TWO VETS BATTLE-SCARRED BY BULLETS AND VA BENEFITS

Every single day we hear about another tragic case of how our wounded military veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan war are caught up in a maize of red tape when they go to apply for the Veterans Administration benefits they so richly deserve after several tours to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Here is a shocking account of two such veterans from Wisconsin who have found dealing with the VA can be worse than dealing with the Taliban or Al Qaeda.

Battle-scarred by bullets, benefits

by Alec Luhn

http://badgerherald.com/news/2008/03/04/battlescarred_by_bul.php

Juniors Joe Dillenburg and Zach Jones both began attending the University of Wisconsin after serving in the U.S. Army. While Dillenburg fought in Iraq and Jones served in Afghanistan, they both have dealt with physical and mental health problems resulting from their deployments.
But Dillenburg receives well over twice as much veterans’ aid money as Jones — $1,763 compared to $660 each month.

Despite his prior service in the Army and tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan, Jones isn’t eligible for the higher amount of federal education funding Dillenburg receives through the Montgomery GI Bill for Active Duty veterans, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The hang-up is due to Jones’ stint at the U.S. Military Academy, which interrupted the bill’s requirement of three years of continuous active duty.

“I identify that they’ve got me on a technicality,” Jones said. “But it’s against the intent and overall purpose of the GI Bill, and the VA likes to use bureaucratic technicalities to deny veterans benefits.”

UW’s estimated cost of attendance for Wisconsin residents during the 2007-08 school year was $18,010, which averages out to $2,118 per month between September and mid-May.

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