Newsbytes June 28, 2024
In this issue:
Comparing House and Senate NDAAs
Presidential Pardon
VA Chief of Staff Leaves VA
FRA NHQ Closed on Independence Day
Comparing House and Senate NDAAs
The
House passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA), and the Senate Armed Services Committee has approved its version
of the bill. Once the Senate approves its bill, a conference committee
will be appointed to resolve the differences between the two bills. This
final bill will be submitted to the House and Senate for approval. If
approved, the bill will be sent to President Biden to be signed into law
or vetoed.
Neither
bill addresses concurrent receipt reform. Also, despite a
recommendation from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), neither bill
provides for any new TRICARE fee increases. The CBO recommended
increasing current enrollment fees and introducing a new
TRICARE-for-Life enrollment fee.
Much
of the focus this year has been on active-duty benefits due to
lower-than-expected recruitment. Both House and Senate versions of the
NDAA provide a 4.5% pay raise, which keeps pace with the Employment Cost
Index. However, the House NDAA calls for servicemembers E-1 to E-4 to
receive an additional 15% pay raise beyond the 4.5% for all active-duty
members. The proposal is opposed by the White House. The Senate bill has
a much less robust increase, calling for an additional 1% increase for
servicemembers E-1 to E-3 (beyond the 4.5% raise). Further, the House
version would restore BAH to 100% just for FY 2025. The FRA has strongly
opposed cuts in BAH benefits and has been working to restore BAH
benefits to 100% of housing permanently. The Senate version does not
address the issue and leaves BAH at 95% of housing cost.
In
addition, the House bill increases the threshold for the Basic Needs
Allowance (BNA) to 200% from 150% of federal poverty guidelines and
enhances funding ($766 million over the budget request) for barracks
renovations. The House bill also provides members of the Guard and
Reserve access to the TRICARE dental program at no cost.
Earlier,
the FRA submitted a statement for the record to the House and Senate
personnel subcommittees in conjunction with the markup of their versions
of the NDAA, asking for, among other items, improvements in active duty
pay and housing, restoring BAH to 100%, concurrent receipt reform,
opposition to the proposed CBO TRICARE fee increases, and USFSPA reform.
The House bill now goes to the Senate for further consideration, and
the Senate bill will be debated on the Senate floor. Members are
strongly urged to use the FRA Action Center to ask their Senators to
support these critical House provisions in the final bill. FRA Action Center
Presidential Pardon for LGBTQI+ Veterans
The
Department of Veterans Affairs has announced that President Biden
issued a proclamation granting a full and unconditional pardon to
individuals with court-martial convictions under former Article 125 of
the Uniform Code of Military Justice for conduct involving consensual,
private acts with persons aged 18 or older. It also pardoned individuals
convicted of attempts, conspiracies, and solicitation to commit a
qualifying Article 125 offense under Articles 80, 81, and 82. The pardon
recognizes that many LGBTQI+ individuals who served in the military
left on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity, some
after court-martial conviction for former Article 125 offenses, which
included criminalized consensual acts of sodomy. The President claims
that the proclamation helps address a historic injustice against certain
service members and their families. A copy of the proclamation is
available at: Proclamation
VA Chief of Staff Leaves VA
Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) Chief of Staff Kimberly Jackson announced she
will step down from her leadership role on July 13, creating another
vacancy at the top of the VA. Jackson has served in the role for only
eight months but had previously served as deputy assistant secretary of
defense for force readiness at the Pentagon since the start of President
Joe Biden’s presidency. The chief of staff role at the VA serves as the
top advisor to the secretary and deputy secretary. In a statement,
Jackson said she is stepping down to spend more time with her family.
“It
has been an honor and a privilege to serve alongside the dedicated
women and men in the Department of Veterans Affairs in our mission of
ensuring veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors get the
care and benefits they have earned and so richly deserve,” she said in a
released statement.
Jackson
served eight years as a naval reserve officer, holding assignments in
the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Naval
Special Warfare, and the Chief of Naval Operations’ Strategic Studies
Group. Her appointment to the senior VA post last fall meant the agency
had its six top department leadership jobs all filled for the first time
since 2014. That lasted for only seven months. Jackson’s departure
comes almost one month after Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs Matthew
Quinn, the top VA official for Cemetery and Memorial Services, stepped
down from his role in the VA. Ronald Walters has been serving as acting
under-secretary since Quinn’s exit. Unlike the undersecretary role,
which requires Senate confirmation, the chief of staff post can be
filled without prior approval from the Senate.
FRA NHQ Closed on Independence Day
FRA’s
National Headquarters (NHQ) offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4,
in observance of Independence Day. Congress is also in recess next
week, and the next issue of Newsbytes will be July 12, 2024. The NHQ
staff wishes all FRA Shipmates a safe and enjoyable 4th of July.