[Misinformation] Congress explores options to remove benefits from disabled vets

[GloomCookie]

Full disclosure, this popped up on my feed and I thought it was a bit more than what would go into What's in the News for discussion. Also, these are exploratory proposals, they have not made their way into the US budget as of yet, but they could be.

Original Video that prompted this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj0oX97i1vo

The Congressional Budget Office put together ways to save the taxpayer money, and in the process proposed 3 suggestions to limit the amount of benefits received in households making more than $125,000 annually, with full benefit cutoff at $170,000 and would reduce the benefits received after age 67.

Links:
End VA’s Individual Unemployability Payments to Disabled Veterans at the Full Retirement Age for Social Security
Reduce VA’s Disability Benefits for Veterans Who Are Older Than the Full Retirement Age for Social Security
Reduce Spending on Other Mandatory Programs

[Azy]

Sounds like they're thinking of doing what they are already doing to non veteran disabled people.  I'm on disability, and I am able to work if I can, but there's a certain amount I can make.  I think it's around $1,300 now.  If I were to make more than that, then for every $2 over I am, they take away $1 from me.  After a certain point they take it all away because it seems to them I no longer need their help. 

I don't completely understand how it all works, but my mom took partial Social Security at 62, and was still working part time.  She had to report her income to make sure it wasn't over a certain amount.  What she said was that in like August of last year she decided to estimate what her income would be for the whole year based on what it had been most of the year.  Social Security decided she didn't need any benefits for the rest of the year.  Now, as it turned out, her estimate was higher than what she actually ended up getting.  As she continued to report actual income and this became pretty evident, they didn't go well shoot, we'll make this up in November and December.  Nope, they kept track of the difference and what she should have been getting, and gave it to her in January of the next year. 

So this is basically standard for how this country treats people.  If you can't be a good worker bee through no fault of your own, you still have the right to live, but you have to be in poverty because only good worker bees get any kind of nice comfortable existence.   

[Missy]

So this is basically standard for how this country treats people.  If you can't be a good worker bee through no fault of your own, you still have the right to live, but you have to be in poverty because only good worker bees get any kind of nice comfortable existence.   

Capitalist objectification in a nutshell

[Vekseid]

Congress did not explore these options. The CBO was asked to propose a list of things that would reduce the deficit. These were three of 59 smaller options to reduce the deficit by less than $300 billion.

While it is not unthinkable someone in the House may propose one of these, until someone puts it in an actual bill, it isn't reflective of any congresscritter actually thinking this is a thing to do.

[Callie Del Noire]

It would be as politically suicidal as privatization of the VA.

[Vekseid]

In any case, the CBO's job is to answer financial questions. It does no good to spread moral panic hanging this on 'congress' in general.

Someone specifically asked them to calculate the financial impacts of these. If you want to genuinely head this off, the thing to do would be to suss out who, specifically, is responsible for these three items being in the CBO's report, and turn heat on them for it.

[Missy]

I hate to be pessimistic, but would it really matter if we did?

I'm not trying to discourage anyone or say we shouldn't because it won't matter, sometimes the exercise is all that can be done and that's worth it on it's own merits.

I just wonder if we did pull it off, figure out who and give them the solid groin-kicking they deserve, would it even make a difference in a real and meaningful way?

[Callie Del Noire]

Speaking as someone who relies on his VA disability I’d say yes. I need my bipolar meds diabetes and BP meds too.

[Missy]

No, I meant in terms of actual accountability.

Sorry if I seem rude, I've been feeling more pessimistic about Capitalist society of late.

[Vekseid]

I hate to be pessimistic, but would it really matter if we did?

I'm not trying to discourage anyone or say we shouldn't because it won't matter, sometimes the exercise is all that can be done and that's worth it on it's own merits.

I just wonder if we did pull it off, figure out who and give them the solid groin-kicking they deserve, would it even make a difference in a real and meaningful way?

Veterans are a hard thing to argue against supporting.  Similar activism during the Trump era saved a lot of protected land.

So, it matters. Getting personally used out and called out so early on has a fair chance of spooking congresscritters.