What the 2008 defense authorization bill means for you

[CommunityEditor]

The 2008 military pay and benefits plan approved by Congress would — if enacted — tackle past, present and future needs.

In terms of the past, lawmakers took big steps in the 2008 defense authorization bill to close gaps in benefits coverage for disabled military retirees who were left out of previous initiatives to allow concurrent receipt of full military retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation.

Lawmakers also took a small but symbolic step toward allowing eligible survivors to get their full share of both benefits.

To address current needs, the bill, HR 1585, would include an all-ranks pay raise slightly higher than private-sector wage growth. The 3.5 percent raise, effective Jan. 1, was approved over White House and Pentagon objections that an extra half-percentage point increase is overly generous.

Joseph Barnes, executive director of the Fleet Reserve Association and co-chairman of the Military Coalition, a group of more than 30 military-related advocacy groups, said the bigger pay raise “is very important, as it sends a strong message about the value of military service.”

Several initiatives are aimed at trying to reduce or eliminate differences in active and reserve benefits, such as education benefits and housing allowances.

Lawmakers also continued to block a Pentagon initiative to pass along a larger portion of rising health care costs to people who use the military’s Tricare health insurance plan. Under the bill, for at least another year there would be no hikes in enrollment fees, deductibles or co-pays for Tricare insurance or pharmacy benefits.

Lawmakers have set the stage for a major overhaul of bonuses and special and incentive pays to take effect in 2009. The plan has two parts: streamlining benefits to reduce confusion, and giving the services more flexibility to set eligibility rules and payments to ensure the incentives stay competitive.

Congressional negotiators agreed on details of the bill Dec. 6, and the House approved the measure Dec. 12. Senate leaders promised to get the bill to the White House for Bush’s signature before Christmas. While there had been warnings that the bill could be vetoed for a variety of reasons, disagreements between the White House and Congress appear to be resolved.

Retired Air Force Col. Steve Strobridge, government relations director for the Military Officers Association of America, said the 2008 pay plan “has just a ton of initiatives that provide a lot of help.

“The range of initiatives is as broad as any bill I have seen in a decade,” he said. “I think it has been an excellent year. Congress deserves a lot of credit for making progress on a lot of fronts.”

Barnes, a retired Navy master chief, said the bill may not do everything that military groups sought on behalf of active, reserve and retired service members and their families, but “it is huge.”

A rundown of the major pay and benefits initiatives in the bill:

Editor's Note: Click the "Full Article" link below for information on the below topics --

Basic pay
Thrift Savings Plan deductions
BAH for reservists
Temporary Lodging Expenses
Income replacement
Bonus/special pay extensions
Hardship-duty pay
Sea pay for LCS crews
Nuclear officer continuation bonus
Reserve re-enlistment bonus
Critical skills retention bonus
Medical bonus increases
Assignment incentive pay
Drill travel allowance
Funeral travel
Concurrent receipt
Reserve retirement
Commissary/exchange privileges
Excess leave
Parental deployment deferral
GI Bill for reservists
Tricare fees
Pharmacy co-pays
Survivors’ allowance
Death gratuity beneficiary


Full article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/1...thpay_071223a/