PRINTER'S NO. 2921
No. 483 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY REICHLEY, SEMMEL, LEH, MANN, BARRAR, BUNT, CURRY,
GEIST, GEORGE, KOTIK, LEDERER, MARSICO, MUSTIO, RAYMOND,
SCHRODER, S. H. SMITH, WATSON, WOJNAROSKI, SOLOBAY, REED,
CAUSER, MUNDY, LAUGHLIN, WHEATLEY, HENNESSEY, O'NEILL,
CAPPELLI, FEESE, BALDWIN, LEACH, E. Z. TAYLOR, McGEEHAN,
WILT, LESCOVITZ, COLEMAN, PAYNE, GOODMAN, SCAVELLO, FORCIER,
CLYMER, CRAHALLA, S. MILLER, DENLINGER, ADOLPH AND FABRIZIO,
NOVEMBER 18, 2003
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
NOVEMBER 18, 2003
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the Congress to amend Title 10, United States Code, to
2 permit full concurrent receipt of military retired pay and
3 other veterans compensation, including dependents'
4 allowances.
5 WHEREAS, American servicemen and women have dedicated their
6 careers to protect the rights we all enjoy; and
7 WHEREAS, Career military personnel endured hardships,
8 privation, the threat of death, disability and long separations
9 from their families in service to our country; and
10 WHEREAS, Integral to the success of our military forces are
11 those soldiers and sailors who have made a career of defending
12 our great nation in peace and war from the Revolutionary War to
13 the present day; and
14 WHEREAS, There exists a gross inequity in the Federal
15 statutes that denies disabled career military personnel equal
1 rights to receive veterans disability compensation concurrent
2 with receipt of earned military retired pay; and
3 WHEREAS, Legislation has been introduced in the Congress of
4 the United States to remedy this inequity applicable to career
5 military personnel dating back to the 19th century; and
6 WHEREAS, Veterans who are retired with a minimum of 20 years
7 are denied concurrent receipt of hard-earned military longevity
8 retirement pay and veterans awards for service-connected
9 disability; and
10 WHEREAS, Career military personnel earn retirement benefits
11 based on longevity of 20 years for honorable and faithful
12 service and rank at time of retirement; and
13 WHEREAS, Veterans disability compensation serves a different
14 purpose from longevity retirement pay and is intended to
15 compensate for pain, suffering, disfigurement, chemical
16 exposure, wound injuries and a loss of earning ability, with a
17 minimum requirement of 90 days of active duty; and
18 WHEREAS, The prevailing idea that military retirement pay is
19 free is false because there is a contribution to retirement pay,
20 calculated to reduce military base pay and retirement pay by
21 approximately 7% when pay and allowances are computed and
22 approved by the Congress; and
23 WHEREAS, Traditionally a career military person receives
24 lower pay and retirement than his or her civilian counterpart
25 and has invested a life of hardships and long hours without the
26 benefit of overtime pay and lack of freedom of expression
27 through unions; and
28 WHEREAS, Allowances to dependents of veterans with a 30%
29 disability are increased with the amount of disability; and
30 WHEREAS, The Department of Defense deducts the entire amounts
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1 of dependents' allowances, essentially leaving the disabled
2 military retiree with no dependent allowance, a discrimination
3 which extends to the families of military retirees; and
4 WHEREAS, It is unfair to require disabled military retirees
5 to fund their own veterans compensation by deductions on a
6 dollar-for-dollar basis in the Department of Defense; and
7 WHEREAS, No such deduction applies to similarly situated
8 Federal civil service or congressional retirement beneficiaries
9 who receive veterans compensation; and
10 WHEREAS, A statutory change is necessary to correct this
11 injustice and discrimination in order to ensure that America's
12 commitment to national and international goals is matched by a
13 similar commitment to those who sacrificed on behalf of those
14 goals; therefore be it
15 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
16 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress to amend Title
17 10, United States Code, to permit full concurrent receipt of
18 military retired pay and other veterans compensation, including
19 dependents' allowances; and be it further
20 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
21 the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense,
22 the United States Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, the
23 Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of
24 Representatives, the chairs of the United States Senate and
25 House Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees and each
26 member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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