Capt. Richard McCool, USN-Ret., was awarded numerous medals and commendations during his 30 years in the military. While serving in World War II, his heroic actions aboard a small amphibious ship off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, earned him the Medal of Honor—and a year’s stay in the hospital recovering from painful burns and shrapnel wounds.

Following his retirement, McCool’s combat-related injuries led him to go to the VA, where he received a 100-percent disability rating. However, a law that has been on the books since 1891 saw him forfeit one dollar of retired pay for every dollar he received in VA disability compensation.

For more than 17 years, The Military Coalition (TMC) has lobbied Congress for “concurrent receipt” of the two separate compensations in hopes of ending this unfair “disabled veterans tax,” which essentially made military members finance their own disability compensation. Thanks to the coalition’s hard work, McCool and other disabled retirees who receive combat-related special compensation (CRSC) no longer have their military retired pay offset by the amount of their VA disability compensation.

“The increase in pay has made it possible to look at other retirement possibilities,” says 82-year-old McCool, who thinks he’ll eventually wind up moving to an assisted living facility. “It’s definitely been a help to me.”

Strength in numbers

Expanding CRSC legislation is one of many legislative victories achieved by TMC during 2003. (See “TMC’s Legislative Achievements in 2003,” page 70).

Long regarded as a formidable force on Capitol Hill, TMC formed in 1985 when 12 military organizations banded together to repeal a provision of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction law, which would have imposed a 22.5 percent reduction on lifetime military retired pay. TMC members spent a year lobbying Congress, and in 1986 the law was repealed. Buoyed by their success, TMC members began working on other legislative issues.

“Our original intent when we formed was to protect military retirees,” says Sgt. Maj. C.A. “Mack” McKinney, usmc-Ret., legislative counsel for the Fleet Reserve Association and one of TMC’s cofounders. “Of course, we’ve expanded to protect the benefits and interests of all service personnel as well as veterans’ programs.”

One voice, many victories

When associations in the coalition are invited to testify before Congress, they frequently coordinate their testimony with other TMC member organizations and then present it on behalf of the entire coalition. This gives an individual association’s testimony greater weight and allows TMC members to speak with one voice.

The coalition’s spirit of mutual cooperation has enabled it to achieve many legislative victories over the years. In late 2003, TMC won major progress in the fight to win full concurrent receipt when the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law. Starting this year, military retirees who are eligible to retire independent of any disability and who have a VA disability rating of 50 percent or higher, or any combat-related disability, are having part or all of their retired pay restored.

Small steps to big wins

Issues such as concurrent receipt illustrate one of the more frustrating facts of life on Capitol Hill— fixing major compensation inequities can take years, and success often is measured in increments. Timing also plays a crucial role in passing legislation.

“We have members of Congress talking about military issues who never talked about military issues before because of all the Guard and Reserve [members] who have been mobilized,” says Joyce Wessel Raezer, director of government relations for the National Military Family Association and TMC committee member. “They may not have a military installation in their district, but they have active duty servicemembers in their district now that they have to answer to, and they’re hearing from these servicemembers, their spouses, and their parents. Because of this, everyone is much more attuned to the military.”

During 2003, the coalition used this grassroots support to pass legislation extending full commissary privileges to drilling and “gray-area” reservists—an issue the coalition worked on for more than 14 years. TMC also succeeded in extending government long term care coverage to gray-area reservists, defeated an effort to reduce the Guard and Reserve training limit to 38 days, and saw to it that all uniformed servicemembers received at least the same pay raise as the average American.

Ensuring servicemembers receive an adequate pay raise is one of many issues coalition members address every year. Other issues are monitored to ensure they will address servicemembers’ best interests. In many cases, this allows TMC to address concerns and problems before they reach a stage where they require a legislative fix. In the same spirit, TMC members monitor new DoD policies, which might affect military personnel just as much as a law.

The coalition’s watchdog efforts don’t end once a piece of legislation is passed, however. TMC members also keep tabs on how the legislation is being implemented.

For example, TMC’s Health Care Committee meets regularly with staff members from DoD’s TRICARE Management Activity (TMA), who keep them apprised about how TRICARE For Life is being implemented as well as update them on changes in TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Prime. The coalition, in turn, dispenses this information to its 5.5 million members. This relationship also puts coalition members in the perfect position to give TMA feedback about what recipients are saying regarding these programs. The coalition used that feedback last year to help pass several pieces of legislation aimed at improving TRICARE Standard.

Keeping the momentum

TMC achieved a record number of legislative victories in 2003. Coalition members say they plan to build on those efforts in the coming years as well as fight to preserve the benefits that already have been won.

“The coalition doesn’t just look at expanding benefits,” says Raezer. “Sometimes we have to work just to preserve a benefit. In a tight budget environment, sometimes we really have to fight just to preserve things.”

Despite congressional budget-trimming efforts this year, TMC has continued to fight for some much-needed legislation that will benefit uniformed servicemembers, their families, and their survivors. Topping the coalition’s list of priorities for 2004 are measures to reform the Survivor Benefit Plan and extend permanent TRICARE coverage to drilling reservists. The coalition also is working to expand concurrent receipt legislation to include retirees with less than 20 years of service and noncombat-related VA disabilities that are rated below 50 percent.

“There are always more issues that need to be addressed,” says Strobridge. “Most people in Congress want to help, but they have budgetary limits and lots of other competing issues. We have to pick our priorities and speak with one voice to make sure military ‘people issues’ get the priority they deserve.”

Whether Congress is willing to upgrade certain benefit programs remains to be seen. One thing is certain, however. When it comes time to examine and vote on TMC-backed issues, legislators undoubtedly will weigh their concerns about the deficit against concerns of alienating their constituents during an election year. Given the political climate, the coalition’s grassroots influence just might make the difference.