bobdina
05-26-2009, 01:59 PM
[TRUESTORY ]
According to the Defense Department, 21 Americans were held as prisoners of war in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
That’s news to the Veterans Affairs Department, which is paying benefits to quite a few more: 286, at last count.
Same for Vietnam vets — there are 662 officially recognized POWs from that war, but 966 alleged Vietnam POWs are getting disability payments.
Reps. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., and Jim Marshall, D-Ga., both combat vets, think that some fakers may be in the mix. They’ve asked VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to take a closer look at POW status claims and stop any free rides.
Depending on what VA decides to do, that could mean fewer checks in the mail.
According to the Defense Department, 21 Americans were held as prisoners of war in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
That’s news to the Veterans Affairs Department, which is paying benefits to quite a few more: 286, at last count.
Same for Vietnam vets — there are 662 officially recognized POWs from that war, but 966 alleged Vietnam POWs are getting disability payments.
Reps. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., and Jim Marshall, D-Ga., both combat vets, think that some fakers may be in the mix. They’ve asked VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to take a closer look at POW status claims and stop any free rides.
Depending on what VA decides to do, that could mean fewer checks in the mail.