RE: http://www.military.com/featur...15240,191302,00.html

It is about time that something is done for these deserving Veterans. The problem is, there are many more Deserving Veterans and this is just the tip of the iceberg (Spear). These Military Veterans have served their Country, Now it is time for their Country to FULLY serve them. God Bless these and all Veterans. It is because of them that we are FREE to worship (or not), to roam (or not), to speak (or not), and we do not need to always look over our shoulder, speak German or Japanese or Russian.

Thanks Jcpjep for your kind remarks. I wrote to Tom about this and I really appreciate Tom getting the word out to we Chapter 61 veterans. I am 100% disabled rating with the Navy in 1967 and at that time they used to pay a max of 75% of your pay for the 100% rating when you retired early due to disability. Now I am not complaining, but when the word about concurrent receipt came out I was expecting to receive both my Navy retirement pay and my VA Compensation with the Navy pay being about $1800 for an E5 with over 6 years. Also I am 100% rated with the VA as my leg never grew back and so I was really expecting a nice late Christmas gift. Now due to the Special Rule it looks like I will get only around $375 for my Navy retirement. Sound off guys....is it just me expecting to win the lottery....or did the rest of you Chapter 61 brothers expect more. Blessings, Dennis Stiffler

[QUOTE]"Since not everybody could be included at this time, because of cost, the idea was to look at those who might be the most deserving," said a pay official. Retirees "put out…because of disabilities, whether in combat or just jobQUOTE]

"most deserving" So, since I retired due to 20 plus years of service, I am not "most deserving"?

This is a bazaar and asinine statement. WE ALL ARE MOST DESERVING!! How these red tape pushers can even justify in their own mind their absurd statements is beyond me. No one else pays for their disability out of their own pockets.

Take the $$ from the social sponges and pay it to those of us who faithfully served, destroyed our bodies doing so, and are "most deserving"!

To the navy E5 with the missing leg. First off, thanks for your service. I too, am 100% disabled and was an E6 with 11 years. Your question about why you do not get your full military pay, only $375 is a just question, but there is a very good reason for it. The $1800 you were expecting is the pay scale for military disability. You cannot collect two disabilites. Therefore, you will be paid a retirement figure based on your rank and years of service at discharge. It will not be disability pay but rather retirement pay. This seems to be an error a lot of us made when we first heard about finally getting concurrent receipt. I talked to the DAV and the VA and was able to get the above answer. I hope this helps to know there is a reason for it. Again, thanks for your service shipmate.

Quoted from the Article

"Regular retirees with VA ratings of 40 percent or lower still see retired pay offset by VA disability compensation.

Why has Obama targeted Chapter 61 retirees for concurrent receipt? Sources on Capitol Hill said the White House's Office of Management and Budget developed the idea as an affordable compromise. It would cost $5.4 billion over 10 years versus $45 billion if Obama fulfilled a campaign pledge to extend concurrent receipt to all disabled military retirees."

Kind of makes a person think. Could this be a ruse to throw veterans off track? Answer is sure enough. If you play with figures enough it would seem that to grant concurrent receipt to all veterans left out of the concurrent receipt proposal by the Obama administration would cost a huge some of money 45 billion as mentioned in the article. Not true. Simply not true.

Go to the following web site by the VDBC, that is the Veterans Disablity Benefit Commission, which gave their final report to Congress in 2007.


https://www.1888932-2946.ws/ve..._Option_8-8-2007.pdf

In this site it lists on page three of the pdf that to grant concurrent receipt to all retired disabled veterans under 50% disabled, all 450,000 of them would cost the government 19.26 billion dollars over ten years. A bit less than two billion a year. Figure that the early estimate before any concurrent receipt legislation was passed for anyone was less than the 45 billion dollar figure the Obama administation now embraces. 45 billion would cover every category of all those who currently receive CRDP or CRSC, and all who currently are left out of each of the piece meal bits of legislation passed since 2003.

Don't bet that the Obama administation is pro veteran. They are not pro veteran. They are trying to break a campaign promise that Obama made during his election campaign that he would grant concurrent receipt to all retired disabled veterans. Such a promise was made during a campaign speech to the VFW.

