<p>WASHINGTON, Illinois (CNN) – Ty Ziegel peers from beneath his Marine Corps baseball cap, his once boyish face burned beyond recognition by a suicide bomber’s attack in Iraq just three days before Christmas 2004.</p>
<p>He lost part of his skull in the blast and part of his brain was damaged. Half of his left arm was amputated and some of the fingers were blown off his right hand.</p>
<p>Ziegel, a 25-year-old Marine sergeant, knew the dangers of war when he was deployed for his second tour in Iraq.
But he didn’t expect a new battle when he returned home as a wounded warrior: a fight with the Department of Veterans Affairs .</p>
<p>Once he got out of the hospital, he was unable to hold a job. He anticipated receiving a monthly VA disability check sufficient to cover his small-town lifestyle in Washington, Illinois.</p>
<p>Instead, he got a check for far less than expected. After pressing for answers, Ziegel finally received a letter from the VA that rated his injuries: 80 percent for facial disfigurement, 60 percent for left arm amputation, a mere 10 percent for head trauma and nothing for his left lobe brain injury, right eye blindness and jaw …"
[Wounded</a> warriors face home-front battle with VA - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/11/15/wounded.marine/index.html]Wounded”>Wounded warriors face home-front battle with VA - CNN.com)</p>
<p>Let alone the tragedy of their efforts and sacrifice given token acknowledgment, I can’t imagine it will be cost effective in the long run not to give these veterans what they need to fully participate in society. Whether that is ,therapy, prosthetics that are top of the line, retraining, what ever is needed.</p>
<p>These kinds of stories (and I’ve heard a lot of them in the past couple of years) make me spitting mad! We as a nation should be DEEPLY ASHAMED of the way our government has been treating these wounded veterans. If George Bush was a man with even a modicum of integrity, he would not allow this on his watch. But of course, he is the one who sent our military men and women on this protracted and staggeringly expensive fool’s errand, one which he is too stubborn and proud to acknowledge as such. The least he could do is honor them with the guarantee that their medical and financial needs will be well met once they return home broken and disabled. </p>
<p>One thing we absolutely should require of any candidate for our next President should be a firm, no excuses commitment to take care of our wounded warriors once they return home.</p>
<p>I agree, however, the president has no control, it would have to be the legislation arm that changes the LAWS. Call your senator, congressman/woman and demand the law to be changed. Unfortunately, the law is the law and until we speak out nothing can and/or will change. The military can only do what they are told to do!</p>
<p>Bulletandpima, do you really believe that it is “The Law” that sets such ridiculous criteria for disability compensation? Somehow, I doubt it. I think it is “policy”, determined rather capriciously, and applied unevenly, that determines such things, and policy can be easily changed. I believe the Top Guns have been given the order to “cut costs” on the back side of military service, and desk jockeys with calculators made it happen. This is also how the oft demonstrated tendency to dismiss the debilitating effects of PTSD to “prior mental illness”, came about. Congress didn’t pass such “laws”. </p>
<p>The President KNOWS all these things are happening to the dedicated men and women whom he has sent into harm’s way. He, AS THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF has the ability to require fair treatment of our returning troops. In his high profile position, he sets the tone. But he has remained silent, turning a blind eye.</p>
<pre><code>It is the law, just as how military pay is determined. To change it the congress would have to start the process. It is not dictated by a pencil pusher 1 year giving this much and then the next year lowering it. The budget is the budget and the sen and cong determine the amount for pay raises, retirement an disbility. The senate armed forces is in charge of creating these amounts and then vote on it…passed it is now law. Do they get their info from the gens yes, not the pres. As a matter of fgact under Clinton the mil received .5% below inflation every year as approved by cong and yet they gave themselves a50% pay raise
</code></pre>
<p>I am SO DISGUSTED. If what you say is true, I believe you’re right that it’s time to write a letter. We voters need to make both Congress, and the current Presidential candidates know that we demand fair and compassionate treatment of our returning troops.</p>
<p>It is true, the VA gets its budget and qualifications with direction from congress…they say that they are increasing the budget, however, we have more service member being treated, thus there is less dollars per servicemember. The VA’s must meet a board (docs) and the board gives according to what the scale says per issue. The VA should also be receiviing lifetime med benefits, if they are not that would be an issue. However as I keep writing…call, write, email your local congressman, senator demand that they address this. Wheter you support the war or not is not the point, the true point is that it has happened and we need to address the fall-out that the servicemen are dealing with.</p>
<p>pretty funny to blame congress for this when the people in charge of hte VA are not congressional appointees, but hey, don’t let Bush have any responsibility in this</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be insensitive, but a warning to the faint-of-heart: the link brings you to a page where Ty’s face is shown in full, and the disfigurement is rather gruesome…</p>
<p>The VA receives its budget through the budget that the congress and senate pass. (Last time I check no President ever wrote the budget, just can sign it into law or veto) The disability pay( which where this thread started) and VA are 2 different things. Disability pay is determined by DODMERB and is scored by docs as required by DODS regulations —don’t like the reg call your CONGRESSMEN. THE VA is VETERAN AFFAIRS…Guess what that has a senate and congressional oversight committees (Look them up call and fight for these guys that way---house.org). By the way, Presidential appointees must be approved by who…the SENATE!<br>
Finally may ask is your position from actual life or is it your perception. In other words, have you had to deal with VA personally?</p>