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BUYER AND BURR SEEK TO RADICALLY CHANGE VA
DISABILITY COMPENSATION SYSTEM -- Would have the
VA "determine appropriate amounts of compensation
under
a new, modern disability compensation rating
schedule."
Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN), Ranking
Member on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs is on the left.
On the right is Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member on the
Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. |
by Larry Scott
What we have here is a last-ditch effort by a
lame-duck administration to trash the veterans' disability compensation
system.
It's that plain and simple.
Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN), Ranking Member on the
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC),
Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, are no
friends of veterans.
Buyer's record is especially dismal. More
on Buyer here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=buyer&op=and
The administration has been trying for years to
change the compensation system to save money.
The administration stacked the Veterans'
Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) in hopes of cutting back on
veterans' benefits. But, that backfired when the VDBC final report
was mainly favorable to veterans. That didn't work and now that
report has been shelved. More on the VDBC here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=veter
ans+disability+benefits+commission&op=ph
Then, the Dole-Shalala Commission was ginned-up
to try the same thing. They came close. The Dole-Shalala
recommendations, if implemented, would cause great damage to the veterans'
disability compensation system. More on Dole-Shalala here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=dole+shalala&op=ph
However, the Dole-Shalala recommendations are
stalled in Congress.
So, there's another push to get this done.
And, this time the hatchet-men are Buyer and Burr.
They have introduced nearly-identical legislation
in the House and Senate that, if implemented, would radically alter
disability compensation.
We don't have copies of the bills yet, but we
will get them posted as soon as they hit the Web.
Below we have three items. First is a news
story. Then a press release from Buyer. And, a press release
from Burr.
Things to note:
In the news story Burr admits this would save the
VA money. How can that be done unless fewer vets are rated disabled
and/or fewer disabilities are rated and/or smaller amounts of compensation
are awarded.
And, the burden would be put on the VA to
"determine appropriate amounts of compensation under a new, modern
disability compensation rating schedule." Do you trust the VA to do
that?
It will be interesting to watch the
Democratically-controlled Congress respond to this legislation.
News story here...
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/972179.html
Story below:
-------------------------
Burr hopes to change disability system for vets
By Barbara Barrett, Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Burr introduced
legislation today to change the ratings disability system for veterans,
potentially affecting not only the more than 700,000 veterans in North
Carolina, but also the soldiers and Marines returning from the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Burr, who is the top Republican on the Senate veteran affairs committee,
said he wants to improve an outdated system that hasn’t been changed
substantially in half a century.
“Now’s the time for us to tackle this,” Burr said. “We understand today’s
soldiers have totally different expectations.”
Article continues below:
(use left/right arrows in screen to view more videos)
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Veteran service organizations, though, have held
off on endorsing his bill. And Democratic leaders in Veteran Affairs
committees in Congress say they want to learn more about what’s needed
before making changes to the system.
Similar legislation was introduced today by U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer of
Indiana, the top Republican on the House veteran affairs committee. The
men described their bills this afternoon in a meeting with reporters in
the U.S. Capitol.
Now, veterans must receive disability rankings from both the Department of
Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs – a process that the
lawmakers said often results in disparate ratings and confusion for
veterans.
Burr and Buyer wants to take the defense department out of the ratings
system – except for determining whether a warrior is fit to serve – and
leave all exams and ratings to the veteran affairs agency.
The pair also want to add disability payments to help troops transition
from active duty to veteran status, and to compensate for quality-of-life
issues.
“Consider someone who’s had an amputation,” said Buyer, gripping his right
leg. “How does that change their life? When they get up in the morning,
what does it take for them to get to the restroom? What does it take to
get to work?”
Buyer said the bill could initially cost the federal government more
money, but Burr said he hopes to see long-term savings.
The Department of Veteran Affairs already is conducting a study on
updating the disability system to include quality-of-life issues. Burr’s
and Buyer’s bills require the agency to then develop a new system based on
the results of that study.
Their bills come as the Democrat-controlled committees in both the House
and Senate continue a series of hearings on benefits. The hearings come in
the wake of recommendations by a congressional veterans disability
benefits commission, and by President Bush’s commission on wounded
warriors led by Donna Shalala and Bob Dole.
Under their bills, veterans in the current system could choose whether to
move to the new system or not. The new system would apply to all new
veterans.
“Every day this is not passed, the next person that goes into the system
goes into an antiquated system,” Burr said. “We need to convince our
(Democratic) chairmen that now is the time to act.”
bbarrett@mcclatchydc.com
(202) 383-0012
-------------------------
Buyer's press release here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/hcva08/hcva022808-1.htm
Press release below:
-------------------------
Buyer and Burr Push for Fundamental Improvements
for DOD/VA Disability Systems
For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence, (202) 225-3527
Washington, D.C. —U.S. Representative Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), and U.S.
Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.), today announced similar legislative
measures to make fundamental changes in the way our government compensates
and assists veterans for disabilities attributable to military service.
Buyer introduced the Noble Warrior Act in the House, and Burr introduced
’s Wounded Warrior Act in the Senate. The two bills, which are nearly
identical, were based on the realization that the current Department of
Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability systems
fail to meet the requirement of today’s military personnel and veterans.
