RIGHT ON SHIPMATE!! Bless you for having the guts to lay it out!!!

Another bluff from DOD!! The offset calculation will leave out many officers and seniors NCOs who gave the extra mile to lead the way of US Army troops. This offset punishes the dissabled leaders who achieved meritory promotions and salary by leading the battle fights. Same happens with CRSC!!! Wake up politicians and DoD leaders, take care of us, we are part of the same Army of one!!

I'm thankful for my 19 years and 11 days...thankful for the excellent care I've received from VA (cancer)...frustrated that VA would not allow me service connection for exposure to trichloroethane (causes cancers in women--I was the only woman in my field at the time)and, at 90%rating, am thankful for whatever more big govt throws at me. The extra money sure will help given that I can't work and VA won't rate me 100%. My med bills at this point would exceed 500K, so I'm thankful for that. What is 90%, anyway, but a loophole by which to save 1000 per vet who they decide to not rate at that level? I bet it saves them a lot of money. 90% disabled is unrealistic. Unable to work is what it is.

I have been wondering and waiting why we are pealized for being retired. It's not like I don't have to work. E-6 pay for retired is only 1330 a month. Does not even get my rent. What about back compensation for punishing us?

The people behind this are fishing for votes in the next election, They give a dam about how we live on our retirement. Look at there Benies after one term in office. Thanks to all you brothers for your service!
U.S.Army Retired.

This old Chief is a bit confused.I haven't seen my status mentioned. Iretired in 1977 with 19yrs-7mos (counted as 20 yrs).I was slated to retire on 20 yrs day for day on the Navy Disability RetireD List.I rejected the NDRL to accept a lucrative job offer.I was told to see the VA and apply for disability. I did this a year later and received a 50% rating (combat zone). As soon as my VA pay started my Navy pay was reduced by the amount of my VA receipt. I am covered by CRDL until 2014,when I will no longer have the reduction from my Navy retirement. Where will people fit into this plan, if it flies. Woody

Hello old Chief (5160897).

I'm Retired Army for combat disablity, originally evaluated at 60% disabled by the VA but was not notified that the VA re-evaluated me to 100% until a series of reconstructive surgeries seven years later sent me to the VA for education benefits (occupational retraining).

The VA's 100% pay was much more than Army Retirement so I took the option, lost all of my Army Retirement pay for 9-mos, during which the VA lost my records. I had no income, a wife and 3-children for those 9-months. We slowing watched attrition work away on our resources, while I'm borrowing from Peter to buy gas from Paul to travel back and forth for surgeries and out patient treatment at Great Lakes Naval Hospitol.

Finally a long awaited responce to a letter I'd sent to the Surgeon General forced the Director of the Chicago VA Regional Office to immediately find my records, give me a one check pay back covering the 9-mos withheld, and drop me from VA disability payments.

I don't miss the greater VA pay or the memory of the VA's incompetence. The wife (a housewife) is now enjoying Social Security and Medicare with me. Tricare For Life pays whatever Medicare does not cover. and I shiver to think how Obama's 4-letter double dipping promises might include a Catch-22 to force us back onto the VA's ROASTER.

To all my fellow veterans I wish the very best that the bailouters of America might remember to compensate veterans with, but dear Lord protect my from this nation's 4-letter acronyms that promise certain snafu.

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

Well thank you very much for what amounts to a cup of coffee for being 30% disabled. The VA pulls my disability payment from my retired pay and gives it back to me without taxing it. PLEASE.... don't do me any favors.

No other government employee gets stiffed like the military does when it comes to retirement and their disability. Under the current rules what the government is saying is the if you are less than 50% disabled you don't deserve to get any additional money paid to you for your disabilities.

