Instead of Helping, Trustee Program Is Hurting Veterans, Families Say

[groovedaddy]

LANCASTER, Tex. — During the Korean War, Billy Brown faced enemy bullets, starvation and bitter cold. Now the benefits that he earned for his sacrifice have been tied up by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which in 2009 diverted his payments to trustees who have taken control not only of those funds, but of his life savings of some $100,000 as well.

Richard Wortham, Mr. Brown’s son, gained power of attorney for his father four years before the department stepped in, and found out about his father’s new financial minder only when he tried to withdraw money from the bank. “They said we no longer had access to his money — we could only get it from the fiduciary,” Mr. Wortham said.

What began as a broad effort to safeguard ailing veterans and their families from financial loss and abuse has turned into what lawyers and veterans’ advocates call a mismanaged and poorly regulated bureaucracy that not only fails to respond to veterans’ needs but in some cases creates new problems.

Families of veterans like Mr. Brown, 80, and William E. Freeman, whose sister was denied the ability to manage his benefits, and beneficiaries like Dennis Keyser, whose appointed trustee turned out to be a felon, say the system is badly flawed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/us/08vets.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23

[Angry Dragon]

1. More shit

[white cloud]

2. Bump

Thanks,

These guys are worthless and need to be hung.

[Angry Dragon]

3. Why does the Veteran Admin.get to stick their nose in

when there is someone able to take care of the person's wellbeing??

[jody]

4. Another intrusion by people who want govt to destroy the freedoms for which we veterans fought.