[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4911]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              MILITARY RETIREE DISLOCATION ASSISTANCE ACT

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                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 27, 2003

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce 
a common sense piece of legislation to help our military personnel 
preparing to retire. As my colleagues know, service members and their 
families will move many times in a typical military career. These 
permanent changes of station or PCS often involve considerable 
additional expense, including the loss of rental deposits, connecting 
and disconnecting utilities, and wear and tear on household goods.
  To help defray these additional costs, Congress in 1955 adopted the 
payment of a special allowance--a dislocation allowance. This was done 
to recognize that duty station changes and resultant household 
relocations are due to the personnel management decisions of the armed 
forces and not the individual service members. This amount was 
increased in 1986 and again in recent years. This is an important 
benefit for our military members.
  However, as important as this benefit is, there is a category of 
service members who are not eligible to receive the dislocation 
allowance--the military retiree. This is despite the fact a vast number 
are subject to the same expenses as their active duty counterpart. In 
August 2000, the Marine Corps Sergeant Major Symposium recommended the 
payment of dislocation allowances to retiring members, who in the 
opinion of the Sergeants Major, bear the same financial consequences on 
relocating as those still on active service.
  When active duty military members retire they must often seek 
employment not knowing what opportunities exist in the civilian world, 
where those opportunities are located, what the pay will be, or what 
possibilities are available for spousal employment. They are sometimes 
faced with prospective employers who offer less wages knowing they are 
in receipt of retirement pay, and falsely believing that retirees don't 
need the same salary as civilians for the same position. Additionally, 
the new retiree will have to meet the same financial demands for 
mortgages, insurance, taxes, and food but on a smaller income.
  For those reasons, I am reintroducing the Military Retiree 
Dislocation Assistance Act. This legislation would help ease the 
transition into retirement by amending 37 U.S.C. 407 to authorize the 
payment of a dislocation allowance to all members of the armed forces 
retiring or transferring to an inactive duty status such as the Fleet 
Reserve or Fleet Marine Reserve. The vast majority of these new 
retirees have given our Nation over 20 years of dedicated service. They 
have helped protect the very freedoms we all hold dear. Rather than 
simply pushing them out the door upon retirement, we should reward 
their service by providing modest assistance for their final change of 
station move. That is exactly what the Military Retiree Dislocation 
Assistance Act does.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge 
the Fleet Reserve Association for their outstanding work on this 
initiative. I am an honorary shipmate of the FRA and proud to be so 
because of their steadfast commitment to the men and women of the 
military services, in particular the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard 
family. FRA spent considerable time and effort towards the introduction 
and reintroduction of the Military Retiree Dislocation Assistance Act 
and I look forward to continuing our work together to see this 
important legislation enacted.

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