VA: Former POWs not getting earned benefits

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Sep 27, 2007 10:09:08 EDT The Department of Veterans Affairs is searching for prisoners of war — not in the jungles of Vietnam or the villages of Iraq, but in U.S. cities, where they may not be getting the benefits they deserve.

VA officials estimate that about 25,000 former prisoners of war are still alive today, about 600 from the Vietnam War, 2,100 from the Korean War and the rest from World War II. VA officials believe about one-third are receiving any VA benefits or health care.

VA officials are trying to contact veterans who are not receiving any benefits or health care but who might be eligible. They are also trying to locate the surviving spouses and children of former POWs who might be unaware of the help VA could provide.

VA officials said they have the most difficulty tracking down former POWs from World War II because the military used service numbers, not Social Security numbers, for identification. Tracking down a veteran by service number is extremely difficult if they have not had any contact with the VA in years, officials said.

In a statement, Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson said meeting the needs of former POWs is “one of VA’s highest priorities.”

“They are extraordinary men and women who have endured captivity, suffered extreme deprivation and sacrificed their own freedom to preserve the freedom of all Americans,” said Nicholson, a Vietnam veteran.

Some former POWs may be unaware that available help has expanded over the years. For example, VA provides disability pay for former POWs who suffer strokes or some common heart diseases.

To try to contact former POWs, VA officials have been reaching out to veterans’ groups and civic organizations in search of leads. They are also encouraging people who know of former POWs to ask them to contact a VA toll-free number to learn about help that may be available. The number is (800) 827-1000.

A similar effort several years ago resulted in about 1,000 former POWs or their survivors qualifying for VA assistance or increasing their existing benefits, VA officials said.

Every VA regional office also has a POW coordinator to help former POWs and their families receive benefits and health care.

There are seven medical conditions for which a former POW can automatically receive disability benefits: psychosis; depressive neurosis; post-traumatic osteoarthritis; anxiety; cold-related injuries; strokes or stroke complications; and heart disease and related heart complications.

Veterans who were held as POWs for 30 days or longer may be eligible for benefits if they have other conditions. These include: avitaminosis, chronic dysentery, helminthiasis, malnutrition, peptic ulcers, beriberi, cirrhosis of the liver, irritable bowel syndrome, nutritional deficiencies and peripheral neuropathy.

In each case, the presence of one of the medical conditions in a former POW will be presumed to have resulted from their military service — qualifying them for disability benefits — unless there is evidence of another cause.

Details on benefits and health care for former POWs and their families are available online.