The Issue: Authorizing military retirees with service connected disabilities rated less than 50% to concurrently receive military retirement pay and VA disability pensions
Immediate Action Required: Contact your Senators and Representative and ask them to support S. 344, introduced by Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); and H.R.533 introduced by Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) that would authorize military retirees with service connected disabilities rated at less than fifty percent to collect their military retirement pay and VA disability pensions at the same time.
LWS strongly supports S.344 and H.R.533 that would allow retired members with service connected disability ratings of less than 50% to collect military retired pay and VA disability pensions concurrently.
Our disabled retirees deserve the important pay benefit and recognition that this legislation would provide.
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- Pensions for Veterans (vabenefitblog.com)
As someone who does pro bono work for veterans seeking VA disability benefits, I applaud your efforts. However, the Republican congress will NEVER pass this bill.
I strongly support the concurrent pay as well. However, I think HR 333 is a better bill for us to support. It was introduced by Rep. Sanford Bishop and presently has 112 cosponsors, Democrat and Republican. The bill not only includes the disabled with less thatn 50%, but includes the disabled retirees with less than 20 years of active duty. It is the companion bill with S344. S344 is sponsored by Sen Harry Reid and presently has 17 cosponsors. There is also HR 186 which is almost the same as HR 333. It was introduced by Rep Addison Wilson, and has 12 cosponsors (none of them have signed on to HR333). A bill in the House needs 226 votes to pass. ( if you add the number of co & sponsors of the two bills you will get 126) A bill in the Senate needs 26 votes to pass. These bills, if brought to a vote has a very good chance to pass. Write your Senators and Representivies and let them know if you support thes bills!!
oops I made a typo. It takes 126 votes in the House to pass, not 226 votes.
I just keep getting my fat fingers on the wrong keys. In the house it takes 216 votes to pass if all the Rep vote. Or the majority of the votes of the Representatives present to vote that vote. Sorry for my mess up.
Although I didn’t retire from the military, I am a disabled vet. I support this legislation, however I agree that the Republican controlled House may not pass this bill. And for the record, it takes 218 votes to pass legislation in the House. There are 435 members in the House, thus 218 is the majority needed to pass a bill.