Colorado Vet disability review board receives fraction of eligible applicants

Vet disability review board receives fraction of eligible applicants
By Liz Navratil
The Denver Post

Nearly 1,500 Colorado veterans are eligible to have their disability status reviewed by a board that gives full retirement benefits to more than half of all applicants, according to the Department of Defense.

A reassessment by the Physical Disability Board of Review can mean the difference between receiving a one-time settlement from the government and receiving a monthly paycheck for life and health benefits for the entire family.

But government bureaucracy, a lack of public outreach, and sometimes pride are keeping many veterans from applying.

The Department of Defense panel was created to address concerns that branches of the armed forces were treating injuries differently and possibly downplaying them to cut costs.

The board will review cases for veterans medically discharged between Sept. 11, 2001, when military participation increased, and Dec. 31, 2009, two years after changes to the military's rating system took effect.

Amy Contreras of Castle Rock is one of the 116 Colorado veterans who applied to have their disability ratings reviewed. It has taken nearly two years, but the panel recently increased her post-service benefits.

Contreras, now 36, fractured her foot during a 2004 training exercise with fellow Marines. A few months later, she deployed to Iraq, where she said she wore combat boots 24/7 instead of a special boot to treat her injury.

"Marines are tough," she said. "They say, 'Suck it up.' Unless (your limbs) are falling off you, you should be fine."
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Vet disability review board receives fraction of eligible applicants