When soldiers are deployed into combat, there is a chance that they will not make it home, and if they do, they might arrive without a limb or be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. Military personnel who have lost a limb in combat not only have to battle reestablishing their lives without the lots limb, but they also come home to find that they may have to battle the government for the services that should be handed to them without question.
When one makes the decision to serve their country, that person is tested intellectually and physically, as one must be able to at any time be fit to be deployed into combat. Military personnel can be serving their country for years, decades even, but as soon as they become injured or physically disabled, they are snubbed by the country they worked so hard to protect.
Veterans who come home with a disability, may it be physical or psychological, face the risks of losing various benefits, and even their career. Those who have lost limbs such as legs face the risk of not being able to pass the annual physical test (PT), which includes being able to run for 2.4 kilometers within a time frame which varies with one’s age (Canadian Forces, 2011). If they are unable to pass this test, they risk being discharged from the military. The armed forces does not take into consideration that a prosthetic limb might overheat during the run, or that the run will be more difficult for someone who does not have the limbs they were born with; the standards are set, and there are no changes or adaptions to the requirements to accommodate those who were injured during battle.
If these injured military personnel are discharged from the Armed Forces, they face the chance of losing the benefits that they would have normally received upon leaving the forces of their own accord. Generally upon being discharged from the Canadian Forces, veterans receive a lump sum of money for their injuries. If they do end up receiving a monthly allowance from the government (i.e a severance pay), this will be considered a form of income, and will be taxed heavily. While these soldiers are enduring rehabilitation, they may have families to feed and house that are dependent on the income that soldier once brought in, and this substantial decrease in finances might hit that family very hard.
Injured veterans who do receive a monthly allowance for their disability might not only have to pay taxes on those monies, but may also have their monthly pension held back from the allowance once they reach the age a pension would start. One veteran has stated that “It is a pain-and-suffering payment for the non-economic losses associated with acquiring a physical or mental injury… It is simply not income” (Mangue, 2011). This could not be truer, as adjusting to and living life with a physical impairment would require special services in order to maintain a relatively independent status. May it be a white cane for those who have lost their sight, a motorized wheelchair for someone who has lost the use of their legs, or a prosthetic replacement for someone who has lost a limb in combat, injured veterans need this monthly allowance to continue living their lives. They want to maintain their independence just as much as the rest of the population does, and the government of Canada has no right to withhold the monies or the services for those who faithfully defended our nation, risking their own lives so we may continue living ours comfortably.
Canadian Forces. (2011). Preparation for basic training: physical fitness guide (ADM(PA) DPAPM / SMA(AP) DPMAP / DGM-10-05-0014). http://cdn.forces.ca/_PDF2010/physical_fitness_en.pdf
Mangue, D. (2011, November 16). Veterans challenge clawback of disability benefits. The Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1088155
I cannot remember, nor can I figure out how to attach a video, but this YouTube video accompanies this post nicely: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-CEFUtuZ00
Alyssa
Great post, and super informative. Men and women in the military dedicate their lives to defending our country, and it's a huge diservice and disrespect that the government doesn't acknowledge this. It's incredible how many people return from combat so deeply affected by the things they've experiences, let alone returning with severe injuries. A bit of financial compensation doesn't make up for the trauma or lost limbs.
ReplyDelete- Julia
Good post. It doesn't really seem right what's being done to those who have been discharged because they've lost limbs while serving their country. They risked sacrificing their lives for their country yet their country can't spare the efforts to help them after they're of no use to it anymore? That's just wrong.
ReplyDelete- Jody