Patriot Publishings

I’ve been trying to accumulate and organize the data regarding the Committee on Veterans Affairs and all of the Bills associated with that committee. The amount of data is immense, more than I could have fully anticipated, which delays the book that I have been working on for so many years.

Some may say that perhaps I’m bitter at the government because of how broken my body is and that I want something for nothing, and to those people I say: apparently you do not know me or what I’m about.

I think that I have a right to be a bit scorned, though, but everything I’ve been doing, all my efforts (on and off radar) has been to help other veterans avoid what I’ve experienced and unfortunately continue to experience since 2006.

Most recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs admitted, on record/paper, that they were wrong in denying one of my ratings (since 2008) as it was in my record(s) AND one of the reasons for my medical discharge, and I was awarded back pay. Piggy-backing on that award came a letter from the VA, stating I was overpaid a substantial amount and they were going to garnish my disability check(s) until it was paid back.

Now, let me be clear about this action: upon discharge, since I was not medically retired (the Navy was downsizing and discharged me at 20% to avoid TRDL/full retirement) and was given what they called a ‘Severance package’. A severance is when a company gets rid of an employee and pays them for the time they served their company. This, however, was not a severance anything because the VA kept a large chunk of my disability check until they recouped ALL of the amount provided in the ‘severance’.

What? Why would they do that?

Back then, the VA called it ‘double-dipping’ which meant a veteran couldn’t receive a retirement AND a disability check, because they are double dipping the funds. This didn’t pertain to me because I wasn’t retired. They didn’t care, nor did it stop them from recouping the ENTIRE amount I was given. Thankfully now, if it still relates, the VA cannot recoup a veteran’s severance. Sucks for me.

With that, the VA did not specify where or when the overpayment was provided. This is importance since I have attorney’s who handle my VA case. This means, when awarded money, I have to pay the attorney’s 30% of the award. Well worth it if they can made headway against the beast that is the VA.

If I was overpaid, I would need to know when and why, then I would have to inform the attorney’s of the reasons and the specific award because if I was overpaid, so where they. I owe them for this most-recent award, but cannot pay them until I find out which award was overpaid by the VA. Then this matter can be addressed.

This is yet another tactic by the VA: garnish and do not explain when/why it was applied. Yet they will continue to retaliate against me. This adds more motivation for my book. It was going to be the past 30 years of movement within the Congressional Committee on Veterans Affairs, but even with help, I would not have the energy to write it a way that kept the reader’s attention and make sense.

It is important that readers gain an understanding of the data. Despite not wanting to impose my opinion, it would be necessary to give my assessment in each area, to ensure the reader understands what message I’m putting out, but also remain invited to research everything I put in print. Everything in this book can be fact-checked with little effort. It’s all public record.

Anyway, I’ve managed to add the new bookshop URL to the gallery, and that is where I’ll have any/all of my books available. The journey and effort continues and hopefully will end with information that continues to help other veterans.

For those who say that I should call the VA to get answers about this deficit, I have. Their number goes to a call center, deliberately, so the VA can avoid such conversations. The call center does NOT have access to full information, which means all of my calling only resulted in “we cannot tell you why they say they overpaid you” and will not provide any veteran with phone numbers to those who may know.

I tried. The call center can claim ignorance, the VA can claim they knew nothing about my inquiries. It allows the VA to remain separated from accountability. Anyone that thinks the VA is designed to help veterans, obviously never had to deal with an organization that gleefully targets veterans and ensures they can’t get simple things accomplished.

Do some digging, gain the information and then, perhaps, you’ll begin to understand what the VA is capable of.