-Beatty, the Women Veterans Program Manager at JAH has been putting together luncheons for Women Veterans every couple of months designed to educate us on various topics. The subject for the luncheon on October 4th is "Think Pink! Breast Cancer Awareness." If you click here you will go directly to the flyer for the conference. If that doesn't work for you, copy and paste the following link to your browser and it will take you to the flyer.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1nYse0ZmlYaVbySjPeQ4VqnEcsEZ2YcLHeoThO0XVsD8

Pam asks that you wear pink to the luncheon. I'll be there. I may have to go out and purchase something pink to wear. It's not a color I normally wear. I'm not sure what to do about Rocco. He doesn't wear pink either. His service vest is a deep royal blue. I guess I'll have to put a pink bandana on him for the day. He's secure enough in his masculinity that I'm sure the pink won't bother him.

For more information please call the Tampa VA Hospital and ask to speak with Pam Smith-Beatty, Women Veterans Program Manager. She'll be happy to take your calls and answer your questions. She's been a tremendous help to me with several issues I've had with the Tampa VA Hospital.

While we are on the topic of Pam, she can also help if you need to be seen for your PTSD issues. It doesn't matter if they are combat or MST related. If you need treatment and you aren't getting it, call Pam at (813) 972-2000 extension 6695. Remember, for PTSD due to MST, you do not have to be service connected to be treated. If someone tries to tell you otherwise, call Pam immediately. She will make sure you get seen. She's not your average VA employee. She's also a USAF Retiree having served 21 years in uniform. She has my respect and admiration. She's someone we can depend on at the Tampa VA to help us. I have a direct line to her, folks. If you need my help to reach her, you can always email me and I'll make sure she gets in contact with you.

I hope to see you at the luncheon on October 4th. Please stop and say hello to Rocco and me either before or after the presentation is over. If you would, let me know that you heard about it by reading this post.

One last thing before I let you go. Please, please, please .... share the link to this post with all the Women Vets you know in the Greater Tampa Bay area. Try to encourage them to attend this luncheon. I realize it's difficult because many of you work, but I also know that there are just as many of you out there who don't or can't work. If you can get to the VA Hospital in Tampa on October 4th, come join me and Rocco. We'll definitely be waiting to shake your hand and say hello.

Until the next time......

Bill approved to make VA service-dog friendly - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:49:00 +0000

Bill approved to make VA service-dog friendly - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Beware of phony veterans raising funds

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 23:11:00 +0000

Jim Strickland has covered this before on www.watchdogtoday.org. It's sad, but true. I've run into these guys before. I've seen them perched in front of places like my local Walmart and most recently, Winn-Dixie, here in Spring Hill, FL. Did I stop and give them my hard earned money? No. Did I stop and harass them? No, I didn't do that either. It's best not to confront them in spite of what the DAV Commander states in the posted article below. In my opinion .... and I learned this from Jim, it's best to just ignore them. Don't give them your money. Just be on your way. They take 30% of what they collect in their buckets. Do you want to contribute to their income? I don't. I would rather give my money to something worthwhile. There are plenty of reputable Veterans Organizations out there who give 90% of their intake to Vets. I'm not here to endorse any particular group. You can do the research yourself. In the meantime, read the article below to learn who NOT to give your money to.

Until the next time .....

Beware of phony veterans raising funds

Who is JR Martinez? Hint: AMC and DWTS

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 02:21:00 +0000

Do you recognize those acronyms? No, they aren't Army acronyms. No need to dig out your copy of AR 25-52. You won't find them there. Here's a hint. ABC. No, not the Alphabet. Okay ... here's one more hint. American Broadcasting Company.

I've admitted this before but I'll say it again. I am an All My Children addict. I was crushed when the announcement came in April of this year that one of my longtime favorite soaps was coming to an end after a 41-year run. I've been watching since it first started in 1970 when I was just a grade schooler in Chicago. Remember when Susan Lucci was playing a spoiled teenager? Now she's playing a spoiled 60 year old woman.

Three years ago they introduced the character of Brot Monroe. Brot is an injured war Veteran. I'd heard AMC was casting for a real life Vet for this part so I did a little research into this new actor. It was true. The character of Brot is played by JR Martinez, a Veteran of the Iraq War. What you see on television is what you get. That's not make-up, my friends. That's the real thing. Those scars are the result of his humvee hitting a landmine in Iraq. I have to say kudo's to ABC for not slapping make-up on an actor and calling them "war wounds". It took guts for them for them to use a real Wounded Warrior. When he first came on the show you could tell he was new to the acting world. As time has passed he has gotten better and better. He deserves an Emmy for some of his performances on AMC.

Why am I writing about him, you ask? Is it because AMC is going off the air? Nope. It's because he's on Dancing with the Stars this season. I'm not a huge fan of DWTS though I do admit to occasionally watching and monitoring the progression of the Stars. The upcoming season is not without its controversy. There are a lot of pissed off viewers because of the selection of Chaz Bono. Two Dancing Stars will be getting my votes this season for their courage. JR and Chaz.


JR recovering from one of 33 surgery's

Back to JR Martinez who in my mind is a true American Hero. Read his bio on the Dancing with the Stars website. It's quite impressive. You can also hear him speak about his selection as a contestant here. It's not his status as an actor or his selection to dance that makes him a hero. It's the fact that he joined the Army, went to war, got injured, fought through 34 months of recovery at Brook Army Medical Center and survived to tell the tale. In addition to his acting duties at All My Children he takes time to do motivational speaking to help other Wounded Warriors. He hasn't turned his back on his brothers and sisters even though he's hit the bigtime. Take a look at his resume on IMBD.com. I'm not sure who is responsible for posting it, but it's very modest. No mention of his military awards and decorations of which I'm sure are plentiful.


JR in character as Brot Monroe

JR has his own website. You can browse it here. In my opinion, it's as striking as he is. Here's a guy who lived a simple life. He was a high school athlete raised by a single mother from El Salvador. After his graduation he joined the Army after seeing a commercial for the same. He enlisted as an 11B Infantryman, was injured and during his recovery found a calling. That calling was to motivate other Wounded Warriors. Long before he made it as a success on AMC, he was doing motivational speaking. He started doing that while he was still a patient at Brook. Did his acting career propel him to further heights? Probably. That's okay though. AMC has given him further exposure to a different population of America. Who watches Soaps? No longer are stay at home moms the only viewers. Viewers these days are the parents, wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends of active duty service members and Veterans. JR's recurring role as Brot throws the reality of the wounds of war in the faces of the American public. That's one thing you can say for AMC .... they don't back down from controversial story lines. They never have. Unfortunately, after September 23, 2011, that will come to and end. All My Children will be no more unless the internet rumors that it will continue to broadcast online are true.

Then and Now

But, I digress .... if you're a regular here you know I do that often. If you're new here, welcome. Now you know the real truth. I'm the one weary soldier and my mind wanders a bit. This post is about JR Martinez and his decision to be a contestant on this seasons Dancing With The Stars. I fully support that decision and I call out to each of you to support him. Even if you don't watch the show, you can still support him. The show premieres on Monday, September 19, 2011. You can go to the Dancing With The Stars website and cast your vote for JR immediately after each and every episode. Sarah Palin got her political backers to cast votes to keep her horribly untalented daughter (in my opinion) on DWTS for far too long. She should have been gone weeks before she was finally voted off by the viewers. What that shows us is there is power in voting blocks .... like you didn't already know that. Let's all rally around JR and show him how powerful Veterans can be. Let's show them that we are proud of this man, this Wounded Warrior and that we will back him all the way to the Championship.

What do you say, my friends? Are you with me? Will you vote for JR Martinez?

Until the next time ......

Anonymous comments won't post here. No room for cowards at this Inn.

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 05:59:00 +0000

Hello friends. Over the last few days I've had a couple of rather nasty comments sent to me regarding some of the things I have been writing about. That's fine. I don't expect everyone to always agree with me. Opinions are like assholes. We all have them. I won't shy away from posting opposing views and opinions. I've been taught better than that. However, what I will not tolerate are the cowards who send me "anonymous" comments and expect them to be posted.

One of the things I learned from Jim Strickland is if you have something to hide, don't put your name behind it. Use a cute little screen name. Don't tell anyone anything about yourself. Hide from the world behind a wall of anonymity. If you want credibility, tell everyone who you are. Give them some background. Let them know some history. I've done all that here in my writings. I've held almost nothing back. What you see is what you get.

I expect the same from you. If you have a comment on a posting don't hide behind "anonymous". I promise you, it will get deleted. It will never see the light of day on this blog. If you don't have the guts to put your name to your comment than I will not run it.

Mind you, my friends, the "anonymous" postings I've deleted have been nasty, personal attacks rather than an opinion of something I've written. People too chicken to say something to my face, would rather attack me behind an anonymous moniker. So be it. It doesn't take me much time to respond by hitting the delete key.

That's it for my Labor Day Weekend rant. I wasn't going to write this weekend, but the last comment came through around midnight and since I can't sleep tonight anyway, I thought this would be a good time to get this off my chest. Enjoy your weekend all. Remember the real meaning behind it.

Until the next time ......

A True Test of eBenefits.va.gov

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:42:00 +0000

A True Test of eBenefits.va.gov

Occasionally I like to take a look at eBenefits. As I’ve stated in previous blogs, my eBenefits account is generally incorrect and rarely updated. My regular readers know that I have a number of actions pending at the St Pete VARO. If you’re new here, take a look at this blog to get acquainted with my pending claims and appeals.

Not everything about eBenefits is bad. I’m applying for a free lifetime Florida State Parks pass. For that I need proof of my dates of service and honorable discharge plus proof that I’m a disabled Veteran. You can get all that in eBenefits by printing out a couple of prefabricated letters. I also wanted to see if the VA was going to pay my annual clothing allowance on the 1st of September. They aren’t but that’s a story for another blog.

eBenefits was down most of the weekend, I’m guessing for upgrades, so I decided to poke around a bit to explore the new changes. I didn’t see any so I kept plugging along, looking at my claims. Call me a glutton for punishment.

You may recall that my claim for Temporary 100% for shoulder surgery was submitted in June 2010. It’s been sitting in the Decision Phase for so many months now that I’ve lost count. No change there. Am I surprised? Not really. This is the St Pete VARO we’re talking about.

I then clicked over to check on how much I’m going to be paid on the 1st of the month. No surprises or real news there. Same amount I’ve been receiving for 80% disability for … well, however long it’s been.

On a whim I clicked over to check on the status of my appeal and noticed a change. I had to do a double take. It read that a Statement of the Case (SOC, Form 9) had been issued on August 25, 2011. That was 4 days ago as I write this. I emailed my friend and mentor, Jim Strickland, and his response was as sarcastic as I excepted it to be. He said, “What’s eBenefits?” I responded with, “Trix are for kids.” Those are the kinds of strange emails we exchange. If you don’t understand it, don’t worry. We’re sick and twisted old Veterans. And we're both very skeptical when it comes to eBenefits. Can you tell?

So, my friends, this is a real test of eBenefits. My DRO review appears to have been completed four days ago. I already knew that the dependency appeal was going to be denied, thus the SOC. That was a no brainer. Did they also deny my appeal for IU? What about my claim for Temporary 100%? What was decided with that? So what is the test? The test is this. They posted that a SOC has been completed. Let us now count how many days it takes one of the slowest, most backlogged Regional Offices in the Country to actually send me that “big brown envelope“. Let’s see how long it takes my Temp 100% claim to move from the “Decision Phase” to the “Notification Phase”. We’ve already discussed how notorious St Pete is for being slow and inaccurate in prior blogs.

There is another scenario. This could be a clerical error. The DRO Review was only one month ago and I certainly did not expect a decision in such a short time period. My eBenefits account has been incorrect before. Was it one year ago that I was able to print out a Commissary Letter that read I was 100% service connected? Three days later the error was caught and that letter disappeared from my account. I believe I still have a copy of it as proof somewhere. Not that I need a letter from the VA to use the commissary …. I’m an Army Retiree. No, I wasn’t medically retired. I'm an AR 635-200, Chapter 12 retiree, for longevity. I put my time in. I was an honest to goodness Lifer and I’m damn proud of that fact. According to my DD Form 214, I'm "Subject to Active Duty Recall by the Secretary of the Army".

