washington scene
MOAA Supports Veterans’ Bills
Testimony covers VA issues.
MOAA testified on proposals to upgrade military family financial and legal protections and readjustment and employment measures at an Oct. 30, 2013, Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing. The committee heard testimony on 34 benefits and health care measures from two panels of witnesses.
Col. Bob Norton, USA (Ret), MOAA deputy director of Government Relations, expressed strong MOAA support for three bills that upgrade active duty and activated reservists’ rights and protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).
Committee Chair Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) SCRAEnhancement and Improvement Act expands mortgage protections for military families required to move under military orders; preserves civilian licenses and certifications that might expire during a combat-zone deployment; and prevents servicemembers from being denied or refused credit solely by reason of eligibility for the SCRA, among other objectives.
Other SCRA measures on the agenda extend mortgage foreclosure protections for one year to surviving spouses of those who died in the line of duty and permit servicemembers with multiple student loans to gain the 6-percent rate cap under the SCRA by consolidating those loans. MOAA strongly supports these bills.
Norton also endorsed a bill (S. 1573) sponsored by panel member Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) that would allow a quick payment of VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation to surviving spouses for up to six months, pending receipt of formal paperwork from a qualifying survivor. Under current law, the VA must wait until the paperwork is filed, which can delay payment for many months.
We will provide updates as we get more definitive information.
Retirement and Pay Study
MOAA testifies about health care and pay at commission hearing.
Col. Mike Hayden, USAF (Ret), MOAA Government Relations director, testified on military pay, compensation, retirement, and health care issues at a hearing Nov. 5, 2013, held by the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (MCRMC).
The MCRMC was authorized by Congress in the FY 2013 Defense Authorization Act to examine all forms of military compensation and is required to report its findings to the president by May 1 and provide legislative recommendations to Congress.
In his statement, Hayden said the current compensation and health care systems are designed to help offset the unique sacrifices the men and women of our armed forces and their families face. He also stressed that Congress worked hard over the past decade to fix the deficiencies in compensation and retirement programs created by budget-driven decisions in the 1980s and ’90s that resulted in a recruiting and retention crisis by the late 1990s.
He emphasized that before making any changes to the current system, the commission must understand how past readiness and retention problems occurred and, more important, how any changes to the compensation and retirement systems can affect future retention and readiness.
This was the first in a series of public hearings the MCRMC* will hold.
*take action: The commission is accepting comments and other submissions on its website,
www.mcrmc.gov.
40 MILITARY OFFICER JANUARY 2014
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