VFW Denounces Survey on Military Benefits; What do You Think?

This week Stars & Stripes reported that a defense think tank, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, was looking to conduct a survey of current and former military service members to gather data on which benefits remain top priorities for those who volunteer to serve. The survey comes in the wake of announcements from Department of Defense officials that personnel benefits and programs – particularly retirement pensions and health care – could face potential cuts in the coming years. The VFW has vowed to fight these potential cuts at all costs.

After reading through the CSBA survey, VFW leaders balked at the tone of the questions, which asked participants to rate certain military benefits over others, and then determine the kinds of benefit packages that would be preferable to service members in the future. The survey also asked for pointed demographic information such as service branch, years active, overseas deployments, and age. The VFW is discouraging its members from participating in the survey, since the data will likely be used as an endorsement of certain benefit cuts by service members, themselves.

“Our military men and women have earned these benefits through their honorable wartime service over the last decade, and the VFW is insulted that these same men and women would now be asked to put their heads in a noose by tacitly admitting cuts to their earned benefits are somehow acceptable,” said VFW Legislative Director Ray Kelley. “The VFW does not accept the notion that cuts to personnel programs and benefits are the only viable solution. We have an obligation to provide for our war-fighters and their loved ones, and the VFW will not let Congress or the Pentagon shirk that obligation.”

Kelley went on to say that the survey’s pointed questions on specific cuts and proposed changes actually pit different demographic groups of service members and veterans against each other – enlisted versus officer, retiree versus separated service member, or even young versus old – by asking questions like whether a one-time pay raise would be worth deferring all retiree benefits until 65.

“These kinds of questions are loaded from the beginning,” said Kelley. “Since 92 percent of military men and women choose to leave before retirement, the likely answer will favor a pay raise, which would essentially endorse cutting benefits for those who choose career military service. We shouldn't be asked to choose one over the other.”

At first glance, the survey looks like it offers service members and veterans a voice in the debate on potential cuts to the DoD budget. However, the VFW believes that the CSBA has already made up its mind that quality-of-life cuts are on the way, and data compiled from the survey will offer a military endorsement to move forward with specific recommendations.

In testimony before the House Budget Committee in 2010, CSBA equated military personnel benefit costs to pension costs for companies like General Motors. Though the testimony did not recommend specifics, the tone implied that providing for the needs of war-fighters was a wasteful venture for the Pentagon.

The VFW was the first major veterans organization to see these kinds of cuts on the horizon as part of last summer’s “10 for 10” campaign. Since the program’s roll-out, VFW leaders have consistently sought input from VFW members and veterans around the country, calling to preserve earned military and veterans’ benefits.

"Service members and veterans already have a voice in this debate, and they've consistently used that voice to say 'no' to proposed benefit cuts through advocates like the VFW and through direct outreach to Congressional offices," said Kelley. "We’ll do everything in our power to make sure their voices continue to be heard over the voices of those looking for a quick fix."

VFW is in the process of assessing the military retirement system and plans to make recommendations that can start a conversation on cost savings while maintaining the integrity of the system. The VFW wants to demonstrate that the Pentagon may actually be able to offer improved benefits for military personnel and at the same time save money simply by implementing smarter business practices. Be on the look-out for these specific recommendations in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, we want to know what you think about proposed changes to military benefits and which courses of action would be the most responsible. Take our short poll and please leave your comments below.

What should Congress do about military retirement benefits?

Keep earned benefits the same. Find savings elsewhere.Keep benefits the same, but defer all pensions to 65Keep the 20-year system, but offer some benefits for non-career serviceChange over to a 401(k)-style system for allIncrease pay, but cut all benefitsOther (details in comments)

pollcode.com free polls

VFW Reacts to Pentagon Budget Priorities

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta unveiled the Pentagon’s budget priorities this week for fiscal year 2013, reflecting the Administration’s calls for a leaner, more agile force as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down. In light of pledges from the Pentagon to ensure that the U.S. military remains a lethal and effective force, VFW leaders voiced their concerns over proposed cuts that could dilute the quality of America’s military and possibly threaten the continued viability of the all-volunteer force.

The Defense Department is expected to request $525 billion as a baseline budget for FY2013, with an additional $88.4 billion for overseas contingencies; $6 billion and $27 billion less, respectively, than FY 2012. Five key strategies for DoD include driving the future military force, which will be smaller and leaner; repositioning with more emphasis on Asia-Pacific and the Middle East; strengthening through better alliances and partnerships; and developing an extremely agile and deadly force, which will be second-to-none in technology and capability.

