The VA wouldn't approve my PTSD claim when I left the Marine Corps. It was known throughout the service that black veterans are low balled. There is no trust in the VA, which is disgraceful. As a combat veteran, like a lot of my fellow service members, you learn quickly that once it's time for you to get out the same government that claims to look out for you at the end of service ends up screwing you.
I hurt down range over 10 years ago as a Contractor and been fighting them every since .... Seems like whoever I get to represent me only purpose is to Delay and weaken my claim while trying to get me to take low ball settlements or just try total permanently ruin my claim in I don't fall for the trick bag ... Same Here!!!!!
@@timmothyhenderson4767 this god that you speak of should have been helpful in the beginning. But I think this deity was too busy giving preachers new cars and airplanes and watching children get abused.
@@jiwillis76And observing black & brown genocide by police military etc. with his blood drizzled popcorn.... Black veterans have NO REASON to trust the VA. They are more racist than ever.
How bout this twice as many whites than blacks in military. If u go by 100000 58%whites or 58000 to 26% blacks or 26000. Difference in denied 5% 19% to 24%. U TAKE that into calculation 5600 blacks denied 11070 whites denied. Means all this is for Democrats money hungry lawyers want to sue the government. So I guess barr that piece trash racist lawyer not putting out all facts. Just because higher percentage denied. Remember twice as many whites as black. Means more whites overall turned down. Point the amount of people isn't 50/50. More like 50/25. Like saying we give shot of measils to 50 white and 15 got 25 blacks 15 got.
They just denied my PTSD increase from the war in Vietnam then had the balls to say "Thank You for your Service at the bottom of the rejection letter... This is our government... 👎🏾💯
Democrats that made a bill to help veteran. Means nothing. We're adding more VA HOSPITALS. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS FORCE ALL HOSPITALS TAKE VA, GET SETTLED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE TO VA HOSPITAL. NOPE VETERANS STILL WILL HAVE CHOICE DRIVE HOURS AFTER HEART ATTACK. HOPING BE ALIVE AT VA. OTHERWISE GO TO HOSPITAL AND HAVE TO PAY. DONT WORRY A IMMIGRANT WALKS IN WITH LEVEL 4 CANCER GETS MEDICAID TO PAY HER BILLS. MONTH AFTER THEY WALK IN. PLUS GIVE HER HOUSING WHILE HOMELESS VETERAN IS ON STREET
My son was in 5 combat deployments Iraq, Afghanistan etc...He committed suicide July 2022 as he suffered PTSD, anxiety etc and he was black as well. This country's government is going to he'll for the mistreatment of black veterans!
This is about the black vote and/or recruiting . And not just PTSD but with all injuries .. Black Military & Contractors.. The democrats and republican ain't gone do Jack to change it.. NOPE !!!!!..... BTW I been fighting for over 10 years to get what I need and deserve... Still in pain 24/7 ... If it wasn't for my family holding me down I would be a disabled homeless person by now.... The Insurance Industry get away with murder when it comes down to Black Folk
The so-called disparities are not past tense.I am from a military family, many generations of service.. 9 out of 10 hired as VA staff feel they are doing us huge favors by answering simple questions. They are incredibly hateful and condescending. If you report it to a patient's advocate, they are equally bored and bothered by you and only pretend to take notes. From The Home Guaranty Office to every other office. They withhold information, talk in circles and are spin masters to rival our superstar p_ ress s3¢retary. Just less humorous. Although they offer Care In The Community, they drag their feet and make everything unnecessarily complicated. I had an untreated broken arm for a week- because of my unwavering trust in the VA "Health Care" System I feel they intentionally held up my paperwork to be seen elsewhere. Because, well, they care so much.
PTSD and skin color? What about combat veterans that cannot get help. What’s the percentage of non-combat PTSD ratings over the combat veterans? I am a combat veteran and denied every claim until a couple of years ago. Not just myself but other combat vets too include combat veterans of minority categories.
There’s a reason for that. If they think you had trauma before going in they’ll give you a lower score. Also you need to appeal for bigger scores but a lot of people don’t know that.
