| October 9, 2020 |
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Introduction
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Welcome to the official 2020 Virtual Legislative Awareness Week (vLAW) newsletter for Day 6 of the 2020 vLAW. Yesterday, the official theme for the vLAW for "Guard and Reserve Advocacy Day."
If you haven't had a chance to participate in Days 1 through 5 of the 2020vLAW, please do so by clicking here and scroll down until you see the header titled "AFSA vLAW >> DAY ONE - Sunday / October 4: An Overview," and click on the video listed under the header titled "Video Guide."
If you have, please turn your attention to the following content.
Today, the official theme for the vLAW is "Concurrent Receipt Legislation."
AFSA's legislative team is proud to announce that you will have an opportunity to participate in two advocacy campaigns in support of H.R.303, the Retired Pay Restoration Act, H.R.333, the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act, H.R.5995, the Major Richard Star Act, and S.208, the Retired Pay Restoration Act.
To write your elected officials in support of H.R.303, H.R.333, H.R.5995, and S.208, and have an opportunity to win a $10 Starbucks gift card, AFSA hooded sweatshirt, AFSA translucent coffee mug, and AFSA socks, please visit the custom advocacy links placed in the "Call to Action" section of this newsletter.
To learn more about the issue at-large, status of the pieces of legislation, and AFSA's official policy stance, please follow the instructions provided in the "Video Guide and Resource Packet" section of this newsletter.
If you have any additional questions, please reach out to our Legislative Team at milgov3@hqafsa.org.
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Video Guide and Resource Packet
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For each day of the 2020vLAW, our Legislative Team has put together "Resource Packets" that will provide you with all the information you need to successfully navigate the vLAW. Each day of the vLAW has a different theme; and with different themes come different materials. Each "Video Guide" will walk you through those different materials step by step, page by page.
The theme for today is "Concurrent Receipt Legislation."
To watch the official video guide for Day 6 of the vLAW, please click here, scroll down until you see the header titled "AFSA vLAW >> Day SIX - Friday / October 9: Concurrent Receipt Legislation Advocacy Day," and click on the video listed under the header titled "Video Guide."
To read the official Resource Packet for Day 6 of the vLAW, please click here, scroll down until you see the header titled "AFSA vLAW >> Day SIX - Friday / October 9: Concurrent Receipt Legislation Advocacy Day," and click on the Resource Packet to enlarge to fit to screen.
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Call to Action
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Today, our legislative team is urging you to write your elected officials in support of H.R.303, the Retired Pay Restoration Act, H.R.333, the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act, H.R.5995, the Major Richard Star Act, and S.208, the Retired Pay Restoration Act.
For more than 100 years prior to 1999, all disabled military retirees were required to fund their own veterans' disability compensation by forfeiting one dollar of earned retired pay for each dollar received in veterans' disability compensation.
However, in 2003, due to the persistent advocacy efforts over the years by AFSA and our Coalition partners, military retirees with a service-connected disability of at least 50% (as rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs [VA]) have been able to concurrently receive all of their military retirement pay AND all of their VA disability compensation without any offset. Unfortunately, those with disabilities rated below 50% still lose one retirement dollar for each compensation dollar received from the VA.
AFSA believes, as past congressional action affirms, that military retirement pay is provided to service members who have honorably served over a designated period. Alternatively, VA disability compensation is paid for the physical or mental harm that was done to a service member during his/her period of service.
Given the independent purposes that each of these separate programs serve, AFSA believes that military retired pay earned by service and sacrifice should not be reduced, under any circumstance, simply because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for service-connected disability.
To write your elected officials in support of concurrent receipt legislation introduced in the House of Representatives, please visit:
https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/77476/respond
To write your elected officials in support of concurrent receipt legislation introduced in the Senate, please visit:
https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/77478/respond
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Conclusion
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Thank you for participating in Day 6 of the 2020 Virtual Legislative Awareness Week; vLAW for short. Today, you played an integral role in becoming a member of our legislative team by writing your elected officials in support of AFSA sponsored concurrent receipt legislative measures.
Tomorrow is the final day of the 2020 vLAW, and the official theme is "Toxic Exposure & Agent Orange Legislation Advocacy Day."
If you have any additional questions, please reach out to our Legislative Team at milgov3@hqafsa.org.
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