Some key priorities and choices that could be made over the next five years include:

• To reduce the active Army from 570,000 to 490,000 soldiers, and the active Marine Corps from 202,000 to 182,000.
• To reduce the number of Air Force tactical air squadrons from 60 to 54, but maintain the current bomber fleet, as well as the Navy’s 11 aircraft carriers, 10 air wings and big-deck amphibious fleet.
• To fund a new bomber, increase cruise missile capacity in future Virginia-class submarines, and increase investments in cyber capabilities, special operations, homeland missile defense, countering weapons of mass destruction, and projecting power into denied areas.
• To provide service members full pay raises in 2013 and 2014, but begin limiting increases starting in 2015.
• To ask Congress to conduct a comprehensive review of the military retirement system, while grandfathering all current retirees and service members into the existing system.
• To recommend increases in healthcare fees, co-pays and deductibles for military retirees using a tiered approach, based on their retired pay, as well as create a TRICARE for Life enrollment fee for retirees age 65 and older. Exempt would be medical retirees and survivors of those who died on active duty.

In response to the announcement, VFW leaders said they continue to be wary of plans to change the current military retirement system and potentially saddle military retirees with higher health care costs.

“We are pleased to continually hear pledges from the White House and Pentagon that retirees and those serving in uniform today will be grandfathered under the old system, but our concern is for tomorrow's recruit,” said VFW Executive Director Bob Wallace. “Asking someone to first donate 20 or more years of their youth in return for the immediate receipt of a modest retirement pay is a contract, which cannot be compared with any civilian occupation or retirement plan. We are concerned, however, that by introducing civilian retirement plans into a military world it has zero in common with, could signal the end of the all-volunteer force. A lot of trial balloons have been floated, so we have to wait for details.”

Traditionally, only eight percent of America’s military men and women serve until retirement age. With already low retention of career service members, the VFW is concerned that too many new proposed incentives for highly-trained and highly-qualified leaders to leave the military early could thin the force to such an extent that the last person standing, not the best qualified, could serve as the next service chief or senior enlisted leader. Plus, too many incentives to leave could also mean a watered down G.I. Bill for veterans.

VFW leaders went on to say that increasing enrollment fees and copayments while reducing services for retirees is a breach of faith with all who choose to serve; a sentiment the VFW has consistently voiced since launching the “10 for 10” campaign against military and veterans’ benefits cuts last summer.

When discussions of an overhaul to the military retirement first surfaced, the VFW polled readers on this blog about their inclinations to serve a full career with watered-down retirement benefits. The results, which can be viewed here, indicated to VFW leaders that such changes would threaten the continued viability of the all-volunteer force by incentivizing the best and brightest to leave early in their military careers.

Your VFW will continue to fight against these proposals, ensuring that America’s military remains strong and sustainable for future generations. Keep posted to this blog for updates.

(Image: Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, brief the press on major budget decisions stemming from the defense strategic guidance at the Pentagon, Jan. 26, 2012. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley.)

VFW Hosts Libyan Delegation to Discuss Caring For Vets

The VFW Washington Office this week hosted a six-member delegation from the transitional government of Libya to explain how the United States cares for her veterans. The delegation, comprised of members of Libya's National Economic Development Board, is participating in a 10-day visit to the United States, in coordination with the U.S. State Department, to learn how Libya might establish new governmental systems to care for those who fought and were injured in the recent rebellion that toppled their former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.

In addition to meeting with government officials from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the delegation sought out the advice of the VFW, the nation’s largest organization of combat veterans, to learn how advocates view the landscape of veterans’ services, and ways in which an organized veterans’ community can work to ensure those who are injured in battle receive the care and services they need to lead productive lives once the war ends.

VFW Executive Director Bob Wallace said he was encouraged by the steps Libya’s interim government has taken to quickly address the needs of their war wounded.

“The fact that you are here shows how serious you are about taking care of your warfighters,” said Wallace. “This won’t be an easy task, but the VFW is happy to assist in any way we can.”

During the meeting, Wallace and his staff discussed the evolution of veterans’ organizations and veterans’ services in the United States since the VFW's founding in 1899, with special focus on health care and transitional needs of those who served in harm’s way, but who must now readjust to life after war.

The Libyan delegates said they faced two critical challenges in caring for those who fought in the revolution. First, those who comprised the rebellion against Gaddafi were not formally aligned with an organized military entity, meaning no formal paper trail can connect them to the battlefield. Second, those who fought in Gaddafi’s Army are still Libyans, and many may have been forced to fight against their will, prompting questions about benefits to which they should or might be entitled.

