April 14 2017

In this issue:

Coast Guard Misses Out on Funding Boost for Defense
Activated Reservists Should Receive Benefits During Deployment
Legislation Creating Vietnam Veterans Day Signed Into Law
VA Budget Reviewed by Subcommittee

Coast Guard Misses Out on Funding Boost for Defense
It has been reported that the Trump Administration will substantially increase the Armed Services (Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force) spending by nine percent in their soon-to-be-released FY 2018 budget request. Apparently the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the only branch of military service that falls under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will not get a similar budget increase. FRA welcomes the administration’s effort to increase spending for the Department of Defense (DoD) but supports equal funding for all of the Sea Services. The USCG plays a critical role in our national defense and deserves the same budget increase. Adequate funding for the Coast Guard is essential to keeping up the morale, maintaining family readiness as well as service-wide USCG readiness.

Members are urged to use the FRA Action Center  online and ask the Trump Administration to provide U.S. Coast Guard funding parity with DoD.  

Activated Reservists Should Receive Benefits During Deployment
Many Reserve Component members (National Guard and Reservists) who have been activated since 2013 may not realize that they are no longer eligible for certain benefits. This was due to a provision inserted into the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by the Pentagon. It wanted to continue to mobilize Reserve Component personnel while also trimming costs from the Defense budget.

Congressman Steven Palazzo (Miss.) and Senator Al Franken (Minn.) have introduced H.R. 1384 and S. 667 respectively, the “Reserve Component Benefits Parity Act,” in an effort to ensure these brave warriors receive all the benefits due to them while they are called up to active duty. This legislation addresses the areas of healthcare (pre and post-mobilization), retirement age reduction, education eligibility for the 9/11 GI Bill, vocational training and pay differentials.

Members are urged to use the FRA Action Center online and ask their legislators to support this legislation.

Legislation Creating Vietnam Veterans Day Signed Into Law
President Donald Trump recently signed legislation into law. The “Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act” (S. 305) sponsored by Senators Pat Toomey (Penn.) and Joe Donnelly (Ind.) establishes March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day. The date was selected because March 29, 1973 was the date that the last combat troops were ordered out of Vietnam. The bill passed the Senate and House unanimously. The law makes March 29 an official day “the flag should be displayed.”

“In many cases, Vietnam veterans did not receive the warm welcome they earned when they came home. Thankfully, in the years following the Vietnam War, people and organizations across the country took it upon themselves to right this wrong by honoring the sacrifice and dedication the service our Vietnam veterans displayed. Permanently designating March 29th as National Vietnam War Veterans Day is a small, yet significant step, in these efforts,” said Sen. Toomey.

“With this bipartisan bill signed into law, we can finally give our Vietnam veterans the additional recognition they deserve. These Americans sacrificed to protect our country. They are our family, friends, and neighbors. It is important to honor and remember their patriotism, service and sacrifice,” said Sen. Donnelly.

FRA thanks Sens. Toomey and Donnelly for their leadership on this bill and their ongoing efforts to support all veterans.

VA Budget Reviewed by Subcommittee
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and related agencies held a hearing to discuss the VA’s FY 2018 budget and advance appropriations for fiscal year 2019. The Trump Administration’s FY 2018 request will not be released until May 2017. The Subcommittee discussed the FY 2018 Independent Budget (IB) co-authored by Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and also supported by FRA.

Subcommittee members all agreed that it is important to eliminate the August 2017 expiration date for the VA Choice Program. There is a remaining balance of $1 billion to be spent helping veterans obtain timely health care. Subcommittee members and witnesses speculated how the FY 2018 budget request will match up with the IB spending recommendations. The FY 2018 VA budget outline that was recently released indicated a six percent increase.  

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