Latest On Concurrent Receipt

[JB Bouscher]

Looks like we will get the knife in the back again on this one. Just got this e-mail from my Congressman. He knows I'm a little more then mad. Just last week it was in the paper that to Of the Bozo's in Congress wanted to susidize the Tobacco Farmers to make up for their losses. Just 15 Billion and they said that was doable. Veterans just don't rate high enough in their book.
JB

News from Congressman Adam Smith

Contact: Sean Eagan, Deputy District Director

(253) 593-6600 or sean.eagan@mail.house.gov

Monday, September 29, 2003





Veterans' Issues Update





**** If you would like to be removed from this distribution list, please send an e-mail to Sean.Eagan@mail.house.gov.



SMITH RELEASES REPORT DETAILING LOCAL IMPACT OF CONCURRENT RECEIPT



Faced with blistering criticism from veteran organizations, House leadership and the White House have dropped a proposal to cut benefits for future veterans in exchange for a phase-in of concurrent receipt benefits for military retirees. Instead, they are now reportedly considering an expansion of eligibility for the Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC).



Administration officials are said to be discussing a three-part proposal. Part one would extend CRSC eligibility to all reserve retirees who have qualifying disabilities. Dropped would be a requirement that disabled reservists have 7,200 drill points, the equivalent of 20 years of active duty. A second part would lower the CRSC eligibility threshold for combat-related disabilities from 60 percent to perhaps 30 percent, still a "serious" disability rating. An additional 80,000 to 100,000 retirees could be eligible for CRSC. A third initiative would be a congressionally directed study of both VA and Defense Department disability programs, focusing on their interaction, including the concurrent receipt law, with an eye toward modernization and reform.



In a related story, Congressman Adam Smith has released the results of a study conducted by the Special Investigations Division of the House Committee on Government Reform. The report details the impact the current prohibition on concurrent receipt (also known as the Disabled Veterans Tax) has on veterans in Washington State. Specifically, the study found:

Approximately 25,400 veterans in Washington lose military retirement benefits under current law. This includes 5,907 veterans in the 9th Congressional District. Almost half of all retired veterans in the district (48%) are subject to the Disabled Veterans Tax.
Statewide, veterans subject to the Disabled Veterans Tax lose $142 million in benefits annually. In Congressman Smith's district, this amounts to $33.5 million in benefits each year, an average $5,680.


Smith, a co-sponsor of the HR 303, which would provide for full concurrent receipt, is also a signatory of the discharge petition, which would force a vote on the bill by the entire House of Representatives. "HR 303 would not only eliminate the unfairness of the current system and would not only increase benefits for 25,415 veterans in Washington, but it would also pump an addition $142 million into our state's struggling economy," said Smith. "Passage of this bill is just the right thing to do."