Some of my fellow Hoosier veterans are mad as hell, etc., etc., over a legislative proposal that would end the guarantee of a full college scholarship for the children of Indiana's disabled veterans:
Since 1935, Indiana has guaranteed full payment of tuition and normal fees so that children of disabled or deceased veterans can attend college.
The revisions sponsored by Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, would allow a 100 percent benefit to the children of deceased veterans or veterans who are at least 80 percent disabled. Children of those with lesser disabilities would receive aid at a minimum of 20 percent plus the percentage of the parent's disability.
Those currently enrolled in the program or children of those wounded in combat would not be subjected to the changes.
Veterans groups say the changes would "devalue their sacrifice." An Indiana American Legion spokesman says cutting budgets should not be at "the expense of vetrans," and an Indiana VFW representative says the proposal goes against the goal of Indiana "to educate our children and keep them in the state." I can appreciate the sentiments, and taking care of the education of disabled vets' children is a nice gesture. There are plenty of worse things to spend tax money on.
But we can see in this program in microcosm the problem with larger, federal entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare. Because of the increase in deployments, the program has a growing number of beneficiaries (nearly 6,000 students during the 2009-2010 school year), but the funding has stayed stagnant. The unhappy choice is to cut back on some benefits for some recipients now, or cut back a lot more benefits for a lot more recipients in the future. Even with the changes, notes Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, Indiana will still have the most generous such program in the nation.
Comments
Our veterans signed up with the expectation of receiving certain benefits as part of their compensation.
Now, they're leaning why hookers demand to be paid before they render services.
One thing we really need to do is to stop running up bills we're not willing to pay. We haven't called upon our military to defend our freedoms from a sovereign nation invading us since the 19th century. We need to stop providing free military welfare to every country in the world.
The program discriminates against those who were injured in the line of duty, but not during war time. There are many block out dates.
They have no black out dates for those who have served since Gulf War one. The state of Indiana has decreed that those who are injured from 1990 up till now are all entitled to their children receiving this benefit.
It does not have a criteria other than being injured during specified times. For Example, I was injured in the line of service on 09-25-1979, 2nd and 3rd degree burns to my feet, legs, back and right arm will all the skin boiled off my right arm. I suffered broken ribs, a fractured skull, numerous shrapnel wounds that required two tourniquets and I am now missing a part of my arm below the elbow. I was lucky we were in port when the explosion occurred otherwise I would not be here.
Many of those who were injured after the start of the Gulf War are not nearly injured as badly as I, but then there are many who were injured far worse than I.
It has been my position that those who are injured in the line of service, war time, and training or peace time should all be treated the same. Injuries sustained in an explosion due not injure less during peace time, training or war time.
Harl Delos writes
Harl points out "Our veterans signed up with the expectation of receiving certain benefits as part of their compensation."
The long & short of THAT is, they do receive exactly what they are entitled to by the United States Government.
This is a completely seperate State "entitlement".The tuition program is a State (taxpayer funded) program dreamed up in 1935 by some well meaning Indiana congress critter. Great intentions, but as with all great intentions, they have consequences.
Wonder how many other 20 million dollar programs are floating around out there that most of us aren't aware of? (hint: thousands)