To the four men who left messages stating I am wrong (Sept. 15) and that the veterans are receiving the best treatment, let me make a suggestion. Please go to the Internet and type in: “Regulation 635-200 Chapter 5-13.” The number of veterans and veteran’s organizations that are outraged by Chapter 5-13 will overwhelm you. Look for the story of Spc. Jon Town.

Chapter 5-13 appears in the Army’s separations manual ruling and reads “Separation Because of Personality Disorder.” It means the Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t have to provide medical care or disability, as a “personality disorder” is a pre-existing condition — something from a vet’s childhood.

More than 22,500 vets were disqualified (The Nation April 9, 2007) by the VA using the personality disorder as an excuse. As one vet said, “It’s like suddenly everyone has a personality disorder.” Veterans wonder if they all had severe pre-existing conditions, how did they get into the military in the first place?

Why is this happening? It’s all about money. Harvard professor Linda Bilmes explains that the Defense Department records show that across the entire armed forces, more than 22,500 soldiers have been dismissed due to personality disorder in the last six years. How much those soldiers would have collected in disability pay would have been determined by a medical board, which evaluates just how disabled a veteran is. A completely disabled soldier receives about $44,000 a year. An average disability payout of $8,890 per year and a future life expectancy of 40 years for soldiers returning from service.

Using those figures, by discharging soldiers under Chapter 5-13, the military could be saving upward of $8 billion in disability pay. Add to that savings the cost of medical care over the soldiers’ lifetimes. Bilmes estimates that each year the VA spends an average of $5,000 in medical care per veteran. Applying those numbers, by discharging 22,500 soldiers because of personality disorder, the military saves $4.5 billion in medical care over their lifetimes.

Sorry to say that time after time Sen. John McCain has voted against veterans — in 2004, ’05, ’06 and ’07. On March 2005, McCain voted to kill an amendment to increase veterans’ medical care by $2.8 billion. In 2006, he voted against a $1.5 billion increase for veterans’ health care to be paid by closing corporate tax loopholes. Even worse, McCain’s pet plan is to issue all veterans a “plastic card” to take to the doctor of their choice. In other words, a backdoor attempt to destroy the VA through privatization. This would also mean that 80 percent of all VA jobs (laundry, janitorial) held by vets would be outsourced.

When returning veterans step off the bus to be greeted with waving flags, loving families and grateful citizens, they must face yet another battle here at home — the battle for medical care and benefits.

One veteran commented, “I think President Bush is the one with a personality disorder. There’s something wrong with him.”

Mary Milliron

Hollandale