As a disclosure, I am a veteran. Therefore, I may be biased to say that veterans of the United States military deserve more compensation for their service. Both during their service and after. If you have ever served in the United States Military, I do not think that you would disagree with me.
An analysis in 2016 unveiled the troubling statistic that 20 veterans commit suicide each day. What? That is not only terrible but a result of not receiving the proper care after their service. Mental health issues plague veterans more today than in earlier generations in the history of the United States. Why? Maybe the statistic is due to the lack of reporting. Have I gone off script?
Possibly.
The overall message is that more can be done for our veterans today. The front page of the 'New York Times' today reports on the news that President Trump proposed that disabled veterans be given debt relief from their student loans. From the stage in Louisville, Kentucky, President Trump announced that through executive order, that the student loans of totally disabled veterans be dismissed immediately.
The executive action is an excellent common-sense step, given that one of the obstacles to qualify for dismissal is the inability to be employed. If a veteran is unable to work, why would the government require them to pay back student loans? With what money? Disability paycheck? Veterans retirement pay?
There has been the suspicion that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has been sandbagging the issue over the last couple of years. A letter was sent to Secretary DeVos from 51 State Attorney Generals to encourage her to step up action:
The Department of Education has identified over 42,000 veterans who are eligible for total and permanent disability (TPD) discharges based on information that the Department has received from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Collectively, these veterans carry over $1 billion in dischargeable student loan debt—nearly $24,000 each on average. Yet fewer than 9,000 of these eligible veterans had applied for TPD discharges as of April 2018, and over 25,000 were in default. Although we hope that the number of eligible veterans requesting TPD discharges has increased significantly in the interim, these initial numbers tend to confirm that the current approach is inadequate.
One billion dollars is a small price to pay for the sacrifice that these veterans have taken during their military service. Sacrifices that continue to affect their quality of life every day after their service. We should be dismissing their loans without question.
Without questioning President Trump's motivation, the proposal is a good faith act for veterans. Any presidential administration should strive to give more benefits to veterans. Those who have sacrificed so much for the freedom of our nation. Only time will tell.
Index of past blog sites:
1) Dimensional Analysis Of Statistics And Large Numbers - Index Of Blog Posts
2) Science Topics, Thoughts, and Parameters Regarding Science, Politics, And The Environment!
1) Dimensional Analysis Of Statistics And Large Numbers - Index Of Blog Posts
2) Science Topics, Thoughts, and Parameters Regarding Science, Politics, And The Environment!
No comments:
Post a Comment