Bills would help low-income vets on VA pensions

Bills would help low-income vets on VA pensions

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 9, 2010 12:24:20 EDT

A Navy veteran whose VA pension was canceled because he received an insurance settlement after he and his service dog were hit by a truck is the poster child for legislation to change eligibility rules regarding pensions for low-income veterans.

Kerry Scriber of West Palm Beach, Fla., said in an interview that he and his dog were injured and his VA-provided wheelchair damaged when he was struck while crossing the street in March 2008. Scriber, a former petty officer second class who served from 1974 to 1979, said the dog received minor injuries and quickly recovered, but he suffered broken bones in his face and pelvis. The wheelchair he needed to get around because of his muscular dystrophy was destroyed.

Scriber said he received two checks from the driver’s insurance company, one covering the cost of the wheelchair and a second for $10,000 that covered pain and suffering and miscellaneous expenses.

He turned over the check for the wheelchair to the Veterans Affairs Department, which provided him with another chair. He also reported receiving the $10,000 settlement, as he was required to do as a recipient of a pension provided to low-income veterans. Although his disability is not connected to his military service, he was receiving the pension because he is totally disabled and his income was less than $11,000 a year.
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Bills would help low income vets on VA pensions