While it is good that Chapter 61 retirees will now receive concurrent receipt, it must be noted the cheap trick that even this young administration applied to this new legislation. Rather than stating the true cost to granting concurrent receipt to all the remaining categories of veterans who do not receive concurrent receipt, they put the 10-40 percent disabled veteran out as a huge expense group that would break the finances of the government. They really are saying that they believe like the prior administation, that this group of veterans is not worthy, since their injuries are not "combat" related.

Ture reality is that over 70 percent of the cost of concurrent receipt has already been passed into law from legislation passed since 2003. So the largest share of the expense has already been approved. This information is also available on the VDBC web site.

Since they are playing a numbers game, it would be more respectful for the new administration to simply state that they believe all retired disabled veterans 10-40 percent disabled are not worthy of note and their service was not honorable or worthy of compensation. Such is evidently their belief, since they are resorting to a numbers game of lies, by painting the picture that the cost to the over 450,000 retired disabled veterans is so large for the government to bear, when in fact over 70 percent of all funds for the entirety of concurrent receipt expense has already been passed into law.

Not to hard to see the forest for the tree.

REPLY TO ALVASTEVE....Thank you for your kind remarks, and many thanks to you too for your service and sacrifice. When I lost my leg on active duty in 1967 I was placed on 3 wards of Vietnam Marine Amputees....what a bunch of heroes...we were at Oak Knoll Nacal Hospital and we closed down Jack London Square every night....and do any of you remember the free dinner at Trader Vic's in San Francisco for the veterans? Steve, I appreciate your explanation of why I will receive a lesser amount than I expected...it makes sense, and I'm grateful for even that and the wonderful quality of care I have received from the VA Hospitals and clinics for 43 years. May God Bless all you Veterans who read this. Dennis Stiffler

Hi Dennis

Thanks for your kind words to me and all Vets!! I too, was at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, but it was from Aug to Dec of 1971. I remember the amputees at the hospital at that time and feel you guys were the real heroes. My lungs gave out and I had arthritis so bad I couldn't hold a screw driver. I was an Aviation Electronics Technician First Class with 11 and 1/2 years in when they medivac'd me out. Because of not having the full twenty years, I was left out of the Concurrent Receipt last time too. It looks like we will finally get it now though even if it is not as much as we expected it would be. I will be 71 years old the 26th of this month and plan on being around a long time yet, so I sure can use the extra money. I pray that eventually all Vets will be taken care of as they should be. I may not have been a hero in my own right, but I was support for those that were. God bless all Vets and those they serve. Steven Jolls

[QUOTE}"It would cost $5.4 billion over 10 years versus $45 billion if Obama fulfilled a campaign pledge to extend concurrent receipt to all disabled military retirees."[QUOTE]

Didn't seem too hard to find 300 Billion + for the banks this year, but still too much to honor campaign promises to Vets. And yet we can find it to pay the federal workers' full retirement and disability without similar offsets.

Any mention of widows receiving DIC? Most of us have our retirment pay substantially lessened by the concurrent rule. My husband was an E8 with 22 yrs serviceand on the SM academy list when he died. I get just over $500 from DOD. Any chance this will be corrected for those like me?

I was excited to hear it was much more than I've always thought I'd get, being calculated by base pay, but if my retirement amount that I do not receive is $700, then will the new way be more than the $70.00 I always thought it'd be?...I mean, being based on current base pay and all.

Anyways, I couldn't help but wonder, what's the catch. I got a bad feeling about this considering his first week in office he wanted to make us pay a couple-few thousand in Tricare premiums. Then I recently heard him say ours and civilian health care has got to be dealt with by the end of the year.

Now I fear this extra pay is the calm before the storm. I would rather not have the CRDP if it's at or less than the coming premium increases. Sorry, just have a bad feeling about this whole thing and can't trust he doesn't have an angle.

I've called DFAS about something and it's true...in case anyone feels cheated check this out. I do not get credit--another 2.5%--for the last year I served. It was 11 months and 29 days. Talk about lousy!

I guess I don't understand. I retired after 26, 80% service connected. I get 80% of retired pay from the VA, tax free, the other 20% from the AF, taxable. If someone would like to discuss this me off this board, please feel free to email me at Kraw2005@aol.com

Thanks - Dan

Sounds great! What about some base privledges now? Also, i served 4 yrs. Navy a yr. Brownwater Navy Nam, I joined the Army Reserve and did tours in USAR and Guard, I have a total of about 14 years,got out for a year, tried to reenlist in Rerves, failed physical,flat feet,glaucoma,slight swayback! We all know that hese things do not occur overnight,but they wouldn't let me finish my time to retire! I get 50% after fighting with the VA for 15 years for PTSD! What about me and others in this situation?

