This Week In Congress: Top Military Leaders Head To Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill will see a parade of top military officials this week, led by a pair of appearances by the defense secretary and featuring top leaders from each of the services.
VA Leaders Aren't Worried About Looming Budget Fights...Yet
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said he’s confident his agency will get the funding it needs despite a barrage of tough questioning from GOP lawmakers concerned over the White House’s proposed boost for the department next year.
Lawmakers Move To Save VA's High-Tech Job Training Program
House Republican leaders want to extend a job training program focused on helping veterans get employment in high-tech fields before it expires at the end of this year.
VA Secretary Swats Down Idea To Cut VA Disability Pay For Wealthier Vets
By: Patricia Kime | Military.Com
Veterans' social media feeds erupted this week over a months-old report from the Congressional Budget Office that listed options for reducing the federal deficit, including the idea that the government could save $253 billion over the next 10 years by eliminating disability compensation for veterans who make more than $170,000.
Each year, the CBO publishes proposals for reducing the federal deficit, which has reached nearly $723 billion since the beginning of fiscal 2023. The latest list, published in December but only garnering attention among veterans this week, called for means-testing for veterans with higher income levels. But Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough shot down the idea on Thursday, saying the VA does not "think that's a good idea."
"We think it's a bad idea, and we're not going to do it. You have my commitment that we won't do it," McDonough said during a press conference with reporters in Washington, D.C.
He added that he had not been approached by anyone on Capitol Hill about the idea. The CBO assessment proposes a list of options for reducing the deficit, but they are not considered to be recommendations. They are, according to the report, "options derived from many sources" that "reflect a range of possibilities."
This year's list, first published Dec. 7, addressed VA disability compensation, which CBO analysts said has increased substantially faster than inflation, in total spending and per veteran. According to the CBO, the VA paid four times the amount in disability compensation in 2021, $110 billion, than it paid in 2000, adjusting for inflation, even as the number of vets in the U.S. had dropped by more than 30%.
Under the option, the VA would assess the household income of all veterans now receiving disability compensation, as well as those who file disability claims in the future. Only veterans whose gross household income the year before was less than an established threshold would receive their full disability payments.
Benefits would be phased out for those above the threshold, and reduced by one dollar for every additional two dollars of gross household income. Beginning in January 2024, veterans whose income was $170,000 or higher in 2023 would no longer receive disability compensation, and those whose household incomes were between $125,000 and $170,000 would receive adjusted payments.
There would be no adjustment for household size, according to the option. CBO analysts observed that Americans who work and also receive Social Security disability benefits see a decrease in their government compensation when they demonstrate that they are able to work for extended periods of time.
They added that roughly 1.5 million of 5 million veterans receiving VA disability had household income that exceeded the $125,000 threshold it set for 2023, or the 70th percentile of total household income for the entire country in 2019.
The CBO estimates that reducing or eliminating VA disability benefits for households whose gross household income exceeded the threshold would lower mandatory spending by "$253 billion between 2023 and 2032 relative to CBO's baseline," they wrote.
It's unclear what sparked the circulation on social media this week. Veterans expressed immediate outrage, taking to Twitter to voice their dismay. It appears, however, that the recommendation has no momentum; lawmakers and veterans service organizations did not respond to requests Wednesday for comment on the proposal.
On Thursday, Veteran Warriors Inc., an advocacy group that supports wounded and ill veterans and caregivers, thanked reporters for asking McDonough about the option.
The provision does not appear anywhere in the Biden administration's proposed fiscal 2024 budget. In the report Options for Reducing the Deficit: 2023 to 2032, the CBO stressed that the idea was not a recommendation.
"Inclusion or exclusion of any particular option does not imply an endorsement or rejection by CBO," analysts wrote.
Several historic events occurred on Jan 3rd 2023, the first day the 118th Congress met. Despite being a long list, these legislation addresses a larger variety of public policy objectives that fall under the purview of the seven main emphasis groups of our legislative platform. The bills are currently being introduced, and AFSA is striving to provide more details on the following:
H.R.303 - To amend title 10, United States Code, to permit additional retired members of the Armed Forces who have a service-connected disability to receive both disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs for their disability and either retired pay by reason of their years of military service or combat-related special compensation.
Sponsor: Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis [R-FL-12]
Committees - House Armed Services, House Veterans' Affairs
H.R.1282 - Major Richard Star Act, To amend title 10, United States Code, to expand eligibility to certain military retirees for concurrent receipt of veterans’ disability compensation and retired pay or combat-related special compensation, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis [R-FL-12]
Committees - House Armed Services, House Veterans' Affairs
S.344 -The Major Richard Star Act, to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for concurrent receipt of veterans’ disability compensation and retired pay for disabled retirees with fewer than 20 years of service and a combat-related disability, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Jon Tester [Sen-D-MT]
Committees - Senate Armed Services
H.R.254 – To amend title 10 United States Code, to improve the administration of the TRICARE program in Puerto Rico, and for other purposes.
H.R.236 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a week as “Battle Buddy Check Week” for the purpose of outreach and education concerning peer wellness checks for veterans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sheila Lee Jackson [D-TX-18]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.234 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide a burial allowance for certain veterans who die at home while in receipt of hospice care furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sponsor: Jack Bergman [R-MI-1]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.228 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to include a single comprehensive disability examination as part of the required Department of Defense physical examination for separating members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – House Armed Services, House Veterans Affairs
H.R.226 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to promote and encourage collaboration between the Department of Veterans Affairs and nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher learning that provide administrative assistance to veterans.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.221 – To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand eligibility for participation in the Federal Pell Grant program to certain trade schools.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – Education and Labor
H.R.214 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide eligibility for TRICARE selected for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Gregory W. Steube [R-FL-17]
Committees – House Armed Services, House Veterans Affairs
H.R.196 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modify the information technology systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for the automatic processing of claims for certain temporary disability ratings, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Matthew M. Rosendale Sr. [R-MT-2]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.129 – To require the Secretary of Defense to ensure drop boxes are maintained on military installations for the deposit of unused prescription drugs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Vern Buchanan [R-FL-16]
Committees – House Armed Services
H.R.105 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Sponsor: Andy Biggs [R-AZ-5]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.104 – To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to formally recognize caregivers of veterans, notify veterans and caregivers of clinical determinations relating to eligibility for caregiver programs, temporarily extend benefits for veterans who are determined ineligible for the family caregiver program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Andy Biggs [R-AZ-5]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.41 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure the timely scheduling of appointments for health care at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: James R. Baird [R-IN-4]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
If you have any additional questions on this specific issue, please e-mail our Military and Government Relations team at milgov3@hqafsa.org.
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Have You Read The Latest AFSA Magazine?
This edition features Port Mortuary and America’s Missing Heroes, Living with Bipolar Disorder in the Military, Fly-By Wire Defense and AFSA’s American Award Recipient – Don Ward. Read, download, print and share: https://www.hqafsa.org/fallmagazine.html
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In sum, on Tuesday and Thursday, twelve hearings on the military budget posture are scheduled before the appropriations and armed services committees in each chamber. Following their appearance before the House Appropriations Committee last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will attend two of them.
The hearings frenzy occurs before the lawmakers' two-week holiday that will begin on April 1st. The House and Senate budget proposals for fiscal 2024 will be finalized when Congress reconvenes. These proposals are anticipated to be made public in late spring for the House and early summer for the Senate.
In addition, on Thursday, following three hours of hearing before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough addressed the media and said, "The concerns are normal and acceptable." "I'm not going to worry about this in advance. Since this process is just getting started, we will continue to provide frank and comprehensive responses to inquiries.
The $325 billion proposed budget by the Biden administration for fiscal 2024 would mark a 5.4% increase in total department spending over the previous year and the most recent in a string of significant increases for VA programs. The VA budget for fiscal 2014 was $154 billion, which was less than half of what was requested.
The White House's proposed federal budget will be combed over in the upcoming summer months, with polarization escalating just a year before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as evidenced by Republican opposition to greater money for veterans, which typically has robust GOP support.
And lastly, as a five-year trial program, the Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) initiative was introduced in 2019. It provides qualified veterans with tuition assistance and a monthly housing stipend so they can pursue studies in fields including software development, data science, network security, and web development.
According to figures from the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 12,000 veterans have taken part in the program, and about 8,000 of them have found full-time work in the technology sector. The program is so well-liked that applicants frequently outnumber openings. Legislators increased the annual budget from the original $15 million to $110 million due to the rising demand.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., filed a bill on Monday that would expand and permanently extend the program, allowing 8,000 veterans to enlist each year.
And that's the way it is for Tuesday, March 28, 2023.
Stay tuned for our next M&G-B, where we will continue to keep you in the loop on all things pertinent to the coronavirus, veterans, active-duty members, guards and reservists, and military family members. Stay happy, and stay healthy!
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