S-1263.1                   _______________________________________________

                                            SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8013

                              _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Senators Winsley, M. Rasmussen and Oke

Read first time 02/09/93.  Referred to Committee on Government Operations.

Petitioning the president on behalf of disabled veterans.

          TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, The recent conflict in the Persian Gulf has brought to our attention once again the valuable contribution of our servicemen and servicewomen; and

          WHEREAS, Citizens who choose to make a career of military service and who have served their country for at least twenty years receive military retirement pay based on the longevity of their service; and

          WHEREAS, Veterans who have a service-connected disability have made a very personal sacrifice for their country and receive compensation in proportion to the severity of their disabilities; and

          WHEREAS, Under current federal law, those individuals who have a service-connected disability and who have chosen to devote twenty or more years of service to the military are prohibited from receiving concurrently their full retirement pay and their full disability compensation.  Instead these individuals may receive their retirement pay or their disability compensation, or they must waive an amount of retirement pay equal to the amount of their disability compensation; and

          WHEREAS, This is an inequitable situation which effectively requires disabled miliary retirees to pay for their own disability compensation benefits out of their retirement pay earned through years of dedicated service; and

          WHEREAS, There are a number of measures that have been introduced in the United States Congress which would reduce or eliminate this inequity by allowing disabled military retirees to receive concurrently their retirement pay and their disability compensation benefits;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the United States Congress 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.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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