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VA Mid-Atlantic Chapter News and
Information
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Legislative Alert
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Physical
Disability Board of Review
| More GI
Bill Reform |
Support Restoring GI
Bill Fairness Act
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HASC Leaders Allow Higher TRICARE
Fees |
Support Restoring
GI Bill Fairness Act |
HASC Approves
NDAA for FY 2012 |
Withdraw US
Troops from Afghanistan
| Bring U.S.
Troops home from Afghanistan
| HASC Leaders May
Overturn Prohibition on Higher TRICARE Fees
| Military
and Retiree Issues Announced
| Help Protect
Federal Research Funding
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To stay inform with everyday Legislative
Alerts from Congress just click on:
Veteran Issues from
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Physical Disability Board
of Review on May 29, 2011
The "Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act of 2008," signed by
President Bush on Jan. 28, 2008, provides veterans who served on acti9ve
duty from Sept. 11, 2001 to Dec. 31, 2009, with an opportunity for
review of disability ratings they were given which led to their
discharged from the Armed Forces.
To be eligible for a Physical Disability Board of Review (PDBR) review,
a veteran must have been medically separated during the above mentioned
time frame, with a combined disability rating of 20 percent or less, and
not have been found eligible for retirement. Over half of the cases that
have been completed have been changed and have made those discharged
improperly, now eligible for health care, and the ability to sign up for
the Survivor Benefit Plan for their families without penalty.
For more information and how to apply contact the PDBR intake unit at
the following address:
SAF/MRBR
550 C Street West, Suite 41
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4743
(News Briefs, NAUS Magazine, May/June 2011)
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More GI Bill Reform on
May 27, 2011
Bill to Expand GI Bill Transferability Eligibility
Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has introduced H.R. 2002. A bill that
would expand Post-9/11 GI Bill Transferability to cover those who have
been retired due to disability or medical reasons and allows retirees to
make the transfer within 36 months of their retirement.
H.R. 2002 would amend current law to allow service members retired due
to a service-connected injury or disability to qualify for GI Bill
transferability even after leaving the service.
The proposed legislation would also extend service members transfer
eligibility 36 months after retirement, with an additional 12 months
extension upon DoD approval for special circumstances.
H.R. 2002 does not increase costs, as the funding already exists for
service members who qualify for the benefit and there are no additional
costs associated with transferring the benefits to a dependent or
spouse. According to the Bill's author, the bill simply restores
equality and fairness to the process, allowing the service member to
determine who gets to use their earned benefit.
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Support Restoring GI Bill
Fairness Act (HR 1383) on May 24, 2011
Urge Senate to Pass HR 1383
The House has approved the "Restoring GI Bill Fairness Act" (H.R. 1383)
that increases the tuition cap from $17, 500 to $27,000 for veterans
attending private schools if they were enrolled in the private school
before last years bill (Post 911 Veterans Assistance Improvement Act)
reforming the Post 9/11GI Bill took effect. Last year's bill reforming
the Post 9/11GI Bill included a tuition cap ($17,500) for private
schools. The sponsor of the legislation Rep. Jeff Miller (Fla.), the
Committee Chairman, believes the legislation is needed to ensure that
veterans already attending private schools before the legislation passed
last year will be able to complete their education that was promised
them when the original Post 9/11 GI Bill was enacted in 2008. The bill
will now go to the Senate for further consideration.
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HASC Leaders Allow Higher
TRICARE Fees on May 21, 2011
Don't Raise Fees
The House Armed Services Committee has decided to allow The Defense
Department to increase TRICARE Prime Fees 13 percent and allow fees to
increase each year thereafter by the rate of inflation.
The go-ahead for TRICARE fee increases and related prescription
increases are part the fiscal year 2012 National Defense Authorization
Act (HR 1540).
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Support Restoring GI
Bill Fairness Act (HR 1383) on May 20, 2011
Allow Vets to be grandfathered on tuition cap if they started school
before cap was enacted
The House Veterans Affairs Committee has approved the "Restoring GI Bill
Fairness Act" (H.R. 1383) that increases the tuition cap from $17, 500
to $27,000 for veterans attending private schools if they were enrolled
in the private school before last years bill (Post 911 Veterans
Assistance Improvement Act) reforming the Post 9/11GI Bill took effect.
Last year's bill reforming the Post 9/11GI Bill included a tuition cap
($17,500) for private schools. The sponsor of the legislation Rep. Jeff
Miller (Fla.), the Committee Chairman, believes the legislation is
needed to ensure that veterans already attending private schools before
the legislation passed last year will be able to complete their
education that was promised them when the original Post 9/11 GI Bill was
enacted in 2008.
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HASC Approves NDAA for FY
2012 on May 14, 2011
Veterans Disability Tax and Widows Taxes Not Changed
As you are likely aware, on May 12, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC)
approved its version of the $690 Billion FY2012 National Defense
Authorization Act (H.R. 1540).
