FINAL BILL REPORT

                           SJM 8013

                     AS PASSED LEGISLATURE

Brief Description:  Petitioning the president on behalf of disabled veterans.

SPONSORS: Senators Winsley, M. Rasmussen and Oke

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

BACKGROUND:

Under current federal law, veterans with a service-connected disability and with 20 or more years of military service cannot receive concurrently both their full retirement pay and full disability compensation.  Such veterans must choose to receive either their retirement pay or disability compensation, or they must waive an amount of retirement pay equal to the amount of their disability compensation.

This requires disabled military retirees to pay for their own disability compensation benefits out of their earned retirement pay.  A number of measures have been introduced in the United States Congress which would reduce or eliminate this inequity.

SUMMARY:

The United States Congress is requested to amend existing federal law to permit career military retirees with service-connected disabilities to receive concurrently their full retirement pay and their full disability compensation.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

Senate    47   0

House     95   0