September 21, 2004
The Honorable John Warner, Chairman
The Honorable Carl Levin, Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Armed Services
W ashington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Warner and Senator Levin:
As you complete your work on the fiscal year 2005 Defense Authorization Act, I urge you to retain my amendment to the defense authorization bill (Section 643), which ends the 10-year phase in period on concurrent receipt benefits for veterans who are 100-percent disabled. This provision was included in the Senate version of the bill, having passed the Senate unanimously.
As you know, in last year's Defense Authorization Act, the Congress established a 10-year phase-in of full concurrent receipt benefits to disabled retired veterans who are between 50-percent to 100-percent disabled. But many of the approximately 30,000 veterans who are 100-percent disabled cannot wait 10 years for their full benefit to be phased-in.
They are the ones that need the most help. Many of these disabled veterans cannot work because of their disability, which creates extreme financial hardships. And, regrettably, many of these brave heroes will not live to the end of this phase-in period because of the severity of their service-connected injuries. We should not make these most severely disabled veterans wait this undue period of time for the relief that they deserve.
As our nation again calls upon members of the military to protect our freedom, we must show that our government takes care of those that have sacrificed for our nation. We have an opportunity to show our gratitude to these remarkable men and women who have given so much for this great nation. I respectfully urge you to maintain the Senate position, and include Section 643 in the Defense Authorization Conference.
Sincerely,
HARRY REID
United States Senator