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STATEMENT OF DAVID W. SOMMERS 11TH SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE UNITED
STATES MARINE CORPS (Retired) PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER BEFORE THE JOINT SESSION OF THE COMMITTEES ON VETERANS AFFAIRS UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND UNITED STATES SENATE ON NCOA’S VETERANS LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR
2002 MARCH 7, 2002
DISCLOSURE OF FEDERAL GRANTS AND CONTRACTS The Non Commissioned Officers Association of the USA (NCOA) does not currently receive, nor has the Association ever received, any federal money for grants or contracts. All of the Association’s activities and services are accomplished completely free of any federal funding. The
Non Commissioned Officers Association of the USA (NCOA) would like to
thank Chairman Smith, Chairman Rockefeller, and the distinguished
members of both committees for giving us this opportunity to present
the Association’s legislative goals for issues affecting veterans in
2002. I
am David W. Sommers, 11th Sergeant Major of the United
States Marine Corps (Retired), President and Chief Executive Officer
of the Non Commissioned Officers Association.
With me at the table today are staff members from NCOA’s
National Capital Office: Command
Sergeant Major Robert R. Mix, USA (Retired), Executive Director of
Government Affairs; Mrs. Kimberlee D. Vockel, Director of Legislative
Affairs; Chief Master Sergeant Richard C. Schneider, USAF (Retired),
Director of State/Veterans Affairs, and Ms. Cathy M. Cade, National
Capital Office Manager. INTRODUCTION There
is no question that the horrific events of September 11, 2001 changed
our nation’s priorities dramatically; however, the issues that
affect the daily lives of the men and women who have served in the
Armed Forces remain the same. While
NCOA fully supports President Bush’s aggressive efforts to eliminate
terrorism, the Association is concerned that the ongoing war on
terrorism might eclipse the important issues affecting our nation’s
veterans. Since this war
began in October 2001, we have gone from surplus to deficit spending.
As a result, we must work together to maximize the benefits
that can sensibly be provided to those who have honorably served in
the military. Our efforts
to quickly identify and correct shortfalls in the Veteran system will
send the message to these men and women that America still values
their service. NCOA plans
to vigorously pursue its veterans legislative agenda while still
supporting this war, and we ask that you do the same.
NCOA has identified the following areas that it believes
most need this Joint Committee’s attention in 2002. VETERANS
HEALTH CARE
NCOA recognizes the superb legislative work accomplished by the Joint Committee that has ensured the Veterans medical care system is a quality provider of health care for America’s veterans. Members of this Joint Committee have consistently recognized strengths and weaknesses in entitlements, health care programs, and the Department’s fiscal budget. The Association seems to annually address future budget deficits along with entitlement concerns. This year is no different. The Department of Veterans Affairs 2003 health care budget in the judgment of NCOA is unique. It is predicated on fiscal assumptions neither in law nor “in the bank.” Specifically: ·
The MCCR Collections assume the availability of $1.084 Billion
to use in the medical care program.
·
It establishes a Priority 7 Veteran $1,500 cost share
deductible for high-income nonservice-connected Veterans and
zero-percent, noncompensable service-connected Veterans with income
and net worth above the statutory threshold, who agree to pay
specified copayments. This
consideration targets Veterans, many of whom are military retirees,
and it assumes they will seek medical service elsewhere or through the
DoD TRICARE for Life program.
The $1,500 cost share deductible assumes a fiscal savings of
$235 Million by these Veterans leaving the VA health care system. The Department’s budget increase in real dollars, excluding the above elements, barely keeps pace with economic variables, medical inflation, and employee cost of living adjustments. NCOA believes that VA health care will be inadequately funded without an immediate increase to the 2003 budget plan. The Association notes that the current 2002 health care budget has such fiscal shortfalls that, without a supplemental appropriation, VA will not be able to deliver health care through the end of the current fiscal year. The
following are NCOA’s goals in the health care arena: Funding:
Entitlements:
Program:
·
Establish program goals that hold VISN Directors, medical care
facility directors, and health care leaders responsible and
accountable for their implementation of directed health care programs.
·
Direct a research review of mental health care programs to
validate treatment protocols in existing resident and ambulatory care
programs with specific emphasis on veterans with PTSD, homeless
veterans, and dual-diagnosed veterans.
The current emphasis on outpatient treatment, in the
Association’s judgment, fails to address the environmental living
factors that engulf PTSD and homeless veterans. VETERAN
BENEFITS NCOA
reserves comment on the veteran benefit claim process and timeliness
to complete compensation claims recognizing significant efforts within
the Veterans Benefit Administration to improve the timeliness and
accuracy of adjudicated claims.
