Support Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act, HR 333: You Listenng, GOP?

A veteran gets injured in service, gets out. A few years later his health worsens and he starts getting $500+ a month from VA. Another veteran has the same health condition; he retires, and later draws the same 40% disability of $500+ a month. But his disability benfits are deducted from his Military Retired Pay. THAT IS NOT FAIR.

Let your Congress members  know … WE WANT FULL CONCURRENT RECEIPT.

Via Dan Cedusky

Support HR 333 – the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act 
 
480,000 Disabled Military Retirees Continue to be Without Benefit
   
Please send the following editable message to your Representative —

I strongly urge you to cosponsor HR 333, the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act, introduced by Rep. Sanford Bishop, and strive to have this legislation passed into law.

HR 333 would correct several wrongs enacted with the original concurrent receipt legislation in 2004.

First, HR 333 would enable those 480,000 retired members of the Armed Forces with disability ratings less than 50% to draw their military retirement pay under CRDP (Concurrent Retirement Disability Pay, 10 US Code Section 1414) without offset by VA disability compensation awarded for service connected disability.  If the disability was combat-related, these retirees were enfranchised for CRSC (Combat Related Special Compensation, 10 USC Section 1413a) with the 2008 NDAA.

Second, HR 333 would enable those 200,000 members (already contained within the 480,000 just discussed) of the Armed Forces retired for medical disability with less than 20 years service under 10 US Code, Chapter 61, to draw both their VA disability and their military retirement pay under CRDP.  If the disability were combat-related, these retirees were enfranchised for CRSC with the 2008 NDAA.

Third, HR 333 would eliminate the 10-year phase-in of CRDP which is currently in the 6th year and is 88% restored.  In 2010, restoration will be 95% complete.  Distributing the remaining 5% over the next 4 years is not cost effective, because the cost of processing the payments exceeds the cost of the CRDP payments.  In the last year of the phase-in, the average increment will be less than $1 per month.

Fourth, HR 333 would cause the Department of Defense (DoD) to compute CRSC pay for Chapter 61 retirees as originally intended Congress.   Basically, HR 333 would eliminate the “donut hole” into which some combat related retirees fall which awards them ZERO compensation.

Please actively support HR 333 and urge your colleagues to do the same.