Greetings and special blessings to one and all.

Here is the latest from the TREA Weekly Report:

"2) House Leadership Meets with VSO Representatives-On Wednesday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and over 20 Democratic House members met with representatives of several of the Veterans Service Organizations and Military Service Organizations (including TREA’s Washington Executive Director Deirdre Parke Holleman and Legislative Director Larry Madison). Along with Mrs. Pelosi were several members of her leadership team including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Majority Leader James Clyburn (D-SC), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Ike Skelton (D-MO), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee David Obey (D-WI), Chairman of the House Budget Committee James Spratt (D-SC), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and Representative Chet Edwards (D-TX). Additionally, there were many other members, including several freshmen.

For well over an hour (an amazingly long time for the Speaker to stay at any meeting) we discussed the Armed Services and Veterans Authorization and Appropriation bills and what Military retirees, veterans and their families and survivors need. We were repeatedly assured that we would be pleased with the bills when they come out of conference (especially on the questions of concurrent receipt and the SBP/DIC offset); but, of course, conference negotiations are always done behind close doors."

It would be really nice to get CRDP paid to us from Jan 2005, however maybe the Chapter 61's will get included and the ones below 50%. The SBP/DIC offset will be nice also to get rid of it.

Maybe we will know something soon.

May God richly bless and keep each of you in His care.

In His Service,

Grover

I have to agree that it looks like concurrent receipt for unemployables and SBP/DIC look like a good possibility (the Senate amendment 2925) has concurrent receipt for unemployables effective 1 Jan 05. l Jan 05 might not happen but looks good for full concurrent receipt for unemployables for 1 Jan 07.
The House democrats might be talking a big game but if they were sincere they would have at least provided their committee members by now. The Senate provided their list on 1 Oct 07 and have repeated asked Pelosi/Skelton to provide their committee members and start working on their differences. Many folks are saying the Democrats are holding up the Veterans bill/defense bill for Political reasons. What a surprise!
Steve

Steve, from the leader of WWW.VETSPAC.COM the Conference between the House and Senate has just about completed all the work on the NDAA for 2008.

Thanks for your input.

Grover

Sorry to say but that is wrong. How can they even be working things out when committee members haven't even been assigned? I was watchng C-SPAN (I know) on Thursday and a protest was made on the house floor because the Democrats haven't even assigned committee members yet!
Here's another link:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23280

Here's another link from Watchdog.Org dated today that also accuses the Democrats of stalling for political reasons and not appointing committee members yet!
Steve
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfNOV07/nf111007-9.htm

Is there any chance chapter 61's will get cr or crsc retiement pay or is it the same b.s we have heard for the last 4 years . Most of us chapter 61's were forced to medicaly retire with less than 20 years svc. I had over 15 and many had more why did our gov. pick on us to shaft?

CRSC was enacted on December 2, 2002. It was designed to give extra benefits to those who served 20 years and retired disabled from combat injuries. To say they shafted you because you retired injured at 15 years by not giving you a program that did not exist when you enlisted is rather wrong language.

They did not take something away from you that existed when you enlisted. Congress choose to not add this benefit to veterans who did not serve 20 years and who retired medically. CRDP did not exist until 2004. What they do give you is the tax saving on the VA portion of your pension. That is substantial.

Greetings and special blessings to one and all.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.

Dave M., I agree with part of what you said, but it is looking very good for the Chapter 61's with CRSC to be included this time. We just have to wait for the Conference Committee to complete their work.

It also is looking very good for the SBP/DIC offset to be done away with.

May God richly bless and keep each of you.

This Member, I think you will be included this year. I first name would be nice.

In His Service,

Grover

quote:

Originally posted by Dave_M:
CRSC was enacted on December 2, 2002. It was designed to give extra benefits to those who served 20 years and retired disabled from combat injuries. To say they shafted you because you retired injured at 15 years by not giving you a program that did not exist when you enlisted is rather wrong language.

They did not take something away from you that existed when you enlisted. Congress choose to not add this benefit to veterans who did not serve 20 years and who retired medically. CRDP did not exist until 2004. What they do give you is the tax saving on the VA portion of your pension. That is substantial.

tO ME AND OTHERS LIKE i BELIVE IF YOU ASKED THEM WE WERE SHAFTED RETIRED IS RETIRED.

I can not belive any one could conquer with the comgress and not say chapter61's were not shafted this is what i mean when i say service orgaization are not behind 61s.All I would like to know is why they drew the line with us we are retired and the law never egsisted for any one.

Greetings and special blessings to one and all.

This Member, here is what is approved by the Senate and should be approved by the Conference Committee any day now:

SEC. 653. EXPANSION OF COMBAT-RELATED SPECIAL COMPENSATION ELIGIBILITY FOR CHAPTER 61 MILITARY RETIREES.

(a) Eligibility- Subsection (c) of section 1413a of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking `entitled to retired pay who--' and all that follows and inserting `who--

`(1) is entitled to retired pay (other than by reason of section 12731b of this title); and

`(2) has a combat-related disability.'.

(b) Computation- Paragraph (3) of subsection (b) of such section is amended--

(1) by designating the text of that paragraph as subparagraph (A), realigning that text so as to be indented 4 ems from the left margin, and inserting before `In the case of' the following heading: `IN GENERAL- '; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

`(B) SPECIAL RULE FOR RETIREES WITH FEWER THAN 20 YEARS OF SERVICE- In the case of an eligible combat-related disabled uniformed services retiree who is retired under chapter 61 of this title with fewer than 20 years of creditable service, the amount of the payment under paragraph (1) for any month shall be reduced by the amount (if any) by which the amount of the member's retired pay under chapter 61 of this title exceeds the amount equal to 2 1/2 percent of the member's years of creditable service multiplied by the member's retired pay base under section 1406(b)(1) or 1407 of this title, whichever is applicable to the member.'.