“I am honored to be working with my distinguished colleague and good
friend Senator Burr on this important legislation,” Buyer said. “The
military disability retirement system is too complex and cumbersome and it
is unfair to place wounded warriors into such a morass when all they
should have to be concerned with is their families and rehabilitative
therapy. We have heard the call for change and we have heeded that call.”
Problems within the systems were identified by two major commissions: the
President’s Commission on Care for ’s Wounded Warriors, and the Veterans
Disability Benefits Commission. The President’s Commission was a
bipartisan commission co-chaired by former senate majority leader, Bob
Dole, and former secretary of health and human services, Donna Shalala.
The Dole-Shalala Commission was formed to investigate problems at both
Walter Reed Army Medical Center and throughout the military disability
retirement system. The Veterans Disability Benefits Commission, or simply
the Veterans Commission, was created by Congress out of concern for a
variety of issues pertaining to disabled veterans and their families. Both
commissions discovered that injured troops’ greatest concerns involved
navigating the disability retirement system.
“Severely injured servicemembers undergoing emotional and physical pain of
recovery and rehabilitation should not have to endure the added,
unnecessary worry as to whether physical evaluation board determinations
will grant entitlement to certain benefits,” Buyer said. “The Noble
Warrior Act will simplify and streamline the bureaucratic labyrinth that
comprises the disability retirement system.”
Currently, DOD and VA have separate systems that require duplicative
examinations and disability rating decisions. Each department assesses
injured service member’s disability levels, based on different objectives.
Noble Warrior would realign the system so that a single examination and
single determination would suffice for both VA and military purposes. DOD
would retain authority to determine fitness to serve, and VA would perform
the examination and rating decision. Those deemed unfit for service would
receive an annuity from DOD based on rank and years of service, and
eligibility for health and dental coverage. It would have VA conduct a
study to determine appropriate amounts of compensation under a new, modern
disability compensation rating schedule that would reflect average loss of
earning capacity and loss of quality of life. VA would also conduct a
study to determine an appropriate amount and duration of transition
payments to help with expenses as disabled veterans integrate into
civilian life.
“It has been my long-standing view that we must modernize VA and establish
a transition process that is seamless in its efficiency,” Buyer said. “If
we do not promptly address the problems that were identified by the
Commissions, we will merely be passing them off to future generations.”
-------------------------
Burr press release here...
http://burr.senate.gov/public/index.cf
m?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=69140252-4703
-4f49-989f-46acb8f173d7&Month=2&Year=2008
Press release below:
-------------------------
Contact: Chris Walker and Mark Williams
Phone: 202-224-1616
Burr Introduces Veterans Disability Benefits Reform
Brings long overdue modernizations to veterans’ disability system
February 28th, 2008 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Richard Burr, the
Ranking Member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
introduced legislation today that would simplify and modernize the
veterans’ disability system at the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The “America’s Wounded Warriors Act”
would require VA to replace the current outdated VA rating schedule with a
new schedule that takes into account both average loss of earning capacity
and loss of quality of life. It would also create “transition” payments to
help medically discharged veterans, so they can focus on treatment,
rehabilitation, and getting back into the workforce. The bill would
simplify the claims process by ending the duplicative system that requires
all injured veterans to get rated by both VA and the Department of
Defense. These updates provide common sense solutions for today’s veterans
living in the modern world.
“Veterans deserve the best. They deserve a disability system that is
modern, simple, and available to older veterans and future veterans. Right
now, veterans have a confusing, outdated process to get their disability
benefits,” Burr said. “We cannot put this off for another 50 years. Our
veterans deserve a system that is simple, up-to-date, and open to all.”
The legislation would establish a new disability retirement system for
servicemembers deemed unfit for service. It would pay a lifetime annuity
based on rank and years of service, regardless of the level of severity of
the servicemember’s disabilities. Veterans would receive the entire
Department of Defense annuity and any VA disability benefits, ending the
confusing practice of offsetting these payments now. It would also create
a bright-line rule on what benefits a medically discharged servicemember
would receive, regardless of what branch of the military he or she was in.
Lifetime eligibility for health and dental coverage under TRICARE will be
determined after Congressional consideration of a Department of Defense
study. All other existing retirement benefits, such as commissary and
exchange privileges, would be extended to all who retire under the new
system.
Modernization of the VA disability system is the second component to this
legislation. It directs the VA to conduct several studies in relation to a
new modernized disability system and report its findings to Congress.
Studies include determining the appropriate amounts of compensation under
a new, modern disability rating schedule. Additional studies include
determining the appropriate amount and duration of transition payments to
be paid to servicemembers retired due to disability, who are participating
in intensive programs of rehabilitation or who are within three months of
medical retirement from active duty. Additionally, the legislation directs
VA to submit a proposal to Congress detailing the new rating schedule and
transition payment rate structure and the entire proposal would be subject
to an up-or-down vote by Congress. The new system would be open to all
veterans. Recipients of compensation under the old system would have their
disability ratings grandfathered in unless they submit a claim under the
new system.
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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