The Minneapolis Star Tribune analyzed disability payments to veterans in Minnesota and concluded that a veteran living in a rural area “is more likely to be receiving disability benefits than a veteran living in Minneapolis or St. Paul, even if they fought in the same war and have the same injury.”
The paper reported Saturday that an Iraq War era veteran in Little Falls -- population 8,000 -- with the hearing ailment tinnitus, for instance, is nine times more likely to be getting benefits than an Iraq War era veteran in the Lynhurst neighborhood of south Minneapolis, which has a population of 387,000.
Some vets have figured out this disparity, the paper said, and now file their claims in small towns rather than big cities. It raises the question of why there is this disparity for disability payments based upon where a veteran lives.
Bob Brewin
Bob Brewin joined Government Executive in April 2007, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience as a journalist focusing on defense issues and technology. Bob covers the world of defense and information technology for Nextgov, and is the author of the “What’s Brewin” blog.
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