Comp To Stop At

[Berta]

This is email from Ray B. Davis- well known vets advocate-

I am not commenting at all on Ray's letter to the Pres- it is just part of the email copy-and no reason to start some political ranting at all here-

I sure didnt see this idea in the Dole Shalala report-

SSA is earned by work credits for retirement-to include military service- and VA comp is due to SC sacrifice-

I cannot imagine why this is even an issue but appraently it is now---

Then again I have not checked this info out-and believe Philpott-not that Ray would put anything untrue on his site- it is just absolutely bizarre to me that anyone would even attempt to pull something like this:

(actually I just managed to delete what Ray said about Bush-if you want to read his letter to Bush go to his web site )

"The article further states that at age 65 all your VA compensation

would go away when you start to receive Social Security. FROM the

article:

" VA compensation likely would be raised under the plan to include a

quality-of-life allowance. But the portion of VA compensation now

provided, and intended only to cover reduced earnings capacity, would

stop at age 65 when social security begins. "

What this means is that if you current get a 50 percent rating and

are paid $712.00 per month (which is the current rate for lost

earnings); the VA may boost your pay for "loss of quality of life" by

10 percent to: $783.00; BUT AT AGE 65 THE LOSS OF EARNING AMOUNT, OF

$712.00 WILL BE TAKEN AWAY, AND ALL THAT WILL BE LEFT IS THE $71.20

FOR THE LOSS OF QUALITY OF LIFE.

(another part deleted by me- full letter at valaw.org)

Sincerely,

Your Editor,

Ray B Davis, Jr

http://www.valaw.org

(Ray's take on it all is interesting -to say the least-and I dont feel appropriate to put it all here but the actual article is the main point)

-- Article on losing Compensation --

Better Pay for Combat-Related Disabilities?

Tom Philpott | August 23, 2007

Bush Backs Separate Combat-Related Disability System

The Bush administration is preparing a legislative proposal to

present to Congress in September that would establish a separate and,

under most circumstances, a more generous disability package for

service members who are injured in war or while training for war,

sources said.

Under the plan, recommended by the Dole-Shalala commission, service

members found unfit for duty as a result of combat or combat-training

injuries, regardless of the number of years served, would qualify for

an immediate lifetime annuity from the Department of Defense.

Annuity amounts would be based on the formula used to calculate

regular retired pay: 2.5 percent of basic pay multiplied by years in

service. A wounded warrior with two years of service thus would get

five percent of basic pay. Likewise, a service member injured in

combat training who had served 10 years when found unfit would get 25

percent of basic pay.

These members also would be get lifetime TRICARE, the military health

and pharmacy plan. Separately they would get disability compensation

from the Department of Veterans Affairs for any and all service-

connected injuries or ailments. VA compensation likely would be

raised under the plan to include a quality-of-life allowance. But the

portion of VA compensation now provided, and intended only to cover

reduced earnings capacity, would stop at age 65 when social security

begins.

The legislation is being drafted by DoD and VA officials and they

continue to work out critical details. One issue outstanding is

whether the changes should be applied retroactively, perhaps to all

combat-related disabled members injured since the attacks of 9-11.

But the Bush administration has decided that these disability pay

changes should apply only to members with injuries from combat or

combat training. That, officials say, adheres to the theme of Dole-

Shalala, also known as the President's Commission on Care of

America's Returning Wounded Warriors. Because the commission's

charter focused solely on the needs of combat wounded veterans, its

recommendations do too.

Under the White House plan, non-combat disabled members still would

come under current service disability retirement, with percentage

awards based only on conditions that make the individual unfit for

service. Non-combat disabled members rated below 30 percent still

would get a lump-sum severance payment instead of an annuity and

would not qualify for TRICARE.

This point is expected to be vigorously opposed by advocates for

disabled members. Though they generally are excited about the changes

planned for combat-related injuries, advocates see stark inequities

in having separate disability packages, one for wounded warriors and

one for members with other service-connected injuries or ailments.

The White House position also seems to be in conflict with a

principle of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission, which will

complete its two-year comprehensive study of disability benefits in

October. That commission already has voted not to treat disability

benefits differently based on whether an injury is received in

combat, advocates point out.

One administration official brought another warning. If the VA-

portion of disability compensation is not boosted as much as

envisioned by Dole-Shalala, then certain disabled warriors actually

might receive less in overall disability pay than non-combat disabled

peers with equal rated conditions.

Though advocates for disabled veterans see the Dole-Shalala

disability pay reforms as overwhelming positive for service members,

which is why they want Congress to apply the changes to all members

being separated as physically or mentally unfit, there are anomalies

to be addressed, they said.

