DAILY BRIEFING
October 17, 2003 

House GOP announces deal on vets' disability, pensions
From CongressDaily 

From CongressDaily

House Republicans announced a $22 billion plan Thursday to partially overturn a 19th-century policy depriving disabled veterans of some retirement pay.

For veterans' groups that have spent years pushing for the change, it was a long anticipated, if not fully satisfying, victory on the issue of "concurrent receipt."

"We've worked hard to begin this process of fulfilling our obligations to our veterans," said House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a participant in weeks of negotiations for a compromise acceptable to the White House and GOP congressional leaders.

The plan, to be phased in over 10 years, would give greater benefits to about 245,000 disabled veterans, nearly half of those whose retirement benefits are reduced or eliminated under current law because they also receive disability benefits.

The measure is now part of the fiscal 2004 defense authorization bill, although it could shift to different legislation if the defense measure is stalled by other disputes, Blunt said.