Senate Armed Services Committee Archives

Pentagon Plans Changes to Post-9/11 GI Bill Transferability

December 28, 2017/in Education, GI Bill, Government, Military Veteran, Veteran News

post

While most people know that the GI Bill is administered and paid for through the Department of Veterans Affairs, what most people probably don’t know is that the Defense Department controls the transferability of the benefit. And the DoD is planning some changes to that transferability.

The transferability option under the Post-9/11 GI Bill allows servicemembers to transfer all or some unused benefits to their spouse or dependent children. Current GI Bill policy allows service members with at least six years of service to transfer their benefits to a dependent, provided they agree to serve four more.

The request to transfer unused GI Bill benefits to eligible dependents must be completed while servicing as an active member of the Armed Forces.

Anthony Kurta, currently the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that the department intends to issue a policy change affecting the transferability of benefits, which will be limited to service members with less than 16 years of total service.

The addition of a cap to one aspect of the GI Bill doesn’t sit well with veterans who recently fought for a provision in the new Forever GI Bill that lifted a 15-year time limit on the benefit.

“As a matter of principle, the American Legion is against anything that would degrade a veteran’s current benefit,” said American Legion spokesman Joe Plenzler.

With that said, as the transferability only applies to active duty servicemembers, this change should have no impact on veterans.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.

Proposal to Cut Housing Stipends For Dual-Military Couples

July 20, 2017/in Government, Military, Military News

mil to mil

By Debbie Gregory.

When it comes to finding ways to save money, the last place Congress should look is at military families, especially when both spouses are active duty service members.

The Senate Armed Services Committee is considering a proposal that would require dual military couples to receive Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) stipends at the “without dependents” rate, regardless as to whether or not they have children.

Currently, dual military couples without dependents each receive their respective BAH. In dual military families with dependents, the higher ranking service member receives BAH at the with-dependent rate and the lower ranking service member receives BAH at the without-dependent rate.

The BAH allowance is determined by geographic duty location, pay grade, and dependency status. It provides uniformed Service members equitable housing compensation based on housing costs in local civilian housing markets within the United States when government quarters are not provided. For servicemembers stationed outside the U.S. who are not furnished with government housing, there is Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA).

If enacted, this change would affect approximately 6.4% of active duty service members in dual-military marriages.

The proposed plan would save roughly $300 million over the next five years.

The Senate believes that the current BAH is too high, since the payout rates are typically higher than the cost of living in the areas where service members are stationed. But the Pentagon argues that BAH is a necessary part of military family compensation.

“While there would be some monetary savings in the BAH program achieved through implementation of a limitation of BAH payments for dual-military couples, the department objects to any limitation based solely on housing or marriage choices,” a DoD spokeswoman said.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.

Carter Admits to Misuse of Email Account

December 31, 2015/in Government

By Debbie Gregory.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that he “should have known better” than to use his personal email for work-related matters.

His remarks followed a New York Times report in which said Carter he used his personal email account for work matters during his first months at the Pentagon. This is a violation of Defense Department rules.

Carter owned up to the “mistake,” taking full responsibility for the fact that he had used an iPhone to send administrative emails.

White House chief of staff, Denis R. McDonough, learned in May that Carter was using the account. McDonough had the White House Counsel’s Office contact the Pentagon to ask why Carter was using the account, and what was being done to ensure he was following government laws and regulations.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that Carter rarely uses email for government business to begin with.

“Any email related to work received on this personal account, such as an invitation to speak at an event or an administrative issue, is copied or forwarded to his official account so it can be preserved as a federal record as appropriate,” Cook said. “After reviewing his email practices earlier this year, the Secretary believes that his previous, occasional use of personal email for work-related business, even for routine administrative issues and backed up to his official account, was a mistake.”

Cook stated that the personal email account was for corresponding “primarily with friends and family,” and did not address any violation of Defense Department rules. He stressed that Carter did not use either his personal or official account for classified material.

The Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, said that he had requested copies of Mr. Carter’s personal emails for his committee’s review “to ensure that sensitive information was not compromised.”

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.