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Vietnam Veterans in Canada |
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Internet Bunker Complex |
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The Military Order of Canadian
Vietnam Veterans Expatriate Military Veterans Information |
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Under Revision ============================ Revised, but not final, Tuesday 2004.09.07 0335, Guard Channel What is Concurrent Receipt? Concurrent Receipt is the receiving of both Military Retirement Pay from the branch of service a person is retired from AND Compensation payments for injuries received on active duty from the Department of Veterans Affairs.. Until recently, there was a total prohibition against receiving both Military Retirement Pay AND Veterans Compensation due to a law prohibiting that. (Check the links.) The law said that for every dollar that a Retired Military Veteran receives from the Department of Veterans Affairs as Compensation for injuries received in the service of the country, the Veteran must give up a dollar of their Military Retirement Pay. This effectively wiped out all retirement pay for the more seriously injured Military Retirees. No other branch of the Federal government had this restriction on receiving both retirement pay for length of service and compensation for military disabilities. Only the Military Personnel of the Department of Defense were prohibited from receiving both - the very men and women whose very lives are expected to be put on the line in defense of the United States. In Congress after Congress, legislation was introduced to remedy this inequity. For many years, the legislation never made it to a final vote. It always died somewhere in Committee every Congressional session. (In the finished copy of this I want to acknowledge the legislators who tirelessly fought against this inequity.) A few years ago a compromise gave birth to Combat-Related Special Compensation. Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)
The 2004 NDAA expanded CRSC to include all combat- or operations-related disabilities, effective January 1, 2004—regardless of disability level (10% to 100% ratings), effective January 1, 2004. Combat-Related Special Compensation basically gave a Retired Military Veteran with severe Service Connected Disabilities a portion of their military retirement pay. For example: A Military Retiree rated at being 100 percent disabled by the VA could now receive $300 of the retired pay they forfeited when they accepted VA Compensation. Retirees with 70-90 percent disability could retrieve $200 and the bottom tier could get $100. However, the compromise legislation mandated that only those with twenty or more years of service were eligible. Prior to this there was never any mention of the twenty years of service as a requirement.
Concurrent Receipt of Disability Pay (CRDP) The new law went into effect Jan 1, 2004 and most eligible retirees are receiving payments. All compensation will be paid retroactive to January 1, 2004.
To draw such a line at the twenty year level is to exclude those with the greatest disabilities such as amputees retired for physical disability in the service of the nation. These men and woman have been financing their own disability payments dollar for dollar for decades. Our men and women presently in harm's way who have less than twenty years face the same situation if they come home severely wounded. What is the definition of a Military Retiree? There are two ways that a person becomes a Military Retiree. 1. A man or woman joins the U.S. Military and serves for 20 or more years. At some point, they put in their retirement papers and are retired from the armed forces. There is usually a retirement ceremony and party after which the Vet slowly (or otherwise) fades into history. Goodbye. So long. Fare well. They are issued a retirement certificate and walk out the door in possession of a military ID card called a DD Form 2, blue in colour. The amount of the retirement pay is based on RANK and TIME ON ACTIVE DUTY. 2. A man or woman joins the U. S. Military and serves until severely injured while on active duty in the service of the country. This happens at the one, two, five, ten, whatever year mark. When a Medical Board determines that the injured person is no longer able to perform the duties of his MOS and grade they are placed on the Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL). A some point within five years they are re-examined by a Medical Board from their branch of service and either returned to active duty, discharged with severance pay, OR if their injuries are severe enough, RETIRED. Officially it is called being placed on the Permanent Disability Retired List (PDRL) They are issued a retirement certificate and walk out the door in possession of a DD Form 2, blue in colour. The amount of the retirement pay is based on RANK times TIME ON ACTIVE DUTY times PERCENT of DISABILITY as determined by the Medical Board. Both of these classes of retirees are treated the same by the military. Both can access bases, aircraft and the all the other benefits accorded Military Retirees. There is absolutely no difference in treatment anywhere except for maybe a medically retired Corporal being run out of the local base Staff NCO club because they are as part of the unwashed masses. (But they would be just as run out if they were on active duty, so this last sentence is useless drivel.) The Problem as I see it. The problem IS that the most severely disabled Veterans are left out of the equation. Please allow me to emphasize my concern about this issue. During the time I spent at Bethesda Naval Hospital in 1968 the orthopedic ward was filled to capacity with severely wounded Marines and Sailors from the Vietnam War. Many were amputees. Some were multiple amputees. A few had injuries so severe they have never left my mind. Some were up and coming Non Commissioned Officers with six, eight, perhaps ten or twelve years of service. Most were young Sergeant's, Corporals, Lance Corporals, PFCs and Privates with less than four years in. Some with less than two years of service. One thing was apparent though. Their careers were over. For many there would be no hope of a "normal" life. That is a stark fact. One that has not only shaped their lives, but in many cases, the lives of those around them. Their disabilities were assessed, their time in the service computed, their rank considered and they were RETIRED from the Armed Forces of the United States. And most are patriots to this day. And some are bitter. All of them served. In the case of a Marine Infantry Corporal with three years service the retirement pay amounted to about $120 per month. Thirty five years later that