Ok now that he has explained the reason. then how about explaining how a person that lives on a fixed income thru out the year until there is a cola raise.is suppose to feed his self, pay his bills,buy gas!!!,pay utilities.because these things are going up ever month not once a year. I think that if you want our votes something needs to be addressed on this subject and not just some smoke beening blowed up the proverbial keester. thank you for listening
hay never was promouse that the retired pay was going to support you all by itself. there also ss and other things so let be happy for what we have and are getting retired 1991
When I signed my contract with the military, I was promised certain benefits that in the event I did retire, I would recieve a COLA that was equal to those of active duty personnel. A contract agreement is a contract agreement and should be honored. If a person signed an agreement with you to pay you a certain amount of money according to the contract, would you like or just be thankful that you got half of the amount?
On April 30th I will have been retired 15 years. when I retired in 1993 I was only getting $800.00 a month. I have no fault with that as I retired as a RM2(SW), E-5. But it is not fair that the cola we get each year is based with social security. for if you look at what social security gets and what military retiree's get is almost the same thing. I Believe that our government thinks that if you retire from the military we are in the same category as someone retireeing at 62 years old. I do not fault the people on ss as they have earned it. but military retiree's have put our butt on the firing line more than once. we have spent time away from our family such as being on a 6th month westpac. being away from your bride for 122 days. I am not complaining as I chose the navy. but to have our retirement cola lumped in the same pot as ss is totaly stupid. the people in our government for some reason do not understand that we were out there serving our country not just working some 9-5 job 5 days a week. I know marines that are out there right now in iraq on patrol putting themselves in harms way. I have a son who is getting ready to go back for a 3rd tour but does he complain no way. I have a daughter who is a weapons instructor in the navy working and going to college so she get a degree. she will transfer to the air force as an officer next year. the bottom line to this is someone needs to stop lumping military retirement cola in with social security. I am at present time getting ss disability and my cola for that and my military retirement is the same. One more thing I must address when is the stupid VA going to change the rules that anyone below 50% can receive current receipt. because of this I have so much money deducted from my retirement because of some stupid 1899 law that says you have to have dollar for dollar out of your retirement and disability. this is stupid as hell.
Lets all be clear about military pay. They pay active duty people really do well these days. It’s not like when there was a draft. When you add it all up a married E-5 is making over $45,000 a year. They are paying some people over $50,000 to reenlist. I think SGLI is paying $400,000 or more now. There are all kinds of things being done for active duty people. I think they should take care of the active duty people. The truth of the matter is retirees should get the same percent of pay raise. Even if we received the same percentage of cost of living increase it would be considerably less because our base pay was a lot less. The reason retirees do not get the same pay raise is they don't need us any more; we are throw a way’s. They now lump us with the entitlements spending problem. We are old, and getting older and they feel we are a burden. The irony of this is that most in Congress are old and getting older as well. There are a lot of military retirees and we need to use our vote to tell them how we feel. I am not looking for a free ride and I don’t think most people are, but come on, a cost of living increase! Then there is the issue of TRICARE and co-pays; don’t get me started. We were just plain lied to about medical benefits. I am a retired Sergeant Major. I did over 30 years in the Marine Corps and like most of us did every thing asked of us, and more. Well now I am disabled. I do not what charity or a pity party. Just give me what I have earned and treat me with a little dignity. Don’t give us weak excuses about this or that. We may be old but we are not stupid. I say write your congressman and write all those organizations like the VFW, Marine Corps League, AMVETS, Fleet Reserve Association, NCOA, and the rest of them that want your money. Tell UM to get off their dead *** and do some thing!
The real irony here is as Military Retirees, we get "reduced compensation for reduced work". That's how our retirement pay is looked at by the government.... EXCEPT when it comes down to annual pay raises. When it comes time to give us our annual COLA then our pay is adjusted to the Social Security annual increase index. What hasn't been said yet is; those that are on SS or recieve SS disability are also paying for Medicare. Some of us are so disabled we can no longer get commercial life insurance, unless we want to pay hundeds of dollars more for a rider policy. Keeping that thought in mind, those recieving SS see a rise in cost of Medicare monthly premiums every year, this just happens to be about the total amount of SS or SS Disability increase, so there is no increase of income there. Those who may be severely disabled and cannot get commercial life insurance may possibly have elected to convert their SGLI to VGLI at retirement time. That monthly premium increases every 5 years, so the previous 4 years of COLA is virtually wiped out by the new monthly premium cost of VGLI. Clearly Congress needs to address the shortcomings of the Military Retiree pay scales and benifits programs. Those of us who retired before 9/11/01 are not going to see the programs established to take care of the current generation of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen. Simply increasing VA Disability Compensation without a corresponding jump in costs to the Retireee would be a great start. The concurrent reciept program will not be fully completed until 2014, Congress should work to accelerate that program to encompass all who are recieving VA Disability compensation. Being 100% VA disabled, I certainly appreciated the change in the law, and the increase in my total income on Jan 1st 2005 when the law went into effect, so I'm one of the lucky one's. Many may not live to see their own compensation increase, or even to live long enough to collect SS. That tale will never be told by the media, and that's a very sad fact about our country. We will hear more about how the NFL doesn't take care of it's retired and injured players than we ever will about the brave service people who put their own life in Uncle Sam's hands to use as he pleased, then cast aside at retirement. Thanks for your service, now don't let the door hit you in the back on the way out.
i think retired pay should be 50% of base pay and not high 3 across the board for all retirees. that our pay goes up the same % as active duty, and that our disability not be taken out of our retirement pay. that we should receive both. the job i have now they are seperate. i know because i got a lump sum for cutting a thumb off at work. i also think that it is bullshit that if you go on unemployment they subtract your retirement from it. my retirement has nothing to do with unemployment. thats like telling some civilian to subtract their 401k from there unemployment. lets see how they feel.