The Secretary is correct in his aggressive emphasis on the
management of the claims processing arena, along with securing
adequate personnel resources, technology, and empowering new
leadership. The
Association recommends that VBA continue its efforts to provide
automated self-service computerized access to individual information
to facilitate veteran benefit information.
These self-service technologies are accessible 7 x 24 and can
answer a significant number of questions that would require the
intervention of a benefit employee.
The
following are NCOA’s goals concerning benefits: ·
DIC Benefits:
That DIC benefits be retained by remarried survivors over age
55. ·
Home Loan Guaranty:
Recommend that the provisions of the home loan guarantee
program be extended to include the authority to guaranty loans for the
procurement of property in a co-op development. · Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB): The improvements this Joint Committee made to the MGIB during the first session of the 107th Congress were much needed and appreciated; however, NCOA believes that this very important benefit needs further improvements. The veterans’ education benefit is one of NCOA’s top legislative priorities because of the impact this issue has on our members and their families. However, this issue has implications that reach beyond this Association. The nation’s security rests on the quality and expertise of those individuals who serve in the armed forces. With the technological advancement of military operations, a more educated warfighter is needed. In addition to the need to provide the means for servicemembers to obtain an education while on active duty, it is imperative that substantive education benefits be provided for those who choose to pursue their educational goals after leaving military service. It is for these reasons that the NCOA is grateful to the Joint Committee for allowing the Association to outline several key recommendations for the improvement of the GI Bill. The following is NCOA’s prioritized list of recommendations for the improvement of the MGIB. 1) The GI Bill should have a built-in indexing mechanism that will close the gap between rising education costs and actual benefits received and that will ensure the benefit keeps pace with the education costs in the future. 2) There should be an open enrollment period offered to every VEAP-era service member who, for whatever reason, did not enroll in VEAP. Because of the time-periods involved, many of these servicemembers are reaching retirement eligibility, thus leaving a large population without post-service educational options. 3) Chapter 30 of Title 38 should be amended to authorize transferability of unused GI Bill benefits to spouses and dependent children of career servicemembers. 4) The ten-year limitation on drawing from the MGIB benefit should be eliminated. 5)
There should be no enrollment fee for service members. OTHER
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PROGRAMS Veteran
Employment Training Program: Included
in the Department’s 2003 Budget request was a VA “Grants for
Veterans Employment” that would enable the Department to assist in
establishing, expanding, or improving employment and training services
to veterans. Emphasis of
the program would be on serving those veterans who most need
employment assistance, including disabled or homeless veterans.
The newly envisioned program is intended to replace a similar
program now in the Department of Labor Veterans Employment and
Training Service. NCOA opposes the recommended “Grants for Veterans Employment” program and suggests that the Joint Committee hold hearings to determine the merit in the proposed shift of an obvious Department of Labor program to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Homeland Security: NCOA
notes with great concern that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs was
not included on the newly organized policy council for Homeland
Security. The
Association has publicly stated that the Secretary of the Department
of Veterans Affairs should be a member of the highest governing
council for Homeland Security based on the professional resources that
VA can mobilize to meet any emergency contingency in the United States
and its Territories. The
lack of national VA leadership involvement during the aftermath of the
Terrorist Attack on America was inappropriate.
The Association requests that the Joint Committee recommend that the position of Secretary of Veterans Affairs be appointed to the steering group of the Homeland Security Council. Concurrent Receipt: NCOA
requests that the Members of the Joint Committee take personal
leadership roles in the Senate and House by advocating for fiscal
appropriation in this Congress to provide concurrent receipt of
military retired pay and awarded VA disability compensation.
It is time to end the retired disabled military veteran’s
compensation inequity. Military
retirees should not have to pay their own disability compensation.
