Concurrent receipt
I am writing to you today as a 14-year Navy veteran. I separated from the active duty on February 28, 2007. At that time I was provided severance pay because of an involuntary separation. I have no problem with the separation because it was something that was out of my control. I have tried for several years to control my weight to comply with Navy standards, well I lost the battle and thus I was separated.
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The problem that I have is that the Department of Defense provides severance pay for those individuals that fall into this category, but later on when those individuals file for disability compensation for those injuries incurred while on active duty their entitlement for disability compensation is withheld (10 USC 1174(h) 2) and OPNAVINST 1900.4), because they received severance pay.
This seems to be an inequitable policy. If the Department of Defense is going to offer severance pay veterans shouldn't be penalized by the Federal government and by the Veterans Administration (VA), by withholding their disability entitlement until their disability entitlement reaches the amount of severence pay the veteran received when they left active duty.
Richard Prather
Red Lion
MARK · June 12, 2008 7:14 AM
Which is it? Were you overweight or injured?
Dean Mahaffey · July 13, 2008 1:54 AM
I concur, it is like comparing an apple to an orange, this needs to be fixed ASAP as I am sure it is effecting uncountable Veterans!