[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 172 (Sunday, November 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HALF A LOAF FOR AMERICA'S DISABLED VETERANS IN ELIMINATING DISABILITY 
                                  TAX

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 21, 2003

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, earlier this session I signed the discharge 
petition to force a vote on legislation that I co-sponsored (H.R. 303) 
which would have repealed altogether an antiquated law from the 1890s 
that prevents disabled veterans from receiving concurrently both 
military retirement and veterans' disability benefits. In response to 
that parliamentary procedure, the Republican Leadership finally 
relented and included a plan in the FY 2004 Defense Authorization 
Conference Report that will be phased in over ten years and would 
provide greater benefits for approximately 245,000 disabled veterans--
only half of those who see their retirement benefits reduced or 
eliminated under current law.
  This is a good step forward and I surely would have voted in favor of 
this plan had it been brought to the House floor as a free-standing 
bill. Unfortunately, the Republican Leadership folded it into the $400 
billion Defense Authorization Conference Report, which I voted against 
for several other reasons. Now that this legislation has been enacted, 
it is incumbent upon this Congress to do more than provide half a loaf. 
We need to pass additional legislation in the next session of Congress 
to cover the remainder of our nation's disabled veterans who are 
unfairly left in the predicament of having to pay this de facto 
``disability tax''.
  On January 21, 2001, President Bush said, ``America's veterans ask 
only that government honor its commitments as they honored theirs. . . 
. In all matters of concern to veterans--from health care to program 
funding --- you have my pledge that those commitments will be kept. My 
Administration will do all it can to assist our veterans and to correct 
oversights of the past.''
  I couldn't agree more. I will actively support additional legislation 
in the next session of this Congress to ensure that none of the 4,263 
veterans in New Jersey who currently receive military retirement 
benefits will have their disability payments reduced commensurately 
because they remain subject to the so-called concurrent receipt 
prohibition.

                          ____________________