LowSlowT2

Further, they passed a law in summer '11 that allows the FAA unfettered access to the VA medical records system. Now, so far, they have only gone after the gross offenders as rickair7777 mentioned. However, I didn't claim anything at all when I retired earlier this year.

The VA disability system is hard for us to understand and even harder for the civilian population. We all know that if you get 10% for hearing, 10% for a shoulder injury years ago, and 10% for an old knee injury, that 30% doesn't really mean much. Yes, your hearing is worse than it was 20 years ago, but whose isn't? The shoulder and knee are nothing more than a bad sprain and a scope that happened years ago that no longer bother you. Assuming you get a 30% disability rating from the VA, the VA pulls $469 of your pay out of your paycheck, taxes the remainder of your pay and adds the $469 back in tax free. You're talking $30-50 every month.

You need a VA rating of 51% to get concurrent receipt and 'real' money as a result. At 51%, you get whatever the VA pay is added in to your pay on top of your full retired pay and the additional amount is tax free.

Now, flash forward to the day you're involved in an air carrier accident and the reports splash on the front page read, "Pilot Was Collecting Disability Pay; VA Records Show Pilot Had 30% Disabling Injuries" - now, we all know that 30% means nothing, but imagine it splashed across CNN or USA Today. How do you think the civilian air-traveling public views that?

So far, it's not been an issue, but we don't know how the FAA will handle their new access to VA records. So far, you report any old injuries and your AME signs you off. So far, you can just put, "Previously reported, no changes" and you're good. If we knew it would stay that way, that no government creep would occur, that bureaucracy wouldn't expand, well, it might not be a big deal.

Who knows what the FAA will do. Perhaps they may do nothing (we can only hope). Perhaps they may force you to have your old injuries re-evaluated and cleared to "soothe the flying public's confidence". Perhaps they may put limits on VA disability and the ability to gain a Class 1. Who knows?

But is $50 worth risking that? Only you can answer that. Only your level of trust in the government & FAA and desire for $50 can answer that. For me, knowing that government always expands and never contracts, $50 wasn't worth the, admittedly small, risk. $100-200 probably wouldn't have been worth it. Had I been confident I could've gotten 51% rating, I would have taken it, and I'm really close. I even think I have a shot at >51%, but if I don't reach it, I'm not comfortable with the potential alternative. But at 51%, at that point, the money is worth the present small risk IMO.

Hawk 285

Good post by T2. As an aspiring airline pilot, I was a little hesitant to disclose anything that I did not want the FAA to know about. I have the normal aches and pains that go along with getting older and flying fighters for 10 years, so I felt the small reward was not worth the larger risk of the possibility of my military records being scrutinized by the FAA. I don't have any disqualifying medical conditions that I am trying to hide, I just didn't see the point in documenting every little thing on my exit physical.

Unfortunately, some folks treat this separation physical as a "lottery ticket" and try to screw the VA (taxpayers) out of every penny they can get. I am all for folks getting compensated for their time and injuries sustained, but fraud is rampant, and there is very little being done to combat this.

rickair7777

This is true. Nobody's likely to do anything about in the mid-term because it would look like they were singling out disabled vets for budget cuts. If you think medicare is a third rail...

And it could be a double-whammy for honest folks...if the fed eventually decides to retroactively reduce our pensions, that accounting will be skewed in favor of those with disability ratings.

AirGunner

Be advised, if you plan on transitioning/transfering to the Guard/Reserve, if you get VA disability rated past 30% it going to be real hard to get hired by some units. There are exceptions to every rule, but being rated past 30% is almost always a show stopper...

hawgdriver

Interesting. Im about to make the jump in the next year to the reserve and airlines. After 4 knee surgeries,herniated disk in my back and kidney stones I have no idea what I'll claim now. I'm still very active but always in pain. Thoughts on if this will disqualify me for the airlines/reserve if I get disability?

LowSlowT2

I don't think it will disqualify you at all. However, my long-winded point above was just that nobody knows how the FAA will use their relatively new access to the VA medical records. Get educated on the VA medical disability pay before you file to determine if the risk/reward ratio works for you.

reCALcitrant

Opinions are like a-holes. Here's mine. If you take money for something not caused by your employer, you are no better than a welfare recipient. If it's a legitimate claim, no worries. At a certain age, we all wake up with a little pain. Why should I be a government support case because I played rugby and basketball or bad genetics? Sorry for the rant. I just see a lot of dudes abusing the good will of the American taxpayer when they get out. For them, I hope it disqualifies them from an airline job. Rant off.

Stitches

Can't speak as to the airlines, but if you are medically qualified to fly on active duty, you are qualified to fly in the reserves.

Assuming nothing has changed from your prior year physical of course.

LowSlowT2

And here's mine: I rant about not knowing what the FAA will do, but please don't take that to mean I don't think you should avail yourself of what you deserve.

Deserve. That's a subjective word when it comes to military service in general, and disability under the VA system specifically. I'm generally very conservative, and tend to agree with your sentiments, however, I will say that I've done some 'extreme' things at the request of my employer when taking Uncle Sam's nickel. I did it with my eyes wide open and fully aware of what my options to decline were and were not. All that said, I'm in favor of anyone who raised their right hand and took a solemn oath to be fully and fairly compensated for actions taken under that oath; aware of what the 'real' options to decline actually were - whether you would've taken those 'risks' on your own or not is somewhat irrelevant (depending).

As for if/when you choose/don't choose to claim disability under the VA system for military related impairments, that is a personal decision and I will not presume to know the circumstances surrounding each and every individual's service, nor make sweeping claims as to their veracity.

I think it's somewhat disingenuous to paint everyone receiving VA disability compensation with a certain brush. I'm not claiming this is your statement, but it certainly comes across that way...

Happy New Year.

reCALcitrant

Happy New Year to you also. I had a small statement in there. I should have been more clear. If Uncle Sam asked you for something in your service that disabled you, I feel it should be taken care of by medical benefits. If the disability kept you from making a living after your service then compensation is definitely in order. If, however, you get out and are not financially damaged by potential earnings by your injury, etc. then the taxpayer should pay nothing.

I.E. if I have a 10% hearing loss over a 20 year career, why should I get money? Our whole society is so damn litigious that even when there is no financial damage, people think they get some sort of "pain and suffering". I am specifically talking about flyers in this regard because I know many who have done it. How come they are on flying duty and then the week before they retire, they are disabled? Then the week after that, they are working flying again. It's called a lie. We've taken many an oath not to be like the rest of society in that regard.

There are many honorable veterans that deserve our money to take care of injuries caused by what we ask of them. Let's not take from that pot with BS claims.

Again, not painting everybody in this light. Just the dirt bags who wake up with a back ache because they are old and want you and I to pay for it.