So which is it, my friends? Lets take bets here. Was my claim/appeal denied in bits and pieces or is the entry a clerical error? What do you think? Leave a comment below or email me at onewearysoldier@gmail.com.

Until the next time ……

**** An update**** Today, September 7, 2011, I received my copy of the Statement of the Case (SOC) dated August 24, 2011. As it turns out, my eBenefits record was correct in this case. However, there is still a very important update missing to my eBenefits record. In the SOC, it states I was increased to 100%. I checked my eBenefits record shortly after reading the SOC and it still has me rated at 80%. Well, at least eBenefits had my account partly correct. I've got to give them that.

Something important is missing here. My award letter. I had to read through 23 pages of the SOC to find out that I'd won my claim for 100% IU. The St Pete VA sent out the SOC before sending out my Award Letter. Is that normal? Shouldn't they be sent out at the same time? Why make me read through 23 pages to find out I'd been awarded 100% IU? That's crazy! Oh well. Maybe next time they'll get it right for the next Veteran. Hopefully my award letter will be in the mail soon. I've been waiting for three years for it.

Until the next time......

It takes how long to process a disability claim?

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Hello Friends. Many of you are not going to like what I have to say today. Recently one of the top search queries to this blog has been, “How long will it take to process my disability claim?” The truth of the matter is no one really knows. Or, as my dear old Dad likes to say, “The Shadows Knows”. Don’t know who “The Shadow” is? Google it. You’ll learn a fun fact today.

Besides the search queries, there are other things that triggered this blog, my friends. There are comments I've been reading online.

QUOTE Met a fellow woman veteran who got her claim approved in less than a year. I was happy for her and jealous at the same time. We are in the same region, and I have been waiting for years. So I say what the hell am I doing wrong. UNQUOTE

QUOTE I am overjoyed too with another veteran gets what they have so rightly earned but I have to admit I am human and it can sometimes be a downer when your claim has just plodded on with no news, no decision and no pending C and P. My first claim only took 15 months to decide but this current claim has dragged on for a year and I even sent them copies of records that it should be open and shut case. I thank God for XXXXXXXXX for her submitting them and her assistance.

Yes maybe but it gets pretty damned old when a year goes by and all I get are two computer generated letters that say it is being processed which is bullshit! UNQUOTE

Here is a bit of history on the claims I have currently pending.

1. September 2008. Submitted new claim and request for IU. Some increases received, new service connection received, IU denied. Appealed October 2009. DRO Hearing July 2011. Still waiting for an answer.

2. May 2010. Submitted claim for Temp 100% for service connected shoulder. Still waiting for an answer.

3. June 2010. Submitted claim for PTSD-MST. Still not scheduled for Comp and Pen Exam. No action taken.

4. June 2010. Claim submitted for dependency. Denied September 2010. Appeal still pending.

Still have claims I need to submit but won’t do it until these claims are settled.

Are these wait times typical? Unless I research it, I don’t know. Every Regional Office is different. Every claim is different. The first place I want to look is the VA’s own website. I’ll search for something called the Monday Morning Workforce Report (MMWR). Have you ever seen that report? While it may not be completely accurate, it gives you a fairly good idea just how backlogged your VARO is. I know for a fact that St Pete is one of the most backlogged VARO’s in the Country. Therefore, I’m not surprised that my claims are moving so slowly through the system. One look at the MMWR confirms that.

Do you know what the Nehmer Directive is? If you don’t, you aren’t alone. Veterans aren’t taking into consideration Director Shinseki’s directive to get all the Agent Orange/Nehmer claims processed expeditiously. What’s “Nehmer”? Jim Strickland explains that here: http://www.vawatchdogtoday.org/Nehmer.html . The Director has given priority to these claims and to that I say, “It’s about friggin’ time.” Those men and women who served in Viet Nam, who are dying daily in massive numbers, deserve accelerated processing. Yes, I know, it’s estimated that there are 18 Veteran suicides daily. But that’s only in recent years. Who was keeping statistics BEFORE the Iraq War? Anyone? Did this Country even care that Vietnam Vets were killing themselves? My guess is no, we didn’t care. We’re more socially aware today. First Prodigy, then AOL, then came Myspace and Facebook. The internet woke up the sleeping giant.

In addition to AO claims, there is Tier Two. I’ve written about it before. You have to dig very deep to even find out about it. Think for a minute. Does Tier Two apply to you? Do you know what Tier Two claims processing is? Are you a candidate? I’m willing to bet that unless you’ve heard me talk about it, you haven’t got a clue what Tier Two is. We’ll come back to Tier Two. I’ll let you stew on this one for a while.

Let’s go back to the beginning of this blog. Back to the comments by the person who complained, “Met a fellow woman veteran who got her claim approved in less than a year. I was happy for her and jealous at the same time. We are in the same region, and I have been waiting for years. So I say what the hell am I doing wrong.”

I don’t know the story behind those comments so I can only make some educated guesses about both cases. First, congrats to the Vet who got benefits approved in less than a year. That is record time. It also sounds like a Tier Two case to me but I can’t be sure. To the writer I say, you probably don’t know the whole story either. Every claim is different as is every Region. No two Veterans will submit an identical claim. For arguments sake, let’s say you submitted a claim for PTSD to the same VARO on the same date. However, that’s where the similarities end. Your MST was 10 years ago. Her MST was 1 or 2 years ago. (I’m making this scenario up as I go along so bear with me). Ten years ago you reported it and it was swept under the rug. You are depending on buddy statements, your own statements and flashbacks, letters you wrote home, your nightmares, some vague memories, maybe a pap smear or possibly a test positive for an STD. The other Veteran reported it to the police. A full investigation was done, the perpetrator was arrested, she has police reports, a rape kit, and the guy is now in prison. She also has a current diagnosis of PTSD due to MST and a nexus from her treating mental health doctors, something you don’t have. You’ve had to build your case from scratch. Her case was complete from the beginning. Yours was denied and you’ve had to appeal, over and over. You haven’t done anything wrong. You’ve done everything right. The system has grown and changed over the years. There is now a huge push to recognize MST. Everyone entering the VA Health system is supposed to be screened for MST. That isn’t to say it’s easier to get a claim approved. It’s just a fact that MST is more prevalent in the media these days. They’ve brought in Women’s Trauma Counselors for us. The system is supposed to advocate for us and be more proactive in getting us treated. Consequently, Veteran #1 had a more complete claim to submit, plus she was an OIF/OEF Veteran. Maybe she was even injured in Iraq or Afghanistan and came home with a Purple Heart. Perhaps that Purple Heart is what won her PTSD claim. Perhaps it wasn’t MST at all. There are way too many factors to begin to speculate why her claim was adjudicated so quickly. But the point is just that. No claim is identical to another. There is no way to tell why her claim came back in under one year and yours has taken years. For all we know, it could be the representation you had, lack of solid evidence on your part or any one of one-hundred reasons.

SMLM CARD

I know a female Veteran with service connected PTSD for serving in Germany during the 70’s and 80’s. We were there together. Her PTSD isn’t from MST. It was caused by terrorist activity. Do you OIF/OEF Vets think you’re the only ones who are subject to terrorist attacks? Think again. Ever hear of the Red Army Faction? What about Baader Meinhof? Remember them? They used to like blowing up American service members and students in Germany. They tried to assassinate General Alexander Haig when he was retiring as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. How do I know that? I was in Germany when that happened in June 1979. They pulled us out of the mess hall at 5:30 in the morning and put us on high alert. We stayed that way for seven days. I remember it well because I was part of the RAP (rear area patrol) Platoon. That was also when the nine women in my platoon were forced to sleep in a tiny little office for the duration of the alert. For our own “protection” we were locked into that office at night and not allowed out until the following morning. Guess who they were trying to "protect" us from. The men in my platoon. There were no toilet facilities and no way to escape if, G-d forbid, a fire should break out. We pushed the desk to the wall and we had to sleep, literally, side by side. We were jammed in there so closely that if one woman wanted to turn over, we all had to turn over. It was more a sick joke than a sitcom. For years I dreamed about being stuck in that office. I had nightmares about not being able to get out of there. I certainly never thought to file for PTSD because of it. My friend did. No one had a doubt that what she went through was very real. She retired in 1993, one year ahead of me, filed a claim for PTSD and won her claim right out of the box in under a year. That was then. Those were the days when we had to report seeing Soviet drivers on the autobahns; we had to carry SMLM (Soviet Military Liaison Mission) Cards in our wallets; the days of the Cold War before The Wall came down; the days they wouldn’t allow me to travel to Berlin via Check Point Charlie because I am Jewish. The units I served in wouldn’t issue orders to Jews. Yes, you had to be issued orders to travel to Berlin in the old days.

Have you figured out the average wait time for a claim? No one really knows, my friends. Say you and your buddy have an identical issue; if there is one slight variance, everything changes. If it goes to a different RVSR, that could mean all the difference in the world. If one has reviewed thousands of claims and the other has reviewed hundreds of claims, who do you think is going to give the better, more thorough review of your claim? Do you really think there is an answer to that question? There might be. However, one rater may have more claims on his/her desk and that could mean the difference between one month, two months or fifteen months of processing time.

Time to discuss Tier Two. Have you figured that one out yet? Tier Two applies to OIF/OEF and Afghanistan Veterans. It was a very quietly pushed through piece of legislation promoted by, I believe, IAVA. It leaves everyone else behind. Tier Two gives priority processing to the new crop of Veterans. When an OIF/OEF or Afghanistan Veteran files a new claim it goes to the top of the pile. It doesn’t matter that my claim has been sitting there for well over a year. Those claims get piled higher and higher on top of mine. Okay, so maybe that’s not technically how it works, but that’s the principle behind it. My guess is they’ve dedicated more and more RVSR’s to them and fewer to us in order to be in compliance with Tier Two.

Let’s recap. First, you have Agent Orange and Nehmer Claims being processed. Second, you have Tier Two claims being processed. Then you have the rest of us. Is it fair? Depends on who you ask, I suppose. I don’t begrudge the Vietnam Vets who are finally getting the benefits they‘ve waited far too long for. I have nothing but respect for my sisters and brothers who have served and are serving in the current war. However, I do believe they should wait their place in line. This war is almost 10 years old. If they keep piling those claims on top of mine, my claim may never be adjudicated. OIF/OIF and Gulf War Veterans already have a long list of presumptives approved that it took Vietnam Vets 40 years to get. If the rest of us got equal treatment in processing claims instead of breaking us down into groups of us against them, it should help to speed things up.

What else would help? The VARO’s need to shit or get off the pot. It’s time to start updating their computer data bases. If they did that, eBenefits might be a more useful tool. I check my account once or twice a week. I don’t depend on it to be accurate. I look at it to reconfirm how inaccurate it is. I’ve heard from other Veterans across the Country that their accounts are current. That tells me that St Pete is, as usual, behind the curve. I have two appeals pending but my account only lists one. Why is that? Why isn’t it showing my dependency appeal? Why, on every single one of my claims, does it show the same list of paperwork, including a memo from the DAV? That’s on EVERY SINGLE CLAIM! I haven’t been with the DAV for a couple of years now. eBenefits is only as good as the information input at the VARO level. St Pete does a crappy job of data entry. One of my claims has been in the decision phase for far longer than according to their own time frame says it should be there. What good does that do me? They are so backlogged they can’t even update eBenefits. Is it the backlog, incompetence or do they just not give a damn about the Veterans they are supposed to be servicing? Your guess is as good as mine.

What shouldn’t you do? Don’t submit an IRIS inquiry or call the 800 number to check on your claim. You are wasting your time. If you have already checked your eBenefits account and it isn’t current, than submitting an IRIS inquiry or calling the 1-800 number isn’t going to get you a better answer. They will be checking into the same computer system to attempt to answer your question about the status of your claim. If it isn’t current in eBenefits what makes you think you’ll get an answer that’s any different from IRIS or by calling the 800 number?