I guess those of us who served for 20 and more years and have a disability rating of less then 50% are not worth helping. maybe if I was a bank or worked on wall street I could get a nice bonus. now because I am only have a 10% disability I will always have an offset. not fair. Sometimes I wonder if my service to this country was worth it. I have other disability and was awarded 0% even when it is life threating.

Thanks for all you deserving wounded vets, and I am glad you are getting what you deserve.
My problem is, when I was on active duty, I remember all the sleek ways a retiree would pull to get someone in authority to asist him in getting some medical disability.
Don't fool yourself, there are many getting something they didn't qualify for.
I retired with 21 years+, all in good health and still have it after being retired over 33 years. Conscious clear

What about the rest of us retired Vet's? I don't have a VA close by to sign up so I guess I don't get the extra help to survive.

Every new president falls back on campaign promise's. Especially ones dealing with the VET'S.

Bailouts for every pirate who has stolen from the taxpayers and as usual the vets are being nickle and dimed to death (which is what the government is hoping for...us dying off)

I Retired in 1971 and i am receiving 50% disability but i was denied total pay for over 30yrs. so what happens to me under the President's formular will i receive an adjustments for those years that my Retirement pay was reduced under "Concurrent" receipt? I have absolutely no problems with my fellow Veterans being compensated it's the way it's being done is the Problem i have with the Idea.

i have a question....please help i was medicaly discharged in 1981 after serving 9yrs 10 months, e-5, the retirement statement that i get yearly from the DOD says i give up $780.00 per month, so i can recieve my va benefits of %100 percent so will i begin to recieve that amout the dod withholds this january ? sgt smith (ret) us army

It's time for frank language. I'm not asking for permission to speak freely. It's time to cut through the utter ******** that is concurrent receipt. It's time for veterans to be angry and let our "leaders" know just how angry we are.

Retired veterans paying their own VA disability payment is theft. It's no difference than my insurance company paying for a claim and then sending me a bill for the amount of the claim. It's taking money we earned to pay for our own so-called benefit. It is me paying me to be disabled as determined by the VA.

Why don't "moral" politicians see the wrongness of this? I realize that using the words moral and politician is an oxymoron but there must be enough ethical politicians in the country to make the needed change now. Otherwise we are all doomed.

I did not ask for a disability rating. I did my service and obeyed orders and listened to my VA rep when he said the VA would take care of fulfilling the promises they made. Receiving a rating was a function of retiring and filing my status with the VA. Had I known that the "disability pension" I would be granted would be paid out of my own pay check I wouldn't have wasted the time to complete the paperwork.

If the United States government wants to steal from me why did they grant me a so-called disability rating? Why not just tell me to go screw myself and leave my pay alone and let me fend for myself.

It is degrading, insulting and makes me feel like an utter idiot for fulfilling the oath when the politicians tell me they owe me nothing more. For the past 12 years the government has stolen hundreds of dollars a month from me. I am sick of hearing politicians from both parties lie and cheat me.

I encourage all active duty personnel to examine their loyalty very carefully before continuing serving a government who has utter contempt for the veteran. I encourage all active duty servicemen to voice loudly and clearly to their representatives that they are not fools for politicians to use and discard. I implore all current military personnel and veterans to flood their representatives with strong demands to release funds for all disabled veterans now.

Do not be trust politicians. They have no military ethic and view all of us as fodder to further their goals and will not keep promises. Concurrent receipt is proof positive that they do not keep promises.

I demand that all politicians immediately demand full concurrent receipt for each and every disabled veteran and I demand it NOW. Not in 2010, not in 2011 and absolutely not in 2014. Now is time for OUR government to stop stealing from us and to give us exactly what we earned by our loyal service. Concurrent receipt is not a gift from our government. It is OUR money.

The present concurrent receipt situation is a national disgrace. The proposed "solution" is an even worse disgrace that insults all veterans and morally wounds all the veterans that will die without ever seeing a penny of the VA pension they earned.

I beg everyone to insist that the administration pass 100 percent full concurrent receipt before the year ends.