For example, an E-4 with four years' service and a 30-percent rated a

disability that leaves him unfit for duty would get service

disability retirement today of $546.07 a month. Under Dole-Shalala,

if VA compensation remains at current levels, with no qualify-of-life

allowance, the same E-4 injured in war would receive longevity

retirement of $182.02 a month for his four years of service plus VA

compensation of $348. The total of $530.02 a month would be $16 less

than awarded to the non-combat disabled member.

Even in this case, however, VA compensation of $348 a month is only

for the "unfitting" condition. The VA typically will base

compensation for any disabled veteran an average of 20 percent higher

than the rating used for service retirement because the VA considers

all service-connected conditions not just those that make the member

unfit for continued service.

Several military associations and veterans groups met July 31 with

Karen Guice, the Dole-Shalala commission's deputy staff director, to

clarify what commissioners intended regarding two military disability

systems. Retired Air Force Col. Mike Hayden, a benefits expert with

Military Officers Association of America, said Guice assured the

group that commissioners, if asked, would recommend that their

disability pay reforms extend to all disabled members not just the

combat injured.

That seems in keeping with the report's criticism of the confusion

and complexity that now exists with DoD and VA having separate

disability systems. Dole-Shalala would end that dual track, removing

DoD from the rating business. Yet the White House seeks to have

separate disability systems within DoD itself, citing the same

report. This has drawn criticism even within the administration as

concerns rise over the impact on morale of categorizing disabled

members based on where or when they are injured.

President Bush, during an Aug. 13 visit to the VA medical center in

Washington D.C., said the Dole-Shalala recommendations "make a lot of

sense, and we would ask for the Congress to pass those…as quickly as

possible, so I can sign them into law."

http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,146937,00.html

To comment, e-mail milupdate@aol.com, write Military Update, P.O. Box

231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111 or visit: www.militaryupdate.com

--end--

Edited August 24, 2007 by Berta

[robert51]

no only will this result in lots of homeless old vets ... but the family will i am sure be cheated out of DIC if the vet turns 65 before the 10 years ... what a country the rich get richer and the poor just get to suffer...

[Jay Johnson]

They need to implement COLA into the VA system, like yesterday. The 100% level can be an upper class paycheck to some folks in the midwest, while leaving folks on the west coast homeless.....this is a long standing disparity that should have been addressed years ago imo!

With my wife's 100% + HB + SSD, we might be able to afford an appartment in the portland area without my income, which doesn't seem right given that, as an E5, I could go to school, while not working, on JUST her military salary and live on base in a nice 4 bedroom home....that just doesn't seem right!

[Guest Dataman]

Jay;

They need to implement COLA into the VA system, like yesterday.

This is so true. 2610 don't cut it for having a house or car in Washington State.

There was talk in the VDB Commission:

Congress should increase compensation rates 25% as an interim measure to address loss of QoL, pending development and implementation of a QoL measure

Now don't expect this. Even then I bet it will be limited to Combat Wounded or by Age.

That would be about $625.

[Testvet]

Jay while not "right" you are better off than a civilian disabled and getting SSD by itself, even active duty soldiers when they retire lose a large portion of their income and styles of living normally change I am always amazed to see NCOs that did not realize that the retirement check would be based solely on base pay and not housing allowances and the rations allowance so they go from over 3,000 on active duty to less than 1500 retired yes they can return to work at another career as most are young enough, on the other hand whn a disabled vet and their family knows that this is what we have to live on you find a locality where you can live the lifestyle you want to, I don't know any vets that can retire to New York City in say Manhattan, Carmel by the Beach, Newport Beach, the Hamptons, or Snow Valley, or Vail or Palm Beach, with all that given you live where you can afford, I chose Columbia SC and we live a real decent life here, climate is good year round, and we manage to save money every month even when I worked at the Post Office they argued about area COLAs and bottom line was if you didn't like where you were at, you could transfer to another town so COLAs were never approved and that was a 20 year fight there, and I have been gone alnost 10 so I imagine it's a 30 year fight now

[Pete53]

Supposedly the Senate is sitting on a Bill that would increase some Vets by about 600 Bucks. I have tried to find it but cannot. Anyway this Bill was already passed in House much to the objections of our dear friend and protector Rep Steven Byers.

Once again the Republicans are attempting to cut budget on the backs of poor and Veterans.

[JohnM]

Once againg our President has found a way to short change our Vets. The plan to stop va comp at 65 fails to consider the fact that some vets getting va comp may have a lower income as a result of the disability. As a result their SSA maybe lower than average. The plan stopping va comp at 65 is just away to use a back door to punish those who have defended our county.

JohnM and Wife Dianne