First shots fired on military compensation

The Hill ^ | 22 Dec 13 | Jeremy Herb

[SkyPilot]

The battle over military retirement benefits in the budget deal was the first skirmish in a larger compensation war, and next year's outcome could determine the fate of long-protected military compensation programs.

Budget experts and veterans groups say the retirement benefits fight will serve as a test case to see what appetite there is on Capitol Hill to actually cut military compensation costs — and how much blowback will come from those efforts.

“There’s no doubt that this is a little bit of a weather vane, a litmus test as to what the veterans and military communities’ tolerance is going to be for this, and what types of cuts we’re going to be willing to tolerate and what types of cuts we're going to fight on,” said Alex Nicholson, legislative director for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

“And what you saw I think from us was an absolute tip of the iceberg,” he said.

Compensation costs had long been off limits for budget cutters, but military leaders have begun calling for reforms to retirement benefits, TRICARE and more after dealing with the dual problems of budget squeezes from sequestration and ballooning personnel costs.

Congress had blocked initial attempts to cut into compensation — like TRICARE fee increases — until the budget deal reached this month by House and Senate Budget Chairmen Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

The deal provided the Pentagon $31 billion in sequester relief, but it also included $6 billion in savings through cutting the cost-of-living adjustment for working-age military retirees.

The retirement benefit cuts caught service and veterans groups by surprise. They launched a full-court press to drum up opposition to the deal, and were joined by defense hawks who loathe sequester but nevertheless opposed the agreement due to the military retirement cuts.

[SkyPilot]

Paul Ryan told reporters at Politico that Chuck Hagel insisted on the pension cuts, that save a whopping $6 Billion over ten years (our Federal government spends $10.46 Billion per day).

Hagel denied it and suggest Paul Ryan was not telling the truth. Someone is lying. Sen Graham has vowed to find out who is lying (I doubt he will get to the bottom of this).

Ryan is a traitor for agreeing with this "deal." Hagel has tasted blood, and wants more massive cuts in military pay, health care, and retirements.

Also, people should take note that the rhetoric about changing the pension cuts for disabled veterans (following public outrage) is now shifting.

Earlier this week, Sen Murray noted (correctly) that even disabled military retirees have their pensions cut. She vowed to introduce a "technical correction" in January to fix it. Now, her stance has changed.

One part of the retirement cuts in the budget agreement is likely to quickly be altered. Murray said this week that the benefits cuts for veterans who retired for medical reasons were included in the budget deal due to a technical error. Murray said that would be “fixed in short order.”

First of all, very, very few military retirees are able to navigate through the mountains of bureaucracy and get their military retirements for "medical reasons" approved. You can also be medically retired for non-combat injuries or conditions, such as sleep apnea.

Under her proposed "fix", those veterans who have fought the VA for years to get a percentage rating that documents their injuries will still get their pensions cut. Even if you lost a leg in Afghanistan, and got a percentage VA disability, you will lose your full cost-of-living raise under the "fix."

Congress is trying to squash the public outcry by proposing a "fix" that is really just political cover.

[SkyPilot]

Please send to your retired ping list. Thank you jet, and Merry Christmas. God bless.

[maine yankee]

Good strategy.

Threaten the financial security of a group with combat experience.

I seem to remember a large group of vets carrying barricades across the elipse to be thrown down at the white house fence.

And that was for just not letting them visit their memorials.

This will not end well.

[darkwing104]

Congress is trying to squash the public outcry by proposing a "fix" that is really just political cover.

Exactly

[Robe]

Where are the
Air Force Association
Air Force Sergeants Association
American Ex-Prisoners of War
American G.I. Forum
American Legion
American Veterans for Equal Rights
AMVETS
Blinded Veterans Association
Catholic War Veterans
Disabled American Veterans
Dark Horse Syndicate
Fleet Reserve Association
[(Florida Veterans Assistance, Inc)]
The Greatest Generations Foundation
Healing Heroes Network
HeroBox
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America or IAVA (formerly OpTruth)
Iraq War Veterans Organization
Jewish War Veterans of the USA
Marine Corps League
Military Officers Association of America
Military Order of Foreign Wars
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
Military Order of the Purple Heart
National Association for Black Veterans
National Gulf War Resource Center
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
New Battlefront Foundation
Operation Sacred Trust
Operation Stand Down
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Pearl Harbor Survivors Association
Retired Enlisted Association (TREA)
Student Veterans of America
United Service Organizations
United States Submarine Veterans Inc. (USSVI)
United States Submarine Veterans of World War II
Veterans Advantage
Veterans for America
Veterans for Peace
Veterans History Project
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans Union
VETPAC
Vietnamese American Armed Forces Association

I haven’t heard a peep out of any of these organizations.
We need to be burning up their phone lines

[oldbill]

Wrong:
MOAA has been most active in this debacle and has already mobilized over 100,000 letters to Senators and Congressmaen.

[rbg81]

Not one penny in cuts while tens (if not hundreds) of billions of $$ are going to fund illegals.

[gunnyg]

Remember Col Bud day USAF Ret, Ex-Marine WWII, POW, NO-Chute Bailout survivor, Etc.

When the clinton regime took away ret mil med care...it was col day who went to bat for ret mil...ret milcare then came about, even though ret mil then were required to enroll/pay- medicare as a condition....

Semper Fidelis
Dick.G: AMERICAN!
GnySgt 1952—’72
*****

[SunkenCiv]

> Compensation costs had long been off limits for budget cutters, but military leaders have begun calling for reforms to retirement benefits, TRICARE and more after dealing with the dual problems of budget squeezes from sequestration and ballooning personnel costs.

