Pension question...

Sandydog

Member
I have a question.... I was having a discussion with another driver, and we were talking about the pension plan... He told me that if someone goes out on disability then they would collect their full pension regardless if you had 7,10 or 15 years as long as they were already vested. I didn't think this to be true? Is he mistaken or is this true?
 

Spanky250

Well-Known Member
We had a driver here that got his pension after being certified disabled. He has Parkinson's. I believe he was at the 19 year mark when it happened.
 

hondo

promoted to mediocrity
Not a "full" pension, but my Local's fund has a disability pension available:
If you become totally and permanently disabled, you may qualify for a disability pension as long as:

  • you have at least 15 years of benefit service before your disability begins;
  • your disability continues for at least 26 consecutive weeks after your covered employment ends due to that disability;
  • you apply for a disability pension in writing within seven months of your disability; and
  • you became disabled while in covered employment.
source: Local 705 benefits fund website
 

1989

Well-Known Member
Here once you are vested you may collect a disability from your, pension 85% of amount earned. You have to be certified as disabled by social security first.
 

rod

Retired 22 years
Here once you are vested you may collect a disability from your, pension 85% of amount earned. You have to be certified as disabled by social security first.
That appears to be pretty easy to do. It seems like half the country is on SS Disability.
 

1989

Well-Known Member
That appears to be pretty easy to do. It seems like half the country is on SS Disability.
My understanding is you need doctors to sign off on your disability. A SS doctor has a final say. Then there are appeals.
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
That appears to be pretty easy to do. It seems like half the country is on SS Disability.
My understanding is you need doctors to sign off on your disability. A SS doctor has a final say. Then there are appeals.
From what I saw it seemed like kind of a lengthy convoluted process.

There is plenty of fraud out there. Both with the SSA and VA. In my area there’s more of the latter. You can be in decent-great shape physically and mentally and still get a 100% rating with the VA rather easily while someone with serious problems has to fight for years to get what they deserve. I see plenty of vets that are “100% disabled” doing hard labor and CrossFit. And plenty of dudes on SSA disability climbing on their roofs and up trees into deer stands. Makes sense.
 

rod

Retired 22 years
There is plenty of fraud out there. Both with the SSA and VA. In my area there’s more of the latter. You can be in decent-great shape physically and mentally and still get a 100% rating with the VA rather easily while someone with serious problems has to fight for years to get what they deserve. I see plenty of vets that are “100% disabled” doing hard labor and CrossFit. And plenty of dudes on SSA disability climbing on their roofs and up trees into deer stands. Makes sense.
I agree the VA has its problems. It seems like everyone who gets out of the service now files for PTSD. Apparently it is one of those things like tinnitus (ringing in the ears).that is hard to prove you don't have it. The service has done a 180 since I got out. When I got out you were shown the door and if you were REAL lucky they told you about VA perks that included going to college or buying a house. That is it. Now days the County Veterans Service Officer meets the guys and gals at the door and signs them up for every perk possible. Some they deserve and some they don't. I could have been getting VA Disability payments every month since I got out of the service in 1970 but I didn't even realize I qualified for anything until my brother-in-law got after me to visit the CVSO about 10 years ago. I have a 30% disability and to be honest if/ when I end up losing my Central States Pension I'll probably go for more because I qualify for it. All it will take is a trip to the VA Doctor and more paperwork.
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
I don't doubt there's fraud because there's always going to be fraud, but in the couple cases that I saw guys had to jump through quite a few hoops to get a disability rating from the SSA, and these were guys who had legitimately diagnosed career-ending conditions.
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
I agree the VA has its problems. It seems like everyone who gets out of the service now files for PTSD. Apparently it is one of those things like tinnitus (ringing in the ears).that is hard to prove you don't have it. The service has done a 180 since I got out. When I got out you were shown the door and if you were REAL lucky they told you about VA perks that included going to college or buying a house. That is it. Now days the County Veterans Service Officer meets the guys and gals at the door and signs them up for every perk possible. Some they deserve and some they don't. I could have been getting VA Disability payments every month since I got out of the service in 1970 but I didn't even realize I qualified for anything until my brother-in-law got after me to visit the CVSO about 10 years ago. I have a 30% disability and to be honest if/ when I end up losing my Central States Pension I'll probably go for more because I qualify for it. All it will take is a trip to the VA Doctor and more paperwork.
On my final release physical they told me I had significant hearing loss, I asked if there was any compensation for that and they basically said "Nah, that's what ya get for being in the infantry" or words to that effect. I've never followed up on it.
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
I agree the VA has its problems. It seems like everyone who gets out of the service now files for PTSD. Apparently it is one of those things like tinnitus (ringing in the ears).that is hard to prove you don't have it. The service has done a 180 since I got out. When I got out you were shown the door and if you were REAL lucky they told you about VA perks that included going to college or buying a house. That is it. Now days the County Veterans Service Officer meets the guys and gals at the door and signs them up for every perk possible. Some they deserve and some they don't. I could have been getting VA Disability payments every month since I got out of the service in 1970 but I didn't even realize I qualified for anything until my brother-in-law got after me to visit the CVSO about 10 years ago. I have a 30% disability and to be honest if/ when I end up losing my Central States Pension I'll probably go for more because I qualify for it. All it will take is a trip to the VA Doctor and more paperwork.
On my final release physical they told me I had significant hearing loss, I asked if there was any compensation for that and they basically said "Nah, that's what ya get for being in the infantry" or words to that effect. I've never followed up on it.
Now they have VA out processing briefings. Well, they’ve existed for years but many have become “how to suck the tax payer dry” briefings where outgoing veterans are literally coached on how to use the most trivial injuries to up their rating. I attended such a briefing but our briefer was more cryptic about it. I’ve heard of worse. Mostly from local vets. It’s amazing what you can learn about people when they feel comfortable with you. Why do so many people trust a delivery driver with so much damning information about themselves. Who knows?
 

oldngray

nowhere special
On my final release physical they told me I had significant hearing loss, I asked if there was any compensation for that and they basically said "Nah, that's what ya get for being in the infantry" or words to that effect. I've never followed up on it.
Artillery is worse. All of those guys have at least some hearing loss.
 
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