They should be entitled to their longevity military retired pay
and any disability compensation that resulted from their military
service. Arlington National
Cemetery: Members of the Joint Committee, the aftermath of the Terrorist Attack on America brought to the Nation’s attention the need to codify the eligibility requirements for members of the Uniformed Services, Reserves, and Guard, for internment in Arlington National Cemetery. The tragedy of September 11th resulted in an immediate denial to inter the remains of the pilot, a retired reserve officer, whose plane was commandeered and was crashed into the Pentagon. The denial was based on the fact that Arlington National Cemetery does not allow the burial of retired reserve members under the age of 60. The aircraft commander, Captain Charles Burlingame, USNR Retired, without consideration of the circumstance of his death, was regrettably denied burial because “he was not old enough” to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The Association applauds Chairman Smith for introducing legislation to correct the Arlington National Cemetery burial policy inequity for both drilling reservists and those retired reservists who die before age 60. NCOA
asks the Members of the Joint Committee to seek the codification of
burial entitlement for members of the Uniformed Services, Reserve and
Guard components at Arlington National Cemetery. VA/DOD
HEALTH SYSTEM COORDINATION Last session, NCOA opposed H.R. 2667, the Department of Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs Health Resources Access Improvement Act of 2001; however, the Association does not oppose the concept of increased coordination between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense health systems. As a beneficiary association, our first concern with any legislative proposal is always with its impact on the beneficiary populations involved. While there are currently certain built-in assurances that prohibit decreasing the benefits offered, the Association asserts that certain solutions have less impact on the beneficiaries than others. NCOA looks forward to working with both the Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees to find pragmatic ways to facilitate increased coordination between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. NCOA has identified the following areas that are fundamental to improving coordination between the two departments.
NCOA is optimistic that this
Joint Committee, in coordination with the Joint Armed Services
Committees, will find practical ways to encourage cooperation between
the two departments, while maintaining or enhancing the access and
benefits already offered to both beneficiary populations involved.
The Association has made it top priority to oppose any efforts
to combine the two disparate health systems and any efforts to force
dual-eligible beneficiaries to choose between systems.
NCOA asks this Joint Committee to join us in opposing these two
extreme possibilities should they become an issue. OTHER SIGNIFICANT VETERAN ISSUES
Members of the Joint Committee there are other issues of
concern to veterans. Realize
please that members of this Association share a common love of America
and all that is American. They
answered the Nation’s Call to duty, whether they served weeks,
months, or years, and they believe their service and personal
sacrifice for the freedoms enjoyed by all Americans was worthy of
their commitment. Also
common amongst our members is the ability to instantly recall their
original military service identification numbers.
Likewise, they have never forgotten their oath of enlistment:
"I
DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR (OR AFFIRM) THAT I WILL SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN AND
DOMESTIC; THAT I WILL BEAR TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAME; AND
THAT I WILL OBEY THE ORDERS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND
THE ORDERS OF THE OFFICERS APPOINTED OVER ME, ACCORDING TO REGULATIONS
AND THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE. SO HELP ME GOD. NCOA
Members live that oath today whether they affirmed it yesterday or
decades ago. It is for
their hardship and sacrifice that I share the following issues: POW
- MIAs This Nation must never forget those who did not return from distant wars. NCOA Members insist on a full accounting of those declared POW or MIA. The Members of the Joint Committee are requested to always take the moral high ground and seek a full accounting of America’s service people who never came home. They and their families must never be forgotten. Protection
of The American Flag
We who have fought
for America hold the American Flag sacred.
We seek Constitutional protection of the National Ensign and
urge your leadership to make it happen. CONCLUSION The Non Commissioned Officers Association appreciates the opportunity to provide this Joint Committee with the Association’s 2002 Veteran Legislative Goals. Your work is extremely important to improving the lives of the men and women who have served their country in the armed services, but most of all, the efforts you make to improve the veteran system will send the message to today’s veterans, as well as tomorrow’s, that dutifully answering the call to protect all American citizens by serving in the armed services is appreciated and valued. Our nation must reward freedom’s protectors with significant, substantive benefits. Chairman Smith, Chairman Rockefeller, the Non Commissioned Officers Association asks that you be watchful of those issues that do not fall under your committee’s jurisdiction but clearly affect veterans. As advocates for veterans’ issues, NCOA asks that you take an aggressive leadership role on such issues as concurrent receipt and protection of the American flag. The senseless attacks on our country on September 11th awakened our nation’s dormant patriotism. The American people now recognize and appreciate the sacrifices made by the men and women serving in the armed services. In the spirit of this significant point in our country’s history, NCOA asks that this Joint Committee make significant strides towards improving the lives of our Veterans. NCOA’s motto is “Strength in Unity,” and the Association truly believes that the unified efforts of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees in concert with the goals outlined here today will strengthen our Veteran system. ADDENDUM THE
NON COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION The NCOA is a ‘Total Force’ organization, unified in its commitment to all military members, retirees, veterans, their dependents and survivors. Many of the NCOA’s members are on active military service in the United States, at sea, and on foreign shores. Some of our members are serving their nation as members of the National Guard and Reserve. Others are military retirees and veterans who have given many years of selfless, dedicated service to our great country—during peace and war. NCOA is actively involved in military and veteran service activities through more than 100 chapters within the United States and abroad. The NCOA’s chapters form the fraternal foundation of NCOA, through which our members contribute time and effort to military and community service, including civic involvement—i.e., support to military members and veterans, Special Olympics, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In addition, the independent chapters of the International Auxiliary further enhance NCOA’s goals.