Trying to roll Tricare into Zerocare, the latter of which needs to be repealed. Thanks SkyPilot.

[vaudine]

Most helpful cut=Hagel. I am betting he ordered all cuts. He is such a tool!

vaudine

[CitizenUSA]

Like I wrote on several threads, the cuts themselves are not the issue.

#1 The budget deal reneged on a full inflation protection promise made to military retirees. It’s one thing to change the terms for future retirees. It’s much worse in my opinion to renege on an agreement after one party, the retirees, have done their part to earn it.

#2 There were no significant cuts to other government programs. Of all the myriad government programs that could be cut, cutting military retiree benefits (after the fact) says something very bad politically about our side.

#3 The pension cut itself did essentially nothing to fund DoD programs or balance the budget.

[SkyPilot]

MOAA has been asked to take the lead on this. There are 33 veterans and military organizations that are with them.

Since the day this "deal" between Benedict Ryan and Patty Murray was made public, MOAA has listed on online link that will send e-mails directly to your Congressman, Senator, and the White House.

So far, over 100,000 e-mails have been delivered.

The MOAA spoke at the press conference with Sens Ayotte and Graham. It was the only piece of truth coming our of Washington DC that day.

[SkyPilot]

Amen to your post.

It was Col "Bud" day, Medal of Honor recipient and the most decorated veteran of the latter half of the 20th century who was forced to sue his own government on behalf of himself and other veterans.

Col Day was not only a fighter pilot, former POW, multiple Purple Heart recipient, and hero - he was also a lawyer.

When he went to a military hospital in the 1990s to get treatment for his injuries, they told him to get out and sign up for Medicare.

He sued, and we have TRICARE for Life because of Col Day. Chuck Hagel is now trying to cut that option.

[Iron Munro]

Democrat politicians and their butt lickers like Hagel are always telling us we are running out of money for the military, for social security, for medicare.

But we never hear them warning that the government is running out of money for welfare, Obama Phones, free medical, housing and schooling for illegals, the EPA, NSA, NEA, pay raises for elected officials, or ObamaCare.

[SkyPilot]

#1 The budget deal reneged on a full inflation protection promise made to military retirees. It’s one thing to change the terms for future retirees. It’s much worse in my opinion to renege on an agreement after one party, the retirees, have done their part to earn it. #2 There were no significant cuts to other government programs. Of all the myriad government programs that could be cut, cutting military retiree benefits (after the fact) says something very bad politically about our side. #3 The pension cut itself did essentially nothing to fund DoD programs or balance the budget.

Absolutely.

Also, everyone should be aware now that the "fix" that Murray is proposing is a sham.

Senate Dems block amendment to restore veteran benefits by closing illegal immigrant welfare loophole

She personally blocked an Amendment by Sen Jeff Sessions to replace the $6 Billion over ten years "saved" by stealing from military pensions to be replaced by preventing illegal aliens from bilking taxpayers to the tune of some $5 Billion per year (it was $4.2 Billion in 2010, the last year of records available from the IRS). The number is much higher now, no one knows how much.

After the public outcry from exposure to the truth that disabled military retirees were also affected, she said disabled veterans would be addressed in January.

Now, she is backing off, and saying only those who "were retired for medical reasons" are going to be compensated. They are doing this on purpose: to provide protection for the fewest number of veterans as possible and to take as much money from military retirees as possible.

VA rated disabled veterans will still have their pensions cut under this "fix."

[JohnBovenmyer]

Compensation costs had long been off limits for budget cutters

Yes, how about compensation for civilian government workers, including congressional and white house staffers. The new rich and power elite. Do they deserve a 30% haircut or a 50% cut in total compensation, including converting their pensions and health care to private industry norms? We may be limited in what we can cut for retired federal workers, but we could throw a bone to the left's "soak the rich" crowd by instituting a Federal Cadillac Pension Tax. It would only be 'fair.'

[SkyPilot]

Democrat politicians and their butt lickers like Hagel are always telling us we are running out of money for the military, for social security, for medicare. But we never hear them warning that the government is running out of money for welfare, Obama Phones, free medical, housing and schooling for illegals, the EPA, NSA, NEA, pay raises for elected officials, or ObamaCare.

ObamaCare itself is providing "subsidies" in excess of $18,000 per year to millions of individuals and households. Bill Bennett had a guest on 2 weeks ago who said this is going to cost Billions upon Billions. And this is just ONE program.

And yet, we are shafting those who served in the military. I have always made the distinction between "earned" and "unearned" entitlements. Social Security is earned - people paid payroll taxes. Military retirement is earned.

TANF Cash Welfare is a giveaway. Food Stamp SNAP cards are a giveaway, and yet 49 million people get their cards re-loaded with cash every single month.

The Takers outnumber the payers - it is that simple.

[SkyPilot]

Most helpful cut=Hagel. I am betting he ordered all cuts. He is such a tool!

There is little doubt he will down in history as the worst SECDEF in American history.

[freeangel]

They can thank Paul Ryan for that stupid pos he called a “compromise”. This will probably lead to the first time(in 2014) that military votes will be counted by the dems.

[SkyPilot]

Incredible 7 minute YouTube video of what went on during the Senate floor debate to block the Amendment to replace military pension cuts by closing loophole that allows illegal aliens to receive Billions per year in child tax credits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2pr2vEWSzk