Disabled 50 Year Old Army Veteran Seeks Government Grants To Ease Strain
by Gregory Thomason
I served in both Desert Shield and Desert storm and Provide Comfort in Turkey where we provided humanitarian assistance to the Kurdish rebels. I also served a short time in Texas in the war on drugs. I am married to a good woman that held a job for 20 years that ended in 2009. We live in a mobile home that we own that sits on rental property. Our current and only transportation is a 1993 Geo. We have no children at home, only our darling 8-year-old Chihuahua named Skeeter. My current official VA disability rating is at 10% with additional compensation for the loss of use of an organ, which totals $219.00 per month. I have a claim pending at this time for service-connected hypertension, which was granted previously at a 0% rating level due to criteria. I have submitted new medical evidence that was previously omitted and hope for a better outcome. Been waiting 6 months for a decision. I have submitted various other legitimate claims that have been denied for not having met the criteria. My main and debilitating disability is for a lower back injury that I sustained early in my service period due to lifting a generator that was used to supply power to my equipment that I used in field operations. I left the military in 1992 and have struggled since then to maintain employment. In 2004 I could no longer endure my problems and have not worked since. I got vocational rehabilitation assistance and went to my local college and got a 1-year certificate in Drafting and Design Technology. I graduated with honors in 2007 with a GPA of 3.72. I have not obtained any type of employment since. My disabilities have gotten to the point that just going to the mailbox wears me out. Working a physically demanding job is impossible and 7 years unemployed leave me in a depressed and hopeless situation. My wife and I purchased a large mobile home in 2002 and put it on land that was given to me by my mother. Things were looking good. Shortly after, the effects of my physical and mental problems caused me to stop working and we lost the home to Bankruptcy. My wife who held a job for 20 years left that job in 2009 due to the economy and company downsizing. She obtained another job within a month but was injured on that job in October of 2009. She had to take it to court and naturally they terminated her employment. She has been unemployed since then and the unemployment checks are soon to come to an end. She is left with physical impairment that limits her ability. Without her we would be in dire straits and the future looks pretty bleak for us. Naturally these situations have caused a great strain on our marriage but we are still trying. I have not held any job since 2004. The only income that I myself have is VA compensation. I have applied to many jobs even ones that I'm sure I can't perform, all to no avail. I tried to make it and did not make a VA claim for assistance for 19 years because I feel it degrades the service that I gave my country. I have never been a whiner but at this point I believe I deserve consideration for help from those who have help to give. I am looking for any financial assistance in the form of benefits or grants that do not need to be paid back. It would make my life a little easier. I am not one to live high on the hog by any means and have a simple existence and would take care of and make last anything that was given me.
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