Did we forget about con-current receipt??

[Gimpy]

Well apparently not SOME of us! Check out what Joe Galloway (We Were Soldiers Once and Young") has to say about it!

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Bush Screws Our War Heroes



GOP blocking abolishment of Disabled Veterans Tax


By Joseph L. Galloway

WASHINGTON - Its formal title is The Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2003. Veterans say it is a long overdue measure to end what they have nicknamed The Disabled Veterans Tax. By either name it is a hot-button issue for 670,000 disabled American military veterans.

What the bill would do is redress a century-old injustice - a law that says anyone who retires after a full career of military service and draws retirement pay will have that pay reduced, dollar for dollar, for any payment received from the Veterans Administration for permanent service-connected disability.

In other words, if a military retiree is judged 100 percent disabled as a consequence of old war wounds or Agent Orange or bone damage from jumping out of airplanes, he would draw a maximum disability payment of $2,300 per month. His retired pay would disappear entirely, under the law.

Curiously, if a former soldier served only a two or four-year tour and was later judged disabled he would draw full disability payments with no reduction for any other payments he might receive from Social Security or a government or private retirement plan.

It is those who served honorably for at least 20 years and sometimes more than 30 years who are subject to the Disabled Veterans Tax.

The long-promised relief is hung up in Congress this summer and looks like it may well die in committee. It is estimated by the Congressional Budget Office that redressing the retirees' grievance would cost the Treasury between $3 billion and $5 billion a year, and the Bush administration has turned thumbs down because they see it as a budget-buster.

It is a cruel fate, given the fact that 82 percent of the members of the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike, have signed as co-sponsors of the act and have voiced strong support for its passage.

The House bill boasts 345 named co-sponsors, 170 of them Republicans. But when Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga., whose district includes the Columbus-Fort Benning area with thousands of military retirees, initiated a Discharge Petition to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote, only one of the 170 Republican co-sponsors was willing to sign the petition.

The other 169 Republicans are missing in action, and the veterans say they know why. "Republican representatives are being forced to represent the White House," complains retired Air Force Lt. Col. B.E. Cushing, a Florida resident. He adds that the word is that the Republican leadership is "urging and even threatening" members to keep them from signing the Discharge Petition.

For a century the cost has kept Congress from doing what it knows is the right thing, separating military retiree pensions from the disability payments that grow directly out of dangerous service to the nation.

The disparity was built into military pension law in 1891 when such payments for disabling wounds were enacted into law to benefit veterans of service in the Union Army in the Civil War. By then a number of former Confederate veterans sat in Congress, including Sen. Francis Marion Cockrell of Missouri, a former Confederate brigadier general.

Miffed that Confederate veterans would not benefit from the law, Cockrell successfully inserted language that prohibited anyone on active military service from drawing both regular military pay and disability payments. His argument that it would save money carried the day.

In the spring of 1944 Congress passed Public Law 78-314 that expanded the principle and required a dollar for dollar offset reduction of retired military pay for every dollar of disability compensation received, and specified that 100 percent disabled retirees would forfeit all of their retirement pay.

No other class is singled out for such treatment. Civil service employees, whether of the Department of Defense or Congress itself, are permitted to draw both full government retirement pay and service-connected disability payments without deduction.

It is the discrimination inherent in the law that rankles those who have spent a lifetime in service to the U.S. military and are now punished for that service by seeing their retired pay eaten up by a law they declare is both unfair and discriminatory.

Many military retirees are, ironically, rock-ribbed conservative Republicans who are now shocked to find their president and their party standing in the doorway blocking the best chance in decades to abolish The Disabled Veterans Tax.

One even cites these words from a Bush for President campaign flyer:

"The Bush plan keeps this country's commitment to earned benefits for all of our veterans and military retirees."

The 670,000 disabled military retirees are waiting, but not patiently.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Joseph L. Galloway is the senior military correspondent for and co-author of the national best-seller "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young." Readers may write to him at: Knight Ridder Washington Bureau, 700 National Press Building, Washington, D.C.
20045.

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[MORTARDUDE]

First off, let me say that this should be corrected ASAP..that having been said...you will notice the dates 1891 and 1944...

There have been a lot of other Presidents and Congressmen "screwing the veteran" besides the current occupants.......and don't forget ..your esteemed party could have easily fixed this from 1954 - 1994 when they had ALL the power there was to be had....

Larry

[Gimpy]

Let me say THIS!

