Please Contact Your Representative
Today
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On January 15, 2013, Rep. Gus
Bilirakis (FL) introduced H.R. 303, the Retired Pay Restoration Act. This
bill would end the unfair policy of forcing many military longevity retirees
to forfeit some of their retired pay in order to receive equal amounts of
disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The
effect of this policy means military retirees are paying for their own
disability with their military retired pay. This unfair policy has adversely
impacted disabled veterans and their families for more than a century, but
was partially repealed by Congress in 2004. Under current law disabled
veterans with 20-plus years of active military service who are also in
receipt of a VA disability determination of 50 percent or higher may retain
both military retirement pay and their VA compensation.
In line with Disabled American
Veterans (DAV) resolution 019, H.R. 303 would end the longstanding and unfair
practice of the government’s withholding of military longevity retired pay in
exchange for VA disability compensation, regardless of disability rating. DAV
believes what is unfair for a veteran rated 50 percent disabled or higher by
the VA is equally unfair for a disabled veteran rated 40 percent disabled or
lower. Disabled military longevity retirees should not be penalized by the
government for any reason.
Currently, H.R. 303 has bipartisan
support. This legislation was referred to the House Committee on Armed
Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs for a period
to be determined by the Speaker of the House. Please use the prepared e-mail,
or draft your own message, to request that your Representative support this
important bill and ask that it be brought to the floor for a vote and passed
as soon as possible.
Thank you for all that you do for
veterans and their families. We need your grassroots action to gain
Congressional enactment of this important legislation.
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Ken Kuehnl, State Adjutant, DAV Department of Wisconsin - DAVWIadjutant.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Important Legislation on Concurrent Receipt
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