washingtonscene
from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), would
protect military absentee voting rights by Coburn
authorizing electronic communication
and limiting disallowance of absentee Stymies Reid
ballots based on technicalities (e.g., lack
of notarization). Amendment
fl exible spending accounts (FSAs): Sen.
Concurrent receipt option
Barbara Boxer’s (D-Calif.) amendment
Sen. Harry (prompted by MOAA’s discussion with
isn’t dead.
Reid
her staff ) expresses Congress’ view that
(D-Nev.)
the secretary of defense should use ex-
isting authority to implement FSAs for
currently serving military members so G
etting some kind of concur-
rent receipt initiative in the
Senate’s Defense Authorization
they can set aside pretax money to pay Bill seemed a no-brainer. After all, our
out-of-pocket health and dependent care longtime Senate concurrent receipt
expenses, just as all other federal and champion, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), is
major corporate employees can. majority leader of the Senate.
spouse residency: Sen. Richard Burr’s Each Senate-passed bill for the past
(R-N.C.) amendment would give military several years has included at least some
Sen. Tom
spouses the option to elect the same Reid-proposed initiative to reduce the
Coburn
state of domicile as their servicemember remaining number of disabled retirees
(R-Okla.) spouse. affected by the disability offset to retired
Unfortunately, several other amend- pay. And most of those initiatives resulted
ments MOAA was hoping for were not in at least some progress toward the goal
acted upon, including Sen. Harry Reid’s of totally eliminating the offset.
(D-Nev.) concurrent receipt amend- This year, Reid had proposed two sepa-
ments and Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R- rate amendments to the defense bill. One
S.C.) amendment to authorize a one-year would implement President Obama’s bud-
reduction in the reserve retirement age get proposal to phase out the offset for all
for each two years served beyond the 20- Chapter 61 (medical) retirees, regardless
year point. of their length of service. Starting January
Next, House and Senate leaders will 2010, the plan would eliminate the offset
be appointed to a conference commit- for Chapter 61 retirees with 90-percent
tee to resolve more than a thousand or 100-percent disability ratings (includ-
differences between the House- and ing unemployables) with fewer than 20
Senate-passed versions of the defense years of service. Between 2011 and 2014, it
bill, including diffi cult issues on procure- would phase out the offset for all remain-
ment, detainees, and more. ing Chapter 61s.
In the past, these negotiations have Reid’s other amendment would have
dragged on into October, November, or fi xed a glitch in the statutory calculation
even longer. It’s possible Congress will formula for combat-related special com-
have an incentive to expedite defense bill pensation, which currently underpays cer-
negotiations this year to clear the legisla- tain combat-disabled retirees.
tive decks for action on national health So it came as a surprise when MOAA
care reform, but that remains to be seen. checked the list of approved amendments
MOAA will be lobbying hard to retain following Senate passage of the FY 2010
the key personnel and compensation pro- defense bill — and found that neither of
visions in the fi nal defense bill. these amendments had been adopted.
34 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2009
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