NewsBytes December 17, 2021
In this issue:
NDAA Passes
Navy Fellows Receive Leg. Process Brief
FRA Request No More CRs
PDBR Review of Disability Claims Continues
Report on Veterans Homelessness
2022 BAH Rates Announced
FRA Headquarters Holiday Closures
NDAA Passes
As predicted in last week’s NewsBytes, the Senate has passed (89-10) the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA-S.1605), ending a weeks-long standoff that stalled work on the must-pass legislation. The bill now goes to President Biden to be signed into law. For details on the provisions impacting FRA, members can refer to last week’s NewsBytes .
FRA Provides Navy Leg. Fellows a Leg. Process Brief
DLP John Davis gave a legislation process brief to the CY2022 Navy Legislative Fellows at FRA NHQ. This was the first legislative process brief since the pandemic. The Navy Congressional Fellowship Program offers participants the opportunity to work in the legislative branch for one year. The program consists of three components: (1) training and education through the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University, (2) work on Capitol Hill in the personal office of a Senator or member of Congress, and (3) a two-year utilization tour immediately upon completion of the fellowship. The FRA has provided both the Marine and Navy Legislative Fellows their legislative process brief in recent years.
FRA and Others Request No More CRs
The FRA signed onto a letter with other members of The Military Coalition (TMC)who sent to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) urging them to pass the Fiscal Year (FY2022) Defense Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bills before funding expires on Feb. 18. Congress recently passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government funded at current levels until Feb. 18. As noted in the letter: “A CR damages the uniformed services’ ability to equip and train the total force. The services would be prevented from starting new programs that commanders need and instead, devote funds to lower priorities. During CRs resources tighten, procurement programs languish, and taxpayer dollars are spent ineffectively. Casualties of an additional CR could include mission-critical training (inclusive of vital reserve component training) and required maintenance. Military families could suffer from inadequate maintenance and upgrades to military installations, and significant delays in household moves. They deserve better, and their care is crucial to the readiness and retention of service members.”
PDBR Review of Disability Claims Continues
The Physical Disability Board of Review (PDBR) was created by an FRA-supported provision in the FY2008 Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that reassess the accuracy and fairness of combined disability ratings of 20 percent or less for service members who were separated from service, rather than medically retired because of medical conditions.
To be eligible for a PDBR review, service members must have been medically separated between Sept. 11, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2009, with a combined disability rating of 20 percent or less and found ineligible for retirement. According to Military.com, only 19,000 of the more than 71,000 eligible have requested a review of their claim. The PDBR claims that more than half of the reviewed claims have been upgraded to a disability rating of 30 percent or more.
The review panel is authorized to recommend an increase in a disability rating, uphold the previous finding or issue a disability rating when the previous board did not assign one. The board, however, is NOT able to recommend a lower rating. Eligible veterans can request a board review by submitting a Department of Defense Form 294, Application for Review of Physical Disability Separation from the Armed Forces of the United States that can be found online .
Report on Veterans Homelessness
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released its annual report on Homelessness with critical data on veterans experiencing homelessness. Each year, HUD releases a “Point-in-Time” count of unhoused people, including veterans. HUD conducted its annual count in January 2020, but never released its report—a major resource for Congress in making decisions about how to legislate and allocate resources to respond to veteran homelessness.
The 2020 report found a less than one percent increase overall in veteran homelessness since 2019—the first increase in over a decade. Data also revealed that while women veterans comprise less than ten percent of homeless veterans, they are more likely to be caring for dependents. One third of homeless veterans are African American despite representing ten percent of all veterans nationwide. Members can weigh in on this issue by going to the FRA Action Center .
BAH Rates for 2022
The Department of Defense (DoD) released the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for 2022. The BAH rates will increase an average of 5.1 percent when the new rates take effect Jan. 1, 2022. An estimated $25.6 billion will be paid to approximately one million service members. The DoD temporarily authorized increases in the 2021 BAH rates for 56 housing markets (commonly referred to as Military Housing Areas, or MHAs) across the United States. Uniformed service members who incurred increased housing costs above their current BAH may be eligible to apply and receive BAH at the temporarily higher rate. The increased BAH rates for affected active-duty members in these MHAs took effect Oct. 1, 2021, and will expire on Dec. 31, 2021. Service members can calculate their BAH payment by using the online calculator.
FRA Headquarters Holiday Closures
The FRA National Headquarters (NHQ) staff wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, a safe and joyous holiday and a very happy 2022! Our offices will be closed at noon on Thursday, Dec. 23 and will reopen on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. NHQ will also be closed at noon on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, in observance of New Year’s Day and reopen Jan. 3, 2022. Due to the holiday schedule, the next edition of FRA Newsbytes will be Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, unless legislative developments on Capitol Hill warrant it.
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