Don’t call or write your Congress Critter. That will just slow down the process. When you start a Congressional Inquiry, they pull your claims file from whomever has it (even if it’s sitting in a box in a closet somewhere), look at it, say yes, it’s in the queue, and then once it’s back at the VARO, it goes back to the bottom of the queue. You don’t go back to your place in line. Some will disagree with me, but this is what I believe to be the truth based on trusted sources who have reported back to me on their own Congressional experiences, investigations and research.

Don’t submit new claims while you have others pending. That also slows down the process. The VARO will try to combine them all. It’s a money and time saver for them. However, they have to pull them all together from wherever they are, schedule Comp and Pen exams for you and in many instances, the newest ones you submit will be combined with the oldest ones and you’ll wait. And wait. And wait while the VARO does their evidence gathering. When I submitted my claim for Temp 100% , I submitted it as a “quick claim” and was told St Pete has a turn around time of “5 working days” on Temp 100% claims after service connected surgical procedures. I was told this by a St Pete VARO RVSR. I sent in every hospital report, surgical report, lab report, PT records, doctors notes, xrays and photos the doctor took before and in surgery. It was a slam dunk claim. “5 working days”. That was in May 2010. I’m still waiting and according to eBenefits, that claim is in the “decision phase”. Yeah. Right. Oh well! By the time they get around to approving or disapproving it, I’ll be ready to go back in for an increase because now I have extensive arthritis in that shoulder and loss of range of motion as a result of the surgery. Lesson learned.

What else should you do? My buddy Jim Strickland says it best. Get a hobby. Go fishing. Read a good book. Don’t hold your breath. Expect your claim to take anywhere from 18 months to 2 years at least. Expect it to be denied. Expect to have to appeal and then expect it to take another 2-3 years after that.

Go back to your book. Get on Facebook. Browse the Internet. Catch a fish and tell a fish story. When your claim is denied, come back to my blog and read the one I wrote about hiring an attorney. Then go to VA Watchdog Today dot Org. Jim Strickland has some top notch attorneys advertising for your business there. How do you think I found my attorney, Karl Kazmierczak?

That’s all I’ve got for you today, my friends. To wrap things up just remember, every claim is different, every Region is different, do your research and be prepared to wait. Get a hobby, don’t jump from VSO to VSO or advocate to advocate. Stick with one person and one person alone. You’ll be much happier for it in the end.

Until the next time ……..

A DRO Review. Luis Montalvan. Same Sex Benefits. Say What?

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:02:00 +0000

Greetings, Friends!

Well, it finally happened. I received a letter from the VARO in St Pete scheduling me for a DRO Review on 27 July 2011. After many emails back and forth, and several discussions with my attorney, it was decided to cancel the hearing. What? Are you asking if I'm crazy? I am, yes, but that's another blog for another day.

Rather than attend the hearing, my attorney decided to send in a legal brief detailing my case, explaining why I should be awarded Individual Unemployability (IU). The brief took the place of the hearing. I have to say that I was very impressed with the way my attorney spelled everything out in such incredible detail. He tied it all together in a way that made sense, stating case law, CFR, and all the reasons why the VA had erred in not awarding me IU in the first place.

So what happens now?

As always, there is the wait. It could be anywhere from two months to two years for a decision. My very wise friend Jim Strickland said to hope for the best and expect the worst. At best, I will be awarded 100% and life will go on. At worst, it will be denied by the DRO and we will have to continue on with the appeal to the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA). That could potentially delay my claim for another 3-5 years if we're going to be realistic about it. What the hell ... I've been waiting three years for a decision. What's another few years wait? For starters, it's a lot more money if/when I win. My attorney will get 20% of my winnings (so to speak) but what the hell, I wouldn't have that money were it not for my attorney. I'm in this position because the (insert Veterans Group here) previous NSO handling my claim screwed it up and failed to submit critical evidence to support my claim. Evidence that I had turned over to the NSO. Evidence that said NSO told me was NOT necessary. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Another possibility is the DRO could decide that I need an updated Comp and Pen exam before a decision can be made. After all, it's been over three years since I initiated this claim and things have changed since then. However, I have to say that if I were called in for a Comp and Pen exam, it would be a waste of government time and money. My service connected disabilities have continued to deteriorate in the 3 years that have passed since the last one. They examine all of your service connected disabilities when you apply for IU and I have had two additional service connected surgeries since that time, have been issued a motorized scooter, acquired a service dog that I don't leave home without; so, yes, I do believe they'd have to find in my favor.

I hope I don't have to wait another two years for a decision but I'm not holding my breath.

Former Captain Luis Carlos Montalvan is back in the news again. Before banning me from his Facebook page (how petty!), I was able to read a nursing note he posted there. Supposedly he was roughed up by the VA Police, separated from his dog, Tuesday, and thrown in a holding cell. Browsing the internet, I was able to find the note he posted to his Facebook page on this website: http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=408721. I won't repost it here. It contains the name of Montalvan's nurse and I won't republish that. It bothers me that Montalvan himself had the nerve to put that kind of information out there without the permission of the other people involved. I have to sign a Release of Information to get that information from my medical records. How did he get it so quickly? Not only get a copy of it, but get it home and get it on the internet so quickly? As I recall ... as I said, I was banned from his page ... but there was less than an hours time frame from the time the report was written until the time Montalvan got it up and posted on Facebook. There is something not quite right about that.

In his statement he said he couldn't stand up because he was disabled. But if you look at the picture of Montalvan below, which I found by Googling him, there he is, laying in the grass with Tuesday, cane way off to his side. If he can't get up, why is this picture of him posted on the internet? Is this another lie? Why could he lay down then and be able to stand up without assistance but not get up when he was told to do so by the VA Police Officers? Like I said, there's something just not right about this story. If he can't stand up, he should be more careful about the pictures of himself that he allows to be published online.

The other thing that bothers me about this allegation is this. Montalvan is a media whore. Google him and his name is everywhere. He's promoting his book right now. Why hasn't he gone to the media with this story? Why would he limit his posting of this story to Facebook where the only people who can read about it are people who are his "friends" and fans? The other thing that bothers me is why now? He's been utilizing this VA Hospital for how long now? Why are they just now telling him his dog has to leave the facility? I take my dog to the VA all the time. He's well marked as a service dog and I've never been asked to leave. I've seen other dogs get kicked out. Those were dogs that were not supposed to be there. Pet dogs that people carried in rather than leave them in the car in the Florida heat. To them I say, "You know it's hot here. Why do you bring your dog with you?" You be the judge. Go to the link above. Read Montalvan's statement about what allegedly happened. Tell me his story doesn't stink.

Let me clarify something before you jump on me. I've never argued the fact that Tuesday isn't a service dog. I've also never argued the fact that Montalvan has PTSD. My only problem with him is that he is a sensationalist. His own soldiers and superiors have come out against him saying he has embellished the events of his alleged assassination attempt in Iraq; soldiers who were there that day dispute what happened. How is it that he is the only one who claims it was an assassination attempt? I spent twenty years in the Army. Who wants to assassinate a Lieutenant? They don't know anything. The only person in the Chain of Command who knows less than a Lieutenant is a Private. I asked Montalvan flat out, "So you're calling them liars?" His reply was to unfriend me from Facebook.

Browse the boards on the internet. Veterans are now starting to talk negatively about him. They've googled him. Montalvan's naive fans are posting the nursing notes to Veterans boards and the old retirees are responding to it the same way that I am. They aren't being bowled over by his book, his dog or his smile. They see him as a man who is making money off his dog and his disability and they are beginning to doubt his story and credibility. They are starting to get angry. If he did, in fact, embellish his story to get benefits, and he's published it, and later it comes out that his story is false, it will only give more fuel to the public fire that Veterans will do anything to get money for disabilities. I don't know about the rest of you, but my chronic pain is very real and comes from 12+ surgery's all connected to things that happened to me on active duty. My PTSD is also very real and I have evidence to back it up. I have buddy statements, I have medical records and I have statements from witnesses. I also have letters I wrote him, in explicit detail, describing what happened to me. And, if they still exist, there are police reports out there somewhere.

You all know I'm not a huge fan of the VA and the way the do/don't approve service dogs. I've written extensively about my fight to get Rocco approved as a Service Dog/Prosthetic Device. You know that he's been disapproved not once, but twice already by VACO. They think that he's strictly a PSTD dog when he's not. He's a dual purpose dog; medical alert and mobility. But, they don't give me any problems when I take Rocco in there with me. I take him to the Haley VA Hospital in Tampa and he's always welcomed there. My doctors and nurses adore him. The same thing applies when I take him to the Brooksville Community Outpatient Clinic. No one says anything to us. Well, no one says anything negative to us. We get complimented all the time. Why is Montalvan publishing this Nursing note now? Is he looking for more publicity? I've been browsing service dog boards all morning long. There are some lines of thought that believe this was done to sell more books. What's the rest of the story, Luis? Are you waiting for your pal, Senator Franken to bail you out of this one?

By the way, if you read the nursing note, you'll see that Tuesday was given VA recognition as a Service Dog by an "Act of Congress". That's a real shame. That means Montalvan has no clue how hard the rest of us fight for the same privilege he was given. He can advocate all he wants but it makes sense now why he gave me such worthless advice when I asked him for help all those many months ago. He doesn't know the first thing about applying to the VA for getting a service dog recognized as a prosthetic advice. He thinks everyone should get their dogs granted by Acts of Congress and that's why he kept telling me to write my Congressman. My Congressman kept telling me to see a VSO. The VSO's can't help you because the request has to come from your primary care physician or psychologist. My guess is that Montalvan doesn't know that. Enough about him. I guess we will all just have to wait for the rest of the story to come out. When it does, I'll have it for you here.

Changing Gears. Next subject. Benefits for same sex spouses from the VA. I've been preaching about this for well over a year already. I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a lesbian and I'm legally married to a woman. If/when I reach that elusive 100%, I want my wife to be able to reap the benefits of Champ VA, just as if I were married to a man. However, the law defines a spouse as a person of the opposite sex. The law has to change. Until that happens, couples like myself and my buddy Tracy and her wife, will fight at this level. We've filed claims for benefits for our spouses that have already been denied. Tracy is one step ahead of me. She had her DRO Review one month ahead of mine. She's already received a Statement of the Case. Mine will follow. The next step for us both is to get with our attorneys and file a Form 9 to the Board of Veterans Appeals. Then we wait for that denial. It could take years.

Why are we doing this? Because it's important. But we can't do it alone. We need others to join us. What we are doing isn't enough. The law needs to be changed. I was talking to my pal Jim Strickland this morning. He and Leo Dougherty were discussing Grass Roots politicking and that's what we need to do if we're ever going to get this law changed. It worked with Don't Ask Don't Tell. Why can't it work with this? This is going to become a hot button issue in September of this year when they start allowing gays, lesbians and bisexuals to enlist. Don't you think they are going to start demanding benefits for their spouses? And what happens when they get out? Do the benefits just stop cold? I don't think so. Disabled GLBT Vets will want benefits to continue for their spouses. Where are the groups that fought so hard to repeal DADT? Why aren't they picking up on our fight for benefits? Have I been posting this blog in the wrong places? Tell me, my friends... what am I doing wrong? Is there something else I could be doing to get the attention of the GLBT Disabled Veteran Community? Where are all those people who chained themselves to the gates of the White House fighting for the repeal of DADT? Why aren't they back in the public eye fighting for benefits? Did they get what they wanted and then quit fighting for the rest of us?

What about the rest of you? Tracy and her wife can't be the only same sex, legally married disabled Veteran service connected couple aside from Terri and I who want benefits for our spouses. Are you afraid of letting the VA know that you're gay? They don't care. Look around you the next time you're at the VA Hospital, CBOC, Regional Office, etc. Really look. The VA has a lot of GLBT employees. Many of them are Veterans. My doctors know I'm a lesbian. I refer to my wife often. They don't bat an eye. They are happy to meet her when she comes to my appointments. She's listed as my emergency contact and she has my power of attorney. They aren't going to take away my benefits just because I'm gay. Employers don't have access to your VA records so there's no chance of your being "outed" through them or to them. But let's get real here. If you're receiving 30% or higher, you're entitled to an additional monetary amount for being married. Why should we be penalized because we love someone of the same sex? Doesn't that infuriate you? It does me. I will keep fighting for this benefit until the day I die if that's what it takes. I want my wife taken care of after I die. I want my wife buried next to me in a Veteran's Cemetery and right now, that's not possible.

