Combat-Related Special Compensation Act of 2007

Mr. President, before I introduce my legislation, The Combat Related Special Compensation Act of 2007, I would like to briefly talk about the unfair treatment and the deplorable health care conditions found at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I feel that the current situation there has some bearing on my legislation.

Walter Reed is one of the Army's best-known and premier medical facilities for wounded service members in the country. Numerous reports by the Government Accounting Office and transcripts of congressional testimony

indicate that many of our military facilities for wounded outpatients are in disarray. These facilities are plagued by mold, mice, stained carpets, and a system ill equipped to handle another generation of psychologically scarred veterans.

Nearly 4,000 outpatients are currently in the military's Medical Holding companies, which oversee the wounded. Soldiers and veterans across the country report bureaucratic neglect similar to Walter Reed's: untrained staff; misplaced paperwork; lost computer generated medical appointments; and long waits for consultations. These serious problems have resulted from bureaucratic red tape and substandard health care conditions. This situation is unacceptable. We have not fulfilled our covenant, nor have we kept our promise to take care of our troops.

Our dedicated service members took an oath to serve our Nation. We as policy makers have a moral obligation to take care of these dedicated service men and women that have shown heroic patriotism in Afghanistan and Iraq.

``As described in the Washington Post'', It is not just a problem at Walter Reed: others describe depressing living conditions for outpatients at military bases throughout the country. Let me share with you the comments of a 70-year-old soldier, Mr. Oliva, who is worried about the military health care our wounded will receive. He described his own troubling experiences at the VA hospital in Livermore, CA.

``It is not just Walter Reed,'' Mr. Oliva states. ``The VA hospitals are not good either except for the staff members who work so hard. It brings tears to my eyes when I see my brothers and sisters having to deal with these conditions.''

Mr. Oliva is but one voice in a vast outpouring of emotion and anger about the treatment of wounded outpatients at Walter Reed. Stories of neglect and substandard care have flooded in from soldiers, their family members, veterans, doctors and nurses working inside the system. This is appalling and an embarrassment to our Nation.

I am particularly concerned that some of the highest ranking officials were aware of the problem for almost two years, but took no action to correct the situation. While we have seen some positive signs from the fallout over the scandal, such as the firing of the head of Walter Reed and the establishment of a bipartisan commission, more must be done.

Our soldiers receive first class care in combat, and they should receive the same level of care in our own country. Congress must lead the way in this effort. We must continue our efforts and pass legislation that will improve the quality of life for all of America's heroes, including providing them with the benefits they have earned.

Today, I join with many of my Senate colleagues to fight and end the ban on current receipt so that disabled veterans can get the fair benefits they deserve. We have made some progress over the last few years, but as everyone knows, we still have a lot of work to do.

The legislation I am introducing today--the Combat-Related Special Compensation Act of 2007, would continue to chip away at this unfair policy, by giving pro-rated retirement benefits to our service men and women who are forced into early retirement because of their combat- related injuries.

Our veterans on a day-to-day basis sacrifice their life for our country. As public servants, we Americans owe it to our dedicated service men and women to end this inequity. We must support our troops; we must ensure that those who serve us with dignity and valor receive these deserving benefits. They have earned it and they deserve it.

My legislation will take care of soldiers who had hoped to make the military a career, but were discharged prematurely for an injury sustained in combat and forced to retire medically before attaining 20 years of service.

Like many of you, I have visited military hospitals on several occasions and have seen first hand the injuries sustained by our military personnel. Many of the members have reached the 10-, 12-, 14- year marks of their military careers and have been forced to retire medically before they meet the 20-year requirement to receive full benefits. Right now, these soldiers receive combat-related disability benefits, but are not eligible to receive retirement benefits because they cannot fulfill the 20-year service requirement.

This is a travesty to treat our dedicated service men and women inequitably. It's wrong.

We should not penalize veterans because they incurred a combat- related injury while serving their country. This legislation will ensure they will receive both their prorated military retirement pay, along with their disability compensation.

Let me point out that this legislation is especially important given the injuries sustained by these troops that are currently serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other theaters throughout the world. This legislation is essential for the more than 23,000 injured personnel who are returning from war. The widespread use of improvised explosive devices (IED) has created numerous amputees and therefore, result in an increase in medically discharged veterans. As described in stories reported by the Washington Post, a 25-year-old soldier got to close to an IED in Iraq and was sent to Walter Reed, where doctors did all they could before shipping the soldier to the VA for the remainder of his life. Will this young soldier be one of the victims of war that do not receive disability compensation and military retirement pay?

Mr. President, ensuring our veterans receive retirement benefits they have earned is the right thing to do, especially in light of recent issues surrounding the treatment of patients at Walter Reed. We must never forget the sacrifices our service men and women have made to protect our freedom. They serve because they love this great country. Taking care of our veterans is not only the right thing to do; it is also important for our efforts to win the war on terror. In our all- volunteer military, it is critical to attract and retain professional and dedicated soldiers. In turn, they expect that we will honor our commitments to provide health care and other primary benefits for them and their families.

By ending this unfair policy, we now have an opportunity to show our gratitude to our veterans. If we are to truly honor the sacrifices of our veterans, we need to ensure that those who were injured in defense of our Nation receive these well deserved benefits.

