Physical Disabilities Act Research Paper

As World War II was winding down, it became evident, that the approximately 16 million soldiers returning home from war would require some type of benefits package to avoid a possible post-war depression on the home front. While this may not have been an immediate concern of the returning soldiers, congress took it upon themselves to create the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, what many refer to as the GI Bill of Rights. On the 22nd of June 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill into law, which included 10 significant parts. The American Legion (2013) displays them as followed:

The National Civilian Vocational Rehabilitation Act, also called the Smith Fess Act, was developed in 1920. People with physical disabilities were targeted under this act and it was a foundation for the vocational rehabilitation makeup that has lasted through today. During 1943 the vocational rehabilitation act extended its services to those with mental retardation and mental illness. This act was made to assist vocationally disabled civilians and disabled veterans by providing funds through a federal-state matching formula (DiNitto, 2003). Federal and state governments shared the cost of the vocational rehabilitation program on a fifty-fifty basis (DiNitto, 2003). The program was appealing from conservative and economic viewpoints because rehabilitation is generally less costly than long-term care and income maintenance payments (DiNitto, 2003). According to the Federal Government's Rehabilitation Services Administration, the state VR agencies "assist persons served to become tax-paying citizens and to reduce their reliance on entitlement programs." Today the federal government provides a majority of funding for VR programs, but each state operates its own according to federal guidelines and also supplements federal funding (DiNitto, 2003).

There are several legal and social foundations that are related with the Individuals with Disabilities Act. (Legal: constitution, 10th and 14th amendment) social foundations (what people thought about disabilities in the past) connect Willowbrook, early researches from 17-1800.

Throughout history, citizens have seen the need to care for those who have defended their freedoms. Research shows veteran’s assistance programs dates back to the early settlement of the colonies that would later become the United States of America. In the year 1636, the Pilgrims, who were at war with the Pequot Indians, passed a law that stated they would take care of the disabled veterans who had fought in that conflict.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is a government run program to assist the U.S. Veterans who are disabled soldiers. It began when the Pilgrims passed a law that required disabled soldiers to receive benefits from the colony, as early as 1636 (U.S. Dept. of VA, 2014). By 1776, the Continental Congress provided pensions to disabled soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Later, the Veterans assistance program expanded to include benefits and pensions not only for Veterans, but also for their widows and dependents. Finally, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) was established in 1865, to form the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, an institution created specifically for the honorably discharged volunteer soldiers, of which the first national home opened in 1866 located in Augusta, Maine (U.S. Dept. of VA, 2014). Today, VHA has expanded the VA health care system, which comprises 150 hospitals, 820 Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC), 300 Vet Centers, 131 National Cemeteries, 56 Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Offices (NCVAS, 2014). The VA health care system also includes 126 nursing home care units and 35 domiciliaries (U.S Dept. of VA, 2014). Nonetheless, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs mission statement is, “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise ‘To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan’ by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans” (U.S. Dept. of VA,

The debate over the relevance of government funding for veterans with prosthetics within low income families has been brought up once again. According to the Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, in the past year there have been thousands of veterans that have died while waiting for proper treatment for their injuries. Each of these cases involved prolonged suffering of the veteran due to error in the VA system. Furthermore, it begs the question of the actual effectiveness of government funding put towards veteran benefits.

The Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1972 “was amended a year later to require federal agencies and contractors to take affirmative action in employment and promotion for people with disabilities... Affirmative action was understood to be the creation of opportunities to compete and not an assurance of outcome or success

“A small pension designed to offset any wages that might be lost due to a missing limb or some similarly severe wound” (Trout). Gelber stated “the Federal Board of Vocational Education (FBVE) promised to enable wounded veterans to return to their prewar occupations or to qualify for new jobs.” Even with this generous gesture, there was more pain than gain that was to come from this.

Since Pilgrim Plymouth colony era, the United Stated laid ground roots dating back to 1636, concerning veterans’ issues and entitlements. Further, it appeared that other colonies followed this lead, except veterans pension entitlements were controlled by individual states and distribution of benefits were based on moral obligation rather than veterans ' needs (Department of Veterans Affairs Publication Archives). In similarity, Barusch (2012) discuss veterans’ issues, impact on disabled veterans during Civil War, and existence of the first national disability program the United States. The author also discuss veterans justification for receipt of benefits, based on the same moral principles rather than justification based on veterans’

In World War I, the servicemen had postponed benefits that were promised to them. This caused political turmoil and the response was the Servicemen Readjustment Act of 1944, which is also known as the GI Bill. This bill provided a range of benefits for the returning World War II veterans. The GI Bill made a step in the right direction to ensure rightful benefits to the veterans, but did have faults. The American Legion played an important role in the enactment of the bill. The GI Bill did not advocate discrimination, but had been interpreted differently for African-Americans. The bill also did not include Merchant Marines, which were carriers and ships that delivered war supplies to the soldiers. Over the years, adjustments to the GI Bill were made.

When all this was taking place during the rule making process, it was open to the public’s comments, so the VA could receive feedback from those who are concerned (Weinmeyer 2). In Weinmeyer article he indicated that, “Commentators characterized the denial as unlawfully discriminatory because it treated veterans with mental health impairments differently than those with physical impairments” (2). “They argued that this differential treatment violated section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which states: “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States…shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (Weinmeyer 2).

This particular law stayed was practiced until 1776 when the Continental Congress started providing pensions for disabled soldiers along with several individual states and communities that started to provide direct medical and hospital care to veterans. This type of care and assistance was the common practice up until 1811 when the deferral government authorized the first medical facility to treat

In nineteen ninety Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act. This act was established in order to eliminate discrimination of people with disabilities and to break down barriers in society that limits the freedom a disabled person. According to Section 2 Subsection A part one, "some 43,000,000 Americans have one or more physical or mental disabilities, and this number is increasing as the population as a whole is growing older." As the number suggests there are a lot of people that would be classified as disabled making this act very important. This paper will look at the Americans with Disabilities Act as how it pertains to helping people with disabilities based on who is covered, what are their rights, and what legal actions

The enactment was in the long run extended to incorporate all who served in the military, even in peacetime, under the Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966. The importance of the G.I. Bill to the social and monetary advancement of the United States can't be

During the WWII public sentiment grew to help World War II veterans return to civilian life. Most veterans had served for a long duration. Millions of American service members had served for four years or more. Some 671,8l7 men and women had been wounded, and 405,399 had been killed. Hundreds of thousands of dependents were left in need. Congress responded in 1944 with the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, the “GI Bill of Rights.” President Roosevelt signed the bill, which dramatically transformed the concept of veteran’s benefits, into law on June 22. There were three key provisions. The first benefit provided up to four years of education or training. The education package included the payment of up to $500 a school year for tuition, fees, books