Former VA employee and military paralegal here. Just to clear something up about the vet they used in the story: seems like a terrible example. For one, they say that he got a Dishonorable Discharge (3:17), which you can ONLY get after you did something so CRIMINAL in the service that your commanding officer had to not only request a formal trial, but then also provide evidence and investigation as to why the offense was so serious as to go to a General Court Martial (95% of the time, even what civilians consider a felony would be resolved at a lower level Special Court Martial, where at most you could get a Bad Conduct Discharge). So, right off the bat, Dishonorable Discharge is a very HIGH bar to clear, and in my years with JAG, we only went to GCM once for a murder trial. Now, from the VA side, he wouldn't have been getting "denied" a PTSD claim, he would be getting denied eligibility for VA benefits in the first place because VA care is one of many veteran benefits you lose when you receive the worst possible discharge in the military. For what it's worth, VA can't even consider granting benefits for someone ineligible by statute (legislation establishes the criteria, VA applies them). I'm not familiar with his individual case, but normally someone would have to lobby and present some reasoning as to why their discharge should be upgraded and there's no requirement on the government to do that (especially for court martial convictions, admin discharges are more common to be upgraded from Other than Honorable to Under Honorable Conditions). Then, after the upgrade, he would still have to establish that he had PTSD and that it was connected to service. This can be fairly easy now, if you have combat service on your record. Now, I say all this because veterans and news personalities often don't seem to grasp the difference between being denied or ineligible and why, but of course the VA is the punching bag because it's the office that they apply with and get a negative response. Now for the PSA: to any veterans and anyone that knows someone in the service that may have a service-related disability - seek help, get it diagnosed while you're still in, and even if you don't want to apply for disability, make sure it's documented in case you change your mind later - all while still on active duty. That will allow you to take all the guess work out of it. But also, seek help, especially with mental health, while you're still in. Don't act out and get in trouble (an potentially lose access to treatment), self-medicate (DUI, irresponsible drinking, or illicit drugs will get you kicked out and also make it harder to get treated), and don't let it fester.
You should really get an idea of what you're talking about before blabbering. You're wrong on facts, how statistics even work, and what amounts to discrimination.
@@leok7193 you should go check the facts yourself. You seem to be in denial of facts that are so easily found on Google search. You don't think female bias is a thing for men? Jesus.
You raise a great point. Like 65% of psychologists are women. That number might be even higher for the ones that work at the VA. The last exam I had for PTSD was with an Italian woman. I'm a combat vet yet after everything I told her she blamed all of the issues I had on disputes I had with my relatives smdh.
I can 100% state that there wasn't a single claim that took 20 years. When I worked there, the oldest claim at the VA was 800 days old and the oldest appeal was 4 years.
@@leok7193 I thought about your comment over a night's sleep and a response for you, without calling you out or calling you names. You must not have listened or watched the report in this video. You and Everyone who worked for the VA is/was wrong for the mistreatment of many non white veterans like myself and the veterans listed in the video who waited as long, if not way longer than your comment suggests. So either you were a part of it, don't understand and/or don't listen or are simply trolling a U.S. Army Iraq War Disabled Veteran who has waited since 2003. Guess that isn't 20 years..... Thanks for making me relive that experience and please learn to keep ya lies in comments out, like your unwanted obvious lie and hurtful opinion based on your lie.
To be clear, one statistic without context is pretty meaningless. I worked for the VA some years back and different veteran populations apply for different benefits at different rates, so for example if black vets applied for PTSD just in case they could get it (mental health conditions are the easiest way to get maximum compensation and can be faked, whereas musculoskeletal conditions or diseases very rarely get to 80+ disability and are much more cut and clear in diagnosis). Those are just facts of the rating system. Just as an example, something I was aware of while in the service myself and at the VA later was that the Pilipino Navy vets would make sure to apply for sleep apnea as a disability due to service (almost always brought on by weight gain while on active duty) and even though they almost never had a diagnosis in service, the word traveled and they would submit a supporting statement for each other about loud snoring when berthing together on a ship in order to establish connection to service. No comment on whether those statements were truthful or whether military should be responsible for someone gaining weight and developing sleep apnea, but the specific disability and application process were so streamlined in that particular group that most of the lay statements were either word for word the same or nearly identical in the narrative, but re-worded. There were other groups that shared other particular disabilities, like if you worked on aircraft or flightline, VA would concede noise exposure so it was common knowledge on my base to apply for tinnitus and hearing loss; or if you were a (parachute) jumper, VA would consider knee trauma, so anyone that had knee pain in that occupation knew to be considered for that disability.
It might honestly be that some people conditions were worse than others. It may not be about race just that some people’s conditions were worse than others and by compete chance more African Americans claims weren’t approved. Sometimes it’s like that. I’ve seen things where African Americans were chosen more then whites to.
You are full of it. I'm a combat veteran 13B with a combat action and still don't have it. You people are always hunting for excuses and mitigating circumstances for this rotten system.
The VA wouldn't approve my PTSD claim when I left the Marine Corps. It was known throughout the service that black veterans are low balled. There is no trust in the VA, which is disgraceful. As a combat veteran, like a lot of my fellow service members, you learn quickly that once it's time for you to get out the same government that claims to look out for you at the end of service ends up screwing you.
Same here !
I hurt down range over 10 years ago as a Contractor and been fighting them every since .... Seems like whoever I get to represent me only purpose is to Delay and weaken my claim while trying to get me to take low ball settlements or just try total permanently ruin my claim in I don't fall for the trick bag ... Same Here!!!!!
