The Top 10 List

The Top 10 Disabilities Claimed by Veterans are:
1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
2. Sleep Apnea
3. Diabetes Type II
4. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
5. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
6. Tinnitus
7. Peripheral Neuropathy
8. Depression
9. Anxiety
10. Various Skin Disorders

Veterans who have served and have these conditions need to pursue their benefits. Often, veterans don’t do so. Some of the main reasons include the following:

I don’t trust the government: Many veterans have indicated that they don’t trust their Government in matters of confidentiality and privacy, and therefore, have no interest in pursuing benefits. Veterans from the Vietnam era are particularly sensitive regarding their distrust of the government. Many veterans from that era have indicated that they had a very bad experience while in uniform, and felt as though the government is not really inclined to assist or help them.

I didn’t know I was eligible: Far too many veterans are unaware of their eligibility status. Many veterans assume that since they aren’t registered to use VA services, they are automatically ineligible for benefits.

I am not eligible: Military discharge status plays in big role in determining if a veteran is potentially eligible for benefits. Honorably discharged veterans are 100% eligible for benefits if they meet the criteria. Veterans with a Bad Conduct Discharge are not eligible for benefits. However, some veterans fall some place between an Honorable Discharge and a Bad Conduct Discharge. For instance, a veteran with a General Discharge is oftentimes eligible for benefits. Check with your Veterans Service Officer to find out if you qualify.

I don’t want to go through the “red tape”: Many veterans are of the belief that pursuing benefits from the VA is a matter of navigating a very complex and confusing system that involves mounds of documentation. While it may be true that there is a lot of paperwork, most, if not all is handled by a competent VSO and not the veteran. The VSO is trained to work with the bureaucracy, not the veteran, and takes much the complexity away from the veteran.

By Debbie Gregory.

Minnesota-based 3M Company has agreed to pay $9.1 million to settle claims that it knowingly furnished U.S. servicemembers with defective earplugs. The allegations were brought against 3M under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Moldex-Metric, Inc.a 3M competitor.

The dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2) were originally manufactured by Aearo Technologies, which was acquired by 3M in 2008. Aearo was aware of the plug’s defects as early as 2000, many years before it and 3M became the exclusive provider of selective attenuation earplugs to the military. The defects rendered the plugs too short for proper insertion into users’ ears. Additionally, the earplugs could loosen so gradually that the user wouldn’t even notice, resulting in a further lack of protection.

Tinnitus and hearing loss are the VA’s two most prevalent service-related disabilities according to the 2016 Annual Benefits Report issued by the Veterans Benefits Administration.

“Government contractors who seek to profit at the expense of our military will face appropriate consequences,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

The Combat Arms Earplugs were distributed to thousands of service members who deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq between 2003 and 2015.

“Properly made safety equipment, for use by our Soldiers, is vital to our military’s readiness,” said Frank Robey, the head of the Major Procurement Fraud Unit at the Army’s Criminal Investigative Command. “Our agents will respond robustly to protect the safety of our military.”

The False Claims Act allows whistleblowers to share in any funds recovered from a successful lawsuit, which means Moldex-Metric, Inc. will receive $1.9 million.

The settlement was the result of a joint effort by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, the Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.