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Update On Melissa Rathbun-nealy GW1 female pow

#1 User is offline   jessefan 

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Posted 13 December 2003 - 11:17 AM

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/bord...213-55836.shtml
QUOTE

"The transition from military life to civilian life wasn't really hard for me," said Melissa Coleman, a former Fort Bliss soldier who spent 33 days in a Baghdad prison during the 1991 Persian Gulf war. "The only real trouble I've had, and (Shoshana) might have, is getting disability funds" from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Coleman permanently retired from the Army in 1991, but she said she is still struggling with the Department of Veterans Affairs to obtain 100 percent disability payments to pay for medical problems caused by her experiences while in captivity.

Coleman, then Melissa Rathbun-Nealy, was with the 233rd Transportation Company when she and another soldier, David Lockett, were captured near Khafji, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 30, 1991, during a supply run.

"I still have migraines. I have knee problems, post-traumatic stress disorder and I have thyroid problems," Coleman said from her home in San Antonio, where she lives with her husband and two children. "My disabilities make it so I can't be employed."

The publicity-shy Coleman said that when she returned from Operation Desert Storm, "things changed."

"I'm not really sure how to describe it, but everything was so tense," she said. "I'm sure everybody's nerves today are still rattled because the 507th Maintenance Company lost some soldiers, but my unit didn't" lose soldiers.

In addition to dealing with medical issues, Coleman said, Johnson will have to face uncertainty when it comes to finding a new career.

"In the Army, you knew you had a job. But now she's going to have to rely on herself," Coleman said. "But she has a good family support group, and that really is an important thing."


I heard elsewhere that she was dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome as well, but that might be what the thyroid problem used to be diagnosed as.
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#2 User is offline   Soprano84 

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Posted 13 December 2003 - 12:33 PM

QUOTE (jessefan @ Dec 13 2003, 11:17 AM)
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/bord...213-55836.shtml
QUOTE

"The transition from military life to civilian life wasn't really hard for me," said Melissa Coleman, a former Fort Bliss soldier who spent 33 days in a Baghdad prison during the 1991 Persian Gulf war. "The only real trouble I've had, and (Shoshana) might have, is getting disability funds" from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Coleman permanently retired from the Army in 1991, but she said she is still struggling with the Department of Veterans Affairs to obtain 100 percent disability payments to pay for medical problems caused by her experiences while in captivity.

Coleman, then Melissa Rathbun-Nealy, was with the 233rd Transportation Company when she and another soldier, David Lockett, were captured near Khafji, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 30, 1991, during a supply run.

"I still have migraines. I have knee problems, post-traumatic stress disorder and I have thyroid problems," Coleman said from her home in San Antonio, where she lives with her husband and two children. "My disabilities make it so I can't be employed."

The publicity-shy Coleman said that when she returned from Operation Desert Storm, "things changed."

"I'm not really sure how to describe it, but everything was so tense," she said. "I'm sure everybody's nerves today are still rattled because the 507th Maintenance Company lost some soldiers, but my unit didn't" lose soldiers.

In addition to dealing with medical issues, Coleman said, Johnson will have to face uncertainty when it comes to finding a new career.

"In the Army, you knew you had a job. But now she's going to have to rely on herself," Coleman said. "But she has a good family support group, and that really is an important thing."


I heard elsewhere that she was dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome as well, but that might be what the thyroid problem used to be diagnosed as.

??? What disabilities did she have from her captivity?? This is the first I've heard of it. She always said she was treated well...although the risk of sexual abuse was certainly there...I know she was shot at least once during her capture, but I think that was in the arm.
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#3 User is offline   patience2 

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Posted 15 December 2003 - 05:02 PM

QUOTE
The VA Disability Fact Sheet
http://www.appc1.va.gov/pressrel/claimpro.htm

This ia a very long article so I excerpted.

Excerpt:
Basis for VA Disability Ratings

VA disability compensation stems from an official finding that links an illness or disability with the period of a veteran's military service, whether war-related or in peacetime. VA usually does not need to find the exact cause of the illness. The dollar amount of compensation is determined by regulations that give a rating for each illness or injury on a scale of 0 to 100 based on the severity of the medical problem. The philosophy of the compensation program is that these ratings are intended to reflect a loss of earnings capacity.

A veteran with a slight scar that does not interfere with work might be rated at 0 percent while brain cancer would be rated at 100 percent. That percentage is used to determine amounts of tax-free disability compensation that are paid in 10 percent increments and adjusted annually for inflation.

The year 2001 range is $101 per month for a 10 percent rating to $2,107 monthly for a 100 percent disability. Payments are increased for dependents and for veterans with multiple illnesses officially connected with service. A veteran whose condition worsens may see his rating increased after periodic reexamination, or he may drop off the rolls altogether if cured of an illness.
End of excerpt


http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/bord...213-55836.shtml
QUOTE

"The transition from military life to civilian life wasn't really hard for me," said Melissa Coleman, a former Fort Bliss soldier who spent 33 days in a Baghdad prison during the 1991 Persian Gulf war. "The only real trouble I've had, and (Shoshana) might have, is getting disability funds" from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Coleman permanently retired from the Army in 1991, but she said she is still struggling with the Department of Veterans Affairs to obtain 100 percent disability payments to pay for medical problems caused by her experiences while in captivity. "------------ End of Quote

Shoshana will probably not have a problem getting VA compensation. Her injuries still are such that she is unable to walk or stand for any period of time without assistance. POW status would not enter into this determination. If there are POW issues, they too would be evaluated. Medical problems i.e. migraines can be difficult to evaluate. Entering into the equation is whether or not a medical condition existed prior to military service? If so, did military service worsen the condition? ETC. These conditions require a lot of documentation, and hopefully Coleman's case will be settled soon and equitably.




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