Last year the Obama administration proposed eliminating that 1 percent COLA raise — meant for retirees still able to work and before their Social Security kicks in — as a way to cut defense spending. It was approved in December as part of a bipartisan deal to reduce the deficit. In February, however, the House and Senate, pressured by veterans’ groups, reinstated the initial 1 percent increase for retirees.
My friends and I have all been concerned about our benefits being cut back. There are two camps here -- the "don't care" and the "money is allocated so get yours while it lasts." I'm of the don't care opinion; yeah, it'd be nice to receive an extra $1,500/mo tax free the rest of my life. But I don't want to end up relying on it and have it affect my drive. I'm content with the $436/mo I get, even though I could easily double, triple, or quadruple it with a revised claim. That's a new car whenever I want one, or a monthly IRA contribution, or whatever else.
Other guys I know will do whatever it takes to reach 100% service connected disability, which gives them about $3700/mo tax free the rest of their life. I know one guy who never deployed, but successfully claimed PTSD from sexual harassment and got his 100%. He said that he was traumatized by group showers (seeing so many dicks) and that someone put their dick on his shoulder when he was sitting down, and that he has nightmares about dicks and breaks down whenever he sees one, sometimes even his own. Bam. $3695 per month for the rest of his life. It's usually rationalized that they deserve it for x reason.
These claims are incredibly hard to vet unless limbs are missing.
We probably shouldn't be able to double dip in the G.I. Bill and Vocational Rehabilitation. This allows us to, essentially, have 8 years of school paid for in entirety. Books and living stipend included. In the larger populated areas of California, this is about $2200/mo on top of all tuition and books.
How do you Americans feel about the benefits and compensation we receive? It's a difficult thing to criticize in public for obvious reasons.