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It's about time. All vets earned this and deserve much more in my opinion.<br><br>Thanks to all that served.<br><br>MD<br><br>> Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 13:50:14 -0800<br>> From: thansen@moscow.com<br>> To: vision2020@moscow.com<br>> Subject: [Vision2020] SWEEEEEEEEEEET!<br>> <br>> This amounts to a 55-percent pay hike for yours truly effective January 1,<br>> 2013.<br>> <br>> Courtesy of the Army TImes at:<br>> <br>> http://www.ArmyTimes.com<br>> <br>> ----------------------------------------------------<br>> <br>> Budget plan has money for concurrent receipt<br>> <br>> By Rick Maze - Army Times Staff writer<br>> Posted : Tuesday Feb 2, 2010 14:44:59 EST<br>> <br>> A new call by the Obama administration to give full payment of retired and<br>> disability pay to all disabled military retirees by Jan. 1, 2015, is very<br>> similar to a proposal that was rejected last year, with one major<br>> difference:<br>> <br>> This time the White House has put some money behind its plan.<br>> <br>> President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget request seeks to add $408 million to<br>> the military retirement trust fund in order to begin phasing in so-called<br>> “concurrent receipt” benefits in 2011 for severely disabled veterans who<br>> spent less than 20 years in the service.<br>> <br>> But because nothing involving concurrent receipt is ever simple, the plan<br>> may not satisfy congressional budget rules.<br>> <br>> The $408 million is part of almost $5 billion earmarked in the budget for<br>> the military retirement trust fund to pay for future retired pay<br>> specifically as a result of concurrent receipt legislation.<br>> <br>> But the House of Representatives has strict rules covering changes in<br>> mandatory spending, which require that an increase in one place must be<br>> offset by either a cut somewhere else or a revenue increase — a budgeting<br>> process known as “pay-go” that has been the nemesis of supporters of<br>> allowing disabled retirees to concurrently receive full military retired<br>> pay and veterans disability compensation if they are eligible for both.<br>> <br>> “We see the increase in the military retired pay trust fund in the budget.<br>> We don’t see any offsets, and that could be a problem,” said a<br>> congressional aide who has followed the concurrent receipt issue.<br>> <br>> The first sign of whether the Obama proposal might work will come in April<br>> when the House and Senate budget committees prepare a 2011 spending and<br>> revenue guide, known as a concurrent budget resolution, which paves the<br>> way for allocation of funds to various congressional committees.<br>> <br>> If the budget resolution includes language adopting the concurrent receipt<br>> funding, that would be sufficient for the House and Senate services<br>> committees to include the Obama plan in the 2011 defense budget.<br>> <br>> A White House statement describing the concurrent receipt initiative does<br>> not clearly explain the details. It includes just two sentences: “For the<br>> first time, highly disabled veterans who are medically retired from<br>> service will be eligible for concurrent receipt of disability benefits<br>> from VA in addition to DoD retirement benefits. All medically retired<br>> service members will be eligible for concurrent receipt of VA and DOD<br>> benefits by 2015.”<br>> <br>> Congressional aides and administration sources said they expect the<br>> concurrent receipt plan, which will be included in legislative initiatives<br>> provided to Congress by the Defense Department, will be modeled on last<br>> year’s proposal that died for the lack of funding.<br>> <br>> That initiative is aimed, at first, at providing retired pay and<br>> disability pay without any offsets to retirees who served less than 20<br>> years and are receiving military disability retired pay under Chapter 61,<br>> Title 10 of the U.S. Code. Those people are not now eligible for<br>> concurrent receipt, although Chapter 61 retirees who served 20 or more<br>> years have been covered.<br>> <br>> Here is how the plan would work:<br>> <br>> • Beginning Jan. 1, 2011, concurrent receipt would be provided to all<br>> Chapter 61 retirees whose retired pay is based on a disability rating of<br>> 90 percent or more.<br>> <br>> • On Jan. 1, 2012, concurrent receipt would be extended to all Chapter 61<br>> retirees with retired pay based on a disability rating of 70 percent or<br>> more.<br>> <br>> • On Jan. 1, 2013, concurrent receipt would be extended to all Chapter 61<br>> retirees with retired pay based on ratings of 50 percent or more.<br>> <br>> • On Jan. 1, 2014, concurrent receipt would be extended to Chapter 61<br>> retirees with retired pay based on a rating of 30 percent or more.<br>> <br>> • On Jan. 1, 2015, all disabled veterans drawing both military retired pay<br>> and veterans disability benefits would be eligible for concurrent receipt<br>> of both payments. This final phase of the plan would, for the first time,<br>> provide full concurrent receipt to retirees whose disabilities are not<br>> related to combat or combat training and are rated at less than 50<br>> percent.<br>> <br>> ----------------------------------------------------<br>> <br>> Nice!<br>> <br>> Seeya round town, Moscow.<br>> <br>> Tom Hansen<br>> Moscow, Idaho<br>> <br>> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change<br>> and the Realist adjusts his sails."<br>> <br>> - Unknown<br>> <br>> <br>> =======================================================<br>> List services made available by First Step Internet, <br>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br>> http://www.fsr.net <br>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> =======================================================<br> <br /><hr />Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. <a href='http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469226/direct/01/' target='_new'>Sign up now.</a></body>
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