Originally Posted by
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.
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.