So now that I've piqued your interest and you want to file a claim for your same sex spouse how do you go about it? Read this blog and you'll find all the information you need. It's got all the links to the forms you need. Once you file and get your denial, email me and I'll send you the format for the Notice of Disagreement(NOD) and Appeal you have to file next. I received my denial in record time. I believe it was only two or three months. We've got Tracy's transcripts back from her formal hearing and we'll now use that as a basis for all formal hearings. She did a fabulous job preparing for her hearing. We'll update her transcript as new laws are approved that will help our case(s). Just keep in mind that this is not a fight that will end any time soon. It will go on for many, many years. Spread the word. Share this blog. Tell your Veteran friends about it. Encourage couples to apply. Talk to everyone you know about this initiative. Without your help, my friends, we can't make this happen. Tracy and I and our wives are four women. We'd like to make this change happen but honestly folks, we're just four women. We spread these blogs around and they are well read if the statistics provided by Feedjit.com and Blogger are correct. That isn't enough though. Reading my blogs just isn't enough. Spreading the word isn't enough. We need couples to take action. I'll step down from my soapbox now. You know how to reach me if you have questions or comments on this topic. Thanks for listening, my friends.

And that, my friends, wraps it up for today. We've talked about DRO Reviews, Luis Montalvan and benefits for gay and lesbian, legally married, disabled Veterans. I've been wanting to blog about these topics for quite some time but my PTSD has been rattling my brain more rather than less quite a bit these past several weeks. I haven't been able to put together more than two or three paragraphs that even made sense. You know how that is. It makes being able to concentrate very difficult. If I told you how many hours I've been pecking away at this keyboard, trying to put together this blog, it would blow you away. Type a little, have a smoke, take the dogs out to the yard, watch a little television, check email, work on the blog a little more, take some time out for Rocco, drink a diet coke, grab a bottle of water and so on. And ... I still have to proof read this before I can publish it. That will take me another two or three hours ... at least. Did I mention I have a very short attention span?

Until the next time, my friends .......

Good news for OIF/OEF Vets discharged between 12/02 and 10/08

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 23:02:00 +0000

Veterans with PTSD and the US Government finally reached a settlement. Go to the link below for details. If you were discharged between December 2002 and October 2008, this applies to you. Check it out.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43940793/ns/health-mental_health/t/vets-ptsd-government-reach-settlement/

After reading the article, for further information, go to the National Veterans Legal Services Program website.

Until the next time ....

Luis Montalvan. Disabled Veteran. Service Dog Handler. Fact or Fiction?

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 01:41:00 +0000

Hello friends. Let's talk a little today about Veterans who stretch the truth.

If you have a service dog and you're on the internet, you'd have to be blind not to notice the pages about Luis Montalvan and his Golden Retriever, Tuesday. I won't dignify this former Army Captain by linking to his pages. You can Google him and find his pages yourself. Mr. Montalvan is an Iraq Veteran. By his account and the account of others, he is a disabled Veteran. The Bureau of Veterans Affairs agrees that he is a disabled Veteran. That's where all the agreements end.

I've been chatting with Luis online for some time now. Mostly we've discussed the topic of service dogs. It's a topic near and dear to both our hearts. Luis has Tuesday, a Golden Retriever who has captured the hearts of thousands. I've tried to discuss with Luis how to get the same benefits for my service dog as he has gotten for his service dog from the VA. Luis had little advice for me. He didn't have to fight very hard for his benefits because he had Senator Franken pushing hard for his dog to get benefits. With a Senator in your back pocket, the powers that be at the VA listen. Luis got lucky and didn't have to fight. I commend him on that win. Tuesday may very well be a PTSD dog but here is the catch. The VA does not award benefits to PTSD dogs. They only award them to guide dogs and service dogs other than PTSD or any kind of mental health dogs.

So what does that tell us about Tuesday? I know from email exchanges with Luis that he receives benefits from the VA for him. It's a matter of public record. They will award benefits for a mobility dog. Therefore, we know that Luis does in fact have mobility issues. If you look around the internet, the stories about Luis' injuries vary greatly. Some say his injuries occurred in Iraq. Some say his injuries occurred when he was beaten up by two McDonald's employees. Again, these are all a matter of public record, and can be found by Googling Luis. In some articles, by Luis' own admission, his injuries occurred when he was attacked at McDonald's.

Today, there was an article published on the ABC News website which is disputing Mr. Montalvan's stories of his injuries in Iraq. Interviews with his soldiers and superiors, according to the article, agreed that Mr. Montalvan embellished the details of his injuries. In another posting I found online, a soldier of his stated that the person who allegedly tried to assassinate then LT Montalvan, was nothing more than a drunken Syrian truck driver who attacked the LT with a screwdriver and not a knife. See link: http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27608&page=2 .

Why is all this upsetting to me? Because if it turns out to be the truth that Mr Montalvan IS lying about what happened to him, he's just made all of us Veterans look bad. There are a lot of civilians out there who begrudge disabled Veterans the benefits we get for the disabilities we incurred in the line of duty. Too often you pick up the paper and read stories about Vets who lied to get benefits. Now, I'm not saying Mr. Montalvan is a liar. I went to his Facebook page this morning and asked him to clarify the discrepancy. Why, in his own words, in so many articles in archives, were there different stories about how he got his injuries? I asked him, are your soldiers and superiors lying? His response was to kick me off his Facebook page.

Is his PTSD real? I don't doubt that it is. I have PTSD. If you're a regular reader, you know where my PTSD comes from. I have no secrets from you, my friends. You know my struggles. It's all here in print. For free. I didn't write a book about it and try to make a profit off my struggles. Luis says he's 80% service connected. Let him go to work and get a job. Does he donate any of the proceeds to service dog groups or disabled Veteran organizations? I asked him that once. He ignored my email.

For the record, I saw his appearance on Dave Letterman. I don't know how he handles all the public appearances. If his PTSD is as bad as he says it is, how does he manage his symptoms? I want that secret please, Luis. I can barely leave my house. I can't stand crowds. The thought of a stranger getting close to me or touching me puts the fear of G-d into me. There is no way I can even think about getting on an airplane to travel. And ... I have a service dog. A big, 75 pound Doberman whom I trust with my life. Just going to my doctor appointments at the VA Hospital is an exercise in terror. How do you do it, Luis? How is it you're rated that high for PTSD yet you can travel, do book signings, make all those public appearances? If I was the rater who reviewed your claim, I'd be pulling your record for a review. Sounds to me like you're ready for a reduction in rating. You are handling the outside world really well....much better in fact, than most Veterans I know with PTSD.

Then again... if I sued McDonald's for $40 million and they settled out of court .... I probably wouldn't be too concerned with money either. http://www.newser.com/story/80051/ap-scribe-debunks-huffpo-bloggers-war-tale.html

Until the next time .....

Ninth Circuit Court Lifts Stay Barring Enforcement of Don't Ask Don't Tell

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Ninth Circuit Lifts Stay Barring Enforcement of DADT

LCR Case, on which Servicemembers United Executive Director is the Sole

Veteran Plaintiff, Succeeds Again in Gutting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

7/6/2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Servicemembers United, the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, today enthusiastically applauded the order issued by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifting its own stay of a lower court's injunction barring enforcement of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. This move once again renders "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" unenforceable by the Pentagon.

"With the wait for certification dragging out beyond a reasonable time frame, the Court has once again stepped in to require the Pentagon to stop enforcing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and this time it very well may be for good," said Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and the sole veteran plaintiff on the case. "I am proud to have worked personally worked with Log Cabin on this case for more than five years now and to have represented the gay military community as the sole named veteran on this lawsuit. Despite the criticisms and years of waiting, this case has yet again successfully eviscerated this outdated, harmful, and discriminatory law."

The Log Cabin Republicans vs. U.S.A. lawsuit is the only contemporary successful challenge to the constitutionality of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, which requires the Department of Defense to abruptly fire any servicemember found to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual. In 2010, U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips found the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law to be unconstitutional after a two-week trial, and issued an order barring enforcement of the law worldwide. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently issued a stay of that order pending appeal by the government. Today's order from the Ninth Circuit overturns its own previous stay, rendering "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" once again unenforceable.

Nicholson added, "Servicemembers should still remain extremely cautious with information regarding their sexual orientation for the time being. The issue remains in a state of flux, although guarded optimism is certainly warranted."

For more information about Servicemembers United and the gay military community, please visit our new home on the web at www.servicemembers.org.

###

Servicemembers United, a non-profit and non-partisan organization, is the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans and their allies. Based in Washington, DC, Servicemembers United actively engages in education and advocacy on issues affecting the gay military, veteran, and defense community.

*** Any photos added were not in the original posting. They were added by me. Thanks, Wendi.***

The End of an Era by Leo Dougherty

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:54:00 +0000


CSM Mellinger

The Associated Press reported on, of all days, July 4, 2011 that Command Sergeant Major Jeff Mellinger (Fort Belvoir, VA) is believed to be the last Army draftee on active duty and is about to retire. He will have completed 39 years of active duty military service when he walks through the gates of Fort Belvoir for the last time. It will mark the end of an era.

If you are 40 or older the chances are you remember a time when conscription was an accepted part of a teenager’s life. You expected to be drafted into the Army if you did not enlist in one of the other branches of service, unless you were medically disqualified.


CSM Mellinger then and now

In 1973 however, partly or perhaps mostly in response to opposition to the War in Vietnam the draft was discontinued. Like so many things our government does that are prompted by politicians reacting to political winds of the times, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I was not drafted and was not even eligible to apply for a draft card when I enlisted so the draft didn’t mean a lot to me. I didn’t think it was such a bad idea to discontinue conscripting young men into serving our country.

Now, almost 40 years later, I believe we could have done a better job of managing the draft following the end of the War in Vietnam.

Why do I think we could have done a better job managing the draft, rather than discontinuing it? First, the likelihood that we would have more representatives in the House of Representatives and the Senate with military experience is greater. That military experience would very likely result in greater consideration by elected officials of when and where our government would send our troops, our money, and our wartime resources before making a military commitment.

Equally important, far more members of society would have experienced military service and thus their families would have a much greater understanding of the stresses loved ones must endure during deployments.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, today’s military personnel and their families would not have to endure multiple deployments while the majority of America’s citizen’s continue with their lives as if nothing was going on in a country thousands of miles away.

The Selective Service System still exists today. Our government could schedule a draft if it wanted to but in my humble opinion it lacks the political courage to do this. If it did schedule a draft out of necessity it could also stop a draft when the necessity ended. Under such circumstances it would be interesting to see how quickly our elected leaders would be to involve our country in war when their constituents would be keenly aware that everyone would be invested and engaged in such a war.

I believe that if American citizens felt a war was just and necessary we would see the kind of national commitment and unity seen during World War II. I also believe we would see much more thoughtful debate about wars that essentially involve policing, nation building, or interceding in civil wars of other countries.

One other thing I think we could have done and should have done when we ceased drafting young men to serve in the military is provided a choice; serve two years in your choice of a military branch or serve two years in a program created to better America at home. Had we done this we might not have a society that expects instant gratification, a society that seems to no longer have room for opposing opinions in its national discourse, and a society that seems to think it’s OK for others to do the work of representing and defending our national interests around the world.

But, I’m just an old man who still thinks it’s an honor to serve my country. I still believe the best experience any young man can have is to learn discipline, to learn self-worth, to learn team work even with some people you may not necessarily like or get along with, to learn pride, to learn leadership as well as following, and most of all to learn just what honor really is. These are the characteristics I believe come from civic service and should be required learning for all young people.

According to the Associated Press, Command Sergeant Major Mellinger told the draft board in 1972, “I don’t need to go into the Army, I’ve got a job.” His job was hanging drywall.

