washingtonscene
(S. 3457) died in the Senate when partisan disagreements couldn’t be resolved. Spon- sor Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) included all of Sen. Richard Burr’s (R-N.C.) alterna- tive proposals in the bill, but it fell two votes short of the required 60 on a party- line vote after only five Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting it. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee: The committee approved a number of bills of interest in September: S. 3340 (Murray) would require the VA to reduce wait times for mental health care services; expand such care for families of deployed servicemembers; and expand outreach efforts to improve mental health care access. It also would put Clark Veter- ans Cemetery in the Philippines under the American Battle Monuments Commission. S. 2241 (Murray; Jim Webb [D-Va.]; Jeff Merkley [D-Ore.]; Frank Lautenberg [D-N.J.]) would strengthen oversight of all colleges serving GI bill students by ex- panding consumer protections for student veterans, banning deceptive advertising, and establishing counseling requirements. It also would extend Post-9/11 GI Bill eli- gibility to surviving spouses. S. 3322 (Sherrod Brown [D-Ohio])/ S. 2299 (Murray) would extend mortgage foreclosure protections to servicemem- bers in combat zones; surviving spouses of personnel who die on duty; and 100- percent disabled medical retirees. It also authorizes suits against banks, landlords, and businesses that violate Servicemem- ber Civil Relief Act protections. S. 2259 (Jon Tester [D-Mont.]) would authorize a COLA for VA disability and survivor annuitants at the same percent- age as the retired pay COLA. Stolen Valor Act:The House approved
H.R. 1775 (Joe Heck [R-Nev.]), which would make it illegal to reap financial gain from false claims regarding the Medal of Honor and some other military decorations.
40 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2012 Veteran hiring incentives: S. 3536, intro-
duced by Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), would ex- tend tax incentives for employers to hire veterans until 2016. Current authorities expire in December.
How Much Do
You Know? Test your knowledge of military retirement and TRICARE For Life benefits.
H
ow much do you think you know about military retirement and TRICARE For Life (TFL)?
Take this quick quiz to test your knowledge. Answers are provided on page 44. Data is derived from the DoD Actuary’s FY 2011 Statistical Report on the Military Retirement System. 1. For a military retiree with 20 years of service, what percentage of his or her total lifetime retired pay will come from annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs)? A. 35 percent B. 50 percent C. 67 percent
2. What was the average age of military officers and the average age of enlisted servicemembers who retired in FY 2011 (excluding Guard/Reserve retirements)? A. 43.7 and 39.6 B. 45.1 and 41.9 C. 46.7 and 41.2
3. What is the life expectancy for a 65-year-old retired military officer? A. 10.5 years B. 17.1 years C. 22.7 years
4. What is the lump-sum equivalent of ex- pected lifetime military retired pay for an O-5 retiring today with 20 years of service?
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