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This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. ¿Concurrent Receipt¿ refers to the simultaneous receipt of two types of monetary benefits: military retired pay and Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation. Prior to 2004, existing laws and regulations dictated that a military retiree could not receive two payments from federal agencies for the same purpose. As a result, military retirees with physical disabilities recognized by the VA would have their retired pay ¿offset¿ or reduced dollar-for-dollar by the amount of their VA compensation. Contents of this report: Military Retirement and VA Disability Compensation; Combat-Related Special Compensation; Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments; Comparisons; ¿Special Rule¿ for Disability Retirees; Retroactive Payments. Illus.
House and Senate conferees on the FY2003 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4546) are currently considering provisions that would lift the longstanding prohibition on concurrent receipt (simultaneous payment) of Department of Defense (DoD) retired pay and Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) disability benefits. The House-passed bill would phase in partial concurrent receipt by providing both retirement and VA benefits for those with disabilities of 60 percent or above by FY2007. The Senate-passed bill provides full concurrent receipt for military retirees with any disability rating in FY2003.
Military and Veterans' Benefits: Observations on the Concurrent Receipt of Military Retirement and VA Disability Compensation
Instead of including the House or Senate version of concurrent receipt (simultaneous payment) of military retirement and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability benefits in the conference version of the FY2003 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4546), Congress provided new benefits for military retirees whose disabilities stem from combat or combat-related activities. Those eligible would receive these new benefit payments, which match VA disability payments, in addition to retired pay. To qualify, retirees would have to demonstrate either that their disability was caused by an injury for which they received a Purple Heart or that their disability was rated at 60% or higher and resulted from armed conflict, hazardous service, training activities that simulate war, or an "instrumentality of war" (war-related circumstances). Within 180 days, the Department of Defense (DOD) must prescribe criteria and procedures for determining eligibility for these new benefits. DOD must also fund the new benefits, estimated to cost between $200 million and $800 million annually, and about $10 billion over 10 years. Disability ratings would continue to be made by DOD for military personnel who retiree on disability and by the VA for retirees who apply for disability benefits after leaving the military. Although it is difficult to predict the number who would be eligible, some have estimated that about 33,000 retirees could qualify. Unlike the House or Senate versions of concurrent receipt that the Administration threatened to veto, these new provisions were acceptable to the White House. With hearings by the Senate Armed Services Committee on concurrent receipt promised for next year, this issue is likely to resurface. This report was prepared under the supervision of Gary Pagliano, Specialist in National Defense. It will be updated as warranted.
Because pending legislation would modify current law, which requires that military retirement pay be reduced by the amount of VA disability compensation benefit received, the Subcommittee on Personnel, Senate Committee on Armed Services asked GAO to discuss the treatment of concurrent benefit receipt in other programs. GAO was also asked to discuss its broader work on federal disability programs. Three factors are important to weigh in deliberations on the merits of modifying the military offset provision. First, many benefit programs use offset provisions when individuals qualify for benefits from more than one program. Generally, the provisions are designed to treat beneficiaries of multiple programs fairly and equitably in relation to all other program beneficiaries, consistent with the program's purpose. Moreover, eliminating the military retirement offset provision could establish a precedent for other federal benefit programs that could prove costly. Second, the proposed modifications to the concurrent receipt provisions in the military retirement system would have implications not only for the Department of Defense's retirement costs but would also increase the demand placed on the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) claim processing system. This would come at a time when the system is still struggling to correct problems with quality assurance and timeliness. Third, such increased demand would come at a time when the VA disability program compensation, along with other federal disability programs, is facing the need for more fundamental reform. Modifying the concurrent receipt provisions adds to the current patchwork of federal disability policies and programs at a time when transformation and modernization are needed. While we are not taking a position on whether military retirement should be modified, as the Congress and other policymakers deliberate this issue, it would be appropriate to consider how modifying the offset would affect the pursuit of more fundamental reforms.
The military retirement system includes benefits for retirement after an active or reserve military career, disability retirement, and survivor benefits for eligible survivors of deceased retirees. The proposed change to the system that has generated the most recent legislative activity involves whether some or all military retirees should be allowed to receive both military retired pay and any VA disability compensation to which they are otherwise entitled; this is referred to as "concurrent receipt." A longer-term issue is whether some military personnel should be entitled to military retired pay with less than 20 years of service and whether many more personnel should serve well past the 20-year point before retiring. Concurrent Receipt. Current law provides that military retired pay be reduced by the amount of VA disability compensation. Some maintain this is inequitable and unfair; it has been defended on grounds of cost and of the need to avoid setting a precedent for concurrent receipts of numerous other benefits. The FY2003 National Defense Authorization Act authorized DOD payments to certain military retirees, either with (1) a Purple Heart indicating a combat wound and at least a 10% disability; or (2) at least a 60% disability, but not a wound leading ...
Ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have caused serious injuries to some military personnel. These severe and traumatic injuries - including amputations, burns, blindness, brain injury, and paralysis - often create significant hardships for the affected individuals that make independent living difficult or impossible. For example, an injured service member may need extensive physical therapy, transportation assistance, and job retraining in order to make the transition back to civilian life. In 2003 and 2004, some pointed out inadequacies in the military's ability to provide these services to it's seriously injured personnel. Members of Congress have frequently expressed concern about the level of care for these severely injured soldiers and their family members. The Department of Defense (DOD) and each of the military services have established new programs to care for the severely disabled, ensuring rehabilitative assistance and easing the transition back to civilian life. Congress has followed these initiatives with interest and recently directed DOD to develop policies and procedures to standardize these programs. 1 This report examines the background for the new initiatives and provides a status of each program, including contact information. This report will be updated as these programs continue to evolve and mature.
€œConcurrent Receiptâ€ŗ refers to the simultaneous receipt of two types of monetary benefits: military retired pay and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation. Prior to 2004, existing laws and regulations dictated that a military retiree could not receive two payments from federal agencies for the same purpose. As a result, military retirees with physical disabilities recognized by the Veteransâ€TM Administration would have their retired pay “offsetâ€ŗ or reduced dollar-for-dollar by the amount of their VA compensation. Proponents for the concurrent receipt of both military retired pay and VA disability compensation have argued that these pays were for discrete and different purposes: military retired pay is postservice compensation for services rendered while VA compensation recognizes physical or mental disability incurred while in the service. Opponents have maintained that concurrent receipt is expensive, not supported by precedent and could result in similar offsets between other federal programs. Legislative activity on the issue of concurrent receipt began in the late 1980s and culminated in the provision for Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) in the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for FY2003 (P.L. 107-314). Successive legislation since then has extended concurrent receipt to additional eligible populations and further refined and clarified the program. However, some potential beneficiaries continue to remain excluded from participation. There are two common criteria that define eligibility for Concurrent Receipt: (1) all recipients must be military retirees and (2) they must also be eligible for VA disability compensation. There are two separate and distinct components that are commonly referred to as the Concurrent Receipt program: (1) Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP) and (2) Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC). A retiree cannot receive both CRSC and CRDP benefits. The retiree must choose whichever is most financially advantageous to him or her and may move back and forth between either benefit during an annual “open seasonâ€ŗ. This report addresses the two primary components of the concurrent receipt program: Combat- Related Special Compensation (CRSC) and Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP). It reviews the possible legislative expansion of the program to additional populations and provide several potential options for Congress to consider. Concurrent receipt continues to be one of the most misunderstood and controversial military retirement issues and one that remains the object of intense public and congressional interest.