washingtonscene
percent a year above private-sector pay growth until the 2.4-percent gap remain- ing from past pay caps is eliminated. The proposed 1.4 percent would be the
smallest military raise in almost 50 years — even while the government is demanding far more from troops and their families than it has in 50 years. MOAA believes a modest plus-up for 2011 is important to acknowl- edge their truly extraordinary sacrifice. In separate questioning, the witnesses
expressed the Pentagon’s support for expanding concurrent receipt to all medi- cally retired personnel. With regard to survivor benefits, Stan- ley said he needs time to reexamine the department’s traditional opposition to eliminating the deduction of VA survivor benefits from the Survivor Benefit Plan.
MOAA Offers
VA Priorities
Campos cites health and GI Bill needs.
O
n March 4, MOAA Government
Relations Deputy Director Cmdr. René Campos, USN-Ret., testified at
a joint Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs committees hearing on 2010 VA health care and benefits priorities. Campos urged the committees to
pass several pending provisions aimed at strengthening protections, particularly care and support for family caregivers, the wounded and disabled, and women vet- erans. She also highlighted the urgency of improving access to mental-health services, eliminating the VA claims backlog, and end- ing inequities in survivor compensation. House committee Chair Bob Filner
(D-Calif.) was supportive, stating, “Since Chairman [Daniel] Akaka [D-Hawaii] and I have been chairs of this committee, we have increased the health care budget by almost
PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
MOAA Cmdr. René Campos, USN-
Ret., presented VA benefit priorities at a March 4 joint hearing held by the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees.
$19 billion, a 55-percent increase.” Commit- tee leaders said they would continue to be advocates for veterans and their families. Filner and other committee members specifically referenced Campos’ com- ments on several topics: Women veterans: “[The] VA has done
some creative work-arounds to meet the increased demands of care for women veterans, but more needs to be done to re- move current barriers,” said Campos. Filner said he plans to introduce a
Women Veterans Bill of Rights to address women veterans’ unique needs. Mental health: The VA must expand
mental-health services through innovative approaches, including a campaign to stamp out the stigma associated with seeking help. The committee particularly was inter-
ested in Campos’ example of Virginia’s Wounded Warrior Program. Championed by the Richmond Area Chapter of MOAA in collaboration with the governor’s of- fice and veterans and state-community leaders, it leverages government and community resources to provide mental health care and support to veterans and their families.
Post-9/11 GI Bill: Campos recommended
improving the Post-9/11 GI Bill to include job training, on-the-job training, and ap-
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