Subject: Veterans and Social Secruity
From: Ashwin Madia <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 16:27:50 -0400 (EDT)

Dear John,
 
Recently, there has been a move afoot from far-right Republicans to cut Social Security way back, or even privatize the system, and put everyone at the whim of the stock market. What we weren't sure of, until today, is how these proposals would affect veterans.
 
But today, a coalition of veterans organizations, including VoteVets.org, and Social Security groups released a major new report on Social Security and veterans. The report showed that veterans and their families depend on Social Security not just for retirement, but also for disability benefits and death benefits. These findings show that any cutbacks to Social Security will severely impact veterans and their families in need. We need to get the word out about how much veterans and their families depend on Social Security.
 
*CLICK HERE TO EMAIL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY AND VETERANS* [ http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=3458 ]
 
The findings really put things in perspective. Just a few of the points from the report: 
  * Social Security currently pays benefits to over 9 million veterans-about 4 in 10 veterans.   
  * Over one-third of America's 54 million Social Security beneficiaries are either veterans or family members living with them, such as their spouses.                  
  * Of the 13 to 14 million veterans-or 6 in 10-who are not Social Security beneficiaries, the vast majority will become beneficiaries in the future.              
  * The vast majority of the Active Duty community's 1.4 million members, 700,000 spouses and 1.2 million children, and the Total Selected Reserve community's 1.1 million members, 400,000 spouses and 650,000 children, are eligible for Social Security's disability and life insurance benefits if a service member becomes severely disabled or dies. 
  * Indeed, approximately 771,000 veterans receive Social Security disabled worker benefits, averaging $1,100-$1,200 per month. 
  * Social Security's young survivors' benefits are particularly important to the 4 in 10 active duty members who are married with children and the 1 in 20 who are single parents. 
  * As of January 16, 2011, the number of American servicemen and women killed on active duty in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was 5,860, leaving behind an estimated more than 4,000 children. 

What is abundantly clear is that veterans and their families depend on Social Security more than maybe anyone else. When we talk about cutting benefits, we're talking about punishing veterans and their families who rely on Social Security's benefits, particularly disabled veterans and families of the fallen. There's no doubt that we as a nation need to ensure that Social Security is viable for the long-term, but the way to do it is not to cut the system back to bare bones
 
But, these facts don't matter unless people know about it. So *CLICK HERE* [ http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=3458 ] to spread the word. Thanks for your support.
 
Sincerely,
Ashwin Madia
Iraq War Veteran
Interim Chairman, VoteVets.org
 
Paid for by VoteVets.org

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