The Non Commissioned
Officers Association (NCOA) is a federally chartered, non-profit,
fraternal association founded in 1960. NCOA received its federal charter from Congress in 1988.
Its purpose is to: •
Uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States
and support a strong national defense with a focus on military
personnel issues. •
Promote health, prosperity and scholarship among its
members and their families through legislative and benevolent
programs. •
Improve benefits for servicemembers, veterans, their
family members and survivors. •
Assist servicemembers, veterans, their family members
and survivors in filing benefit claims. NCOA Social Improvement Programs:
NCOA
offers a variety of social improvement programs that enhance the
personal well-being of members and their families.
For example, we provide assistance, form preparation, and
representation to veterans through our Veterans Services Program. Also, our Veterans Employment Assistance program, offered
free to all veterans or soon-to-be veterans, hosts Job Fairs
throughout the year, and maintains a Mini Resume data bank.
In addition, over the past three years chapters have provided
over 70,000 hours of volunteer support and more than $70,000 to
Special Olympics. More
than 6,000 hours of volunteer efforts raised over $230,000 for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association while other base and community projects
received more than 1.5 million volunteer hours and benefited to the
tune of over $5,600,000 in donations. NCOA Benevolent Programs: NCOA
Scholarship Foundation NCOA awards approximately $60,000 in academic scholarships each year to the children and spouses of Association members. The Association's Scholarship Selection Committee awards 16 new student scholarships annually. Additionally, each year 24 Bettsy Ross Educational Grants, awarded 6 per quarter, are made available to members of the International Auxiliary wishing to expand or enhance their job skills.
The scholarship program is
supported by member and chapter contributions.
Since its inception, the Association has given more than
$1,000,000 in scholarship grants based on academic achievement or
vocational aptitude. Medical
Fund
This private fund, which is unique in the military community,
makes grants to military personnel to assist with medically-related
incidental expenses related to a catastrophic medical condition in the
military member's immediate family. Disaster
Relief Fund
This private fund was established to provide emergency relief
to military members and their families who suffer losses as a result
of natural disasters such as hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes,
etc. NCOA
National Defense Foundation Thousands of hospitalized veterans resident at Veteran Affairs Medical Centers, Domiciliaries, Nursing Homes along with veterans living at State Veteran Homes receive Holiday Greeting Cards signed by citizens from across the Nation and other special mementos as an expression of gratitude for their military service. These cards and mementos convey the simple message that the veteran and his sacrifice for America will never be forgotten. Since 1990, over 2 million holiday greeting cards and special items such as miniature American Flags, silk roses, bookmarker calendars, and handcrafted materials have been distributed to hospitalized veterans.
The Foundation has also
donated over $1.6 Million over the past twelve years to purchase
quality of life items for use by hospitalized veterans and residents
of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. NCOA
Awards Program
NCOA has developed a number of award programs to recognize
three categories of achievement: •
Civilians who do the most to assist NCOA and the
enlisted community as a whole. •
Outstanding NCOs, POs, enlisted members and nonmembers. •
NCOA members who do the most to further the
Association's goals. Each year the Association bestows the L. Mendel Rivers and Legislative Vanguard Awards to the legislators NCOA believes deserves recognition for his or her active participation in pro-defense issues, particularly those related to improving the well-being of enlisted personnel and their quality of life. The prestigious Military Vanguard Award is bestowed each year on an enlisted member of each branch of the Armed Forces who has demonstrated extraordinary heroism at the risk of his or her own life. These awards, presented during the annual convention, go to those who have acted valiantly during a crisis either in action or in peacetime.
Awards such as the Soldier
of the Year Award and Military Excellence Award help encourage member
activity, build pride and motivate leadership.
Recipients are those who have contributed the most time and
energy to foster NCOA goals and participating in community activities. NCOA’s Veterans Employment Assistance Program: NCOA continues to boast one of the most comprehensive and acclaimed Veterans Employment Assistance Program currently being offered. Each year thousands of veterans and their family members, and more than 150 major corporations, participate in NCOA sponsored job fairs. The NCOA’s employment assistance program also includes NCOA’s computerized Mini Resume databank that is available free of cost to all veterans and service members completing their military service. Back to Witness List |