Committee Goals

The Military Coalition's Committee on Military Personnel/Compensation/Commissaries
2012 Legislative Goals

The Committee is committed to ensuring that pay and allowance programs are equitably applied to the seven Uniformed Services. Use of the term "Uniformed Services" ensures that program enhancements are extended to the Coast Guard, and to the Commissioned Corp of the NOAA Corps and Public Health Service. Note the inclusion of recommendations to further enhance services for wounded warriors and their families.

 

Ensure adequate personnel strengths and associated funding in order to meet national security strategy requirements
Over the past several years, Congress has addressed the greater than anticipated requirements and resources to support the war effort/other operational requirements and the resulting negative impact on the quality of life of uniformed services personnel by increasing the Services' end strength. The increases have resulted in increasing dwell time; however, TMC remains concerned about the adequacy of these increases given other stress indicators including more divorces and alarming suicide rates. We are especially concerned over the sustainability of these increases as current budget cutting measures are directly targeting end strength without taking into consideration the impact to the readiness and well-being of our force. In 2012, TMC will encourage legislators:

  • Sustain Armed Services end strength to meet wartime and operational commitments.
  • Sustain adequate recruiting and retention resources to enable the uniformed services to achieve required optimum-quality personnel strengths.
  • Support a defense budget that funds both people and weapons needs.
  • Advocate for the funding and implementation of the Public Health Science Track that will support PHS officer students at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences as well as provide for critically needed uniformed service public health professionals in the workforce as part of an overall billet-based force management system for the PHS Commissioned Corps.
  • Support reinstatement of early retirement and voluntary separation programs used to ease adverse effects of the 1990s drawdown.
  • Monitor extended deployments and recalls of significant numbers of the National Guard and Reserve personnel needed to sustain the war effort and other operations particularly with regard to high demand skills/occupations and the health of the entire force.

Compensation and Special Incentive Pays
The Coalition asserts that service members deserve a comprehensive compensation and benefit package consistent with the extraordinary demands of military service. This package must continually be evaluated to ensure changing circumstances do not diminish the value of that package and thus threaten the retention of a quality force. In 2012, TMC will:

  • Due to the unique nature of military service, advocate for sustaining annual pay raises pegged to the Employment Cost Index (ECI) -- Pay comparability is essential to maintaining the all-volunteer force.
  • Oppose initiatives to "civilianize" the military pay and retirement system in ways that reduce the value of the current military compensation system and undermine long-term retention.
  • Support additional targeted pay increases for all military personnel as needed to sustain the 70th percentile floor for each pay/longevity cell.
  • Support enhancements in National Guard and Reserve incentive and special pays in recognition of increased reliance on Guard/Reserve forces to prosecute the war effort and other operational commitments.
  • In conjunction with the goal of repealing the REDUX retirement plan, expand awareness of the long-term financial consequences of Redux-eligible service members electing to accept the $30,000 career retention bonus, instead of continuing under the High-3 retirement program.
  • Advocate for adequate compensation packages for those leaving the Services due to reduction in force and are not retirement eligible but not at the expense of the career force.
  • Seek to eliminate the service member's payment of the Traumatic Servicemember Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) premium.

Wounded Warrior Compensation Enhancements
The Coalition views support for wounded service members and their families as a significant personnel issue. In addition to the extensive wounded warrior goals outlined by the Coalition's Health Care committee, the Coalition will:

  • Work to ensure any restructure of the DoD and VA disability and compensation systems does not inadvertently reduce compensation levels for disabled service members.
  • Fully support compensation for loss of member's quality of life and to assist in transition from DoD to VA.
  • Oppose distinguishing between disabilities incurred in combat vice non-combat when determining benefits eligibility for retirement.
  • Support extending the combat-related definition used to qualify for Combat-Related Special Compensation to qualify for Enhanced Disability Severance Pay.
  • Support extending housing on on-base facilities for up to one year to medically retired, severely wounded service members and their families.

