Military Officer - August 2008 - (Page 35)

washingtonscene ed by inﬂation or other methods not subject to the annual appropriations process. So Congress made a rule: Any committee that proposes an increase in “mandatory” programs under its control must pay for it by cutting an equal amount from other mandatory programs under its jurisdiction or coming up with other offsetting revenue (tax increases, sales of government property, etcetera). This has proven a real problem for those of us seeking ﬁxes for such things as concurrent receipt, survivor annuities, and the GI Bill. That’s because the Armed Services committees that oversee those programs understandably are reluctant to pay for them by cutting other retirement, survivor, or health beneﬁts. So winning even small improvements is like pulling teeth. But every single year, Hill leaders ignore those same rules when they ﬁnd it politically expedient. Usually, the waivers come on tax bills or “emergency” supplemental spending bills. (The offset rules can be waived in case of an emergency.) Need $160 billion for an economic stimulus package? No problem. Waive the rule. Need hundreds of billions of dollars for war funding but don’t want to raise taxes? It’s waived. This year, Hill leaders waived the rule to fund a major upgrade to the GI Bill, another mandatory spending program. Don’t get us wrong. We like economic stimulus rebates, too, and we certainly think that if we’re going to put troops in harm’s way, we simply must provide the funding needed to let them do their job. And we deﬁnitely want the GI Bill upgraded. So we’re not criticizing those waivers. We’ve been ﬁghting for years to “plus up” military education beneﬁts and have run into the mandatory spending rule every year, so we’re elated that Congress now thinks it’s so important that it deserves a rule waiver. So what’s the issue here? The offset rule has lost all credibility. Congress hides behind it to bar even modest progress on ﬁxes for military widows or disabled retirees — but in the next breath waives the rule to pass trillions of dollars for other mandatory spending programs. It seems the rules apply unless the issue is really politically popular. In some cases, the military community can be a beneﬁciary of that game, as with the GI Bill. In others, the rules are used to frustrate far more modest (and equally needed) initiatives. The lesson: If you can generate enough political interest in an issue, the normal rules simply do not apply. If you don’t think constituent input to legislators counts for much, think again. Winning on Capitol Hill is all about exerting political pressure. Need Help with CRSC? If you need help figuring out combat-related special compensation, contact the following for help: ■ Air Force (800) 616-3775 ■ Army (866) 281-3254 ■ Coast Guard (800) 772-8724 ■ Navy and Marine Corps (877) 366-2772 CRSC Open to All Disability Retirees 20-year rule no longer applies. I n June, DoD provided new combatrelated special compensation (CRSC) guidance to the services, implementing last year’s law change that extended CRSC eligibility to servicemembers with less than 20 years of service who were retired for medical reasons or under the Temporary Early Retirement Authority during the 1990s force reduction. The services began processing claims for the new eligibles June 8. This process is not automatic. Eligible servicemembers with combat- or operations-related disabilities must apply for compensation through their service CRSC ofﬁce before they can receive any beneﬁt. Compensation amounts vary widely based on several key factors, including rank, years of service, DoD and VA disability ratings, and the portion of the disability that’s because of combat. Based AUGUST 2008 MILITARY OFFICER 35

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - August 2008

Military Officer - August 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor MOAA Member Services Cover Story: A Stronger Voice Virtual Combat Mental Floss Steady as She Goes Pages of History Faces of MOAA Member Books Information Exchange Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Scholarship Donors Encore

Military Officer - August 2008

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