[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 134 (Friday, October 11, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SUPPORT CONCURRENT RECEIPT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 10, 2002

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of concurrent receipt.
  I am proud to be a cosponsor of legislation that would permit 
military retirees to concurrently draw their retired pay and disability 
benefits without an offset to either.
  I firmly believe that retired members of the Armed Forces who are 
eligible for disability compensation should receive both their 
retirement and disability entitlement.
  In fact, military retirees are the only group of federal retirees who 
must waive retirement pay in order to receive VA disability 
compensation. That's unfair and it should be corrected.
  When asked about concurrent receipt, one combat veteran said it best. 
He said, ``When I was flying combat missions in Korea, I knew there was 
a possibility of being shot down, captured, and tortured by the enemy. 
And I was unlucky enough to have that happen. But I never dreamed that 
Uncle Sam would penalize me by making me pay for my own disability 
compensation out of the retired pay I was supposed to have earned for 
my 24 years of military service.''
  Lt. Col. Norman E. Duquette, the person who said that, is one of 
nearly 500,000 disabled military retirees penalized by this unfair 
provisions that stops them from keeping veterans' disability 
compensation and full military retired pay--even though the two have 
entirely different purposes.
  On February 1, 2002, I joined several of my congressional colleagues 
in sending a letter to President Bush requesting that he include in his 
FY 2003 budget request the funds necessary to eliminate the current 
offset between military retired pay and VA disability compensation. 
Unfortunately, when President Bush delivered his FY 2003 budget request 
to Congress on February 4, 2002, funds for implementing concurrent 
receipt for disabled military retirees were not included in it.
  In recent days, President Bush has actually threatened to veto the 
Defense Authorization bill because he opposes fixing the concurrent 
receipt problem. That's why this motion is necessary and so important.
  New Jersey veterans have heard enough excuses. We owe them this for 
their service to our Nation, especially now, as our Nation is calling 
upon the members of the armed forces to defend democracy and freedom.

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