Congress Moves To Restore Vets' Enlistment Bonuses
BY JOHN TOSCANO

Clinton declared, "Our wounded warriors have served and sacrificed for our country. It is the least we can do to honor the promises made to them and guarantee that they receive their full and deserved benefits..."

In keeping with the holiday spirit of good will to all, lawmakers in Washington have introduced a bipartisan bill to guarantee full payment of bonuses and incentives to veterans wounded in combat who were denied their enlistment bonus because they were unable to remain in the service.

The bill, introduced by U.S. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D- New York), Robert Casey (D- Pennsylvania) and Jeff Sessions (R- Alabama), also calls for an audit to identify former servicemembers who may have been affected by this policy, which dates back to 2001, and restore their rightful payments.

A similar measure was introduced in the House by Congressmember Jason Altmire (D- Pennsylvania) in October and is now cosponsored by 245 congressmembers.

The Senate bill, introduced last Monday, drew immediate praise from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

"Denying wounded servicemembers their full enlistment bonuses is outrageous," declared IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. He thanked Clinton and Sessions for their efforts to end the practice.

"These injured heroes deserve this country's respect and gratitude and the proposed bill is a critical step in that direction," Rieckhoff stated.

Clinton declared, "Our wounded warriors have served and sacrificed for our country. It is the least we can do to honor the promises made to them and guarantee that they receive their full and deserved benefits. This legislation will ensure that no man or woman in uniform who is wounded in service to our nation will be forced to give up their enlistment bonus. Penalizing soldiers wounded in combat is literally adding insult to injury and is completely unacceptable."

Sessions said in every such case "the government must fulfill its end of the bargain." Casey added, "We owe these troops our word and we must not drop our commitment to them at the U.S. shoreline [when they return from the war overseas]."

Among other Senate sponsors of the bill was Senator John McCain (R- C, Arizona). The legislation, titled Restoring Guaranteed Bonuses for Wounded Veterans Act of 2007, would end a practice identified by the Dole- Shalala Commission.

The bill would require remaining bonus entitlement to servicemembers within 90 days of retirement or separation due to a defined combat-related injury and would cover 32 types of bonuses and special pay agreements.

It also directs the Defense Department (DOD) immediately to stop collection actions on portions of bonuses already paid out and provides a Sept. 11, 2001 retroactive period for the payment or repayment of bonuses that were stopped or not completely paid.

Altmire noted, "Current policy leaves room for error and has resulted in wounded veterans continuing to fall through the cracks. Early discharge for a combat-related injury should not result in the loss of any unpaid portion of a servicemember's bonus."