That said, the one thing that affects my life on a daily basis, Sleep Apnea, the VA says isn't service connected because I'm "Morbidly Obese"
Never mind I flew with an OSA waiver from NAMI (think SI but Navy) and am 230 at 6'4".
But means testing is going to go with a lot of other things and be horribly abused. And not in a way that favors most veterans.
But the VA, every time I go in their office for ANYTHING, reminds me that if I would just file for TBI or PTSD, I'd be 100% tomorrow ($2k a month more and no property tax).
Why? Because the VA gets more for those things to fund research, more vets with TBI/PTSD, more research money. Those are also things that are HOLY BALLS hard to get FAA SIs for. I've been told by VA personnel to just say the "right things" and I would be granted 100%.
Of course, like most mental health things the FAA is binary. You are 100% crazy or 100% sane. With PTSD you are Ted Stryker from Airplane and never can get over Macho Grande, or you are stone cold Sully. Nobody in the middle. And they wonder why guys don't seek out treatment.
In my case, my neck, back and legs were injured in 2003. Cleared by Navy, reported to FAA, no further info requested for 20 years. Then they have started asking for ambulance trip sheets, and all sorts of things I just plain don't have. But hey, means test away.
And if we are going to go "no money unless you are REALLY disabled, then you need to actually up the 100% disabled rate to well north of the median income for the country.
I grew up with a 100% disabled veteran father. When he lost his medical, we lost our house. While the VA disability slowed the bleeding, there aren't many places where you can raise a family on what is now $36k a year.
But hey, being homeless as a kid was fun. It was like camping.
Nobody is getting rich living on VA disability.