It’s not double dipping!

Veterans who took the separation check that was offered when they left the service cannot legally get disability payments now — until that separation money is paid back. Think about that a minute.

The military wants to wind down and asks a veteran to go ahead and retire early, maybe years before the veteran planned to do so. But, yeah, the check is offered and accepted.

Time goes by and life happens and disability payments are needed. Or maybe the veteran is eligible due to the PACT Act covering exposure to toxins … except there’s a law saying a veteran can’t get both the separation money and disability payments. That separation money has to be paid back, and the Department of Veterans Affairs starts taking it out of any disability payments it does make. And what of the veterans who did receive disability over the years because, oops, the VA made a mistake and now it wants all that money back?

In some cases, the amount taken monthly is the total income a veteran has. Some have applied for hardship and been denied. Some will be paying back that separation money for years and years.

The RAND Corporation did a study about how many veterans are caught in this situation. On average, per that study, veterans are having to pay back between $20,000 and more than $50,000.

It’s not only those who left the service and were given separation pay. Other types of benefits include disability severance pay, non-disability severance pay, readjustment pay, special separation benefit and others

And what does a veteran do when suddenly the monthly income drops to zero? The VA wants to consider these two types of payments — disability benefits and separation pay — double dipping if a veteran gets both. It’s not. And if the government is going to offer thousands of dollars to coax a veteran to leave the service, they need to make it absolutely clear that disability payments won’t be allowed if needed down the road.