I've been raising HELL (as have folks like Joe Galloway and THOUSANDS of others) for more than 20 years now! Sure I blame the demos and anyone ELSE that has had an opportunity to correct this shit in the past. BUT that's just it! They are ALL in the "PAST"! Now correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe that Congress has been under the "control" of the Republicans for more than a decade now, right? Aren't YOU the fellow that keeps "harping" that THEY control the "purse strings" for funding?? Why the HELL haven't THEY fixed it? Not ONLY that --- but according to JG and others in several veterans organizations it's THIS DAMN ADMINISTRATION of GEE-DUBYA'S that is putting pressure on all the republican congressman to NOT vote for it! I don't believe there was ANY (not one single one, nada, zip!) democratic presidents administration that EVER attempted to try this bullshit tactic to prevent veterans legislation improvements of ANY KIND!

The "reason" this was not a 'major" issue prior to the 1980's was because they're were not that many folks who had completed 20 or more years of military service that were TOTALLY disabled and would be "eligible" for it that were WILLING to raise hell about it, even if it was able to be enacted! It's been the Vietnam era veterans along with some retired officers from WWII, and Korea that have been leading the charge to correct this shit! Most of those guys from WWII just "accepted" this as "that's what the Government said is the law" and went on about their business! It took some real HELL RAISERS from OUR generation to get this damn ball rolling!

Now let's see. Since 1969 we've had SIX republican administrations (Nixon--Ford--Reagen--Reagen--Daddy Bush and now baby Bush) for a grand total of nearly 23 years! The past THREE years with a MAJORITY of Republicans in Congress---in BOTH Houses! The democrats have had the whitehouse for 12 years during that time (Carter--Clinton--Clinton), AND for nearly EIGHT of those 12 years a democratic administraion (Clinton's) had to deal with a majority republican Congress unwilling to "negotiate" a real solution to this shit!

One MORE "point"---I do believe that the PRESIDENT and his administration submits "budget proposals" to Congress for "approval" and "consideration" to be advanced into legislation, HUH?

Show me ONE DAMN TIME where a sitting republican president since 1969 has submitted legislation proposals to correct this shit!
Not one---NADA!

OK---Maybe the TWO Democrats sitting in the Whitehouse haven't either-----BUT there have been FIVE REPUBLICANS in the whitehouse during that time who have had ELEVEN (11) more years to do it, and as yet HAVE NOT! And NOW it appears that the "majority" party is falling in line behind their "leader" and will NOT pass it now either!

So don't sit there and try and tell ME "the democrats" could have fixed this shit! Yeah, maybe so. But that's GONE NOW! The Republicans have had just as many "chances"(really MORE) to correct this as well.

But, my old Grandad told me when I went into management at newspaper back in the late 1970's---
"Son, when you're in the seat--you takes the HEAT"!

Soooooooooooooooooo, guess who's gonna "get the heat" now????

And, you know DAMN WELL he deserves it----because HE said----"HELP IS ON THE WAY"---and it was a damned, bald-faced-LIE!!!!

[MORTARDUDE]

well...you gave a little bit...that is all I could ask...like I said....the blame needs to be spread around...one party is not the cause of the g**damn mess we find ourself in with regard to veterans issues...need I remind you of the bonus marches for the WW1 vets and it just goes on and on....Republican AND Democratic Congressman who have sat on their fat-collective-asses and done nothing while the VA horsed veterans around AFTER EVERY GO*DAMN WAR THAT WE HAVE EVER HAD.... so Mr. Gimpy if you are willing to put the blame squarely in the lap of BOTH parties, then I am with you 100%....

Larry

[Jerry D]

Then of course there was the famous 50% pay raise congress voted them selves back around 1988. There was such an out cry then and what did the Congressmen do? change it to 25% one year and another 25% pay raise the next year what a country. When you can give your self a pay raise and you all notice not very many congress man/woman ever votes against him/her's pay raise ..... Now there is some non-partisan politics for you both. Democrats and Republicans both have there hands in the open cookie jar of the federal budget.. But, when it comes to VA funding or concurrent receipt it's always the same ole' song and dance It's way to expensive and we need that money for our wonderful Retirement plan and health care for them old men and women of the US Congress and Senate ..... again non-partisan politics at its' finest.....

[Gimpy]

I can agree to agree that the PAST failures (before 1994) have been pretty much --even steven---with BOTH parties pretty much to blame for this shit!

But, can YOU admit that it's been the Repubs failure since then???

TheyHAVE controlled Congress AND GEE-DUBYA has had THREE yearsin REPUBLICN majority in Congress and you see whatis NOW happening----Democratic Congressman Lane Evans (Ill.) has attempted to push this through Congress for MORE than EIGHT years now----The democrats in the House AND Senate have been "on board" with this legislation since he proposed it! It has been the REPUBLICANS across the board--and NOW even the Pres. Gee-W himself that is holdingup the passage of this bill!

Sooooooooo, can YOU admit who the "culprits are NOW???