(c) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall take effect on January 1, 2008, and shall apply to payments for months beginning on or after that date.

The Bill is HR 1585. You can find this at Thomas.loc.gov and type in HR 1585 and hit search.

Now, it is time to back off and wait for the Bill to get passed. I have loss over $35,000,00 these past three years when Congress did not treat the IU's the same as the 100% Schedular people and start paying us our full retired pay in Jan 2005.

May God richly bless and keep each of you.

In His Service,

Grover

I have 20% combat related dieabetes type 2 agent ornge presumed am i or will i be elegible if passed.

I have read the post several times and to be honest I am not sure what it really means.

Te part I do understand that unless your service rates your disability as combat related you will not get CRSC.

Gentleleader, you should be able to get CRSC on Agent Orange Dieabetes type 2. As Dave M. states, your service Branch must approve you after you submit your request for CRSC.

Dave M., I am sorry that you are not sure what my post really means. I just copied it right from Thomas.

Grover

REALY apoligeze if i have got any one mad over the cr or csrc issue. As far as understaning it I realy do not think any one realy does.May be thats how it is suposed to be .

quote:

Originally posted by Grover1945:
Gentleleader, you should be able to get CRSC on Agent Orange Diabetes type 2. As Dave M. states, your service Branch must approve you after you submit your request for CRSC.

Dave M., I am sorry that you are not sure what my post really means. I just copied it right from Thomas.

Grover

I understand that Grover. I am usually good at reading legislation. This time I am puzzled. That is not good. I probably need to read the existing code to make sense out of the legislation.

I have made this statement before Ithink the legestion was written so it can not be understood also I have heard many who are elgible for csrc have not applied for it.Futher more WITH the various service being allowed to make the final decesion as to quafing for crsc pay it will be the ultiment SNAFU.

Are there any more chapter 61's out ther if so would like to hear your ideas on how we who were forced to retire with less than 20 years service can get this benifit that our reps in D.C. Cheated us out of. we deserve this bennie and if we all join together we just might get it if we just sit aroud and gripe it just aint gona happen guys. LETS GET IT IN ONE PILE THEN START THE FIGHT .NO ONE WILL DO IT FOR US UNLESS WE GRIPE ENOUGH TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE.

Greetings and special blessings to one and all.

Here is what the Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees is asking us to send to our Congress Members:

Congress: It Is Time to Get Back to Work


14 Day Thanksgiving Holiday is Over

Please send the following message to your Senators and Representatives --

I hope you enjoyed your extended 14-day Thanksgiving holiday. It is now time to finally get to work in the remaining days of the 1st Session, 110th Congress.

First, you, the Congress, must enact legislation that will stop the Medicare Sustained Growth Rate formula mandated 10% reduction in physician's reimbursement to become effective this January 1, 2008.

Next, you, the Congress, must reconcile and pass the 2008 National Defense Authorization as a clean bill without including controversial non-relevant legislation such as the "hate crimes" bill that almost assures veto.

Since 2004, the Republican controlled Congress failed to enact the following legislation that would restore broken promises to military retirees. What will the Democrat controlled Congress do in 2008?

-375,000 retirees with less than 50% disability denied CRDP (Concurrent Retirement Disability Pay, 10 US Code 1414): Neither version of HR 1585 (House passed 17 May or Senate passed 1 October) addresses this inequity.

-327,000 retirees age 70 & 30 years still paying SBP (Survivors' Benefits Plan) premiums: The Senate version, Sec 659, would change the effective date from 1 October 2008 to 1 October 2007. The House version makes no provision.

-188,000 Chapter 61 medical disability retirees with less than 20 years denied CRDP and CRSC (Combat Related Special Compensation, 10 US Code 1413a): The Senate version, Sec 653, would authorize CRSC, but not CRDP. The House version, Sec 645, would authorize CRSC, but not CRDP, only for those with at least 15 years of service and at least 60% disability (less than 5% eligibility).

- 61,000 military widows denied relief from SBP/DIC (Dependency Indemnification Compensation): The Senate version, Sec 653, would repeal the offset. The House version, Sec 644, would provide an allowance of $40 against an typical offset of $900!

- 28,000 IU (Individually Unemployable) compensated at 100% by the VA denied 100% benefit under CRDP/CRSC: The Senate version, Sec 660, would authorize CRDP/CRSC at 100%. The House version makes no provision.

One last thing, please fully authorize funding for combat operations. The Department of Defense has already announced severe curtailment of base operations and layoffs of both DoD civilian employees and contractors to make up for the proposed shortfalls. Such lack of funding only hurts the troops in the field. Early withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan will only embolden the barbarians to resume 9/11 style attacks within our borders.

I ask you again: What will the Democrat controlled 1st Session, 110th Congress do for us in 2007 as we approach crisis management in 2008? Why is the House so miserly?


The Chapter 61's are in the works, just keep praying that it gets passed in the Conference Committee.

May God richly bless and keep each of you.

In His Service,

Grover

Any idea if 61's with less than 2o yrs serv. will get the CR os CSRC they deserve A soldier fored out 5 years prior to his of her retirement deseves CR more than one who made the 20 they will get the CR because of longevety those with less get nada. and are in all probabilty in worse medical condition than a 20 year person.