[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5899]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      RETIRED PAY RESTORATION ACT

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I rise today in support of S. 170, the 
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2001.
  S. 170 permits retired members of the Armed Forces who have a 
service-connected disability to receive both military retired pay by 
reasons of their years of military service and disability compensation 
from the Department of Veterans Affairs for their disability.
  Currently, a retired military member will have his or her retirement 
pay offset dollar for dollar when they receive disability compensation 
from the Veterans Administration. This law is 110 years old and it is 
long overdue for change.
  The military retirement pay is earned over one's career for 
longevity, while the VA disability compensation is for a different 
reason altogether--sustaining an injury while in the service. These are 
two completely separate issues and military members have suffered over 
the years by having their retirement pay reduced. The Retired Pay 
Restoration Act of 2001 will correct this deficiency.
  We owe our freedom to those who wore our country's military uniforms. 
We must honor our commitment to those who served in the military. This 
year is the time to overturn the provision in the 110 year-old law that 
prohibits military retirees from receiving concurrent receipt of full 
military retirement pay along with VA disability compensation. 
Entitling these people to receive both retirement pay and disability 
compensation without any deduction is the right thing to do It is not a 
hand out; it is something they deserve and earned for serving our 
country honorably.
  I encourage my colleagues to support S. 170.

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