The era of a 19 year old drywall hanger being required to serve America in some way and along the way learning about honor, commitment and all the other character traits that come with military or civic service ends with him. Maybe I’m out of touch with the reality of the 21^st Century but I remember when it was a source of pride for a family to say their son or daughter served in the military or in some government service program that made us better not just in the eyes of others, but in our own eyes. I remember the pride I felt every time I returned home on leave or liberty. And I remember the sense of accomplishment I felt as I walked out the gate of the Navy base in Newport, RI that last day. It’s sad that so many young folks may never know those feelings. And it should be unacceptable to society and elected officials that such a small group of American families have to shoulder the burden of serving and defending our country.

CSM Mellinger will probably have this same smile on his face when he walks out the door for the last time. I sure did.

Proposed VA Service Dog Regulation -- Comment Period ends August 15, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:39:00 +0000

Hello my friends,

I come to you today bearing good news. That's a change, isn't it. Are you ready?

Are you a disabled Veteran with a service dog? Are you considering getting a service dog? Than you definitely want to read this article published by Occupational Health and Safety, entitled VA Expanding Service Dog Benefits. The title itself is a bit of a misnomer. The VA isn't exactly "expanding" anything. Not yet. Read on.

This is a PROPOSAL to change to a current regulation already in place. It will add SERVICE DOGS to the current VA regulation which currently covers only Guide Dogs. Yes, some of you out there have had service dogs approved but as you know all too well it's been a real battle. This will (should) take the battle out of it for most of us with service dogs. The proposed regulation will define service dogs. It will spell out exactly what is covered by VA Prosthetics. It is also supposed to spell out the steps for applying -- something which varies from VA Hospital to VA Hospital. Wouldn't it be nice to have a standard?

READ THE FULL TEXT HERE: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-16/html/2011-14933.htm I suggest each of you take the time to read this carefully. It describes the proposed changes to the current regulation. Take notes if you have to of things you don't agree with. It will help you to better prepare your comments on this proposal.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? It's easy and it will only take a few minutes of your time. Go to Regulations.gov. There you will see a search key. In the box above it, enter the following, "VA-2011-VHA-0017-0001: AN51-Proposed Rule -Service Dogs" (minus the quotation marks). You have until August 15, 2011 to make comments. State facts. Leave emotions out of it. We all know the VA doesn't care about our emotions or how broke we are. Remember to compare it to a prosthetic device. State why you can't use a standard prosthetic device and why a SD is better for you. The VA will replace and pay to repair our prosthetic devices. Why shouldn't they pay to maintain our dogs? These are working dogs, not pets.

SPREAD THE WORD. Share this blog with every service dog organization you know. Ask them to comment on this proposed regulation. We need to get the word out. Share this with every Veteran you know who has a service dog. The more comments we have the better off we are. We want the VA, particularly Neal Eckrich, to know that we are paying attention. In your comments, tell him what type of service dog you have, not the breed, but what the dog does to assist, as in mobility, seizures, balance, etc.

WHAT THIS IS NOT. This is not for PTSD or mental health dogs. Let's be clear about that. The VA is currently conducting a three year study on the effects of PTSD dogs and their "value" to those of us with PTSD. This is strictly about service dogs that assist us with mobility issues, seizure issues, etc. Read the proposed explanation for further details.

Good luck everyone. Remember, spread this blog far and wide. Encourage everyone you know to comment on this proposed regulation. Let the folks at VA HQ in DC know we are paying attention and we're not going to let this one get by us without our comments. This is too critical for all of us to do nothing.

Until the next time I leave you with these photos of Rocco and me out on the town. I couldn't have done this without Rocco. Thanks to Service Dogs of Florida for helping me train and certify him!

Stanley Robinson, Update. Corrective Action at the Tampa VA Hospital

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:21:00 +0000

Hello my faithful friends and dedicated readers. I'm glad you're here today. I've got a story to update you on.

If you read my previous blog than it's no secret what happened to me when I went to my appointment on Tuesday, June 14, 2011, at the Dermatology Clinic at the James A Haley VA Hospital in Tampa. If you haven't read that blog, you should do that now before reading any further. For the rest of you, here is what I hope is the "rest of the story".

When I got home on Tuesday, I had a migraine that didn't finally go away until I woke up this morning. It took a dose of imitrex on Wednesday night to finally be rid of it. It was no doubt brought upon by my encounter with Stanley Robinson, LPN. My Dermatology appointment had been rescheduled for yesterday at 1:40 and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frightened just thinking about it. I dreaded going back there just knowing there was the chance that I'd run into Stanley Robinson, LPN, once again. I knew I was obsessing but I couldn't help myself. I kept replaying the events of Tuesday over and over in my head. Could I have avoided that situation somehow? Was there something different I should have done? What did I do wrong? I was getting more and more anxious as the morning wore on.

There was a phone call. Isn't there always? The phone rang at 9:47 yesterday. I know the exact time because I checked my call history. Thank goodness for modern technology, right? It was Patient Advocate Patty calling to ask me to meet her and the "Director of Nursing" before my Dermatology appointment. She said that the "Director" was anxious to meet me to discuss what had happened on Tuesday. My regular followers know that I no longer drive due to the number of medications I'm on. Couple that with the fact that concentration is a huge problem for me. I have the concentration of a two year old. If I told you how long it's taken me to write just these few paragraphs you probably wouldn't believe me. That makes me a HUGE road hazard. I told Patty that my wife was driving me to the hospital that afternoon and I wasn't sure when she would be getting home from work or what time we'd be leaving our house. We agreed it was best to meet after I saw the doctor.

Oh yes ... you read it right, my friends. Terri took the afternoon off to take me to the VA Hospital. All I can say is thank goodness for my wife. She is truly a blessing in my life. You've never met my wife, have you? For starters, Terri and I both grew up in Chicago. Okay. That's not entirely true. Terri calls herself a Chicagoan. Have you ever heard of Mount Prospect, Illinois? You have if you are familiar with Chicago suburbs. For the rest of you, unless you know someone who lives there or you're from there, it's a bet I'm willing to take that most of you have never heard of Mount Prospect. For all intents and purposes, most Chicago suburbanites will say they are "Chicagoans". I am a true Chicagoan. I was conceived there, born there, raised there and stayed there until that day on October 5, 1976, when I boarded the plane to leave for Fort McClellan, Alabama, for WAC basic training. BUT ... this is about Terri, not me. I just felt obligated to explain the difference between a "real" Chicagoan versus a "faux" Chicagoan. (Terri is going to kill me when she reads this "explanation" .... she WAS born in the city of Chicago.)

Terri is protective when it comes to those she loves and cares about. She was furious when she heard what happened to me on Tuesday. I was almost relieved that she wasn't there. If she had seen how I was treated by Stanley Robinson, LPN, I have no doubt she'd have attempted to tear him to pieces. Seriously. Terri hates a bully. Stanley Robinson, LPN, is a schoolyard bully. That's the best way I can think of to describe him. On the other hand, I knew that between Rocco and Terri, no one was going to hurt me yesterday. Rocco doesn't bite but Terri does. I'm glad Terri is on my side. Still as the morning wore on, I was getting more and more anxious. Terri got home from work, changed into civilian clothes (she works for the Pasco County Fire Department) and off we went with Rocco at my side.

We arrived early for my appointment (it's a habit of mine developed in the Army) and when I checked in to the Dermatology Clinic I noticed an immediate change in attitude. The same woman who checked me in Tuesday, checked me in on Thursday but her demeanor was completely different. She actually smiled at me and looked me directly in the eyes. When I said to her, "Please mark my chart "No males", she immediately responded with, "Yes, no problemo!". Okay, I can handle the Spanish. I understand simple Spanish. I told her we'd be waiting outside and she said, "Yes, yes" and out the door we walked. A couple minutes later, a female nurse walked outside and told us that "Robin" (the PA I was there to see) had just started her 1:20 appointment and would be with us next. Terri and I just looked at each other. I told Terri I'd never been treated this well before. It was apparent that someone had actually talked to the staff in this clinic about my complaint. I was pleasantly surprised.

Ten minutes later, another female nurse came out to get me and escorted Terri and I back to the exam room to see PA Robin. PA Robin was, as always, amazing. She brought in Dr Baldwin (a female) to consult and together they took care of my issue like the professionals they are. I've never had a problem with PA Robin. She's always taken spectacular care of me and Rocco likes her, too.

After I was seen and treated, we were escorted to the front desk to make a follow-up appointment. I was shocked at the VIP treatment. This was the first time I been treated with such respect by all the staff in the Dermatology Clinic. Once that was completed, we were escorted to the conference room where our meeting was to take place with the Patient Advocate.

Terri and I walked in and I was a little taken aback to see three women in the room. I was expecting Patty the Patient Advocate and the "Director of Nursing". I was introduced to Loreen Doloresco, MN, RN, NEA-BC, Associate Director, Patient Care/Nursing Services and Pamela H. Smith, MSN, ARNP, Women Veterans Program Manager. I introduced them to Terri, "my wife" and none of them blinked an eye. They welcomed her like a long lost friend.

Once again I was asked to tell the story of what happened to me on Tuesday and I did that. Yes, it was upsetting but I had Terri with me and the ever present Rocco at my side. They got to see first hand how Rocco responds to me when I get upset. Rocco jumped up in my lap and began to kiss away my tears and lick my face as if to say, "It's okay, Mom. I'm here for you." They asked Terri what he was doing because I had stopped speaking and Terri explained it to them.

I can't tell you how much time Terri and I spent with those three women but I assure you it was quality time and it was productive. They didn't just hear me. They listened. They were interested in what I had to say. Not only that, they were interested in what my wife had to say. Terri told them that the kind of day I have at the hospital effects her, too, and she's right. She doesn't know which Wendi she is coming home to after I've been to the VA Hospital. If I've had a "good" day, she's going to have a good night. If I've had a day like Tuesday, she's going to spend the next few days trying to calm me down, pull me out of a hole, she's going to try to reach into my darkness to try to find me, she's going to stand by with a box of kleenex. She knows she can't touch me when I get like that because I can't tolerate it. The slightest touch and I'm jumping clear out of my skin. She has to speak before coming up behind me so I'm not screaming in fear.

They promised me that corrective action would be taken and judging from the way I was treated when I walked in the door of the Dermatology Clinic, I believe them. They seemed sincere in wanting to rectify the situation. For that they have my thanks and gratitude. It may just start in one clinic but hopefully, with expanded training, it will spread throughout not just "my" VA Hospital, but other VA Hospitals across the Country. No Veteran should suffer the humiliation that I did last Tuesday be they male or female.

The Women Veterans Program Manager told me about lunchtime seminars she is trying to get started at the Tampa VA Hospital. I've promised her that I will help her spread the word. Her goal is to get 100 female Vets to show up for the seminars. I'll start attending. Will you? Let's show her there are 100 women Vets in the Tampa area willing to listen and learn about programs that can help and educate us. Stay tuned to this blog for further updates. I believe the next one will be held in August or September. I'll announce it here and on the new VAWATCHDOG Facebook page.

Let me tell you about the power behind those three women. When we met, they repeatedly mentioned that they'd read my blog. I had given the Patient Advocate, Patty, one of my business cards and it lists the URL's to this blog and to VA Watchdog Today dot Org. I was impressed that they had taken the time to read what I had written. How many of my blogs they have read I can't say, but they've definitely read the blog prior to this. AND ... they took action for me.

Do you remember my rant about the cancellation of all my psychology appointments? Someone with the power to change things at the VA read it. I got a phone call this week regarding those cancellations. I now have appointments with my psychologist scheduled every week through the end of October. In my heart I know that came from my meeting with those three incredible women. Thanks to all of you for making that happen. You've probably saved my life. I am sincerely grateful to you for making that happen.

