Senator Boxer - Working for Veterans

[paineinthearse]

Received by email. Sen. Boxer actually adopted a suggestion I made, that bill numbers be included in mailings, making it easier to track in Thomas and communicate to others!

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Subject: Senator Boxer - Working for Veterans
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:39:19 -0800

I thought you would be interested in the following message.

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Dear Friend:

I am writing to tell you about two recent actions I have taken
on behalf of America’s veterans. I hope you will contact me if
you have questions about these or any other matters.


- Concurrent Receipt

I am pleased to have joined Senator Harry Reid in introducing a
bill to end the policy that deducts disability payments to
veterans from their military retirement pay. The bill, S.558,
would expand on legislation passed last year that allowed about
40,000 of America’s most severely disabled veterans to collect
both disability and retirement benefits concurrently. Our bill
would permit additional retired members of the military who
have a service-connected disability to receive both disability
compensation and retirement pay and would eliminate the
phase-in period that exists under current law.

The current policy on concurrent receipt prohibits veterans who
receive voluntary retirement pay to also receive disability
benefits - a provision that does not exist for any other type
of federal employee. At a time when we are asking so many in
military service to face the dangers of combat in foreign
nations, we should be looking to offer more benefits to them,
not fewer. I will continue to work with Senator Reid and my
Senate colleagues to end the ban on concurrent receipt.


- Veterans’ Health Care

I recently joined more than 30 Senators in writing to the
leadership of the Senate Budget Committee regarding the budget
for veterans’ health care. In our letter, we outline our
opposition to the Administration’s request to more than double
the drug co-payment for veterans and impose an annual
enrollment fee for middle-income veterans. We also point out
that the Administration’s budget “does not even meet inflation.”

In coming months, you can count on me to stand with our
nation’s veterans in seeking funding for the vital programs
they need to lead healthy and productive lives.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

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For more information on Senator Boxer's record and other
information, please go to: http://www.boxer.senate.gov