Military Officer - February 2008 - (Page 31) washingtonscene A Big Year The FY 2008 Defense Authorization Act includes significant improvements for wounded warriors, a military pay raise, concurrent receipt, SBP, and reserve retired pay. L E G I S L AT I V E N E W S T H AT A F F E C T S Y O U O n Dec. 6, 2007, House disability (chapter 61) retirees with less and Senate leaders finished than 20 years of service who suffer from work on the FY 2008 Decombat- or operations-caused conditions. fense Authorization Act, TRICARE fees: Prohibits increases of agreeing to drop the last TRICARE fees, including pharmacy cocontentious item — a Senate-proposed pro- payments, for FY 2008 (see related article vision that would have stiffened penalties on page 35). for discrimination against homosexuals. Military pay raise: Authorizes a 3.5-perThat issue had hung up cent raise in January 2008 negotiations for weeks, but for active duty, Guard, and once it was eliminated, the Reserve personnel, versus the This bill House and Senate quickly 3-percent raise proposed in includes passed the defense bill, the administration’s defense clearing the way for expectsubstantial budget proposal. ed presidential signature. Survivor Benefit Plan improve(SBP): Authorizes a special This mammoth bill ments payment of $50 a month — comprising more than affecting to survivors of members 1,300 pages, counting comments from the Armed Servirtually all entitled to retired pay (or vices committees — includes segments of survivors of Guard/Reserve a wide array of substantial the military retirees who died before age improvements affecting 60) whose SBP annuities are community. reduced by VA survivor benvirtually all segments of the efits, effective Oct. 1, 2008. military community. Key That amount will increase by provisions include: Concurrent receipt: Authorizes full, im$10 each year for five years. The new law mediate concurrent receipt for disabled also adopted an MOAA-proposed proviretirees with at least 20 years of service sion requiring the Defense Finance and deemed “unemployable” by the VA. The Accounting Service to implement simplinew benefit increase will not begin until fied and more sympathetic recoupment Oct. 1, 2008, but at that point, eligible processes to assist affected survivors. retirees will receive lump-sum payments Guard/Reserve retirement: Reduces the for retroactive benefits all the way back to retirement age by three months for each Jan. 1, 2005. Another very important procumulative 90 days spent on active duty, vision extends eligibility for combat-rebeginning in 2008. (MOAA is upset it does lated special compensation to all military not provide credit for time mobilized for FEBRUARY 2008 YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED NOW! ■ 2007 is history, and we face major new budget and health care threats in 2008. Please sign, stamp, and mail the letters located between pages 32 and 33 and 52 and 53 of this issue to sustain a larger defense budget and avoid unfair health care cost-shifting to military beneficiaries. MILITARY OFFICER 31
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