House approves veterans benefits bill

Suzanne Struglinski

Friday, Nov. 7, 2003 | 11:29 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The agreement for retired veterans with a 50 percent disability rating to receive both retirement pay and disability checks is in the final version of the defense authorization bill approved by the House earlier today.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has been pushing since 2000 to allow retired, disabled veterans to receive both full retirement and disability pay, commonly called concurrent receipt.

Currently all but the most seriously disabled military retirees must forfeit a dollar of retirement pay for every dollar of disability pay they receive. Civilian government workers are allowed to receive both payments concurrently.

Reid negotiated an agreement last month for those with 20 years or more of service and 50 percent or greater disability to qualify for a phased-in program during the next 10 years.

Reid and other Democrats pushing for full concurrent receipt will want to see the benefit extended to everyone but called the move a good first step.

"This is the start, not the end, of the concurrent receipt issues," said David Cherry, spokesman for Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. He said she will still fight for the full benefit.

Democrats offered a motion this morning that would have sent the report back to the conferees to reconsider the full concurrent receipt benefit.

The motion failed 118-217, with Berkley voting to send the report back for more consideration of veterans benefits and Republican Reps. Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter voting against the motion.

The provision creates a $22 billion program and those who qualify will see more money each month through 2014.

Some veterans, especially those with less than 50 percent disability ratings, disagreed with the agreement, saying all should be included.

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said this week that the agreement will only cover close to 225,000 veterans, leaving 400,000 without both benefits.

But the Military Officers Association of America said last month that the fact that this agreement was reached was a milestone and that the group was grateful for now.

The conference report will go to the Senate for final approval and then to the president for his signature.