Why Our Families Need Help
The current wars have taken a huge toll on members of the US Armed Services
More than 2.0 M service men and women have directly supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
More than 4500 men and women have died in these wars
More than 15,000 men and women suffer injuries that prevented them from returning to active duty in the regular services, National Guard and Reserves.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that more than 400,000 will experience significant mental health problems.
The families of disabled veterans face many big challenges
They must adjust to the return home of combat veterans from war, i.e., reintegration into family life
Their transition from the military to less structured civilian life is often difficult
They must deal with major physical and mental health problems
Their financial health is impacted by long delays in the start of merited disability compensation
Financial problems have many causes
Veterans with severe health problems rarely find steady, well paying work. And a poor U.S. economy lessens their chances.
While veterans DO receive excellent medical care, the service-connected disability compensation they can receive from the Veterans Administration is generally modest and untimely. A veteran with a spouse, a single child and a 60% disability rating receives only $1129 a month, and each additional child adds only $81 a month.
And unfortunately, this does not tell the whole story. Families will often struggle with disability-related problems for many months before they decide to file a claim for service-connected compensation and usually they must wait another four to six months before their compensation begins. Appeal a claim and the veteran gets back in line.
Military families purchased homes with the reasonable expectation of remaining fully employed in the military, or later, as civilians. Unfortunately, severe injuries changed everything. And when they attempt to renegotiate mortgages after falling behind in making payments, lenders are largely unsympathetic.
Families frequently resort to credit cards to fund basic living expenses, and then they bear financial penalties on ever-expanding unpaid balances.
Injured soldiers and their families are not reimbursed for many of their travel expenses when they are treated at distant medical facilities. And eligible reimbursements are not immediately paid.
Financial problems undermine veterans' efforts to rebuild their lives.
Stressful for any American family, financial instability commonly intensifies the anxiety, aggression and depression felt by injured soldiers
Family relationships weaken or dissolve - divorce and homelessness are common.
Injured soldiers fail to take full advantage of available medical care. They stop seeking help and "drop-out" of treatment programs.
They make poor decisions that worsen their financial situations and dig themselves deeper into debt.