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Broken Promises
THE PLIGHT OF RETIRED MILITARY VETERANS
CORMV Lawsuit Point Paper
When we were encouraged to commit to a career in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, many of us did it for the opportunities, many of us did it for the chance to serve our country, many of us did it for the thrill of it, many of us did it ju
t for the hell of it, most of us did it for the retirement and the other earned benefits that came with it, and most (including myself) did it for all these reasons. One thing for sure, it wasn't for the high rate of pay. Additionally, for me, other then
y meager pension, the most important aspect was the promise of free lifelong healthcare for my family and myself. Each time I reenlisted I thought I was ensuring a future of lifetime healthcare for my family and myself. Now, like the rest of you, I've fou
d these promises aren't worth the paper (brochures) they're written on.
I don't know about the rest of you all, but I'm damn mad and I'm doing something about it. For me, it’s a matter of principle. Its wrong to lie and deceive anyone, especially when it comes to something as important as healthcare. You can't live without it
It’s a life and death matter and it’s a serious matter. We're a diverse group of people, there's probably not a more diverse group of people in the United States. But, we ALL have one thing in common, we WERE all promised and EARNED free lifelong healthc
re for our faithful and dedicated service to our country. I also know that not everyone has the time to get as involved as some other members do in regards to the fight to restore our EARNED healthcare benefits. But, everyone, repeat, EVERYONE should and
eeds to contribute to the restoration effort in some small way.
Whether you are extremely proactive or not, you can do your small part by simply joining the MOST proactive group leading in the fight to restore our healthcare benefit, the Coalition Of Retired Military Veterans (CORMV). CORMV has taken on the matter to,
not only restore our EARNED healthcare benefits, but to restore some decency to our government. We can win and we will win because we're RIGHT! Don't listen to the "Ney Sayers", most of who will moan & groan about the deception, but will do nothing about
t. You owe it to your family & loved ones, yourselves, and those who will follow you to join the fight in whatever way you can. If we let the government get away with this rip off by simply changing a regulation and say it's been superceded and no longer
inding, your retired pay could be next! What then?
CORMV applauds the lobbying efforts of others and whatever visibility and attention they can bring to our plight. But, we are convinced that only the legislative route alone is NOT going to be successful. Our politicians have put us in to this predicament
and show NO signs of wanting to correct the matter. Instead, they're questioning our patriotism, squandering billions & billions on pork barrel projects (many of which are overseas & our former enemies), giving themselves pay-raises & other perks, and are
dug in to fight us every step of the way. Don't be misled by their smiley faces, worthless promises, rhetoric, and bull-crap. Just LOOK at their track record, it speaks for itself!
Think about this; there are about eight million beneficiaries entitled to DoD provided healthcare, if every beneficiary would send in just one-dollar, we would have enough of a war-chest to match the government in court (tic for tac) and litigate this mat
er for as long as the government wants to litigate. But, make no mistake about it, we veterans have a track record of being complacent and the government has counted on our complacency. Personally, I believe the government has miscalculated our complacenc
and we WILL unite and win this battle. The shame of it all is OUR government is going to spend millions & millions (maybe billions) to fight us, rather then to live up to its commitment it made to us.
We (CORMV) have a preponderance of the evidence (reams of written recruiting brochures) which were not allowed to be presented in court. However, the government did not deny it made the promise of healthcare. To the contrary, the government attorneys stat
d twice in open court argument that it indeed made the promise of free lifelong healthcare, but DoD did not have the authority to make such promises so they're now not binding on the government. In the written decision on our last hearing the court ruled
hat they were simply "superceded" and outdated and no longer valid. What this tells me, if they can do this to healthcare, what about your pension? What about the commissary? What about the exchange/PX? What about everything?
Ladies and Gentlemen, the writing is on the wall! Now, more than ever, we MUST unite and take our healthcare back! If we veterans fail to do this, nobody, repeat, nobody's gonna do it for us! Point is, you can moan-and-groan all you want, but if you don't
join in the fight, in whatever way you can, we're gonna loose, your family & loved ones are gonna loose, and you're gonna loose.
Join CORMV today! Its easy, simply pick up the phone, dial (803) 775-2775, do it over the phone with your credit card or have them send you an application.
CORMV's lawsuit seeks full restoration of the healthcare to the degree which we were promised when we entered the Armed Forces; Free Lifelong Quality Healthcare for our spouses and ourselves. The lawsuit also seeks restitution in the amount of $10,000.00
er CORMV member.