It’s sad they denied me also but God has the last day🙌🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾❤️
@@timmothyhenderson4767 this god that you speak of should have been helpful in the beginning. But I think this deity was too busy giving preachers new cars and airplanes and watching children get abused.
@@jiwillis76And observing black & brown genocide by police military etc. with his blood drizzled popcorn....
Black veterans have NO REASON to trust the VA. They are more racist than ever.
You can have PTSD without going to war!
No one should be the LEAST bit surprised!!
How bout this twice as many whites than blacks in military. If u go by 100000 58%whites or 58000 to 26% blacks or 26000. Difference in denied 5% 19% to 24%. U TAKE that into calculation 5600 blacks denied 11070 whites denied. Means all this is for Democrats money hungry lawyers want to sue the government. So I guess barr that piece trash racist lawyer not putting out all facts. Just because higher percentage denied. Remember twice as many whites as black. Means more whites overall turned down. Point the amount of people isn't 50/50. More like 50/25. Like saying we give shot of measils to 50 white and 15 got 25 blacks 15 got.
Only certain people will be
They just denied my PTSD increase from the war in Vietnam then had the balls to say "Thank You for your Service at the bottom of the rejection letter... This is our government... 👎🏾💯
Democrats that made a bill to help veteran. Means nothing. We're adding more VA HOSPITALS. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS FORCE ALL HOSPITALS TAKE VA, GET SETTLED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE TO VA HOSPITAL. NOPE VETERANS STILL WILL HAVE CHOICE DRIVE HOURS AFTER HEART ATTACK. HOPING BE ALIVE AT VA. OTHERWISE GO TO HOSPITAL AND HAVE TO PAY. DONT WORRY A IMMIGRANT WALKS IN WITH LEVEL 4 CANCER GETS MEDICAID TO PAY HER BILLS. MONTH AFTER THEY WALK IN. PLUS GIVE HER HOUSING WHILE HOMELESS VETERAN IS ON STREET
My son was in 5 combat deployments Iraq, Afghanistan etc...He committed suicide July 2022 as he suffered PTSD, anxiety etc and he was black as well. This country's government is going to he'll for the mistreatment of black veterans!
They needed a report for this? Everyone and their mother already knows. Stop wasting resources on non performances and just fix the problem.
I’m glad we have these two women anchors on our side
I have been denied for years, try after try.
This is about the black vote and/or recruiting . And not just PTSD but with all injuries .. Black Military & Contractors.. The democrats and republican ain't gone do Jack to change it.. NOPE !!!!!..... BTW I been fighting for over 10 years to get what I need and deserve... Still in pain 24/7 ... If it wasn't for my family holding me down I would be a disabled homeless person by now.... The Insurance Industry get away with murder when it comes down to Black Folk
The so-called disparities are not past tense.I am from a military family, many generations of service..
9 out of 10 hired as VA staff feel they are doing us huge favors by answering simple questions. They are incredibly hateful and condescending. If you report it to a patient's advocate, they are equally bored and bothered by you and only pretend to take notes. From The Home Guaranty Office to every other office. They withhold information, talk in circles and are spin masters to rival our superstar p_ ress s3¢retary. Just less humorous.
Although they offer Care In The Community, they drag their feet and make everything unnecessarily complicated. I had an untreated broken arm for a week- because of my unwavering trust in the VA "Health Care" System I feel they intentionally held up my paperwork to be seen elsewhere. Because, well, they care so much.
PTSD and skin color? What about combat veterans that cannot get help. What’s the percentage of non-combat PTSD ratings over the combat veterans? I am a combat veteran and denied every claim until a couple of years ago. Not just myself but other combat vets too include combat veterans of minority categories.
There’s a reason for that. If they think you had trauma before going in they’ll give you a lower score. Also you need to appeal for bigger scores but a lot of people don’t know that.
Always hunting for excuses or mitigating circumstances
Former VA employee and military paralegal here. Just to clear something up about the vet they used in the story: seems like a terrible example.
For one, they say that he got a Dishonorable Discharge (3:17), which you can ONLY get after you did something so CRIMINAL in the service that your commanding officer had to not only request a formal trial, but then also provide evidence and investigation as to why the offense was so serious as to go to a General Court Martial (95% of the time, even what civilians consider a felony would be resolved at a lower level Special Court Martial, where at most you could get a Bad Conduct Discharge). So, right off the bat, Dishonorable Discharge is a very HIGH bar to clear, and in my years with JAG, we only went to GCM once for a murder trial.
