AN OPEN LETTER TO THE HOUSE COMMITTE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

To: House Committee on Veterans Affairs
Cannon House Office Building, Washington D.C.  20515

Sirs,

I am a totally disabled veteran (Individually Unemployable).  The Department of Veterans Affairs (D.V.A.) owes me, and thousands of other totally disabled veterans, back pay and the agency for paying that money is the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). 

This is part of a two tiered back pay redemption scheme that has money coming to us in the form of back pay from both our parent service and the D.V.A for CRDP payments. 

I need your help in collecting this money.  So far, DFAS has been totally unresponsive to my request for payment.  I have made at least three requests.  I need that money to pay legally incurred debts.

I assume that the others do also.  We are in trouble and the federal government simply ignores us. DFAS will not even give me the courtesy of a response.  Not even once have they acknowledged my request in the last 4 months. On 21 October 2008 the U.S. Coast Guard paid me my back pay of $21,626.00 dollars.

I had been declared totally disabled (IU) as of 9 July 2005.  When legislation was recently passed allowing me and other IU disabled veterans to be eligible for the same back pay as 100% schedular rating disabled veterans we rejoiced. That back pay was forthcoming about three and a half years after I was declared eligible for IU pension from my parent service. 

I still wait for the D.V.A. portion of my back pay.  I cannot pay my bills.  The money they owe me is in the neighborhood of $20,000.00 dollars.

Signed

CWO3 Thomas M. Barnes, USCG (Ret.)
6300 Stevenson Avenue, #614
Alexandria, Virginia  22304

[email protected] or [email protected]
(703) 212-8497