An Ill Veteran, A Denied Claim, A Heartless Employer

Carl MacLeod enlisted in the Army, and for 20 years he traveled the world. He also accumulated a few injuries.

[Steve]

P+G may have been correct if they didn't set a precidence in allowing the vet to pay a premium for medical serivices or to set parameters which would not include his military injuries. Now it is just too late for P+G. I don't say that he was wrong, not at all, I do say that the company set precidence by permitting the vet to pay into a system that now rejected his claim...

I t does appear that the P+G company is at fault and must pay up including the vet's loss of pay, loss of performance, and stress related problems that he more than likely generated through the P+G's negative response. P+G should also receive serious repercussions from the court system.

Signed,
A disabled Vietnam vet

[Friend To Veterans]

I really hope that this veteran receives justice. Our nation's veterans need far better treatment and better justice. The article makes mention of the truly excellent American Legion veteran's service organization. I have a friend that is a "volunteer Post Service Officer". He does this work for free at an American Legion Post. He helps disabled and sick veterans. In talks with this American Legion Post Service Officer, I bear witness that The American Legion cares deeply about all veterans. I see this Post Service Officer in his "private moments" and he is always expressing feelings of deep care and concern about his clients and he worries about his clients. Therefore, I am utilizing this opportunity to recommend to any veteran that needs help to go to The American Legion. Also, if you know a veteran in need of help, tell them to go to The American Legion. You will get the best quality of service from The American Legion. The American Legion really cares about all veterans and veterans can have confidence in The American Legion. The American Legion will do everything within their power to help you. And remember, this American Legion service is free. I want to thank all veterans for serving. Your military service to our nation is very much appreciated. God Bless To All !

[Dave Ohio Vet]

Carl MacLeod and his lawyer have to be kidding. Expecting P&G to pay disability for his service connected illness for which he is receiving 100% from the VA and I take it SSDI from Social Security. If he is receiving SSDI then he also should be getting Medicare. I feel sure that P&G had paid medical expenses for him and more then likely his wife and their children for medical treatment from private doctors. If Carl MacLeod uses or used VA medical facilities then he should have reported to the VA that he has private medical insurance so the VA could bill that insurance company. I do not know if he did or not tell the VA about his private medical insurance. The insurance policies that I have had or do have did not cover medical conditions that occurred in the military service.

“MacLeod was diagnosed with chronic solvent encephalopathy, or CSE, a degenerative neurological disease, something like a cross between MS and Lou Gehring's disease for which there is no cure. In October 2004, the VA upped his disability from 70 to 100 percent”, now for how many years was he receiving 70% disability from the VA for “chronic solvent encephalopathy? Moreover, if has had that problem for years then why would he get a job as a maintenance manager where he would be exposed to chemicals?

Now if Carl MacLeod is 100% disabled and unemployable then why are he and his wife building an “upstairs suite”, expressly if he has trouble walking? If Carl MacLeod needs assistance paying for adding additions or such items as wheel chair ramps or lifts to his house or his needs special care due to his service connected disabilities then the VA has benefits to cover those expenses.

Stated in the article is “Yet as confused as he gets, MacLeod still asks his wife to drive him to Bridgeport, where he volunteers with homeless veterans by helping them fill out disability forms, a topic in which he is well-schooled,” Most counties provide transportation for Veterans to Medical Facilities, so why is his wife driving him?

Monthly, A Veteran with Spouse & Child that is 100% service connected disability get $2772 plus Add for Each Additional Child Under Age 18 $71 or for Each Additional Schoolchild Over Age 18 $227. Now he is married so their five children are considered for additional disability or at least 5 times $71 equals $355 plus the $2772 equal $3127, which equals $37,512 per year. Veterans Compensation Benefits Rate Tables - Effective 12/1/07. Now when he dies, his wife will continue to receive benefits from the VA which will include benefits for their children such as monies towards his wife and children’s education and medical expenses http://www.gibill.va.gov/pamphlets/CH35/CH35_... . Let us not forget that his Social Security benefits will continue for his wife and children when Carl dies. Now let us go back to his yearly 100% disability amount of $37,512. If he had been receiving 70%, disability the amount would have been $18,924 per year and we must consider that there have been increases in the rates over the years. The VA pays retro back to when the claim was filed and let us say it was three years or 36 months. That would be $37,512 less $18,924 or about $55,800. What did he do with his retro pay? If like most vets, he purchased a real nice vehicle. The same goes for SSDI retro pay. All that disability is tax-free. In addition, at the same time he was receiving VA disability he was working full time at P&G.

Now if he cannot manage his disability income, then that should not be P&G’s problem or anyone else’s.

If Carl gives free advice to Veterans to file claims then I wonder what Carl is telling them?

If P&G loses its case, then I believe that any Veteran this is disabled such as Carl MacLeod will have a difficult time finding employment, this includes Veterans with PTSD.

Oh yes, I am a 100% disabled Vietnam Veteran.

[Fred King]

I've personally known the Macleod family for the past three years. Last October, while visiting my son in Brooklyn, I spent a few days with Carl & Kristy in New Haven as a guest in their home. Prior to that visit I was confused as to just what exactly his legal case entailed. After having a face to face dialogue with Carl I finally got a sense of just what the nature of his suit represented. I am not a legal expert or familiar with the VA. Carl, himself, could speak to the details of his case better than I. One of the issues in his case is that P&G knew, in detail, the nature of Carl's history, medical and otherwise, and still allowed him to purchase or enroll in the company insurance/disability plan. Once he became too ill to continue his employment at P&G and had to take time off of work to sort through everything with his doctors is when P&G decided they had no obligation to honor the contract regarding medical disability. In other words, P&G went into this with eyes wide open and gladly did so knowing they were going to reap the knowledge and experience Carl brought to the job.
Carl's case does represent a precedent and that is why P&G is fighting this sort ardently.
It's difficult for me to put my personal feelings aside regarding Carl and Kristy, but I do feel and hope the courts will hand down a ruling favorable to them.

[Dave Ohio Vet]

We do not know the details of P&G’s insurance/disability plan so we can only speculate. In my opinion if P&G did not allow Carl MacLeod to enroll in the insurance/disability plan then Carl MacLeod more then likely would have sued P&G for decimation.

We do not know P&G’s side of the story. More then likely P&G will make a settlement to avoid the cost of litigation. Kind of like the person who sued McDonalds over hot coffee or being fat by eating fast food.

[Rene Connecticut]

Dave I highly suggest you get your facts straight. You seem to be very confused about the nature of the case. It is amazing to me that you would write such a response when 98% of your facts are not accurate. Ignorance is bliss I guess. Since you are in the Ohio region I can only guess that you are tied to P&G somehow. Carl does not have 100% for CSE he is 100% for other reasons. He has a disability for CSE but that was not given to him until much later and there is no monitary value attached. Private insurance was biiled for some of his care. Health care is the least of his worries since he has the VA for treatment. As for the addition many friends of the MacLeod's have been helping to build it as Carl is unable. Again your facts are completly out of touch. So you think it is right that P&G had him pay into a plan that included wage replacement yet they denied the claim because he was in the military? He was not diagnosed with CSE until after employment with P&G his doctors stated he could no longer work after the diagnosis. I guess my point here is YOU ARE COMPLETELY WRONG and YOUR FACTS ARE NOT FACTS AT ALL BUT SIMPLY MISS INFORMATION.