Military Officer - December 2007 - (Page 32) washingtonscene a bullet, a military vehicle accident, or a slip on an icy runway.” Another consensus was that the VA should be the single agency assigning disability percentages. Strobridge said MOAA supports the pilot program scheduled for November implementation by DoD and the VA, under which DoD will determine what conditions render a servicemember unfit for continued duty, the VA will assign disability ratings for all service-connected disabilities, and DoD will accept the VA ratings in establishing the military disability retirement percentage. MOAA has concerns about a new administration proposal that would abolish the military disability retirement system and leave determinations of health care eligibility for most service-disabled servicemembers and their families to the discretion of the secretary of Defense. While MOAA strongly supports guaranteeing service-earned retired pay in addition to VA disability compensation (for which MOAA applauds the administration’s plan), outright elimination of the military disability retirement system has the potential to reduce compensation for certain severelydisabled mid-grade officers by as much as $1,000 a month, and potentially even more for certain Guard and Reserve officers. Strobridge also emphasized the need to establish a joint DoD/VA seamless transition office, charged with implementing and maintaining initiatives such as a joint electronic medical record and electronic separation document. “This is too important to be someone’s part-time job,” he said. “We have to build a structure of responsibility that won’t disappear when certain key officials or their bosses leave.” Akaka and Burr expressed their commitment to doing the right thing by wounded warriors and all disabled servicemembers. Akaka said many needed initiatives would be addressed in the defense bill already passed in the Senate. Burr expressed a sense of urgency about completing legisla32 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2007 MOAA’s Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF-Ret., offered disability system improvements at an Oct. 17 Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing. tive and policy changes. “America is the most powerful nation in the world,” he said. “I don’t see why it should take us years to get these things fixed.” A Day Early, $8,000 Short Montgomery GI Bill snafu hits Minnesota Guard. M OAA’s Deputy Director for Government Relations Col. Bob Norton, USA-Ret., was the lead witness at an Oct. 18 hearing before the House Veterans’ Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee on the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). The dominant subject was education benefits for returning combat veterans from the Minnesota National Guard. The 34th brigade combat team served a grueling 16-month tour in Iraq and a total of 22 months on active duty. More than half of the unit served on two-year orders that PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
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