Weekly newsletter of the Fleet Reserve Association

February 16 2018

In this issue

Proposed DoD/VA Budgets 
DoD Plan to Refund Combat-Injured Veterans Pay
DoD /VA Partner with Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Staff Accused of Expensing VA Secretary's Wife's Travel 
FRA Meet with VA Assistant Secretary, Ops. Security & Preparedness

Proposed DoD/VA Budgets
President Trump proposed a $4.4 trillion FY2019 budget to Congress.  The President requested a $74 billion increase in the Department of Defense (DoD) spending to rebuild the military.  The Navy would get $151.4 billion, along with $13.7 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations. This is a sharp increase above the 2018 $7.17 billion level for war funding. The request is a 7 percent increase or $12.6 billion more than fiscal 2018.  The request also provides a 2.6 percent pay increase for active duty, which equals the Employment Cost Index (ECI). The proposed budget increases active duty end strength by 24,100 and 1,800 Reserve Component end strength.  The active-duty Navy would increase by 7,500 to 335,400 sailors. The Marine Corps would increase by 100 personnel to a total of 186,100.

The proposed budget requests investing $10.5 billion in facilities for fiscal 2019, a 7 percent increase from President Trump's fiscal 2018 request. The increase would be used to improve operational and training facilities like airfields, training ranges, schools, barracks and medical facilities. The Pentagon is not asking for any TRICRAE fee increases or for any Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). The military has asked Congress to create BRAC in the past several budget requests, which has faced serious opposition.

NVSO Chris Slawinski and ADVP Brian Condon attended a FY 2019 budget briefing at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The overall VA budget increases $12.1 billion, a more than 6 percent increase compared to FY2018. The budget proposal also calls for rounding down cost-of-living adjustments to the next lowest dollar to fund Post 9/11 GI Bill flight school training.

FRA will oppose this cut to VA benefits.  Members are encouraged to use the FRA Action Center to ask their legislators to oppose the benefit cut for veterans.   

DoD Implements Plan to Refund Combat-Injured Veterans Pay
The Defense Department (DoD) will begin notifying more than 133,000 combat-injured veterans who may qualify for a federal tax refund based on their disability severance. DoD will begin the process of refunding thousands of veterans who have been taxed on this pay since 1991, thanks to efforts by Senators John Boozman (Ariz.), Mark Warner (Va.), and Congressman David Rouser (N.C.).

Under federal law, veterans who suffer combat-related injuries and are separated from the military are not supposed to be taxed on the one-time, lump sum DoD disability severance payment. Unfortunately, taxes on these payments have been withheld from qualifying veterans for a number of years due to the limitations of the DoD's automated payment system. More than 133,000 veterans may qualify for a refund.

The FRA supported "Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act" (sponsored by the legislators listed above) that was enacted into law (H.R.5015, P.L. 114-292) in 2016. In order to correct the problem, the law is being implemented and directs the DoD to identify veterans who have been separated from service for combat-related injuries, received payment and were improperly taxed. The law requires the DoD determine how much the veterans are owed and notify them so they can recover the withheld amounts.

DoD and the VA Partner with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) announced a milestone partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The three organizations have been working on service member and veteran suicide prevention for many years, but this announcement marks the first time they are joining together to reduce suicide. 

"VA and DoD have endorsed AFSP's goal of reducing the national suicide rate 20 percent by the year 2025 and will not stop in our efforts to work towards eliminating suicide among our service members and veterans," said VA Acting National Director of Suicide Prevention Dr. Keita Franklin.  Formalizing this partnership allows AFSP, DoD and VA to mobilize their nationwide staff and volunteers toward reducing service member and veteran suicide. The partnership will also enhance the ability of AFSP, DoD and VA to share evidence-based best practices and strategies that prevent suicide, helping advance the entire field of suicide prevention.

Due to the fact that on average, 20 veterans commit suicide each day, suicide prevention is a priority issue for FRA. If you or someone you know is in crisis, support is available 24/7.  The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available to anyone. Service members and their families in crisis should seek help immediately by contacting the 24/7 Military Crisis Line by phone at 800-273-8255 (press 1 for military), online chat by clicking here, or by text at (838255).  The DOD Be There Peer Support Call and Outreach Center offers non-crisis peer support and is available at 844-357-PEER (7337), or text (480) 360-6188 or on their website.

Staff Accused of Expensing VA Secretary's Wife's Travel
According to a recent Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Inspector General's (IG) report, the Chief of Staff for VA Secretary David Shulkin altered language to pay expenses for Shulkin's spouse. The altered information was found in an email and made false statements to create a pretext for taxpayers to pay for a 10-day trip to Europe in the summer of 2017. The VA Secretary Chief of Staff Vivieca Wright Simpson is the third most senior official at the VA. The report also claims that VA employee's time was misused planning tourist activities for Shulkin and his entourage. Additionally, Shulkin improperly accepted tickets to a Wimbledon tennis match as a gift.  

Secretary Shulkin at first called the depiction of the trip "entirely inaccurate" and said, "It reeks of an agenda. There are people within my organization who are not happy with the progress we're making and the direction of the organization, who are deliberately undermining me." The Secretary has demanded more accountability from VA employees. Last year more than 1,300 VA staff were removed and 500 were suspended for misconduct.

Later Secretary Shulkin said "I've already written a check to the Treasury. We're going to go ahead with everything they recommended." The IG recommendations include possible disciplinary action against senior VA officials, particularly his Chief of Staff, Simpson.

FRA Staff Meet with VA Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security and Preparedness
FRA National Executive Director Tom Snee and National Service Director (Veterans) Chris Slawinski met Thursday with Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security and Preparedness Donald P. Loren, RADM, USN (Retired) at his VA Central Office in Washington, DC.  NED Snee and NSD Slawinski discussed legislative priorities with the Assistant Secretary, and Loren provided a brief on VA's force protection and mission assurance efforts within the department.  RADM Loren previously served in the Department of Defense as Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security Integration.

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