[MORTARDUDE]

Gimpy : Let me ask you a simple question.......Do you think if the esteemed Senator Robert Byrd, the Senate's senior member and top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee ( In 1989, for the first time, Senator Byrd had the opportunity to serve as Chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, on which he has held membership since the beginning of 1959 ) , ( Also in 1989, Senator Byrd was unanimously elected President pro tempore of the Senate, a post that placed him third in line of succession to the Presidency and gave him the distinction of having held more leadership positions in the U.S. Senate than any other Senator of any party in Senate history. >>> In June 2001, in an unprecedented shift of leadership, Senator Byrd regained the chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee and was re-elected President pro tempore of the Senate <<<< )
the self-proclaimed "Conscience of the Senate", really gave a SHIT about veterans ( he doesn't ), he could not get this passed ?? ...like he has for ALL the bureaucratic-pork-shoveling-from-HELL he has done for West "By God" Virginia ?? ...Of course he could !!! ..he could tie up the Congress in Gordian-knots indefinetely....he has done it many, many, many times on a whole host of trivial items...As Casey Stengel would say "you could look it up"....

And that Mr. Gimpy is a "FACT"...

Blame everything and anything on Bush II, but the Congress has all the power, and always will.................but the good news is that we still have the vote.....

Larry

P.S. : AS I posted today elsewhere, if we don't get something done by 2008, we will be just a very, very small minority of all of those who will be sucking on the government TIT...

[Gimpy]

it's obvious that for WHATEVER reason you are absolutely unable (or unwilling) to see the forest for the trees! I've ALREADY admitted that some democrats are just as guilty as republicans in not promoting or pusing for passage of legislation of con-current receipt.

But, it appears that YOU and many, many, many others around here WILL NOT accept the F-A-C-T that it IS and HAS BEEN the republicans in CONGRESS and now the WHITEHOUSE that have prevented this measure from being passed for AT LEAST the past 8 or 9 years! Why is it Sooooooooooooooo freakin hard for you guys to accept the TRUTH and admit these JERKS are NOT what they say they are! You talk about Byrd in the Senate----well just take a look at that idiot in the House---Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert who has blocked or attempted to REDUCE veterans administration spending since he has been in control of the House! Every single veterans service Organization out there, VFW, AMVETS, DAV, V VA, etc, etc., have come out in PROTEST of this assholes actions in attempting his horeshit against veterans! I haven't seen many of them protesting Senator Byrd??? (not that I agree with him EITHER for that matter)---But, as EVERYONE in the veterans service organizations who participate in lobbying Congress KNOWS---if it dosen't "fly" (or get approved) by the House of Representatives---there is NO freakin way it's gonna come out of "conference committee" between the Senate & House and get passed! Dennis (the MENACE) Hastert has already PROVED that with his past actions! Just ask ANY top legislative action committee member from ANY of the Service Organizations and they'll confirm what I am telling you. THE REPUBLICANS ARE NOT TRUE FRIENDS OF THE VETERANS COMMUNITY!

I do agree with your "idea" however of "combining "forces" of ALL the service orgs out there for a combined "front" to insure we have more "clout" in Washington.

Now can YOU admit I'm correct in my assesment of the republicans now in control of the Whitehouse & Congress.

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[SuperScout]

Sometimes a frontal attack is not viewed as the most likely to succeed method for mission accomplishment, so a different offensive tactic is employed. (Used this technique several times myself: when in doubt, flank the bastards!) What I'm obliquely referring to is the presence of Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) that is now law, (PL107-314) and for which claims are being processed. Admittedly, this is not what the proponents of Concurrent Receipt had in mind, but it is a magnificient first step in correcting an egregious wrong that has existed long enough to apply universal blame and culpability. Under this law, irrespective of the administrative hoops we are asked to perform (again), some claims will be paid, resulting in the exact equivalent of concurrent receipt payments to the approvees. I wholeheartedly agree that more needs to get done, and would recommend that all service organizations band together to help the legislative dullards to get off their dead asses on on their dying feet to make this happen. Playing the blame game is actually counter-productive, and a positive approach will result in the benefits we have long deserved.

On a personal note, I have submitted my paperwork for CRSC, am happy that at least this portion of proper and fair recognition is a fact, and will report any progress, one way or the other. We can continue to whine and carp, or we can lobby to expand CRSC in a unified approach, and ultimately receive the fruits of our labors, long overdue.

[Gimpy]

For once I'm in agreement with you. Well at least partially anyway. I STILL say we keep up the "pressure" on those assholes wherever and whenever we can! And, put the "blame" squarely where it BELONGS!

But, I must say that we are working on the same "battlefield" once again as far as CRSC is concerned---it IS a start, at least!