We have bigger problems with retirement. How about Congress giving your retirement and raises away to a former spouse who never took an oath, is not subject to the Uniform code of military justice or bears non of the scars of a service connected disability. Thanks to the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act,(USFSPA) many retirees have greater concerns. We are talking about a few percentage points here. They have in many cases been ordered to pay over 65% to a former spouse. We should fix this law first. As to Members of the U.S. armed forces prior to USFSPA’s Enactment (on September 8, 1982; made retroactive to June 25, 1981, "EXPO FACTO" You would think they had a “settled expectations,” to receive an unencumbered interest in their military retirement pay, irrespective of state court orders to divide it with a former spouse. All State courts have Alimony why do they need to treat veteran’s continuation/retirement pay different then active duty pay. I always thought it was reduced pay for reduced service since I am still subject to active duty recall. Like I said lets fix the real problems with our pay and work on the "wouldn’t it be nice items later" Who knows, if we continue to allow Expo Facto rules to steel veterans pay from a few, we all may soon be subject to the whims of congress an special interest groups. I took an oath to support and defend the constitution. As Veterans we need to stop this non sense and support repeal of USFSPA.
I think retired pay should be 50% of base pay and not high 3 across the board for all retirees. that our pay goes up the same % as active duty, and that our disability not be taken out of our retirement pay. that we should receive both. i don't think it is right that if you go on unemployment they subtract your retirement from it. my retirement has nothing to do with unemployment.
The problem with the COLA computation process is that it is as much voodoo, smoke, mirrors, and damned lies; not to be confused with lies. What you have to understand is the COLA is based on the Consumer Price Index, which is even more of an abyss of confusion. The kicker, and this is where all retirees who receive COLAs, including SS, Military, government, etc, get screwed. The CPI does not include FOOD or ENERGY. Why? Some AH rocket scientist in government set the precedent that food and energy were so volitile they should not be included in the computation. Now what the hell does this mean?? This same horse's hiney said that food and energy costs would rise, but would not stay up, dropping off quickly, therefore too volitile to be included. Where's this buttinski now with energy prices rising on an hourly basis creating higher costs for EVERYTHING, including food, travel, heating, et al. We need to ask Congress to re-look this inequity in the way the COLA is computed. Lots of luck getting a sympathetic ear, though. If the crooks in Washington have to pay retirees more, they don't have enough to buy votes from illegals or get kick backs from foreign countries.
When I retired in 1986, I was given the impression that my retired pay would keep up with those who retired after me. Which turned out to be untrue. I am a U.S. Army master sgt E-8 (ret) upon retirement i received a small disability from the VA for service connected problems. What I don't understand is why the current receipt policy is still in effect for those with less then 50% disabilities. I have friends who receives VA disabilities and did not retire from Actice Duty for length of service. They retired from government service and enjoy a full federal retirement and are not offset by the VA disability payments they receive.
I could get a very nice raise in my retired pay if Congress would do away with the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act and tell the 50 states that retirement pay is not personal property.
Sounds like we've got some unhappy retirees out there after reading the below. I see the government hasn't changed much. I say that the retired pay is not bad - let's worry more about the SS money that we paid in and may never see if they don't get off their asses and keep it solvent.
I totally concur with 7054742!!! REPEAL USFSPA NOW!!! Restore our full retirement entitlement!! Then deal with the "nice to have" things. Perhaps it would be "nice" if our retirement COLA increases were tied to those of Congress! That could turnout to be a REAL NICE pay increase!!! And while were at it, how about giving retirees the same no cost benefits that illegal aliens get!!! At least we earned them, they didn't!
I am an O-4 that retired in 1981. I am very concerned about the devaluation or buying power of our money. Will I be able to continue to pay my mortgage and buy other NECESSATIES. We need a readjustment of retirement to come closer to those who retire at this time. Now it is in the works to increase our payment for health care and we were promissed and we promissed others to reenlist because of FREE medical for life. Now the cost could be $2,000 per year extra for medical care. We already pay extra for Medicare which again the promise was free medical.
Simple fix to the constant calcutlations...Pay every retiree the same using the current pay rate and 86 the readjustment mess. Every soldier should be paid based upon one standard not one dependent on when they retired. Is one soldier worth more than the next? An e-5 is an E-5 and so on.
Those of us who retired in 2001 were screwed with VEAP and the new Thrifty Savings Plan offered to the military. Not only that but we are the ones suffering from Gulf War syndrome.
Well, here we go! Retired since 1982 with normal benefits.... Pay issues aside - my "free for life" medical benefits have gone down "el crapper". Remember the many pay raises that were dumbed down because we had a "free for life" medical care? Remember "biting the bullet" for inflation? - cause we had "free for life" medical? etc.... Don't get me started on Medicare they forced me on - at a substantial dollar cost to me - oh, I do get to pass on the co-pay ($12.00 for the $100.00 plus I am forced to pay) for my "free for life medical coverage! Thank God I get a "free" flag when I die.....
Retired in 1988, e-6 us army. Have found that I need insurance to go to a VA clinic which i live only t blocks from. I Also agree that the compensation compareing the retire pay for an E6 now and 1988 is substancially different. I have seeked out informantion on how my retirement is effected when I begin to draw SS in a couple years. No information is available on line. Any help in these matters would be dearly appreciated. I am now 60 and looking at early SS start. If this is going to reduce what I am currently receiving with the cost of insurance, medicare and gas prices, how is a retired servicemember suppose to make it in todays world?