Maintain a Well-funded Family Readiness and Support Structure. TMC will:

  • Encourage DoD to assess the effectiveness of programs and support mechanisms designed to assist military members and their families with deployment readiness, responsiveness, and reintegration. Fully fund effective programs – including the Family Readiness Council – and ensure their costs are included in the annual budget process. Ensure all National Guard and Reserve Yellow Ribbon Programs meet a standard level of family support within each State.
  • Champion education and outreach to all Uniformed Service members and families about benefits and services to which they are entitled. Outreach should maximize new technologies and include programs addressing the unique needs of all components as they transition to and from active duty, especially for those not located near military installations.
  • Advocate for child care needs of the highly deployable, operational total force community.
  • Monitor and continue to expand family access to mental health counseling.
  • Encourage greater military spouse educational and career opportunities, and ensure the programs are accessible, effective, and meeting the needs of all military spouses.
  • Promote authorization of flexible spending accounts to enable military families to pay health care and child care expenses with pre-tax dollars. (Joint goals with TMC Health Care and Tax Committees.)
  • Sustain financial education for service members and their families.
  • Support reciprocity for professional licensure and certification requirements for military spouses and separating service members.
  • Promote unemployment compensation equity for military spouses as a result of PCS orders.

Protect the Commissary Benefit. The Coalition will:

  • Oppose attempts to consolidate the Commissary and Exchange systems. (Joint Goal with MWR, MilConstruction/BRAC Committee)
  • Seek to sustain necessary appropriated funds to support the Commissary and Exchange. (Joint Goal with MWR, MilConstruction/BRAC Committee)
  • Educate Congress, DoD, the military services, and beneficiaries on the importance and value of the Commissary benefit.
  • Support continued outreach by the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) to increase patronage and enhance access to the commissary benefit for all beneficiaries – especially National Guard and Reserve members and their families.

Education Enhancements. TMC will:

  • Advocate for legislation to ensure additional and timely funding of Impact Aid through the Department of Education plus continued DoD supplemental funding for highly-impacted military schools.
  • Support funding and policy changes, if necessary, to mitigate the impact of Service transformation, overseas rebasing initiatives, housing privatization and Base Realignment on school facility needs and educational programs affecting military children.
  • Advocate for sustaining military service members' Tuition Assistance Program.

Reform the Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Process
The percentage of active duty forces with dependents is significant and research indicates that moving is stressful for service members and their families. PCS enhancements have helped to ameliorate stress and ease the financial burden that is particularly difficult for junior enlisted personnel. Despite improvements, service members still incur out-of-pocket costs for military-ordered moves. TMC will:

  • Seek legislation to:
    • Increase PCS mileage rates to more accurately reflect actual transportation costs.
    • Further modify the PCS weight allowance tables for personnel in pay grades E-7, E-8, and E-9 to coincide with allowances for officers in grades O-4, O-5, and O-6 respectively.
    • Authorize shipment of a second privately-owned vehicle at government expense to Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories.
    • Authorize reimbursement of house-hunting expenses commensurate with programs now supporting federal civilian personnel.
    • Authorize payment of a dislocation allowance to service members making their final change of station upon retirement from the uniformed services.
    • Promote unemployment compensation equity for military spouses as a result of PCS orders.
    • Provide reciprocity for professional licensure and certification requirements for military spouses.
    • Support adjustments to House Hold Goods (HHG) weight allowances for equipment and furnishings for wounded, ill, and injured service members and families enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP).
  • Call for a report on the Defense Personnel Property Program, full replacement value reimbursement, and new claims procedures and urge authorization of a report on same to include customer satisfaction survey data.

Enhance Service Members' Access to Quality Housing. The Coalition will:

  • Advocate revisions to DoD housing standards on which BAH for each grade is based to make them more realistic and appropriate for each pay grade. (For example, enlisted members under the current standards are not authorized to receive BAH for a 3-bedroom single-family detached house until achieving the rank of E-9).
  • Work to ensure that BAH rates keep pace with housing costs, especially in communities experiencing significant growth, which may result in longer commutes to an installation.
  • Increase oversight of housing privatization to ensure quality, standardized housing and service is provided to military families – to include review of the waterfall process (priority policy/selection process), housing wait lists, utility policies, treatment of wounded warriors, command involvement, communication with residents, etc.

Guarantee Voting Rights of Uniformed Service Members and Their Families. TMC will:

  • Advocate for improvements to voting support services and accessibility for wounded, ill and injured service members.
  • Continue to work with the Alliance for Military and Overseas Voting Rights (AMOVR) to improve absentee voting for military service members and their families.
  • Monitor implementation and compliance of the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act of 2009 (MOVE).
  • Support efforts to extend assistance and protections for military and overseas voters to state and local elections through the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act (UMOVA).
  • Educate service members and their families on federal and state voting improvements.