S. 1147, The Retired Pay Restoration Act

by | Apr 20, 2021 | Legislative

EANGUS is proud to support S. 1147, The Retired Pay Restoration Act that was recently introduced by Chairman Jon Tester and Senator Lisa Murkowski. This legislation corrects the gross injustice for #servicemembers and #veterans who are not currently entitled to receive both retired pay and disability pay concurrently. Military retired pay and VA disability pay are two separate benefits with two separate purposes. A veteran should not have to forfeit a portion of pay they have earned simply because of a service-connected disability. S. 1147 corresponds to a companion piece of legislation, HR. 303, that was recently introduced in the House of Representatives.  We ask Congress to quickly pass this legislation and to provide our Servicemembers and Veterans with the proper compensation they deserve.
APR 16, 2021

TESTER, MURKOWSKI INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN BILL TO END UNFAIR OFFSET OF MILITARY RETIREE PAY AND DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR VETERANS

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are introducing bipartisan legislation to end the unfair offset of retirement pay and disability benefits for nearly 400,000 military retirees.

Under current law, thousands of veterans who receive military pay from the Department of Defense take a dollar-for-dollar pay reduction for any disability compensation they receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Senators’ bipartisan Retired Pay Restoration Act would eliminate the current offset that prevents veterans with less than a 50 percent disability rating from receiving benefits from both agencies.

“No military retiree should ever have to forfeit a portion of their hard-earned pension simply because he or she got injured serving our country,” said Chairman Tester. “The Retired Pay Restoration Act will ensure veterans receive compensation for their injuries while keeping what they rightfully earned through their service. This bipartisan bill is a necessary step in making sure we do right by thousands of men and women who’ve sacrificed on our behalf.”

“Currently, only military veterans who retire after 20 years of service and who are over 50 percent disabled may receive concurrent pay for disability and retirement. This means that many of America’s veterans who suffered service-related injuries are receiving a much lower payment for disability and retirement assistance than they have rightfully earned. This is unacceptable. Our men and women in uniform who sacrificed their safety and well-being-many of whom endured permanent injuries to protect our freedoms-should receive the compensation they deserve,” said Senator Murkowski. “I’m proud to join Senator Tester in introducing the Retired Pay Restoration Act, which will ensure veterans are payed fairly for the time they’ve served as well as their painfully earned disability.”

While prior legislative reforms have carved out protections for certain veterans against the concurrent receipt offset, veterans with disability ratings of less than 50 percent and Chapter 61 retirees-those forced to retire before 20 years of service due to a combat-related disability-have been excluded from such reforms. The Retired Pay Restoration Act would significantly expand the eligibility to these veteran populations.

Veterans Service Organizations applauded the Senators’ bipartisan effort to remove the concurrent offset and provide disabled veterans with their earned compensation.

Text of the Senators’ bill can be found HERE.