I've learned some valuable lessons from all this, my friends. In my case the system worked. I had a dear friend with me on Tuesday who witnessed my humiliation. She refused to let the offender get away with it and forced me to go see the Patient Advocate. I had the good sense to get the offenders name. Without that, there's nothing the Patient Advocate can do for you. The next time you have a run-in with a VA employee, it's okay to get angry. Don't scream and yell. That won't do any good. As difficult as it is, do your very best to remain as outwardly calm as you can. I was in a barely controlled rage, I admit it, but somehow managed to hang in there long enough to get his name. Stanley Robinson, LPN. Take that name and go straight to the Patient Advocate. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Don't scream at the Patient Advocates. They are there to help you. The more information you can provide to the Patient Advocate, the better off you are. If you are complaining to the Patient Advocates at the Tampa VA Hospital than you are damn lucky. They care. They really do. Just look at how quickly they acted on my case. Look how quickly changes were made. Look how quickly I got all those psychology appointments. Yes, they care, Friends, they really do. They went to bat for me and I got help. Does the Patient Advocate help in all places and in all cases? Probably not. I'm sure you all have your "horror" stories to tell me. Where are those of you with success stories? I know you're out there. I can't be the only person in the history of the VA that the Patient Advocates have helped. Speak up. Let me hear from others the Patient Advocates have helped. Let's give these hard working folks some credit that I know they deserve. Email your stories to me and I'll publish them here in this blog.

I'm also blessed to have a wife who stands by me no matter what. Thank you, Terri. You are my angel and I love you. I don't tell you that enough. For those of you out there lucky enough to have a spouse or significant other as wonderful as mine, take the time to say "thank you" and "I love you". I don't do that often enough. Through thick and thin, Terri is always there for me. It hasn't been easy for her. Those of you with PTSD know how difficult we can make it for our spouses. If you're a spouse, you know first hand how rough it is living with one of "us". I owe a lot to Terri and every day that she stands at my side is another day that I am grateful for. Even though I have my days that I can't stand to be touched; I don't want to be next to her; or she frightens me just by walking up behind me, I know that she loves me and she's here to support me through the best of times and the worst of times. I am loved.

Until the next time .....

I'm in a rage today. Stanley Robinson you pissed me off.

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:45:00 +0000

Today started out like any other day that I have to get up and go into Tampa for an appointment at the VA Hospital. The alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. Rocco, my service dog, began pawing at me to make sure I didn't roll over and go back to sleep. He is trained to do that. He keeps me from laying in bed, day after day, when my depression and PTSD gets the best of me. Rocco won't let me hide in my bed. He paws at me until I get out of my bed. When you have an 80 pound Doberman pawing at you, you respond ... especially when he doesn't stop pawing at you UNLESS and UNTIL you respond to his "request".

I had two appointments this morning at the VA Hospital in Tampa. The first one was uneventful. A nurse by the name of Charlie (short for Charlotte) in the Specialty Clinic gave me an IV infusion of Reclast. She did a great job and I barely felt the stick of the needle as she hooked me up. Thirty minutes later I was done and out of there. Thanks, Charlie for making my appointment quick and painless.

My next appointment didn't go quite as well. That was where I met Stanley Robinson. I didn't meet him right away nor did I know his name until after my encounter with him. I went to the Dermatology Clinic and checked in early for my appointment. Like I always do, I told the clerk that "I don't see male healthcare providers". This one particular clerk in the Derm Clinic, (sorry, I can't remember her name) has checked me in before. She always looks at me like I'm nuts (and yes I am) when I tell her I won't see male healthcare providers, but she always puts a note on my chart after she makes me repeat myself two or three times. I sometimes wonder if it's a language thing.

The waiting area was packed with male Veterans, something that makes me very uneasy, so I told the clerk I would be waiting outside. Rocco and I turned around and went outside to wait in the heat and the sunshine. Oh, I didn't mention I had Rocco with me? Oh yes. He goes everywhere with me these days. Like American Express, I never leave home without him. He is my constant companion. He keeps me steady on my feet, he keeps me from falling when my knee goes out, and he calms me when anxiety, panic or PTSD rage kicks in. He also "blocks" and keeps people from getting in my space.

I had been waiting outside for maybe 15 or 20 minutes when a man in blue scrubs came outside and called my name. I immediately went on the defensive. Why did a man have my chart? He wasn't supposed to have my chart. It was marked "females only" and this man was clearly NOT a woman. He may have been a woman in a previous life, but in this rendition he was all male. I was having none of that. I said, "I'm Wendi Goodman." He told me, "You're seeing Dr. 'X' today". I asked him if the doctor was a female because my consult was for a woman doctor. Apparently he had read my history and knew why I was there because he said to me, "No, the doctor is a male. We have two males on today." I told him, "I don't see male doctors." In that instant, that split second, I felt myself slip from MST Survivor to MST victim. I let him intimidate me back into the victim role. Friends, this was the Dermatology Clinic but I had a gyn/derm issue I was being seen for. He was trying to get into my personal space and Rocco immediately jumped in front of me to "block" him. Every time I stepped back, that jackass took one step forward towards me to intimidate me. It was working. Once again, I felt like a MST victim. I wished that Rocco was an aggressive dog. I would've loved for Rocco to have taken a chunk out of that SOB, but a good service dog isn't aggressive nor do they bite.

Our "Hero" then said the one thing that caused me to almost completely lose control. He said, "there are male gyn doctors and female gyn doctors, there are male derm doctors and female derm doctors. A doctor is a doctor and it doesn't matter who you see." That was when I felt the switch flip. Those of you with PTSD know that switch. You feel the rage come on instantly. You can hardly control it. One minute you're annoyed and the next you're in a full blown rage. Rocco knew it. He leaned into me and I felt his body tense up. He started nudging me with his nose as if to say, "Come back, Mom, come back". I took a very deep breath, unrolled my fingers which were already rolled into fists, and told this idiot, "Look, I'm trying very hard not to get angry and I'm not having much success. You need to understand something. I was molested by an Army doctor. Do you know what that means? I don't see male doctors. Doctors aren't doctors and I am not seeing a male doctor."

He turned around and walked back inside mumbling something about getting me rescheduled. I was beyond angry at that point. I was in a rage and barely in control. Thank goodness I had my friend, Donna, with me. Between Donna and Rocco I knew I was going to get through the rescheduling process. After I rescheduled the appointment WITH A WOMAN DOCTOR, I inquired about the man who'd been out to talk to me. I asked the clerk who he was and she replied, "Rob". She was copping an attitude with me, too. I wanted to scream but I also wanted to get his information and not get thrown off campus. I asked for his full name and she gave it to me. Stanley Robinson. I asked, "Aren't VA employees required to wear ID badges with their job titles on them?" The clerk wouldn't give me a straight answer. It was obvious she didn't want to get her buddy in trouble. She just kept repeating, "I'm wearing mine." She was. It was turned around so that I couldn't see her name. Then I asked her what his position was. She replied, "He's a nurse." "What kind of nurse," I asked, "LPN or RN?" She told me he's an "LPN". Finally I got at least one straight answer from her.

Armed with all the information I needed, Donna, Rocco and I headed straight up to the Patient Advocate's office. If you ever have a complaint about someone or something at the Tampa VA Hospital, go see Patty. She was kind and compassionate and listened carefully to everything Donna and I told her about Stanley Robinson. She assured me that she would be contacting the Chief of Dermatology with my complaint about Stanley Robinson. As I spoke she took very detailed notes. She was pleased that I had his name. She told me part of the problem is that they get a lot of complaints about staff, but patients often don't have the offenders' name.

One interesting thing she told me is that she doesn't get many complaints from female Veterans about patient care. I told her that I could've reported many male employees over the last four years with this same type complaint but I've never done it because of the intimidation factor. In fact, had it not been for Donna's encouragement and support, I would've been a victim again today. I never would've reported it had I been there by myself. I would've just let it go and chalked it up to being a victim again. Thanks for being there, Donna. I told her that across the United States that's a common theme with women Veterans.

I have to go back to that clinic on Thursday. Am I afraid to go back there? You're damn right I am. I stood outside and announced to everyone within earshot that I was assaulted by an Army doctor. I told it to Stanley Robinson. I'm almost positive he got a good laugh out of that one. I don't expect to be coddled but for cryin' out loud, when they put on my record that I don't see male healthcare providers, I don't expect to be questioned or told that "a doctor is a doctor". There's something called "patient rights" and I will see ONLY the providers I want to see. If that means I see only female nurses and doctors, that's my choice and who the hell is Stanley Robinson to tell me "a doctor is a doctor". Just walking in that hospital is a trigger for me. What happened to me today ... well, it didn't help any, that's for damn sure. And what happens if I see Stanley on Thursday? I think I'll just drug myself up on anxiety meds and hope for the best. Wish me luck.

In the meantime, FUCK YOU, Stanley Robinson. I hope you get what you deserve. (Pardon my french to those who might be offended by it).

AND THEN I COME HOME TO READ THE FOLLOWING:

Marine: Tie psych treatment to disability pay - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

A Marine combat veteran who suffered a mental breakdown as a result of war-related trauma said he might have received earlier help if his disability pay had been contingent upon his getting treatment.

Daniel J. Hanson, 27, who said he spent his disability checks on “booze and strip clubs,” said he needed a push from the Veterans Affairs Department to get help that never came until he attempted suicide and ended up in a faith-based program called Minnesota Teen Challenge.

Testifying on Tuesday before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Hanson said he never asked for help in the Marine Corps, and VA’s help wasn’t enough. In the Marines, Hanson said the fact he was an administrative specialist surrounded by infantrymen made him reluctant to speak up. “In a battalion of 1,000 Marines, I didn’t think anyone wanted to hear my complaining,” he said.

CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY

I'm not yet service connected for PTSD but I am service connected for major depressive disorder. This Marine thinks our disability checks should be tied to getting help from the VA? That's CRAP if you ask me. Pure, unadulterated crap. He's obviously never tried to get on a regular schedule with my psychologist at the Brooksville Community Based Outpatient Clinic. I had an appointment last week with my psychologist. She wants to see me every two weeks and has been trying to get me set up on that kind of schedule. It took a long time to do it but she finally managed it. I was scheduled for every two weeks in a new clinic they set up for her patients. Well, guess what. They cancelled that clinic and along with that, they cancelled all my appointments. When I got the call that my appointments had been cancelled I asked, "so when is my next appointment?" I was told, July 22nd. I was told this at the end of May. I screamed at the clerk, "I can't wait that long to see my doctor. I'll kill myself!" In that moment, I meant what I was saying. I was in a very depressed state and needed to talk. I must've scared the scheduling clerk. She gave me back all the appointments she'd cancelled but at different times. A few days later I was back at the VA Hospital (yes, I practically live there) and I received an updated appointment list. Once again, all my psych appointments in Brooksville had been cancelled. It turns out that the clerk had put me in at times that the doctor wasn't available! No one had called to tell me my appointments had been cancelled. Again. I only found out because I'd gotten an updated appointment list.

When I read the article about disability pay being tied to VA healthcare/psych treatment, all I could think about was how difficult a time that I have getting in to see my psychologist. What kind of demands would they put on us for treatment? How often would we have to see our doctors? Would they require inpatient treatment? That brings up an entirely different subject ... at least for me it does. I can't go to an inpatient program in Tampa. They don't have an all womens program or an all womens floor. It's well documented in my records that I'm terrified of men. I have told my doctors I will go to the women's inpatient program out in California at the VA there but they won't spend the funds to send me. They won't fee basis me to a local women's program either. Too expensive. Every time they've talked to me about admitting me to the Tampa VA Hospital, I've had a complete meltdown. They won't let me bring Rocco and they can't promise me that I'll be placed in a room with a lock on the door. And that's supposed to make me feel safe? Yeah. Right. Tying treatment to my disability check? What a freaking joke. We were soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coasties. We were responsible for millions of dollars of equipment. We were responsible for the lives of our buddies. Now we're Veterans but we still have that discipline that was drilled into us when we served. I believe that we should each take responsibility for our own care. It isn't up to the doctors or the VA to push us into care. WE applied for disability pay because WE knew we had a disability. No one twisted my arm to file a claim. How about you? Did you think that meant take the money and run? Did you think you weren't, at some point, going to be called back in for a re-exam of your disability(ies)? Think again. The VA doesn't want to keep paying you. They want you to get better. They will do anything to stop paying us. We all know that. So go to treatment. If you happen to improve over time and stabilize, expect your disability rating to decrease, especially if you're fool enough to apply for an increase when you've gotten better. If you don't get better, if you get worse, than apply for an increase. Just ... go... for... treatment. I believe it's our responsibility to ourselves. Just because some of you choose to take your money and drink it away doesn't mean the rest of us should suffer for your mistakes. Am I wrong here? What do you all think? Am I blowing this out of proportion?

