Supreme Court turns away veterans who seek disability benefits over 1966 hydrogen bomb accident

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

2 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal on behalf of some U.S. veterans who want disability benefits because they were exposed to radiation while responding to a Cold War-era hydrogen bomb accident in Spain.

The justices not did comment in turning away an appeal from Victor Skaar, an Air Force veteran in his mid-80s.

Skaar, of Nixa, Missouri, filed class-action claims seeking benefits for him and others who say they became ill from exposure to radiation during the recovery and cleanup of the undetonated bombs at the accident site in Palomares, a village in southern Spain, in 1966.

A federal appeals court rejected the class-action claims. The Supreme Court’s action leaves that ruling in place.




Read more: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-veterans-radiation-accident-disability-benefits-e541ded7f3d8a17d680a07fc2105a6df

[Obvious85]

1. Shameful

How was the vote split? Let me guess...GOP has no respect for Veterans

[hlthe2b]

2. I haven't read the case, but damn... Inexplicable

[Tetrachloride]

3. An online acquaintance of mine was from Utah.

iirc, Agent Orange and more was received.

grace under pressure.

[Ford_Prefect]

4. The Pentagon and others concerned are well known for avoiding responsibility SOP.

At the Pentagon they couldn't accept responsibility because that would reflect badly on superior officers in command during one stage or another of the atomic/nuclear programs. This could negatively affect retirement status, personal reputations, future command appointments, promotions, and inter-service relations.

Never mind issues which would lead to questions about who knew what and when about exposure risks along with who was responsible for putting troops in harm's way.

[melm00se]

5. This is the question placed before the Court

Does the Veterans Court have statutory or inherent authority to include veterans whose individual claims are not yet exhausted in a class seeking injunctive relief, where the court has jurisdiction over a named representative's claim?

The underlying case is here.

[marybourg]

7. A lot of people think the question before any court simply is:

Who (or what policy) do you like better?

[melm00se]

8. Supreme Court decisions

are, generally, far more subtle than can easily be communicated in a sound bite or a short couple of inches.

Understanding a USSC decision requires knowing what the question is before the Court which should always be the 1st stop when looking at a decision. While the Court can go beyond the question, the majority of the time, they are ruling on that particular question.

[Mysterian]

6. The Air Force screwed these airmen

By providing really sketchy radiation samples.