washingtonscene


Are commissaries finally safe? Yes — but only until the next adminis-


Legislative UPDATE


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tration’s political appointees tasked to cut the defense budget start asking, as have so many of their predecessors, why the Pen- tagon is in the grocery business. The answer they’ll get, as all their pre- decessors had to acknowledge, is the com- missary provides a crucial non-pay benefit whose cumulative compensation and reten- tion value is greater than its cost to DoD. The commissary benefit, aside from some selected closures and changes in hours, is pretty much the same as it was 40 years ago, despite dozens of interim attacks. It’s certain there will be future attacks. But odds are, the compelling arguments


in favor of the commissary benefit will continue to prevail over arguments against it — as long as we stay vigilant and vocal.


Congress Keeps


the Lights On Law provides government funding through September.


C


ongress was able to reach an agreement on a budget deal to keep the government funded until


September. The Consolidated Appropria- tions Act of 2016 includes funding for the following provisions, among others:  an active duty pay raise of 1.3 percent;  $32 billion for the Defense Health Program;  housing allowances for active duty per- sonnel that reflect the 1-percent increase in out-of-pocket expenses;  $86 billion for veterans’ benefits;  advance funding for all VA programs; and  permanent health care coverage for 9/11 first-responders. MOAA is especially appreciative the bill provides advance appropriations for veter-


34 MILITARY OFFICER MARCH 2016


ans’ benefit programs. That means, begin- ning in FY 2016, veterans and their families won’t see any break in their health care, disability compensation, survivor benefits, or GI bill payments, even if congressional gridlock causes a federal shutdown. Congress also passed a $622 billion


package of business and individual tax provisions. The tax-extender package in- cludes extension of the expanded earned income tax credit, additional child cred- it, and American Opportunity tax credit for education expenses.


VA Ruling Covers


Camp Lejeune Numerous diseases are linked to contaminated water.


A


recently completed VA study concluded contaminated drink- ing water at Camp Lejeune, N.C.,


directly affected health conditions of roughly a million people. Specifically, VA investigators found nu-


merous diseases are linked to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune: kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, scleroderma, Parkin- son’s disease, and aplastic anemia. As a result, the VA now will presume


any of those conditions experienced by people who served there were caused by that service.


The ruling applies to servicemembers — including Reserve and National Guard members — family members, and civilians with any of these conditions, who served at Camp Lejeune between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987.


The new announcement doesn’t mean all claims for the affected diseases will be ap- proved immediately or there will be any ret- roactive approvals. The VA first has to issue


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