[House Document 114-30]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




114th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - House Document 114-30
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RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE MILITARY COMPENSATION AND RETIREMENT 
                        MODERNIZATION COMMISSION

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                     THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

NOTIFICATION THAT THE ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTS SPECIFIC PROPOSALS FOR 10 
  OF THE COMMISSION'S 15 RECOMMENDATIONS, EITHER AS PROPOSED OR WITH 
                             MODIFICATIONS

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


May 1, 2015.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the Committee 
              on Armed Services and ordered to be printed
                                   ______

                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

49-011                         WASHINGTON : 2015               
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
To the Congress of the United States:
    My Administration fully supports the underlying objectives 
of the recommendations that the Military Compensation and 
Retirement Modernization Commission (the ``Commission'') 
offered in January. These recommendations represent an 
important step forward in protecting the long-term viability of 
the All-Volunteer Force, improving quality-of-life for service 
members and their families, and ensuring the fiscal 
sustainability of the military compensation and retirement 
systems.
    As I directed in my letter of March 30, my team has worked 
with the Commission to further analyze the recommendations and 
identify areas of agreement. At this time I am prepared to 
support specific proposals for 10 of the Commission's 15 
recommendations, either as proposed or with modifications that 
have been discussed among the Department of Defense, other 
agencies, and the Commission. These include the following:
     Survivor Benefit Plan
     Financial Education
     Medical Personnel Readiness
     Department of Defense and Department of Veterans 
Affairs Collaboration
     Child Care
     Service Member Education
     Transition Assistance
     Nutritional Financial Assistance
     Dependent Space-Available Travel
     Report on Military Connected Dependents
    In some instances, the Department of Defense is already 
taking actions to implement these recommendations, and I will 
direct the Department to develop plans to complete this 
implementation. In those areas where legislation is required, I 
expect the Secretary of Defense to transmit to the Congress on 
my behalf the relevant legislative proposals, which I recommend 
be enacted without delay.
    With respect to the remaining recommendations, given their 
complexity and our solemn responsibility to ensure that any 
changes further the objectives above, we will continue working 
with the Commission to understand how the following proposals 
would affect the All-Volunteer Force:
     Blended Retirement System
     Reserve Component Duty Statuses
     Exceptional Family Member's Support
     Commissary and Exchange Consolidation
    I believe there is merit in all of these recommendations 
and that they deserve careful consideration and study. I will 
ensure that the Congress is kept apprised of this ongoing work.
    Finally, I agree with the Commission that we need to 
continue to improve the military health care system. The health 
care reforms proposed in my Fiscal Year 2016 Budget are a good 
first step and offer service members, retirees, and their 
families more control and choice over their health care 
decisions. This remains a critical issue, and my Administration 
will work with the Commission and interested Members of 
Congress in the coming months to develop additional reform 
proposals for consideration as part of my Fiscal Year 2017 
Budget.

                                                      Barack Obama.
    The White House, April 30, 2015.

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