In Philanthropy, Thomas Meyer examines country's approach to the wounded soldier, and concludes we could be doing a far better job helping veterans.
"America’s system for compensating disabled veterans is in crisis. It encourages talented young men and women to think of themselves as broken, coaxing nearly half of all separating servicemembers these days into investing time and effort in identifying themselves as disabled. This tidal wave of new disability claims drives up processing time and hinders prompt attention to severe cases where lifelong support is truly necessary. Worst of all, the siren’s call of disability payments is luring hundreds of thousands of men and women in their prime of life out of the spirited, mission-oriented, teamwork of military service and into the isolation of a mailbox economy—waiting at home for disability checks that disconnect them from the active habits, personal satisfactions, and social linkages of self-supporting work." -- Thomas Meyer, Philanthropy