The final thing that has me pissed is this. I have an old friend. We've been friends for over 30 years now. We met while we were both stationed at Fort Leonard Wood back in '79. This woman is one of the kindest, gentle women I've ever met. She never asks for anything and would give you the shirt off her back or her last buck if she thought you needed it more than she did. When we were young troops back in the day, we rented a three bedroom apartment in Buckhorn, Missouri, just off I44 a few miles from Ft Wood. We paid $125 each month to live in WWII barracks that had been converted into apartments. They had no insulation. We roasted in the summer and froze in the winter. We survived on hot dogs, bolgna and mac & cheese. We lived off post and we were in paradise. It was a struggle but we made it through some really hard times; financial, emotional and physical. I PCS'd to Germany in December '81 and my friend PCS'd six months later. She was stationed in Landstuhl and I was in Vilseck. It was a short drive so we were able to see each other often.

Over the years our lives took different twists and turns but we've always been there for one another. We've been there for each other through countless relationships both good and bad, illnesses, the deaths of family and friends. Whenever there was news to share, good or bad, we both knew who to call for a sympathetic ear without judgement. We had each others friendship since 1979. No questions, no judgement. Just a sympathetic ear. I remember driving home to Chicago from New Mexico in 1993. I was going back to Chicago on emergency leave. My mother had just been diagnosed with a brain tumor and was going in the hospital for brain surgery. I was desperate to get to Chicago before my mother went into surgery. I was going to be driving right by my friend's house on the way to Chicago so I called her from the road to tell her I was on my way. I was tired and I needed a shower and a couch to sleep on for a couple of hours.

When I arrived at my friends house and walked in the front door I smelled something familiar. It was the smell of chicken and dumplings, one of the favorite things she used to make for me. She knew me well enough to know that I was frantic to get to Chicago and hadn't stopped to eat while I was on the road. After I called her from the road, she had put on a pot of chicken and dumplings just for me. She fed me when I arrived, sent me to take a hot shower and then put me in her bed while she and her husband slept on the couch. That's a true friend.

My friend called me this past Saturday morning at 8:00. I didn't know it because I was still asleep. I get my best sleep starting 4:00 a.m. By then, I've been awake most of the night and I pass out from exhaustion. During the week, Rocco wakes me by 8:00. On the weekends, my wife wakes up first and she takes Rocco out of the bedroom so that I can sleep in. That's why I missed my friends first call. My wife didn't want to wake me at 8:00. She doesn't know my friend as well as I do and didn't understand that a call from her at 8:00 a.m. meant she was reaching out for help.

I called my friend back and the first thing I asked was, "What's wrong?". She told me. I won't relay the whole sordid story. My friend, even though she will remain nameless, deserves to keep the story between us. What I will tell you is that for the first time in all the years I've known her, she asked me for help. She got into a financial bind and needs help. She didn't ask me for a dime. She would never do that. She asked me to help her find a Veterans program that would help her out. She's 100% disabled and draws SSDI so that knocks her out of traditional cash assistance programs. I started digging and found there really isn't a whole lot out there for Vets to get immediate cash assistance on a one time basis.

As an Army Vet, she does qualify to go through the Army Emergency Relief fund to apply for help. That's one route we're trying. I hope it works for her. But this is what pisses me off. This all happened on Saturday, 11 June. I'm writing this blog on 14 June. On Saturday I composed an email and sent it out to the VFW, the American Legion and the DAV. I explained her situation in great detail and told them all she needs is cash assistance to get her through just this month. A grant would be great, a loan is acceptable. I gave them my phone number and asked them to call me if they had further questions. Thank you for your time, blah, blah, blah. As of this morning, I hadn't received a single response from any of the organizations.

Was I surprised I hadn't gotten any responses? No. Everyone told me I was wasting my time. Everyone told me that unless I was a card carrying, dues paying member, none of those organizations would give me the time of day. After checking email this morning, I was ready to admit the naysayers were right and I had wasted my time. I was pissed. They send us emails, they solicit us on Facebook, they advertise everywhere you can think of to try to get our money; to try to get us to become members. Yet I tried to get help for one Veteran and none of them had the balls to even tell me to go to hell. Yeah, I was pissed. I was all set to sit down and write a blog about how rotten all of them were and how they all ignore the plight of needy Veterans.

This afternoon something happened to change my mind about ONE of those organizations. I got a phone call from the VFW in Iowa which is where my friend lives. The gentleman who called me, Mr. Stark, normally deals with family members of deployed service members. The State AG passed my email on to him rather than a service officer, he said, because he's got more time than the service officers. He'd made some phone calls before he contacted me and they were going to do their best to assist my friend. He said my email was detailed enough that he knew what he needed to get assistance going for her.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! After the shit I'd gone through at the Dermatology Clinic with Stanley Robinson, and then having to retell the tale to the Patient Advocate, I needed something good like this to bring me back to reality. My friend was going to get some help. I don't know how much help, but she's going to get SOME help and it's coming from the VFW in her home town. I couldn't thank Mr. Stark enough times. I called my friend and I could hear the relief in her voice when I gave her the news.

I still haven't heard back from the DAV or the American Legion. I don't expect to. They can kiss my ass. Having said that .... I now say this. Thank you so much to the VFW in the State of Iowa for helping my old friend. It means a lot to both of us.

Now that I have all that off my chest I think I can finally say this:

Until the next time, my friends .......

News Update Concerning Straight Talk Forum -We're Closing 10 June 2011. Say Goodnight, Gracie.

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:48:00 +0000

Hello, Faithful Readers. The last time we discussed Straight Talk on this blog, I was bringing you the news that the Straight Talk Forum had moved from Google Groups to our current home located at http://www.straighttalkforveterans.com. In June 2010 (in case you don't want to click on the referenced link) I wrote:

I have news. I've been telling you about Jim Stricklands' Google Forum, Straight Talk for Military Veterans since we opened it last October. It has grown tremendously and I'm proud to say I'm sure we've helped a lot of Veterans along the way. The beautiful thing about Straight Talk is that all the advice doesn't just come from Jim Strickland. It comes from the members. Veterans reaching out to Veterans and it's a beautiful sight to behold. The moderators, Jim, Womenvets, Painter &; myself have an easy job. We just sit back, approve new members, moderate messages and occasionally get rid of members who can't/won't abide by our simple rules: no bashing of other members and no cussing. Be respectful of everyone. How hard is that? We chip in and offer advice, too, but the board runs itself and isn't dependent on any one singular person. In my opinion, Straight Talk is an overwhelming success and I'm not just saying that because I like Jim Strickland and call him my friend.

Today I come to you with different news. We've outgrown our current location so we've decided to shut our Straight Talk doors effective June 10, 2011.

I want to thank everyone who has been involved in this project for the last year. Jim, Leo -- I couldn't have done it without you two. My thanks also go out to the "regs" who gave so generously of themselves to other Veterans. I appreciate all of the time that you donated so freely to Straight Talk. And to the (literally) thousands of subscribers, thank you for being there, day after day. I know who you are even though you never introduced yourselves. You see, I had access to all the names behind the scenes. I know who the lurkers are and I know you were there, reading and learning. To everyone who shared, you have my everlasting appreciation.

Not to worry, faithful readers. You can still reach us in many ways when you are in need of assistance. Jim has his mailbag open on VAWatchdogToday dot Org. To submit something to the mailbag, email Jim Strickland at Jim912@gmail.com.

If the mailbag doesn't work for you, Jim can be reached through his Q&A Forum on Stateside Legal at http://www.statesidelegal.org. Stateside Legal, if you haven't checked it out yet, is a terrific site with a load of resources for your every need.

And then there's me, Jim's faithful sidekick and partner in crime. You can contact me at WendiG@vawatchdogtoday.org . If I don't know the answer to your question, I'll point you in the right direction. I've found that Jim has answered most of your questions on VA Watchdog Today dot Org but most people just don't know how to do research. I know how to search for your answers and I'll be glad to assist you. You can also post your questions as comments to this blog and I'll be happy to post the answers here.

Jim and I are both on facebook. I haven't been keeping up with my page as well as I should lately so the best way to get my attention on facebook is to private message me. I'll leave it up to you to figure out how to join facebook and add the two of us as friends.

What does the future hold? That depends, faithful friends. We are considering other options but we haven't decided on anything firm. A lot depends on how all of you react to the closing of Straight Talk. Will you miss us? Do you want Straight Talk resurrected? How would you improve it if we brought it back? What changes would you like to see? Straight Talk was for you. Tell us what you thought was the best and the worst of Straight Talk. If we bring it back, we'd like to incorporate your needs, suggestions and ideas.

Keep your eyes on this blog and on the Front Page of VA Watchdog Today dot Org for further updates ... if there are any to be had. ;-)

Until the next time ......

Are You a Disabled, Service Connected Veteran, Legally Married to a Same Sex Spouse? I Need Your Help Now!

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:18:00 +0000

Hello friends. I've been coming to you for just over two years now. We've discussed all kinds of topics; everything from my claims to military sexual trauma to service dogs to my joining Jim Strickland at VA Watchdog Today dot Org. You got married with me. You went to California with me. Now I'm asking you to join me in a fight for civil rights. This won't be an easy fight. Nor will it be a quick one. This promises to drag out for at least a couple of years. At least.

I first brought up the idea for this fight when Terri and I got married last year. By the way, wish us "Happy Anniversary". Yesterday we celebrated our one year anniversary. I look forward to spending many years with her. The first year has been great. My wife continues to be a powerful source of strength for me. I can't imagine going through the daily struggles without her. No matter how down I get, she is always there for me.

If you look back at the previous two blogs I published about adding Terri as my spouse, you'll see that the VA denied my claim. To briefly summarize in case this is your first time reading my blog, I applied to the VA to have Terri added as my spouse in June 2010. In record time, three months, I received a denial. I was denied based upon the "legal" definition of a spouse which is: "a member of the opposite sex". With guidance from my friend and business partner, Jim Strickland, I filed a Notice of Disagreement (NOD). The reason for the NOD? The denial is a violation of my civil rights.

Then I turned to my blog and started recruiting. I turned to Facebook and started recruiting. I turned to my friends and asked them to repost my blog everywhere they could think of. I thought to myself, "the community will come out and support me." I know there are other couples out there like Terri and I. Gay & Lesbian Disabled Vets, legally married, who want their same sex spouses to get benefits from the VA if they die. I know they could use the extra money. I sure could, though that isn't my point in adding her to my claim. We fought to repeal DADT. We are fighting to repeal DOMA. Why is this any different? We are out of the military now. We won't lose our VA benefits if they find out we're gay. Federal civilian employees get some (not all) benefits for their same sex spouses. Why aren't we entitled to them?

I'm baffled by this. Totally baffled by the lack of support for this call to action. In the year I've been recruiting for this project, I've had a few inquiries. I've sent out detailed instructions on how to apply. To my knowledge, only one couple followed through. That couple lives in California. They will now become our first test case. The Veteran filed and as expected, she was denied based on the definition of a spouse. I sent her a sample letter for her NOD. She filed it. Lo and behold .... she has a hearing date set for the end of June. We are shocked at how quickly this is taking place.

Our test case will be denied at the hearing. There is no doubt about that. A Decision Review Officer does not have the power to grant this request. "Why?", you ask. I'll let Jim Strickland answer that for you. The following is from an email he wrote to me recently about this test case.

"The DRO will continue to deny no matter what she does. A DRO will not come close to having the authority to approve the benefits when the law is so very clear. Decisions at the Regional Office level are
administrative and have little force of law behind them.

Remember...when the rules were written they came from a legislative body..Congress writes law, law is turned into rules and regulations. Rules and regs can be modified by the Secretary within the scope of powers granted to him but there are many things the Secretary does not have any authority to change. When the law is so specific as to describe marriage as a union between a man and a woman, the law can only be changed one way...legislatively.

