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thedrifter
06-14-07, 11:18 AM
Senate poised to pass wounded warrior bill
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 14, 2007 9:59:05 EDT

A bipartisan wounded warrior assistance bill proposes providing a minimum of one year of basic pay as severance for anyone whose military service is cut short by combat injuries, and six months of pay for those who are retired on disability for noncombat reasons.

In another major change, the bill proposes allowing disabled veterans who are medically retired from the military to receive both their full military retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation, with no offsets in either payment, if their disability is the result of combat.

The bill, called the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act, is expected to be approved Thursday afternoon by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The minimum severance pay is just one of several provisions aimed at overhauling current benefits and procedures that have been widely criticized as inadequate in a time of war.

In response to complaints that the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments often seem to be operating under entirely different procedures, making the transition from military to civilian life difficult for people wounded in the military, the bill orders several changes, such as a demand that the departments use the same method of assigning disability ratings. The bill also calls for more coordination when a disabled veteran is transitioning between the military and veterans’ health care systems.

The draft bill, introduced Wednesday, also would allow service members who are medically retired from the military, and have a disability rated at 50 percent or higher, to stay eligible for military medical care for three years after separation. The bill also would provide $50 billion for improvements in diagnosing and treating post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, and extend military and veterans’ health care to the families of disabled service members if the family members have invitational travel orders.

The bill has 30 co-sponsors, including the chairmen of the Senate armed services and veterans’ affairs committees.

The House of Representatives passed its own wounded warrior legislation earlier this year. When the Senate didn’t act as quickly, House leaders attached their legislation to the House version of the 2008 defense authorization bill, guaranteeing that the provisions would be part of negotiations between the House and Senate as lawmakers try to complete the 2008 defense budget.

The Pentagon opposed most of the provisions in the House-passed bill, calling it premature for Congress to act before several task forces and committees completed their reviews of health care for wounded service members. That opposition did not stop the House from passing its bill, and does not seem to be having any impact on the Senate, either.

Ellie