Military Officer - March 2009 - (Page 38) washingtonscene files such as discharge summaries, medical procedures, outpatient encounters, lab tests, family/social history, and data from combat field hospitals. While recent progress represents major improvement, it’s far from certain that DoD and the VA can establish a truly interoperable record system under the current plan. The GAO voiced concerns at a Senate hearing in late summer as to whether the agencies would meet the 2009 deadline without more collaboration and a more detailed strategy with welldefined benchmarks. 20 years of service who have serviceconnected disabilities. H.R. 333, Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.) would authorize full, immediate concurrent receipt for all retirees with service-connected disabilities, including those medically retired with less than 20 years of service. H.R. 613, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) would authorize payment of the full month of retired pay to a survivor for the month in which a military retiree dies. H.R. 1775, Reps. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) and Henry Brown (R-S.C.) would repeal the deduction of VA survivor benefits from Survivor Benefit Plan annuities. Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) Bills of Interest Key legislation reintroduced. Rep. Henry Brown (R-S.C.) T Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.) Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) he 111th Congress has gotten off to a fast start this year, introducing almost 1,000 bills by the time this column went to press. A number of them are of significant interest to many MOAA members, including: H.R. 208, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) would make active duty service by reservists creditable for early retirement, retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001. Last year, Congress authorized guardmembers and reservists with service after Jan. 28, 2008, to retire three months early for each 90 days on active duty after that date. H.R. 235, Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision laws that impose Social Security penalties on retirees and survivors who receive pensions from employment that were not covered by Social Security. H.R. 270, Rep. Robert Latta (R-Ohio) would authorize Guard and Reserve retirees who are not yet age 60 to purchase TRICARE Standard coverage. H.R. 303, Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) would authorize full, immediate concurrent receipt for all retirees with at least Family Council Convenes Cites five top concerns. T he DoD Military Family Readiness Council, created by Congress in the 2008 Defense Authorization Act, convened for the first time in December and agreed to focus on five areas: access to health care, child care, financial readiness, children’s K-12 education, and spouse employment. The council is chaired by the undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and includes representatives from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, along with the service senior enlisted advisors (or spouses of senior enlisted personnel). The council also includes representatives from the Armed Services YMCA, the National Military Family Association, and the National Association for Uniformed Services. By law, the council owes a report on military family readiness to the secretary of Defense and the congressional defense committees by Feb. 1 each year, including recommendations for action to meet the needs of military families. 38 MILITARY OFFICER MARCH 2009
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