amount is about $400. In order to receive Compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs the Corporal must wave the military retirement pay. It must be noted that some of these severely disabled medical retirees with less than twenty years of service have ALWAYS had to make due on what they received in Compensation. Many quickly found out that the Compensation was the only stable thing in their lives financially. More than a few NEVER were able to fully participate in the traditional American dream of working hard and bettering oneself. The disabilities they carry were with them from day one. I would pray that this fact becomes central to an understanding of this issue. The small amount of retirement due a Vet with only a few years active duty is a big amount in the reality of a person who was retired from the military but never left the battlefield. And it would make a difference in the lives of those around him or her. The legislation just passed which phases in Concurrent Receipt for those with twenty or more years of service excludes every one of these men and woman. Meanwhile, a person who served twenty years and then retires IS eligible (well, partially). This is where I have trouble fully grasping this situation. For twenty or more years a person remains on active duty on the Armed Forces of the United States. To do that you must be good at your job and physically and mentally fit. During my time in the service I remember how concerned career people would get at a certain time each year when it came time to pass the annual "physical readiness test". Fail that and you could be shown the door. This was a serious concern for these folks. I remember it well. Given my lowly peasant rank it was a time when they were more concerned about the annual PRT then screwing around with us. You remember that stuff if you were Infantry. Please understand that I'm just trying to make a point here. After twenty years of maintaining the physical and mental standards required to be on active duty the person retires. It is then that medical conditions appear which are "service connected" and for which Compensation is awarded by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This Retiree, by virtue of having twenty years in, can collect BOTH his Military Retirement AND VA Compensation. The amputee Retiree evacuated from Vietnam or Iraq or wherever duty calls, who has less than twenty years does not get his retirement. Dollar for dollar the retirement is reduced when it comes to being compensated for disabilities. His retirement is based on just a few years service in the first place and quite small by comparison. Every medical retirement is precipitated by a show stopping event in the persons life. Would not the nation view such a person retired medically to have a "vested" retirement - even if it was only a few years? ALL Military Retirees should be entitled to full Concurrent Receipt.
Anything less is shameful. It is also shameful that this issue is no longer at the forefront. The image of those with time and rank going to the head of the line just violates everything I thought was part of military code of honour. Since when does a person comfortably wedge their way into the head of the line, in front of wheel chairs, limping people, and most importantly those who will never again be in a line in their lives because they aren't going anywhere? The compromise that split Retirees into two groups - those with twenty or more years and those with less than twenty - is a compromise that is flawed. It stinks. The argument is made by some that "it is a start" in the direction of full concurrent receipt for all retirees. If a start is to be made, perhaps looking after those Retirees with the career crippling wounds first might be a proper first step? It just looks ugly to me. If I have offended any career Retirees I am sorry. I know there are people who did suffer through their last few years of service concealing service connected condition that they dared not reveal. I am also thankful that you served the nation for many years. It is important to the country that the Armed Forces has a dedicated professional Officer and NCO Corps. I am just trying to get the facts straight, in simple terms. I ask only for some help in fully understanding this issue - if it turns out I am incorrect here somewhere. It is good that some Retirees can receive phased in or limited Concurrent Receipt. Progress on Veterans issues is always good. It is always slow in coming. I am simply saying that the compromise reached in Congress to provide limited Concurrent Receipt has left the most severely wounded out of the equation. As a medical retiree myself, I have a vested interest in this issue. You should know that. But my physical injuries are far less than many other medical retirees. I didn't lose a limb, or my vision, but people I know did. Where are the voices speaking up for the medical retirees? The silence is deafening. Why is that? My involvement in Veterans activity is limited in scope largely to outreach and basic ground level hands on involvement. The Vietnam Veterans In Canada is a small but dedicated group of Vietnam Veterans who reside in, or have ties to Canada. Our resources have always been limited. Lobbying was always a goal, but the reality of a small group of Veterans working with other Veterans takes a toll on those involved and leaves little energy for the finer art of political ass kissing. It has been rumoured that our social graces are at times lacking. Years ago someone referred to us as "The Mongol Horde" and the name stuck somewhat. In fact it helped win the trust of some Veterans but it of course took it's toll when it came to our status on the social registry. We are asking for help here. These groups have offices in Washington. People are paid to put forth the interests of the respective memberships. There exists established institutions to pursue these issues. It is here that the battle can be fought. MOAA is advocating for medical retirees. We need all the help we can get. If I have the picture wrong, someone please tell me. I do not mind a proper "dressing down" from anyone about this issue if I have presented anything which is not factual. I can handle some serious anger in your response if it makes you feel better AND gives me a better understanding of this issue. You may "Fire when ready Gridley". Dueling by appointment only. I'll be revising this as the days go by. You are looking at a rough draft. But if I wait to post the final copy it probably won't happen. 'Tis the nature of the beast. W. A. Carmack, Cpl, USMC, Retired 2004.09.07 Modest start on links:
Concurrent Receipt (Military.com)
Combat-Related Special Compensation Program Overview
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