While our Nation is at war, there is no better honor we could bestow upon them than to pass this legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of this legislation be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, before I introduce my legislation, The Combat Related Special Compensation Act of 2007, I would like to briefly talk about the unfair treatment and the deplorable health care conditions found at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I feel that the current situation there has some bearing on my legislation.

Walter Reed is one of the Army's best-known and premier medical facilities for wounded service members in the country. Numerous reports by the Government Accounting Office and transcripts of congressional testimony

indicate that many of our military facilities for wounded outpatients are in disarray. These facilities are plagued by mold, mice, stained carpets, and a system ill equipped to handle another generation of psychologically scarred veterans.

Nearly 4,000 outpatients are currently in the military's Medical Holding companies, which oversee the wounded. Soldiers and veterans across the country report bureaucratic neglect similar to Walter Reed's: untrained staff; misplaced paperwork; lost computer generated medical appointments; and long waits for consultations. These serious problems have resulted from bureaucratic red tape and substandard health care conditions. This situation is unacceptable. We have not fulfilled our covenant, nor have we kept our promise to take care of our troops.

Our dedicated service members took an oath to serve our Nation. We as policy makers have a moral obligation to take care of these dedicated service men and women that have shown heroic patriotism in Afghanistan and Iraq.

``As described in the Washington Post'', It is not just a problem at Walter Reed: others describe depressing living conditions for outpatients at military bases throughout the country. Let me share with you the comments of a 70-year-old soldier, Mr. Oliva, who is worried about the military health care our wounded will receive. He described his own troubling experiences at the VA hospital in Livermore, CA.

``It is not just Walter Reed,'' Mr. Oliva states. ``The VA hospitals are not good either except for the staff members who work so hard. It brings tears to my eyes when I see my brothers and sisters having to deal with these conditions.''

Mr. Oliva is but one voice in a vast outpouring of emotion and anger about the treatment of wounded outpatients at Walter Reed. Stories of neglect and substandard care have flooded in from soldiers, their family members, veterans, doctors and nurses working inside the system. This is appalling and an embarrassment to our Nation.

I am particularly concerned that some of the highest ranking officials were aware of the problem for almost two years, but took no action to correct the situation. While we have seen some positive signs from the fallout over the scandal, such as the firing of the head of Walter Reed and the establishment of a bipartisan commission, more must be done.

Our soldiers receive first class care in combat, and they should receive the same level of care in our own country. Congress must lead the way in this effort. We must continue our efforts and pass legislation that will improve the quality of life for all of America's heroes, including providing them with the benefits they have earned.

Today, I join with many of my Senate colleagues to fight and end the ban on current receipt so that disabled veterans can get the fair benefits they deserve. We have made some progress over the last few years, but as everyone knows, we still have a lot of work to do.

The legislation I am introducing today--the Combat-Related Special Compensation Act of 2007, would continue to chip away at this unfair policy, by giving pro-rated retirement benefits to our service men and women who are forced into early retirement because of their combat- related injuries.

Our veterans on a day-to-day basis sacrifice their life for our country. As public servants, we Americans owe it to our dedicated service men and women to end this inequity. We must support our troops; we must ensure that those who serve us with dignity and valor receive these deserving benefits. They have earned it and they deserve it.

My legislation will take care of soldiers who had hoped to make the military a career, but were discharged prematurely for an injury sustained in combat and forced to retire medically before attaining 20 years of service.

Like many of you, I have visited military hospitals on several occasions and have seen first hand the injuries sustained by our military personnel. Many of the members have reached the 10-, 12-, 14- year marks of their military careers and have been forced to retire medically before they meet the 20-year requirement to receive full benefits. Right now, these soldiers receive combat-related disability benefits, but are not eligible to receive retirement benefits because they cannot fulfill the 20-year service requirement.

This is a travesty to treat our dedicated service men and women inequitably. It's wrong.

We should not penalize veterans because they incurred a combat- related injury while serving their country. This legislation will ensure they will receive both their prorated military retirement pay, along with their disability compensation.

Let me point out that this legislation is especially important given the injuries sustained by these troops that are currently serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other theaters throughout the world. This legislation is essential for the more than 23,000 injured personnel who are returning from war. The widespread use of improvised explosive devices (IED) has created numerous amputees and therefore, result in an increase in medically discharged veterans. As described in stories reported by the Washington Post, a 25-year-old soldier got to close to an IED in Iraq and was sent to Walter Reed, where doctors did all they could before shipping the soldier to the VA for the remainder of his life. Will this young soldier be one of the victims of war that do not receive disability compensation and military retirement pay?

Mr. President, ensuring our veterans receive retirement benefits they have earned is the right thing to do, especially in light of recent issues surrounding the treatment of patients at Walter Reed. We must never forget the sacrifices our service men and women have made to protect our freedom. They serve because they love this great country. Taking care of our veterans is not only the right thing to do; it is also important for our efforts to win the war on terror. In our all- volunteer military, it is critical to attract and retain professional and dedicated soldiers. In turn, they expect that we will honor our commitments to provide health care and other primary benefits for them and their families.

By ending this unfair policy, we now have an opportunity to show our gratitude to our veterans. If we are to truly honor the sacrifices of our veterans, we need to ensure that those who were injured in defense of our Nation receive these well deserved benefits.

While our Nation is at war, there is no better honor we could bestow upon them than to pass this legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of this legislation be printed in the Record.