Disabled Military Retiree Relief Act
by Joe Wilson on June 25, 2009FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2009
WASHINGTON – Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) delivered the following remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives this morning during debate on H.R. 2990, the Disabled Military Retiree Relief Act.
*To View Congressman Wilson’s Floor Speech, Click Here*
“Madame Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 2990, the Disabled Military Retiree Relief Act of 2009.
“This bill has a number of good provisions dealing with military and civilian personnel which I appreciate as a 31-year Army National Guard veteran representing Parris Island, the Marine Corps Air Station at Beaufort, the Beaufort Naval Hospital, and Fort Jackson. I want to focus on one section of the bill that would provide concurrent receipt of Department of Defense disability pay and Veterans Administration disability pay to a small number of people discharged from the services with less than 20 years’ service because of injuries sustained while in service.
“This section, which is but a ghost of the proposal submitted by President Obama, is a small, but important step in expanding the population eligible for full concurrent receipt. I am glad that some progress is being made.
“What troubles and disappoints me most, however, is that this bill, which will be attached to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010, could have done so much more had the Democratic leadership of the House made elimination of concurrent receipt and elimination of the widow’s tax a priority from the beginning of this Congress.
“Instead, we were unable to even debate my amendment at the full committee markup of the Defense Authorization dealing with concurrent receipt, the elimination of the Survivor Benefit Plan and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation offset as a widow’s tax, the extension of health care to early retiring reserve component members, and the use of the misnamed Reserve Fund in the Budget Resolution.
“I would note that since the introduction of my amendment, the Democratic leadership has found a way to fund H.R. 2990, using resources and dollars outside the House Armed Services Committee jurisdiction to provide for just nine months – a very limited concurrent receipt for disabled military retirees.
“While that is a step forward to eliminating some of the injustice inflicted on disabled retirees, it does nothing to cure the injustice still being suffered by most persons losing their rightly earned benefits because of the remaining concurrent receipt prohibitions.
“Had the House leadership seen eliminating these injustices as a priority, they could have allocated the small percentage – less than one percent – necessary in the $15 trillion they provided for government spending in 2010 to 2014. Or, they could have used the Reserve Fund authority as proposed in my amendment.
“Instead we must settle for a small pittance for a small group of retirees.
“I hope that since the authority for this limited concurrent receipt is for only nine months, that the Democratic leadership makes resolving all the concurrent receipt and SBP-DIC offset injustices a real, not a symbolic priority, next year.
“As a nation, we owe more than our gratitude to the brave men and women in uniform and their families, past and present, for the sacrifices they make to protect our freedoms. I know firsthand of the courage of our troops. My late father-in-law Julian Dusenbury, a dedicated Marine, was awarded the Navy Cross for leading the capture of the Japanese headquarters of Shuri Castle on Okinawa. He was shot by a sniper resulting in his being in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He was grateful to have served America.”
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I think it is interesting to see this bill, which still leaves most of us without our retirement. I was put out of the Navy on TDRL for 5 years. During that time, I couldn’t get a job because I was disabiled. The VA took forever to find me service connected. Then after my 5 years I was put out of the Navy on PDRL (Chap 61). However, when on TDRL you get no time in service, no advance in rank, you just sit there, and no retireement. Waiting. Like I will do now. I have yet to receive one dime of my earned retirement. I was retired as 80% service disabled from the Navy on PDRL. I was supposed to receive my full retirement. Lucky for me, the VA found me service connected 18 months after I was put on TDRL. That 18 months was hell, living off my family’s good intentions. Thank You Congress for making it so easy for us Chap 61 retirees to mooch off society, lose all of our dignity, and our families respect. You have not served the Military Men and Women who have put themselves in harms way well.
