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A True Story: A Tale of 2 Vet Reps

By VVAW

Faced by late checks, cuts in prepayments, hassles with paperwork, veterans are often frustrated in finding where to strike back against the system. Vet reps on campus, school directors of Veteran's affairs, VA clerks have all been confronted by angry vets concerning the problems that vets run into. As the following two episodes demonstrate, although these individuals are not a the root of the attacks coming down on vets, they are able to work in extremely different ways either to help the vet as much as possible, or to throw roadblocks in the way. The people in both episodes below work in the same school.

A simple question about the new system of payments of the GI BILL took a vet into the office of the vet rep, the VA's official representative on campus.

"Didn't you get the form from the VA?" she said. "All the information is right there." The vet pointed out that sometimes VA bureaucratese isn't all that easy to understand. "My experience is that vets read only the things they want to read," the vet rep declared.

Curtly, she explained that there would be no June check; "But you've had enough notice to start saving up," she added. The vet said something about it being difficult to save up much on $292 a month and that landlords don't want to wait a month for the rent. "If you wanted to get a job you could get it," she said. "Vets think that they're owed a living--I think about that every time I see my taxes taken out of my paycheck." She did not mention that her paycheck comes out of the same taxes.

The vet asked if she would come to a meeting of the school vets club to explain the necessary procedures. "No," she answered, "Vets make me mad." Before the vet could ask the obvious question about why she was working as a vet rep, she continued, "You know Vietnam vets get a whole lot more than vets did after World War II, you're actually lucky."

The vet pointed out that her facts were screwed up--although today's vets get more money, they buying power is 300% lower than what vets received after WWII. "Maybe you're right," she responded, "but then the vets then deserved the money--they won their war."

When the vet left the so-called vet rep he went to the school's Director of Veterans' Affairs. The director says that his job is to do whatever he can to help vets--and he means what he says.

He already had a copy of a letter he had sent to the VA saying that the school would guarantee advanced payment (one of the conditions for vets to get advance payment in the fall term under new VA rules.)

"I know some of the problems vets face," he said. "When I got out I took the test to become a fireman--did well on it too. After a year or so when my name didn't move up the list, I went to one of the local politicians--who said that if I'd give him $500 he'd see that my name moved up. Hell, if I'd had $500 I probably wouldn't have been looking for the job, but I knew I'd put in my years in the military and it just wasn't right."

Around school were posted letters from him to all vets explaining the new regulations and telling vets exactly what they had to do to insure payment through the school break and advance payment for the Fall term. Forms, already filled out and needing only to be signed, were waiting for vets who pre-registered for the Fall semester.

"There are a lot of things I want do for vets and can't do in the middle of this system" the vets director said. "I've got a family I have to feed and need the job. Either the school administration or the VA is always saying no, but I'm doing what I can and trying to get you guys (vets) what you need. Sometimes I feel like going down and setting fire to the whole VA regional office--and if it finally comes down to it, I guess I can find another job."