Breaking down your benefits [Archive] - Marine Corps

thedrifter

10-10-06, 02:15 PM

October 16, 2006
Missing the cut
Reserve retirement boost among proposals clipped from final bill

By Rick Maze
Staff writer

Congress was not entirely in a giving mood as negotiators finished the 2007 defense authorization bill.

For example, they killed a Senate-passed plan to enhance retirement benefits for National Guard and reserve members mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001, which has been a top priority for military associations.

Also abandoned were proposals to provide free postage for packages sent from the U.S. to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, more money for disabled retirees who have unemployability as a factor in their disability rating and an increase in survivor benefits for deaths occurring on active duty or from a service-connected cause.

Some of the decisions were budget driven; some were the result of policy disagreements.

Among the proposals killed by negotiators:

• A Senate plan to improve retired pay for reservists mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001, faced strong opposition from the Pentagon because defense officials worry that reducing the retirement age would encourage people to leave the military. The proposal would have allowed retired pay to be paid 90 days earlier than the current age 60 for every 90 days of active service.

• A House plan for more generous calculations of disability retired pay for reservists was not approved, although it could return next year. The proposal would have counted total years of service, instead of total years of active service, for those whose disability was based on a combat injury. The change would have resulted in significantly larger payments, especially for those with extensive reserve service but little active-duty time.

However, lawmakers said they would like a review of disability retirement benefits to see if those with combat injuries deserve a better deal. They asked the Pentagon for recommendations on possible changes by Feb. 1, in time to be considered as part of the 2008 budget.

• Free postage for packages sent from the U.S. to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan was approved by the House but drew concerns from the Pentagon and the U.S. Postal Service. The plan called for coupons to be given to troops for one package per month of 15 pounds or less that they could provide to family members or friends. How to pay for the mail and how to make sure the program was fair were unanswered questions that led to its rejection.

• A Senate plan to end the offset in survivor benefits for those also receiving dependency and indemnity compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs was rejected, largely due to cost concerns. This would have helped survivors eligible for both benefits, whose military payments are reduced dollar-for-dollar by the amount of their VA benefits.

• Another Senate plan to cut survivor-benefit premiums for those who live to old age also was rejected because of cost concerns. Under current law, people who have paid Survivor Benefit Plan premiums for 30 or more years since retirement won’t have to pay any more for coverage beginning Oct. 1, 2008. The Senate proposed advancing this date to Oct. 1, 2006, but the House balked.

• Two House proposals for new military travel benefits were axed. One would have paid to transport a privately owned vehicle to a private lot for storage and paid any fees for getting the car out of storage. The second would have allowed government payment for shipment of two vehicles to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. territories and possessions.

• Payment of retroactive death gratuities to survivors of people who died of non-combat injuries on active duty between May 12, 2005, and August 31, 2005, passed the House, but was not approved by negotiators. Also gone is a Senate plan to give the death gratuity a new name — “fallen hero compensation.”

Ellie