The below information provides some detail about the plan but there does not seem to be much movement on it. You would think the day he made it to Office there would have been an up and down vote to approve CR for all military retirees but they appear to be leaving those rated less than 50% on the curb. That is grossly unfair and not consistent with promises that were made.

How many times did we see that CR Petition in the house.? I think every democrat signed it and some Republicans. It was a big issue back then. But now that they have the power to get things done it did not just take a back burner, there is no talk about it. The 50% and under group are getting a real screwing.

It bothers me that those who served 20 years are being robbed like this. What they should have done was approved CR for everyone who served 20 years and who collect disability because for all those years of honorable service.

And then after that is approved they should have looked at the those who did not serve 20 years but who were medically discharged under Chapter 61 nevertheless. Bottom like none of these people should continue to be robbed like this.

Now I have heard one comment on the network that this is double dipping. Well it is not double dipping and Congress and various Commissions have made that clear so there should be no more talk of it. Those who bring it up are either do not follow the law or they are the jealous type.

You have to remember that money means more to someone who is not disabled because they can go out and travel the world and do things that a disabled person normally can do. So there is some envy and strife that unfortunately comes in to play when it comes to earned benefits like these. I think that is why SJ has an obsession with it.

That is why they are trying to fix this issue but they have not done a very good job. One check is for retirement pay and one was for disability pay. And if you paid insurance premiums every month so SSDI is not double or triple dipping either. These facts were addresses in The Dole-Shalala Commission report.

In the future some of these issues will resurface and we need to be ready. There are going to be more people on the retirement rolls and less people working. The tax base is going to shrink dramatically over the years. With less money coming in Congress is going to have to make touch choices. They can only raise taxes so much. That's why I try to tuck a little away just in case we get a Congress that is stuck on stupid.

Tex

Drom MOAA:


Obama Concurrent Receipt Plan Details

More details surfaced this week on the Administration's proposal to expand concurrent receipt to service members who were medically retired, sometimes referred to as Chapter 61 retirees.

Under the Administration's Omnibus proposal, all Chapter 61 retirees will become eligible for Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) over a five-year period starting in January 2010. The expansion will come in two phases.

The first three years of the five year phase-in opens CRDP eligibility to the more severely disabled Chapter 61 retirees with less than 20 years of service.

On January 1, 2010, Chapter 61 retirees with less than 20 years of service and a VA rating of either 90% or 100% become eligible.
On January 1, 2011, Chapter 61 retirees with less than 20 years of service and a VA rating of either 70% or 80% become eligible.
On January 1, 2012, Chapter 61 retirees with less than 20 years of service and a VA rating of either 50% or 60% become eligible.
The remaining two years of this phase-in extends CRDP to Chapter 61 retirees, regardless of years of service, with a VA rating of less than 50%.

On January 1, 2013, all Chapter 61 retirees with a VA rating of either 30% or 40% will become eligible.
On January 1, 2014, all Chapter 61 retirees with any VA rating become eligible.
Once this plan is completed, the only disabled retirees ineligible for CRDP will be non-medical retirees with 40% or lower VA disability ratings. The 10-year cost of the expansion is estimated to be $5.8 billion.

This new initiative represents a 180-degree turnabout from the positions of all previous Administrations, Republican or Democratic.

Our hope is that this signals a potential willingness to go 'the final mile" in the future to cover all disabled retirees.