washingtonscene
but Congress did not end up passing any legislation. MOAA is looking for a congressional champion to prevent this from happening.
Winding Road S
to Fix the VA Lawmakers use a highway bill to keep the VA open.
hortly before heading into a monthlong recess, Congress pro- vided the VA with the $3.3 billion
needed to keep hospitals open through the rest of the year. The measure, attached to a highway funding bill, helps address a budget cri- sis that has been brewing this year due to increased demand from veterans for health care. In late July, VA Secretary Bob McDonald
told lawmakers that despite the increased funding in VA health care, he lacked the authority to spend the money where it is needed most.
“This legislation addresses the VA’s budget shortfall by reorganizing money [the VA] already [has] to better meet the needs of veterans,” said Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). Relief came just days before the VA
would have been forced to close medical facilities, disrupting health care for mil- lions of veterans.
The bill also contains important changes to the Choice Program, such as allowing the agency to waive the current 30-day wait time for veterans, increasing the number of providers in the program, and changing the distance requirements for receiving care. The VA must provide a plan to Congress
by Nov. 1 detailing how it will consolidate all non-VA care programs into one program.
38 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2015
Pay Raise in Jeopardy
Servicemembers could see a third straight year of pay caps.
C
ongress failed to complete its annual defense bill before leaving for August recess. One of the sticking
points holding up lawmakers is whether or not to cap the active duty pay raise. Active duty pay raises are designed to
keep pay comparable and competitive with wage growth in the private sector. Pay raises for the active force are based on the Employment Cost Index, a met- ric that measures private-sector wage growth and is calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Earlier this year, House lawmakers
agreed to authorize a full active duty pay raise of 2.3 percent. Senate lawmak- ers, however, want to cap the pay raise at 1.3 percent. “Annually raising active duty pay at the same pace as the private sector is essential to sustain a quality force — and maintain readiness — over the long term,” says MOAA Director of Government Relations Col. Mike Hayden, USAF (Ret). The president already has agreed with the Senate’s position on the pay cap. If it goes through, this would be the third year of pay caps below private-sector wage growth. It would continue a troubling trend of eroding pay and benefits for ser- vicemembers and their families. Shortly before Congress left town for
the August recess, lawmakers rubber- stamped a COLA increase for disabled veterans and military survivors. “It makes no sense for Congress to ad-
here to one set of laws for our veterans but fail to follow the same logic for active duty troops,” Hayden says.
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