THE VETERANS' WAITING GAME!

     Q. How long can a wounded GI Veteran wait for his compensation to begin?
     A. Until he dies from attrition on the government treadmill to oblivion.

     That's the waiting game, folks. Veterans Administration Secretary Robert McDonald, former CEO of Proctor & Gamble, has promised to "clean house of the goldbrickers who create fake waiting lists and allow loved ones to expire." Well, Secretary Bob, as he asked to be called, I would ask a rhetorical question: "Does Donald Trump have skidmarks?" Of course he has them! Don't we all?
     Now that you have stopped laughing, let's get serious for a moment. Time up. As one wounded warrior said, "Nobody is doing nothing for us soldiers who fought, got injured and wait months and even years for some restitution." Hmmmmm. Are you listening Secretary Bob?  I hope so.
     As a veteran of WWII, with service on Okinawa, I too have been waiting many months for my appeal to receive increased compensation. Fortunately, Senator Richard Blumenthal has an assistant in his Hartford,CT office, Heather Handler, to handle veterans complaints. She herself is a ten-year veteran of the Navy aboard an aircraft carrier. And she happens to be a very compassionate and feisty woman.
     Nevertheless, the Veterans Administration is overloaded and overwhelmed by the the inefficiency
of too many employees goldbricking and featherbedding, concentrating solely on their own retirement and pension plans. So, Secretary Bob, start slashing the enormous staff that is slowly but sinking your "Ship of State."
     One other complaint I have. My appeal file of documentation has to go through six stages of processing, prior to a final judgment.  That sixth phase is represented by a VA attorney who uses legal terms like "Plaintiff, Appellant and Defendant." But we're not in a courtroom, no judge, no bail hearing, witnesses, cross examinations or other Rules of Evidence. It's really playtime. Or Three Card Montee. Maybe the Lottery because you can't win.
     But you can appeal a decision. When I first filed for increased compensation for my service-connected injury two years ago, it took months before I received additional compensation. But my wife was not included, although I filed three applications that mentioned I supported a spouse. But she had fallen in the cracks.
     Periodically over the months, I received notices in the mail from the VA in Newington, CT and New York, NY that said the processing was proceeding. Aftera year of impatient waiting I received 55 pages to read and file new documents. That procedure took me over 100 hours. Page 55 advised me to send my completed paperwork to a P.O. Box in Newnan,GA. What a great place to stall the processing process!
     It is now the beginning of the year 2015. I remain optimistic that I'll receive a determination on my appeal soon, hopefully before the end of this election campaign year. Stay tuned. But don't hold your breathe!