Dear Mr. Wilson,
I am a Medically Retired Marine Vietnam Veteran who was retired after 3 years of military service. I was 10 1/2 months in country when I stepped on a land mine. I spent almost a year in Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, enduring 13 surgeries. I lost half of my foot and multiple other injuries. What troubles me about all the Chapter 61 Veteran legislation that comes from Washington DC is the money saving aspect of it all. What bothers me most is the Concurrent Receipt laws that pass are all based on 2 1/2% to what ever years of service. President Bush signed the 2008 NDAA bill with the CRSC component in it. I was pretty excited that I would finally get my due after 37 years of waiting. As you have stated in your news statements, it is only affecting a small group of Veterans, estimated at about 40 K Chapter 61 Vets in the whole country with combat injuries. After DFAS computed my 3 years of service and WOW, I was going to receive a whopping $128 per month. I was devastated. It’s up to $135 this year. My DFAS retirement statement says my retirement pay should be $805. and that is not including my 4 dependents, which I should also should get paid for. Now I know that when I was medically retired in 1972, the Marine Corps computed my retirement pay and was paid that for about 8 months, until my VA rating came in and then I had to waive one or the other, which I was really pissed about back then. I thought I deserved both back then. Then to find out it was based on a 100 year + legislation back from the Civil War. Now that is pathetic that up till now, not one Congress has fixed this injustice. Now, Mr. Wilson, I know that your colleagues will probably say you can’t double dip and get paid for your disabilities twice. But that is bull, I am 100% + SMC from the VA and receive Social Security disability after a 3 year fight to get it. If I worked in the real world and was injured on the job, I would still be receiving my VA pay and getting paid for being injured on the job by State Workers Compensation Program. Why is that any different than what I went through in the Marine Corps and getting injured on the job in Vietnam. Why is the federal government limiting my ability to receive what I earned because I only was in the Marine Corps for 3 yrs of service. I didn’t ask to quit. It happened and I would have traded my injuries for a career as a Marine as my brother did for 26 yrs. To get paid $135 per month is an insult and I am ashamed of my government for putting me through this. Government employees can receive there civil service retirement pay and VA disability. What is the difference? For the past 37 yrs, I have had 15 more surgeries because of my accident and that is not including what my family has gone through during it all. I have another surgery to go. That is 28 surgeries all because of my Vietnam experience. So you legislators should think about what me and my family have gone through after the Marine Corps said goodbye to me in 1972. It is not 3 years of service, it is 39 years of hell and pain for me and my loved ones. So if you folks pass the Concurrent Receipt law this year it will not be any different than the $135 per month for CRSC based on 3 years of service. I should be getting $805 per month as my retirement statement says, plus money for my dependents. I know that I deserved it, as probably all my Chapter 61 Bretheran do too. We all go through a lot more than just our short careers in the military because of our injuries, physically and mentally. Their should be an Amendment that says; You Chapter 61 Veterans should get paid whatever your earned retirement is, as stated on your statement. It was already computed by whatever Military Branch of service you were in when medically retired. Based on yrs of service, rank, disability %. It was all done before. That is what I earned and deserve. I am a Veteran of Mexican decent and live in Auburn, Ca. I lost my managerial job six years ago, after 13 years, because of all my surgeries. We foreclosed on our house two years ago. It has been rough financially and medically. Congressman Wilson I know that you will do the right thing with Concurrent Receipt. It should never be based on money and Veterans issues should never be partisan. Please pass that on to your Armed Service committee members. We did our jobs and now it is you folks who need to do yours.
Thank You for listening,
Steve Heredia USMC Ret.
Semper Fi
Thank You Congressman Joe Wilson for your support
as a Vietnam Vet who lost his leg while serving with the 1st Air Cav
I was 19 yrs old at the time and was ownly E-4 I was regular army and
would have stayed in service but the loss of my left leg and other injuries
from a landmine prevented me from doing so. Thank you again Sir
Frederick Johnson
Ret. U.S. Army
Congressman Joe Wilson,
Thank you for your support in this matter. I am retiring from the Army and am very concerned about what I may be able to do physically. I suffered a broken back and had surgery on it so I could walk again; a broken neck which is such that I am not a candidate for surgery so I must do a daily regimen of traction; a blown ACL which was repaired this past year after 8 years; and several other afflictions. I don’t believe my retirement will suffice and am not sure of my marketability. I had hopes of working for myself after retirement, but that hope is fading with all the issues I must deal with daily. Again, Thank you for your efforts on our behalf and God bless.
Ron Lampman
Thank You Congressman Joe Wilson for getting this very long over due legislation passed. I greatly appreciate your efforts with helping us chapter 61 retirees.. I am very pleased with your great service.. Thanks.