Now, from the VA side, he wouldn't have been getting "denied" a PTSD claim, he would be getting denied eligibility for VA benefits in the first place because VA care is one of many veteran benefits you lose when you receive the worst possible discharge in the military. For what it's worth, VA can't even consider granting benefits for someone ineligible by statute (legislation establishes the criteria, VA applies them). I'm not familiar with his individual case, but normally someone would have to lobby and present some reasoning as to why their discharge should be upgraded and there's no requirement on the government to do that (especially for court martial convictions, admin discharges are more common to be upgraded from Other than Honorable to Under Honorable Conditions). Then, after the upgrade, he would still have to establish that he had PTSD and that it was connected to service. This can be fairly easy now, if you have combat service on your record. Now, I say all this because veterans and news personalities often don't seem to grasp the difference between being denied or ineligible and why, but of course the VA is the punching bag because it's the office that they apply with and get a negative response.
Now for the PSA: to any veterans and anyone that knows someone in the service that may have a service-related disability - seek help, get it diagnosed while you're still in, and even if you don't want to apply for disability, make sure it's documented in case you change your mind later - all while still on active duty. That will allow you to take all the guess work out of it. But also, seek help, especially with mental health, while you're still in. Don't act out and get in trouble (an potentially lose access to treatment), self-medicate (DUI, irresponsible drinking, or illicit drugs will get you kicked out and also make it harder to get treated), and don't let it fester.
Most people who work in the medical field are women. So generally speaking most women are discriminating against black men with PTSD.
True
You should really get an idea of what you're talking about before blabbering. You're wrong on facts, how statistics even work, and what amounts to discrimination.
@@leok7193 you should go check the facts yourself. You seem to be in denial of facts that are so easily found on Google search. You don't think female bias is a thing for men? Jesus.
You raise a great point. Like 65% of psychologists are women. That number might be even higher for the ones that work at the VA. The last exam I had for PTSD was with an Italian woman. I'm a combat vet yet after everything I told her she blamed all of the issues I had on disputes I had with my relatives smdh.
Most of the medics, PA's and physicians are White men. Stop lying.
The VA is failing to provide care regardless of race/ethnicity.
personal story of 20+ years of waiting for my VA claim and it took a letter to The Biden administration and an additional 2 years.
I can 100% state that there wasn't a single claim that took 20 years. When I worked there, the oldest claim at the VA was 800 days old and the oldest appeal was 4 years.
@@leok7193 I thought about your comment over a night's sleep and a response for you, without calling you out or calling you names. You must not have listened or watched the report in this video. You and Everyone who worked for the VA is/was wrong for the mistreatment of many non white veterans like myself and the veterans listed in the video who waited as long, if not way longer than your comment suggests. So either you were a part of it, don't understand and/or don't listen or are simply trolling a U.S. Army Iraq War Disabled Veteran who has waited since 2003. Guess that isn't 20 years..... Thanks for making me relive that experience and please learn to keep ya lies in comments out, like your unwanted obvious lie and hurtful opinion based on your lie.
Accountability.
Jasmine
HELP !
I would say way to make it about race and politics and not about providing help to all veterans.
Your MOS or job in the military matters. If someone was in a non- combat job, your changes of a successful claim is low.
To be clear, one statistic without context is pretty meaningless. I worked for the VA some years back and different veteran populations apply for different benefits at different rates, so for example if black vets applied for PTSD just in case they could get it (mental health conditions are the easiest way to get maximum compensation and can be faked, whereas musculoskeletal conditions or diseases very rarely get to 80+ disability and are much more cut and clear in diagnosis). Those are just facts of the rating system.
Just as an example, something I was aware of while in the service myself and at the VA later was that the Pilipino Navy vets would make sure to apply for sleep apnea as a disability due to service (almost always brought on by weight gain while on active duty) and even though they almost never had a diagnosis in service, the word traveled and they would submit a supporting statement for each other about loud snoring when berthing together on a ship in order to establish connection to service. No comment on whether those statements were truthful or whether military should be responsible for someone gaining weight and developing sleep apnea, but the specific disability and application process were so streamlined in that particular group that most of the lay statements were either word for word the same or nearly identical in the narrative, but re-worded.
There were other groups that shared other particular disabilities, like if you worked on aircraft or flightline, VA would concede noise exposure so it was common knowledge on my base to apply for tinnitus and hearing loss; or if you were a (parachute) jumper, VA would consider knee trauma, so anyone that had knee pain in that occupation knew to be considered for that disability.
It might honestly be that some people conditions were worse than others. It may not be about race just that some people’s conditions were worse than others and by compete chance more African Americans claims weren’t approved. Sometimes it’s like that. I’ve seen things where African Americans were chosen more then whites to.
So, YOU had no problem when Whites were chosen more then Blacks.
They did the study and told you exactly what it is your assumptions don't matter
You are full of it. I'm a combat veteran 13B with a combat action and still don't have it. You people are always hunting for excuses and mitigating circumstances for this rotten system.
@@chellelechelleJust another blind witness. They just don't want to acknowledge any wrong doing.