Veterans' Disability Benefits

The Veteran's Disability Benefits Commission recently released "Honoring the Call to Duty: Veterans' Disability Benefits in the 21st Century." The 562 page report is available from their web site and includes a link to a pdf version and an 18 page executive summary

The Commission identifies eight principles to guide "the development and delivery of future benefits for veterans and their families." The principles recognize the sacrifices veterans have made and emphasize rehabilitation and reintegration into civilian life as quickly and completely as possible. They include offering a "full range of health care" at no cost to service-disable veterans and call for a consistent, fair, equitable, and timely delivery of services. The report reveals that the "VA Rating Schedule has not been adequately revised since 1945" and suggests that it be updated frequently. The Commission makes 113 recommendations and includes a priority list for immediate consideration.