VFW Deputy Service Director Jerry Manar correlated the rebels’ paperwork dilemma to that facing Filipino citizens who took up arms to fight the Japanese alongside U.S. forces during World War II. After the war, Filipinos had the opportunity to prove their status through corroborating evidence to receive veterans’ benefits from the United States, but the window for establishing veterans' status closed shortly afterward.

The Libyan delegation concluded that their first action should be providing care for those who were wounded in battle. Reconciliation among Libyans could wait for a new formal government, but now the healing for those who suffered during the war must begin.

VFW leaders said the session was productive and inspiring, and that the VFW looks forward to working with Libya’s fledgling government to help ensure that they properly care for their brave citizens who help to free Libya.

(Image: VFW leaders pose for a photo in Omar E. Ketchum Hall at the VFW's Washington office alongside delegates from the interim Libyan government after this week's meeting to discuss veterans' issues. VFW photo.)

VFW Joins VA to Help Veterans Find Jobs

The VFW this week participated in a veterans’ career fair hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Thousands of veterans of all eras, services and ranks converged on the convention center to apply and interview for more than 6,500 jobs across private industry and government. Many of the veterans were conducting their first job search after separating or retiring from the military.

The career fair provided an opportunity for employers to explain their industry and to collect resumes and conduct on site interviews. The VA helped veterans polish their resumes and interviewing skills, and veterans' organizations like the VFW were on-hand to help inform veterans about their VA benefits, and to help them navigate the complicated VA claims process.

At the VFW's booth were VFW service officers Chance Sizemore and John Steiner, and VFW Deputy Legislative Director Ryan Gallucci. They spoke to hundreds of veterans about their earned VA benefits and about the mission of the VFW to protect these government programs and services. Steiner called it one of the most dynamic and constructive career fairs he had ever witnessed.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and other key leaders from the VA and the Departments of Labor and Defense participated in the career fair, which was held as part of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s “Joining Forces” campaign to provide services and raise awareness on issues of importance to America's military families.

With the end of the conflict in Iraq and announced 2014 drawdown of forces in Afghanistan, the VFW has made veterans’ employment a top priority, especially with recent proposals for a leaner active duty military.

Last year the VFW scored a major legislative victory with the passage of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which creates an environment more conducive to hiring veterans. VFW leaders in Washington will continue to monitor the veterans’ employment situation closely, and continue to make sound recommendations to Congress on how to improve transitional and employment services to America’s veterans.

(Images: Top: Thousands of veterans converged on the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., for a career fair hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Bottom: VFW Deputy Legislative Director Ryan Gallucci speaks with a Marine Corps veteran during the career fair. Photos courtesy of the Department of Veterans Affairs.)

We’re Back, and Looking for Your Stories in the New Year

With Congress still on recess, the work hasn’t stopped for the VFW’s office on Capitol Hill. This week, we returned from the New Years break and hit the ground running to promote the VFW’s legislative priority goals in anticipation of the second session of the 112th Congress.

With almost 470 representatives and senators up for reelection this November, now is the perfect time to reach out to them in their home districts and educate them on issues critical to the veterans’ community. With this in mind, the VFW’s Capitol Hill blog would like to hear from you as you interact with your elected officials to promote the VFW’s legislative priority goals, and to discuss military and veterans’ issues.

Whether you’re meeting face-to-face, attending events, hosting town hall meetings, or attending forums in your area, please send us your photos and information on these events, such as “who, what, when, where and why” for consideration to be published on the blog. We are not looking for photos from political rallies or campaign work; we are looking to highlight the work of the VFW to inform those serving in public office about veterans’ issues.

Our blog has the ability to reach more than 2 million members of the VFW, and thousands more veterans’ advocates, all of whom are interested in making a difference for veterans. However, our voice on Capitol Hill is only as strong as the voice of VFW advocates in Congressional districts across the country. We designed this blog to help share your stories, as well, making sure that we reach our members of Congress and ensure they make the right decisions when it comes to our service members, veterans and their families.

Thanks to the work of our advocates in 2011, we successfully passed comprehensive veterans’ employment legislation with the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, and protected key benefits like TRICARE for Life and presumptive service connected conditions. We also sent a stern message to Congress that we will protect military and veterans’ benefits at all costs with the roll-out of the “10 for 10” campaign. In 2012, we hope to build on these successes, and we hope you will join us in that mission.

To share your photos and stories, submit them electronically to vfwac@vfw.org, and continue to follow this blog, highlighting our day-to-day work protecting our service members, veterans and their loved ones.