Joel Camacho

The Dixie Cup Syndrome Joel Camacho

The Dixie Cup Syndrome is a description and identified health problems and administrative issues that have plagued veterans for decades, going back as far as World War II. Veterans find themselves in the proverbial hamster wheel. They keep going around and around and desperately trying to navigate the bureaucracy, which is the Veterans Administration. This is compounded with the laws and policies that the United States legislature writes and enacts, which directly affect veterans and their benefits. These clusters of problems and issues refer to the word "syndrome." The "Dixie cup" is in reference to the ever-popular container, which does not require to be re-used. It is used for a specific purpose, for a specific amount of time and discarded. Veterans feel like a Dixie cup, after their military service, after experiencing some kind of physical and psychological trauma, you're done, we can't use you anymore.