I agree that it is a discouragement. Again, calling it a benefit is a mislabel, in my opinion. When it was implemented in roughly 2018 or 2020—I can't remember when—they called it a pension for life. I kind of forgot about the deposits, because I assumed it was for life. Later on, the administration caught up to me and asked me to prove that I didn't make too much money. Their only concern was that I was making too much money for their files.
It's a very unusual process. I questioned it when I heard about it a long time ago. What's the point of this if it's a pension for life? If it's a payment I've earned losing pieces of my body to high explosives, why would anyone care about a piece of paper? Never mind whether I'm making money or not, this is an income I'm counting on if I don't work again for the rest of my life.
I've had a few jobs. I've made a few bucks here and there. For me, though, the central issue is that, as I said, when the new veterans charter came in, all the financial support I would have received for the rest my life for my injuries was lost. I was allowed to make money, or not make money, as much as I wanted with that system.
To me, the core of my argument and my feeling is that I should be receiving a minimum amount of money per month, for life, from the government for my service injuries. Everything else I can do on top of that is good for me. I don't see why Veterans Affairs should be involved in any way but to encourage and support me.
Again, I don't need a cheerleading squad. I don't need the red carpet rolled out. I can take care of myself, for the most part, but this money is an acknowledgement of what happened.