Current Status Bill Number:4675 Type of Legislation:Concurrent Resolution CR Introducing Body:House Introduced Date:19980224 Primary Sponsor:Harrison All Sponsors:Harrison Drafted Document Number:gjk\21254sd.98 Date Bill Passed both Bodies:19980603 Subject:Retirement Systems and Pensions, military longevity pay and service-connected disability, Congress requests receipt of
Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ _______________________________________ _______ ____________ House 19980603 Received from Senate Senate 19980603 Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence Senate 19980602 Recalled from Committee, 08 SG placed on the Calendar Senate 19980318 Introduced, referred to Committee 08 SG House 19980317 Adopted, sent to Senate House 19980312 Committee report: Favorable 24 HIMR House 19980224 Introduced, referred to Committee 24 HIMRView additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.
RECALLED
June 2, 1998
H. 4675
S. Printed 6/2/98--S.
Read the first time March 18, 1998.
TO MEMORIALIZE THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO AMEND THE UNITED STATES CODE TO PERMIT FULL CONCURRENT RECEIPT OF MILITARY LONGEVITY RETIREMENT PAY AND SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY COMPENSATION BENEFITS.
Whereas, over six thousand six hundred thirty-three South Carolinians have given their lives for their country in World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf Conflict, and over forty-one thousand five hundred twenty-four South Carolinians remain living with service-connected disabilities from injuries inflicted on them while they were serving their country; and
Whereas, those servicemen and servicewomen who have chosen to make a career of defending their country are integral to the success of our military forces throughout the world; and
Whereas, currently disabled veterans receive compensation proportionate to the severity of their injuries; and military retirees, who have served at least twenty years, accrue retirement pay based on longevity; and
Whereas, federal legislation has been introduced to amend Title 38 of the United States Code to eliminate an antiquated inequity which still exists in the federal law applicable to retired career service personnel who also receive service-related disability benefits; and
Whereas, under the nineteenth century law, these disabled career service personnel are denied concurrent receipt of full retirement pay and disability compensation benefits; and they must choose receipt of one or the other or waive an amount of retirement pay equal to the amount of disability compensation benefits; and
Whereas, this discrimination unfairly denies disabled military retirees the longevity pay they have earned by their years of devoted patriotism and loyalty to their country; and, in effect, requires them to pay for their own disability compensation benefits; and
Whereas, many retirees in South Carolina and across the nation, were recalled and actually returned to active duty for service in Operation Desert Storm and returned home disabled; but, when these loyal guardsmen and reservists arrived back home, they were not eligible to receive both Veterans Administration disability and retirement pay; and
Whereas no such inequity applies to retired Congress-persons, federal civil service job-holders, or other retirees who are receiving service-related disability benefits; and
Whereas, America's career service-personnel's commitment to their country, in pursuit of national and international goals, must be matched by their own country's allegiance to them for those sacrifices; and
Whereas, a statutory change is required to correct this injustice. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina urge the Congress of the United States to amend the United States Code relating to the computation of retired pay to permit full concurrent receipt of military longevity retired pay and service-connected disability compensation benefits.
Be it further resolved that certified copies of this resolution be forwarded to the presiding officers and the majority and minority leaders of both houses of the Congress of the United States, to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States, to the President of the United States, to the Secretary of Defense, and to each member of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation.