Those medically discharged with genetic diseases are left without disability or retirement benefits. Some are fighting back.
For more than 20 years, the armed forces have held a policy that specifically denies disability benefits to servicemen and women with congenital or hereditary conditions. The practice would be illegal in almost any other workplace.
There is one exception, instituted in 1999, that grants benefits to personnel who have served eight years.
"You could be in the military and be a six-pack-a-day smoker, and if you come down with emphysema, 'That's OK. We've got you covered,' " said Kathy Hudson, director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University."But if you happen to have a disease where there is an identified genetic contribution, you are screwed."
story | Truthout
by way of Unknown News
Posted by Stubbornson at August 20, 2007 03:18 PM