VA Hearing

Many of you have asked how this hearing went. What I am about to state is not out of anger but just to make it known what the average wounded soldier has to go through. July 29, 2006 I filed for disability for injuries sustained while in the military. It took about 9 months for them to make a decision that they are awarding me with 0% disability. Which means they accept that I did sustain these injuries but I do not deserve compensation. My wife and I agreed that we would only dispute this once and trust that God would direct our path in this matter. There are thousands of veterans even from Vietnam that are disputing their cases still today that really deserve compensation. So we filled a dispute and was told it would be anywhere from 6 months to 15 years before we would have a hearing. It took about 13 months for them to schedule a hearing. That is what was on Thursday. On the way to the hearing we drove by the very building that nearly 9 years ago I started my military service. All I could think of was going into the room where I swore in with about 20 other soon to be soldiers. We all raised our right hand and recited the following:

"I, _____, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

At that very moment in time, morning of July 29, 1999, I never dreamed I would have actually received orders from the President to fight in a war for our Flag.

I say all of that to say this. When my hearing started I found myself again raising my right hand swearing to tell the truth about what had happened to me physically and mentally while deployed to Iraq. I had to give testimony on every detail of all my injuries and explain how they are effecting my everyday life. It took all of 1 hour to conclude the hearing. 1 hour is all they need to determine what compensation I will receive for the rest of my life. I was told that I will receive a letter in the mail in anywhere from 4 - 15 months stating the outcome of there decision.

If you have any questions regarding this you can email me or just leave a comment.
Thanks goes out to all who were praying for me in this matter.