articles - MILITARY RETIREES
NEW BENEFIT FOR SOME VETERANS
(The Battle over concurrent receipt of VA COMP and Military Retired Pay)
Disabled military retirees who have been awarded the Purple Heart and
some others with combat-related ailments will be entitled to special
compensation under legislation approved by Congress in 2002.
The new benefit is an important step toward ending a dispute over a
105-year-old law that requires military retirees to give up a dollar of
their Defense Department retirement pay for each dollar they collect in
disability benefits paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Under the legislation, the amount of special compensation would equal the
amount of retirement pay forfeited because of veterans disability
compensation, allowing "concurrent receipt" of the benefits.
The measure falls short of what veterans groups wanted, that is, full
retirement and disability payments not just for some military retirees but
for all veterans with service-related disabilities and 20 years of
service. That goal seemed within reach until mid-2002, when the White
House lodged a strong veto threat against House and Senate bills favored
by veterans groups.
The White House objected to concurrent receipt because of the precedent
involved -- allowing federal beneficiaries to receive more than one type
of benefit for the same period of service -- and the multibillion-dollar
cost of an extra benefit payment.
Faced with a veto threat, Warner, the next chairman of the Senate Armed
Services Committee, and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) met with Bush
administration officials to find a compromise.
Warner said the compromise represented "a beachhead" that will give
Congress a chance next year "to get together the body of facts so there is
a greater understanding of the complexity of this issue."
The new benefit will begin six months after Bush signs the fiscal 2003
defense authorization act, which includes the retiree compromise.
The special compensation would go to military retirees with 20 years of
service who were awarded the Purple Heart because of combat injuries and
to retirees who are rated at least 60 percent disabled because of armed
conflict, hazardous duty, training exercises or mishaps involving military
equipment. Conditions caused by Agent Orange, Gulf War syndrome and
post-traumatic stress also will be covered.
About 35,000 military retirees should qualify for the special
compensation, veterans advocates said.
The DOD is to administer the program and write the rules. All indicators
thus far are that the rules will be very narrow, excluding many intended
by Congress to benefit.
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