The time for healthcare restoration is now, and there should be no more trials, no more tricks, no more demonstrations, no more tests, no more gimmicks, and no more plans. Take NAVCARE, TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Standard, TRICARE, DEERS, CHAMPUS, FEHBP, Subv
ntion, and etc., bundle them up, put them together and they still don't solve the problem, they're nothing but smoke screens. They were all developed to save money, NOT to provide a quality healthcare delivery system. They all ration & restrict healthcare
extract money from their beneficiaries, and discriminate against older veterans who need it the most. When a veteran reaches age 65 he or she is kicked out of the system altogether. If this isn't age discrimination, then what is it? As I write this paper
our pharmacy benefits are under full frontal attack, anytime the government says they’re going to overhaul any element of our healthcare and make it better to save money, all I can say is: You Better Watch Out!
Did you know that prisoners are now getting health care at our VA hospitals? That’s right, at our VA hospitals! Just think someone who has sold drugs to your children or grandchildren are getting their health care in your VA hospital. They don’t have to p
y any copayment either. This should make your blood boil. However, one of my local congress critters says, “not to worry because the prisoners aren’t coming in contact with the veterans”! Did he miss the point or what? The point is, a retired military vet
ran can’t get free healthcare at a VA hospital unless that vet has a service connected disability. Fact is, many vets are turned away from VA hospitals because the VA rules they make too much money. So, go rob a bank or get some kid hooked on drugs and yo
’ll get free VA provided health care while some veterans do without. Is something wrong here or what?
Did ya know, about two years ago, the government took ex-Congressman and now convicted crook, Dan Rostenkowski out of prison, carried him to an Army hospital and gave him a free liver transplant. Did ya know that about, three weeks ago, Representative Ba
ney Frank had open heart surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital. You can’t help but to think the system is corrupt and the judicial system is corrupt. If nothing else we’ve got to restore some decency and honor to our government. Certainly we need to treat ou
veterans better then prisoners! The government’s playing word games with our promises and our lives. Remember this one: “it depends on what the definition of is. . . .is”! Need I say more?
Also, did ya know that, over the past ten years, the government has closed over 58 military hospitals and another 26 hospitals have been downgraded from hospitals to clinics? And, did ya know, recently the current administration has proposed closing anoth
r 26 hospitals? In addition, did ya know funding for DoD healthcare has been slashed far below the requirements needed just to maintain the status quo? Did ya know that active duty members are now being consigned to TRICARE? The governments paying consul
ants and other experts to tell them why recruiting quotas aren’t being met, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out, does it? As the old saying goes; “the chickens are coming home to roost”, aren’t they? I don’t know about the rest
of ya, but it would be difficult for me to recommend the military as a possible career choice for any of my grandchildren!
Once again, we can't give up. It will most likely take 3 to 5 years and possibly more then a million dollars before we win. If we can serve twenty years or more on active duty we can certainly endure this small part of a rough road. I recently read an acc
unt of what happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence after they signed that document. I had completely forgotten the fate they suffered, but most of those patriot signers were well educated, lawyers, professionals or wealthy landowners,
any of them were captured by the British and executed, after they were tortured. Most of them had all their land and property seized and died poor and completely broke. They too wanted to have a government with decency. However, our plight is gonna be eas
ly overcome when compared to their plight. Just something to think about!!
Please Remember this: It takes a lot of twenty-dollar memberships to raise the war-chest necessary for our battle and the government has no limits and an army of lawyers to fight us. But, our lead attorney, Mr. Mike Kator of Washington, DC is probably the
best constitutional lawyer in the United States and we are truly fortunate to have him and the nearly 54 other lawyers involved on our side. We've had some setbacks, but Mike's a smart attorney and he also has a lot of tools in his tool box!
A little more about CORMV: CORMV is a grass roots group of retired military veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces and all ranks & rates. Members are located in all 50 states and numerous foreign countries. CORMV is Non Profit, Tax Exempt and char
ered & registered with the IRS and the State of South Carolina. CORMV's constitution in part states that; CORMV's only goal is to restore our healthcare and after we win the lawsuit it will dissolve itself and any remaining leftover funds shall be donated
to a veterans hospital. You can visit CORMV's web site at www.sumter.net/~cormv email: [email protected]. Address: CORMV National Headquarters, 118 Broad Street, P. O. Box 1782, Sumter, SC 29151-1782
Phone: (803) 775-2775, FAX: (803) 778-6540
God Bless Us All!
~
Sincerely
Paul Hamaker, CWO2, USCG, Retired
President, Abraham Lincoln Chapter #1
Coalition of Retired Military Veterans
Hampton Roads, Virginia
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01/05/00 02:37:15