The Committee dropped a provision that would have frozen TRICARE fees
for another year but replaced it with a provision that allows modest
increases for FY 2012, but adds important protections against
disproportional future increases. The new provision would allow DoD to
raise the TRICARE Prime monthly enrollment fee by $5, and raise retail
pharmacy copays by $2 or $3, but would eliminate the copay for generic
drugs in the mail-order program.
Also, at issue is the Subcommittee's recommendation that DOD’s Military
Retiree Health Care program have a 1 year moratorium on any increase in
beneficiary health care costs. Healthcare has been a prime motivator to
accept the rigors of 20 plus years of military service, hardships of
family separations, and the personal sacrifice of life or limbs. Please
exclude any proposed changes considered for TRICARE.
More important, the bill adds a statement that Congress recognizes that
career military people pay the bulk of the premiums up-front and
in-kind, through decades of service and sacrifice. In recognition of
this, the bill language specifies that the percentage fee increase in
future years my not exceed the percentage increase in military retired
pay.
However, excluded from the Committee’s mark up are 3 issues that I
strongly feel should be included in the NDAA:
- Early retirement credit to all Guard and Reserve personnel who have
been recalled to active duty tours of at least 90 days retroactive to
September 11, 2001.
- Elimination of the Disabled Veterans Tax. Allow concurrent receipt of
Military Retirement and VA Disability compensation.
As you might be aware, nearly 500,000 disabled military retirees are
disenfranchised from the restoration of the con-concurrent receipt of
military retired pay without offset by VA disability compensation
because they were retired under Chapter 61 with less than 20 years of
service or have service connected disability less than 50%. Corrective
legislation for the 112th Congress is found in H.R. 333 and S. 344.
- Elimination of the Widow’s Tax. Allow concurrent receipt of Military
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Annuity and VA Dependency and Indemnity
Compensation (DIC).
Nearly 62,000 widows are similarly affected by the Widow’s Tax which is
imposed when the military spouse dies of service connected causes and
the widow’s SBP with premiums withheld from the military spouses
retirement pay and the DIC. Similar to the phased in restoration of
Concurrent Disability Retired Pay for those retired with 20+years of
service and 50% - 90% disability, the restoration of the SBP/DIC offset
is phased in over several years with annual increases of $10 a year.
Where the VA monthly award for 2011 is $1154 the restoration is a
miserly $70 a month, compared to the average SBP payment of some $800 -
$900 a month. Why do we keep these brave ladies in poverty? Corrective
legislation for the 112th Congress is found in H.R. 178 and S. 260.
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Withdraw US Troops from
Afghanistan on May 11, 2011
Bills have been introduced in both houses of Congress asking the
President to transmit to Congress a concrete plan for the withdrawal of
U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
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Bring U.S. Troops home
from Afghanistan on May 11, 2011
As the July deadline for the U.S. government to begin withdrawing troops
from Afghanistan approaches, President Obama has offered few details on
the pace at which the withdrawal will occur.
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HASC Leaders May Overturn
Prohibition on Higher TRICARE Fees on May 6, 2011
The House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee recently agreed with
NAUS that TRICARE Prime fees should not be raised in FY 2012. A
provision to prohibiting higher fees for another year was included in
its portion of the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.
However, NAUS has learned senior leaders of the House Armed Services
Committee are now planning to overturn the Subcommittees' decision when
the bill comes before the full Committee on May 11.
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Military and Retiree
Issues Announced on May 6, 2011
National Defense Authorization Act for FY2012
The House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee voted their
issues for inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2012.
These will be marked up by the Whole Committee on May 11, 2012 at which
time there may be additions or changes offered. Selected issues of
concern to the Non Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA) extracted
from the Subcommittee recommendations:
Approved by the Subcommittee:
- Military Pay Increase: 1.5% Increase
- Military Retiree Health Care: one year prohibition on any increase in
healthcare costs to retirees
- Impact Aid Authorized DOD: $30M
- Impact Aid Authorized BRAC Impacted Communities: $10M.
Retiree issues not recommended by the Subcommittee:
- Authorize early Retirement Credit to all Guard and Reserve personnel
who have served on active duty tours of at least 90 days retroactive to
September 11, 2001
- Elimination of the Disabled Veterans Tax. Allow concurrent receipt of
Military Retirement and VA Disability compensation.
- Elimination of the Widow’s Tax. Allow concurrent receipt of military
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Annuity and VA Dependency and Indemnity
Compensation (DIC).
These three issues may still be included in the National Defense
Authorization Act for FY2012 based on the Legislative Mark Up process in
the House.
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Help Protect Federal
Research Funding on May 4, 2011
Federal research funding for prostate cancer accounts for around $400
million per year. The Prostate Cancer Research Program at the Department
of Defense has received about $80million per year since 2001. Funding at
the PCRP has accelerated the clinical trial process for several drugs
over the past couple of years including the recently approved Zytiga and
several other drugs currently in Phase III clinical trials.
PCRP funding also can jump start new innovative research that can be
further developed with NIH funds because the program focuses on
high-risk, high-reward research that has not traditionally been funded
through NIH grants.
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