So...the DRO hearing is necessary for the record. This is how courageous people make positive change. It's never simple or easy so not many have the grit to step up and do it."

Having read that I'm sure you're asking yourself, "If they can't approve it, why go through it?" The answer is simple. You have to start somewhere. If we aren't applying for benefits for our same sex spouses, who will know that we want them? We wanted the right to marry. We've been fighting for that and we're making progress. My wife and I are living proof. We wanted Don't Ask Don't Tell to be repealed. All we are waiting for now is for it to be certified. We fought for DADT and soon it will be a thing of the past. We're fighting for the repeal of DOMA. We're fighting for Equal Rights. That's all I'm asking for here. A fight for Equal Rights for me and my wife. Don't you want that for you and your wife/husband?

I challenge you, faithful readers. If you are legally married to a same sex spouse, I challenge you. I challenge you to have the courage to fill out VBA Form 21-686c, Declaration of Status of Dependents. I've provided you with the link to the form you need so you don't have to go searching for it. Next, I challenge you to have the courage to send it in to your VA Regional Office, certified mail with a return receipt of course, and wait for your denial. Once your denial comes back, email me at WendiG@vawatchdogtoday.org and I will provide you with a sample letter of the NOD that I sent in when my request was denied.

There really is power in numbers my friends. I'm asking you to help me with this fight. It won't end tomorrow or the next day or the day after that. This is going to take a long, long time. I expect it to go on for many years, much like the battle for DADT or even (gasp!) DOMA. I ask you to join but I also ask you to have patience. I ask you to spread the word about this project. If you are still reading this blog, I ask that you share it with your friends. If you know any gay and lesbian, service connected, legally married, disabled Veterans, please recruit them for this cause. We need as many couples as we can to join this fight. This is an important civil rights fight. This is no joke, my friends. This is serious business.

If you have further comments or questions, feel free to comment here or email me at WendiG@VAWatchdogToday.Org. I'll get back to you as quickly as I can.

Until the next time .....

Welcome to USDR - USDR - Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Tue, 31 May 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Welcome to USDR - USDR - Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees

This is good stuff, faithful readers. Please take the time to read this.

The "Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act of 2008," signed by President Bush on Jan. 28, 2008, provides veterans who served on acti9ve duty from Sept. 11, 2001 to Dec. 31, 2009, with an opportunity for review of disability ratings they were given which led to their discharged from the Armed Forces.

To be eligible for a Physical Disability Board of Review (PDBR) review, a veteran must have been medically separated during the above mentioned time frame, with a combined disability rating of 20 percent or less, and not have been found eligible for retirement. Over half of the cases that have been completed have been changed and have made those discharged improperly, now eligible for health care, and the ability to sign up for the Survivor Benefit Plan for their families without penalty.

For more information and how to apply contact the PDBR intake unit at the following address:

SAF/MRBR
550 C Street West, Suite 41
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4743
(News Briefs, NAUS Magazine, May/June 2011)

Click on the link above for the original post from USDR.

Until the next time .....

In the Navy? One day you can marry on base. The next day you can't. If you're gay that is.

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:15:00 +0000

The Navy is riding high these days. My congrats to Seal Team Six for taking out OBL. In my opinion, his death is long overdue. I heard the Seal who fired the kill shot is a married man. Interesting that the Navy would announce such a thing. Why would that matter to the general public? Who cares if the shooter was married, single, black, white, purple, green or (gasp) rainbow colored!

It leads me to wonder if they were prepping us for the next big announcement. On May 9, 2011, Stars & Stripes published an article entitled Navy says chaplains could soon perform same-sex unions. Could this be the Navy's way of telling us the "married" Seal is gay and to reward him for his heroism they were timing the release of this announcement as a show of support? Stranger things have happened, right?

Unfortunately, for gays in the military who, for just a moment had a shred of hope, this didn't last very long. Just this morning I woke to a ticker announcement on Good Morning America stating the Navy had reversed it's position on this decision. That didn't last very long, did it?

Why the sudden change of heart? It's clearly explained in this article, Navy Plan to allow same-sex marriage on bases draws opposition. The article states that after the plan to allow marriages on base was announced it drew criticisms "from dozens of members of Congress". So of course, the Navy bowed to political pressure and back peddled so fast we didn't even have time to spread the good news that same sex marriages were going to be allowed on base in the first place.

What a crying shame. Here the Navy had the opportunity to lead the way...again. They brag in the news about taking out OBL. They deserve props for that. They brag in the news that "sensitivity training" is progressing towards the certification of the repeal of DADT. They brag in the news they will soon begin to allow same-sex marriages on base. The policy was published in April and released a few days ago. Why did they wait so long? You have to wonder about that. The timing is certainly suspicious, don't you think? Just as quickly as it was announced, the policy was rescinded due to pressure from Congress.

What the hell, Rear Admiral Tidd? DADT has been repealed. You took a major step forward in announcing that same-sex marriages would be allowed on base. What a coward you turned out to be.

Until the next time, my friends.....

Time to catch up. How about an update?

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:36:00 +0000

Hello Friends! It's been a long time since I caught you up on what's been happening with me. I've been so busy trying to take care of business that I've really fallen behind on keeping you up to date. I've made progress in some areas, had set backs in others.

I find myself bored lately. My life is at a stand still. I've finally completed my PTSD claim. It's taken me over two years to complete that friggin' claim. If anyone tells you that filing a claim for PTSD is easy, they are lying. While it's true they have relaxed the rules for PTSD due to combat, they haven't relaxed the rules for MST (military sexual trauma). For those of you who have been with me from the beginning, you'll know that I had a ton of evidence to go through. Very personal evidence. Letters that I had written home to my best friend over my twenty year career. I was unaware that she'd saved those letters until she passed away. One of her sisters found them when going through her personal things and she returned them to me. I didn't look at them until after I had my first flashback and started searching for what had happened to me. It was all there in the letters I'd written home as a young soldier. My friend had saved all that evidence for me. Who knew I'd need that evidence 30 years later?

I filed my PTSD-MST claim last June, 2010. It took almost one year and a phone call from a Women's Trauma Counselor from the St Pete Regional Office to finally get me off my ass enough to get moving to finish my claim and send in all the evidence I had. I had plenty. I had my letters. I had buddy statements. I had a Nexus letter from my treating psychologist. I had evidence from my SMR showing that I had two pap smears in one weeks time. I have a current diagnosis. And I have three years of treatment records. But every time I looked at those letters, written in my own hand, describing everything that happened to me, they triggered me so badly ... well, those of you with PTSD know what happens. Nightmares. Panic and anxiety attacks. Isolation. Everything, and I mean everything scares the shit out of you. The slightest noise, the lightest touch and you are jumping clear out of your skin. Forget sleeping. If the nightmares aren't keeping you awake, insomnia is. You detach from everything you know and love. Your mood is like a pendulum. It swings back and forth. Up and down. Does this sound familiar? Sitting in a dark house, shades drawn, only the dogs for company. Not caring how you look, how you dress or if you ever leave the house again.

I was determined. I persevered. I got it finished and two weeks ago I finally sent the completed packet off to the ST Pete VARO, certified with a return receipt. Now, I will wait. Like the rest of us caught up in the 1,000,000 claims backlog, I will wait.

While the PTSD claim is processing, I'm still waiting for a decision on my service connected right shoulder, temporary 100% claim that I submitted last June 2010. What a joke that has been. Per eBenefits, which I trust about as much as I trust Iris Inquiries or calling the 800 number, it's in the "Decision Phase". According to the eBenefits website, "The Decision Phase is completed on most claims between 16 and 28 days. The number of days provided is a national average of time claims spend in the Decision phase based on data at the end of May 2010. Please be advised that a claim may take longer in this phase based on the specifics of your claim." Mine has been in the "Decision Phase" for almost two months. I think they need to update their statistics. I'll continue to wait.

Last but certainly not least, there is my appeal for IU. To refresh your memory, I submitted my claim for it in October 2008 and was denied in October 2009. I hired an attorney after a very long process and the appeal went in. We asked for a DRO review. To date, we're still waiting. The review still has not taken place. My attorney is confident we'll win so I consider it money in the bank. I'm at 80% now, I draw SSDI (the decision was based solely on my service connected conditions) and VR&E refused to send me back to school and/or retrain me. How can I lose is the attorney's theory. I hope he is right.

In the meantime, about two months ago, I received a letter from my attorney, Sean Culliton, withdrawing himself from my case. I have to admit that I was very, very pissed when it happened. I felt abandoned by someone I had let in to my circle. He was not a Veteran, he'd come highly recommended and I reluctantly allowed him in. I trusted him to do right by me. In retrospect, I understand his decision to let go of my case. I'm no longer angry. I've hired a new attorney, recommended by Jim Strickland, and I believe he'll do right by me. My former attorney has gone back to his civilian clients and I wish him well. He turned over all my files to me, even going so far as to burn everything onto a disk so that I can pass them along to my new attorney. He also signed a letter which has been sent to the VARO waiving all rights to any fees and backpay. He's a straight up guy and he did right by me. I'm sure my new attorney will take my case and run with it. In the meantime, I'm still waiting.

So what do I do now? I've been so consumed with working on all my claims that I no longer know what to do with myself. I've spent day after day, month after month, for almost two years, trying to get this damn PTSD claim done. Now that it's finished, and I've hired a new attorney to work on my appeal, I'm stuck with nothing to do. I sit in the house all day, monitor Straight Talk, answer emails, take the dogs out to the yard for potty breaks and clean up their shit, watch my soaps and poke around on the internet. That's my day, and night, 7 days a week. I can't drive anymore so unless my wife is here to take me somewhere, I'm stuck at home. Don't get me wrong; home is my "safe place". I'm more comfortable here than I am anyplace else. I'm just bored. I need a new challenge. What to do? What to do? And how to do it from home?

Service dog update. There is none. Sort of. I got word from VACO to resubmit my packet instead of appealing it. I got some static from the fine folks in Tampa Prosthetics. No surprise there. An email to my POC at VACO in D.C., took care of that problem. I'm just waiting now for my backlogged primary care physician to resubmit my packet. It's being resubmitted with a focus on Rocco's mobility tasks. I gave my social worker a list of mobility tasks that Rocco performs for me that can't be done by "prosthetic aides". That should push my request over the edge. Keep your fingers crossed for me. And for you. If this works for me, it will work for you, too. As always, I'll keep you informed.

Speaking of service dogs .... I'm trying to put together a blog of reputable service dog schools. If you have one that you recommend, please send it to me at WendiG@vawatchdogtoday.org. I prefer to list non-profit schools that will give dogs to service members and Veterans at no cost but I will list all schools. Thank you.

And finally ... the Independent Living Program. If you qualify, you really should apply to this program. I've been in it for just over two years now. It's taken a while for me to get everything that was written into my plan, but it's finally all coming together. I no longer have to worry about using those beat to hell store scooters, or paying outrageous rental fees, when I go out. I have the "Cadillac" of mobility scooters and finally, last week, I had the lift installed on our pick-up so that we can take it with us when we go out. Have scooter will travel. I can now exercise Rocco properly. He loves to run along side it. I'm still waiting for an adjustable bed, but my counselor assures me it's forthcoming.

There's the update, my friends. I'm bored to tears. I've spent two years working on claims and now that they are finished I don't know what to do with myself. I have all this spare time on my hands. It's Spring time in Florida. The beach is out. I can't drive there. That means fishing is out, too, because I can't get myself to the water (& that's only 15 minutes away). I guess I'll have to get with my partner, Jim Strickland, and see what kind of trouble he can find for me to get into. I am fairly certain he's got something in mind. You may want to keep an eye out for some changes in the format here. I'm just sayin'.

Until the next time.......

2nd Annual UNLV Combat Trauma Conference

noreply@blogger.com (One Weary Soldier) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 01:55:00 +0000

2nd Annual UNLV Combat Trauma Conference

“She’s back, but she’s not the same!”

Focusing on Returning Women Warrior and Veteran Issues

May 25-26, 2011