Military Officer - May 2007 - (Page 36)

washingtonscene Do You Have Legislative Questions? ■ MOAA’s active duty and retired compensation lobbyist, Col. Mike Hayden, USAF-Ret., talked online with MOAA members March 20 about their concerns. View the discussion at www.moaa.org/march legischat; e-mail questions for upcoming chats to legischat@moaa.org. for sponsoring his “Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act” (H.R. 333). This new legislation would end the deduction of disability beneﬁts from retired pay for all disabled retirees, including medical retirees with fewer than 20 years of service. On March 26, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) introduced S. 986, which would authorize combat-related special compensation (CRSC) eligibility for servicemembers whose combat- or operations-related disabilities forced them into medical retirement before attaining 20 years of service. MOAA Deputy Director of Government Relations Col. Mike Hayden, USAFRet., made presentations to two groups tasked with making recommendations for improvements in military and veterans’ disability programs. On March 19, Hayden discussed the military departments’ disability evaluation system and various concurrent receipt inequities with the Independent Review Group (IRG) appointed by the secretary of Defense to identify shortcomings and improvements in programs affecting wounded patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the National Naval Medical Center, and other centers treating military casualties. The IRG was due to report its ﬁndings through the Defense Health Board to the secretary of the Army and the secretary of the Navy by April 16. At press time, the report had not yet been made. Finally, Hayden took part in a panel discussion before the Veterans’ Disability Beneﬁts Commission that met March 2223, addressing concurrent receipt issues in detail as well as Survivor Beneﬁt Plan/Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (SBP/DIC) issues. He provided detailed examples particularly highlighting the need to extend concurrent receipt to Chapter 61 (disability) retirees with fewer than 20 years of service and those rated 10 percent to 40 percent by the VA, and to eliminate the current phase-in of concurrent retirement and disability pay. M AY 2 0 0 7 The commission deferred making ﬁnal recommendations on concurrent receipt and SBP/DIC until April (after press time for this article). In the meantime, commissioners tasked their staff to identify costs and the populations affected by each program option. National Guard Four-Star? Study group says “yes.” A report issued mid-March by the President’s Commission on the National Guard and Reserves recommended that the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) should be a four-star general ofﬁcer but not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Congress established the commission to conduct a wide-ranging study of reserve forces’ organization, training, roles and missions, and integration with active duty forces. It also was tasked with a special study of the responsibilities, rank, and potential membership on the Joint Chiefs of the CNGB. Members of the House and Senate National Guard Caucus and some governors think the expanded responsibilities of the National Guard since Sept. 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina warrant a stronger voice for the Guard and its most senior ofﬁcer in defense decision-making. The commission’s report contained 26 ﬁndings and 23 recommendations. The commission said a four-star guard chief is warranted by “the changing and expanding responsibilities of the position in this time of war.” But the commission said putting the CNGB on the Joint Chiefs “would run counter to intra- and interservice integration and would reverse progress toward jointness and interoperability; 36 MILITARY OFFICER http://www.moaa.org/marchlegischat http://www.moaa.org/marchlegischat

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - May 2007

Military Officer - May 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: Back Home Capt. David Porter, Pirate Hunter Where Valor Rests Emblems of Courage MOAA Member Services Pages of History Information Exchange Advertising Index Member Books MOAA Calendar MOAA Scholarship Donors Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - May 2007

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