I was an Infantry Army soldier, served 11yrs, 11mo and 23 days. I was a Drill Sergeant E-6 SSG and loved my career. I planned to retire but, after a 40ft fall while in training this was the 2nd time I injured my spine. I just received orders for ANCOC and was moving up the ladder, but after injuring my spine and r-shoulder this ended my career. I went into MDD, Major Depression Disorder, Stress, Anxiety, Hypertension and eventually after threatening to kill my Postal Supervisor I was sent to see a Psych who claimed I had a Peranoid Personality Disorder and could eventually become very dangerous in the work force not knowing the difference between between the fair or unimagined fairness between the special faviors between employee and supervisor. Eye DR said I should have been put on 24 hour insulin since my diabetes was uncontrolled for 16yrs and was always High, causing the blood vessels behind my eyes to bust, called scattered blood dot hems. This was going on for over 6 yrs and Eye DR. said nothing could be done now. My new DR. at the VA looked at me after reviewing my record and said, You won't live another 10 years anyway. So after contacting my congressman and the VA Adminstration, I guess they felt it safe to put me on home care, good decision and they wonder why we go thru more anxiety and depression. We need serious change in our system and the head of the VA Administration should be changed out every 2 years, what do you think? Also, I had a thought, giving us a chance to receive retirement disability as well could mean taxing this part in the future or like me, I receive SSA, and since I have 30 yrs in the workforce I want the greater. Anyway God bless brothers in arms and keep this going. Blood and Guts, Ron.

All of us retirees were in the wars but not wounded. Why are we being eliminated for this pay raise? Are we the scum of the earth for not being hit by a bullet or thrown around by a grenade or bomb? Thank you Mr Obama, and your not being biased are you?

Its about time, BUT it needs to cover everybody that has served their country and receives VA benefits. Us veterans are the only group that has retired with a disability and pays for out own disability, and it looks like I still well continue to pay for my own disability.

Yeap, we be Obamacized. Just another broken promise to those of us who served some hard years with disabilities just so we could get our 20 in and "limp off into the sunset." Someone, somewhere ought to do something. Wake up America!

quote:

Originally posted by 10868107:
[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"!

quote:

Originally posted by kapsun:
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.

I think the verbage says that those of us who retired with over 20 years service with under 50% disability would be phased into concurrent receipt in January 2013.

I've always thought that the current law was unfair to those with 10-40 percent disability. I have 40%, and all it equates to is a small tax exemption on a portion (not even all) of my retired pay. Heck, I got more of a benefit from Obama's tax cuts than from disability. We should ALL get concurrent receipt according to the disability percentage. For me, 10% more disability equates to around 600.00 more per month because at 50% I'd get concurrent receipt! That's not chump change!

Ok, this has ****ed me off for years now. I do 21 years in the Navy, get hurt around my 13th year while underway on a DDG during a major fireroom accident, stick it out for another 8 years, retire as a Master Chief, get rated by the VA as 40 percent and I still cant collect my full retirement and my VA disability but an E4 who did 6 years gets Medically retired, can get his Medical retirement and a VA disability payment------SOMEONE WAKEUP!~!!!!!Pay us all!!!

FCCM(SW) USN RETIRED

14325507

I agree with you and I am sending our Commander In Chief a message concerning this.

When I retired in 1992 after 20 years USMC, I got awarded a 20% disabilty. Uncle Sam took $200.00 from my retirement pay, and gave it back from the VA tax free. This meant that the only cost to the US was the loss of them taxes, approximately $14.00. $14.00 for 20% disability is a joke.

I retired from the military and am not on disability. I have always felt that the system of having your retirement reduced when you receive disability is wrong. If a retiring service member has a disablity due to his/her service, then they should get that compensation in addition to the retirement dollars, they earned by serving 20 plus years.

all this is well and good. they are most deserving. what about the widows of service connected disabilitys deaths. I think they are deserving also. my husband was 90 something percent and died of agent orange. patti beecher

Can someone explain just what Chapter 61 is??? Becuase if I read it right, it says "RETIREMENT OR SEPARATION FOR PHYSICAL DISABILITY". I retired after 23 years as a 1SG (regular retirement). I went to the VA like I was told to get evaluated and I recieve 30% based on their evaulation. Now, if I read this Chapter 61 title correctly, it only applies to those personnel medically retired or seperated because of medical disabilities. If that is the case, there are a lot more veterans that will not recieve any addtitional compenation regardless of how much rating you have.

So the President completed his campaign promise of $45B by making a $5.4B gesture, which amounts to about 17% of what was promised. Not to distract from the CH61 retires, it just does not fill the bill. Wish I could discharge my financial obligations by paying 17%.ABYWDHO