Congress Fails Military Retirees... Again

GOPUSA ^ | January 17, 2002 | Heather Wayman

[gopusa.com]

Well, it's official! Congress has succeeded in telling the military retirees of this country that their 20+ years of service in defense of this nation don't mean diddly squat. They have told veterans in no uncertain terms that it doesn't matter that they gave the best years of their working lives to defend the freedoms of those in Congress, the White House and even the folks down on Main Street, Anytown, USA. Congress had the power to right a wrong directed at only one group of persons in this country, the military retiree. They failed miserably and delivered only lip service.

For more than 100 years, military retirees have been barred from collecting their longevity retired pay for serving a minimum of 20 years in the service. If a retiree has the misfortune of becoming disabled as a result of their service, they can apply for and receive VA disability pay. However, to receive this pay they must waive, dollar for dollar, an equal amount of longevity retired pay. This signals to the retiree that their long service isn't valued because the same VA disability pay is available to non-retired veterans. For example, Corporal Smuckatelli with three and a half years service regrettably is injured seriously in a training accident. The Corporal is honorably discharged with a 100% VA disability rating and receives the maximum disability pay for the rest of his/her life. This does not seem unfair as the Corporal was performing his/her duties when injured and is entitled to compensation set aside by the U.S. Government for this purpose. However, the unfairness to the retiree becomes apparent to most thinking people when Master Gunnery Sergeant Woohoo retires after 26 years with a 100% VA disability. He or she must forfeit longevity retirement pay and fund his/her own disability. This is unconscionable!

Read the complete article at http://www.gopusa.com/opinion/hw_0117.shtml

[dts32041]

Did you expect the people who can give themselves a pay raise in a recession to do anything less.

[onedoug]

I'm sure you're right. Though there are many other reasons that it is termed, "service".

[RJayneJ]

[larryjohnson]

Even my dem Con Baldacci wrote that he supported this. Don't trust him though. I just emailed Bush. That'll do it. Besides paying for my VA retirement I get to reurn some of our SS in extra double tax

[NMFXSTC]

Yeah...76% of the House and 86% of the Senate "co-sponsored" legislation to end this unfair and clearly discriminatory practice...BUT...if the politicos are so supportive...why didn't they fund it?

This has been a battle for at least 11 years and we hear the same old "we fully support" crap!

The big problem is...the military retirees simply aren't loud enough! If you want this practice eliminated, you have to pester the Hell out of your reps...complaining among ourselves achieves nothing!

Let them know that "co-sponsorship" without action (and any congressman or Senator can place a bill on the floor for a full vote at anytime, instead of sending it for study after study for 11 years!) is pure BS!

Let them know that you will make sure your retired counterparts will be made aware of their lack of true support and action...AT THE POLLS!