Congressman Wilson,
Will you please identify “specific” budget cuts to pay for the improvements in vets benefits you advocate? You know under House PayGo rules, you cannot add to the deficit, but you can get your bill through if you find wasteful offsets (pork) to cut. There must be plenty — but submitting a bill that you know is against the rules only serves to grandstand. Please tell us which offsets you support and how you will achieve them. Thank you for your service.
medically retired from the Navy in sep 2007 due to an acute stroke in April 2007. If the President and the rest of the government cannot fulfill it’s promise for us who served, perhaps, he may send Michelle obama and his children to combat. What a shame America. God bless us all.
I was looking forward to receiving full concurrent receipt as stated in the disabled military relief act of
2009. It appears that this part of the bill has been kicked out.
Any chance it might really happen?
I am so confused about this. My son was diabled and was in Army for 6 years, after numerous surgeries he had met maxium benefit. He was in the AW2 program for 3 years out of six years of service. His disability from the Army was 80%. Some of his injuries were listed as Combat related. He is now in the process of applying for VA benefits. Can anyone tell me if he will keep his Army disabililty and the VA disability? I am so confused. He left the Army an E6 and retired.
Dear Congressman Wilson;
I wanted to take this time to say “thank you” for your support in legislation to change the inequities regarding the SBP/DIC Offset, as well as other issues. You have been one of our most vocal supporters and myself, and other Gold Star Wives, salute you.
I am a widow and I know firsthand how difficult it has been for me to try and survive on a VA pension, and finally a small social security check. It is even harder for others. This is why it is so important that this offset be eliminated. .
Having our government tell us that if we are over 57, we can begin receiving our SBP if we remarry is not fair… or very respectful. My late husband did not pay into the SBP annuity fund for 29 years with the intent that I remarry in order to receive it. This ruling, made last October 2009 in Washington, is just plain crazy.
We realize that there is nothing that you, or anyone, can do to bring back our loved ones, but we at least can receive what they intended for us to have…our SBP annuity.
Please continue to do all that you can to help us. We will always be grateful for your continued support.
Please pass it on; we certainly need all the help we can get. We now have 350 cosponsors for HR 775 and our goal is to get at least 400. We have all worked so hard on this and are closer that we have ever been. For many of the survivors it is already too late and if this fails again, it will not come in time for others.
Sincerely,
Marianne Stringer
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! For being the champion of Survivor “concurrent receipts” You have co-sponsored EVERY Bill over the last 9 years, you have received many widows in your office. It is our husbands and families who have paid the high price of death on Active Duty or from a service connected disability. My husband, additionally paid $160 monthly over 17 years to make a responsible purchase that should have assured that I would continue to receive 55% of his earned Marine Corps retired pay. Any other insurance policy would be required by law to be paid to the designated beneficiary.
Rep. Wilson believes in honoring “promises” made by Congress to those who serve as well as unbroken financial contracts (SBP) with the voluntary purchase of survivor annuities made with DoD. Rep. Wilson has sponsored amendments to provide the elimination of offsets to retired pay for disabled military retirees as well as the widows of those same retirees who have suffered the misfortune of disability AND death. I have sat through the House Armed Services Committee Mark-up to watch Rep Wilson’s amendment be defeated with a partisan vote…even an “no” vote by the Honorable sponsor of HR 775 (350 co-sponsors) A vote against his own bill with many co-sponsors was more than I could comprehend.
Last year, another Member of the HASC tabled Rep Wilson’s motion to avoid a public Committee vote. I saw that action as an insult against the very legacy of military service members who have fought and died in order that America may have the democratic Government that employees the Members of Congress. The least the Committee should do is permit the “concurrent receipt” legislation to hold open discussion and debate for a honest vote.
With 350 co-sponsors, I consider that passage of HR 775 is the will of Congress
No other public or private business can use the VA Compensation to reduce earned employer wages or retirement in order to “profit” from the disabled veterans’ misfortune .
The Congress has eliminated this insidious offset for some disabled military retirees as well as SBP paid to surviving spouses of retirees who did not die of a Service Connected Disability. What other employer can provide a defined benefit of retirement selectively to some who are disabled and not to others.
Again, my sincere thank you for dedicated leadership of Rep. Wilson as Ranking Member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee on behalf of survivors and their deceased disabled military retirees.
i was starting to sense i may perhaps be the sole dude who thought about this, at the minimum at the moment i recognize i’m not strange
let me make sure to disconver more about several different articles instantly right after i recieve a touch of caffeine in me, it is extremely challenging to read without having my java, adios for now 
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