Active/Reserve Force/Family Issues
- Sustain defense budget of at least 4% of GDP to fund both people and weapons needs
- Increase active duty, G/R force sizes (end strength) to match mission
- Restore full military pay comparability with private sector (2.4% gap remains)
- Upgrade G/R retirement/compensation to reflect “operational reserve” demands
- Amend Post-9/11 GI Bill to allow job training, Guard AGR (Title 32) access and transferability to family members of USPHS/NOAA Corps
- Authorize currently serving families to use pre-tax health/dependent care programs
- Strengthen financial, legal, reemployment protections for mobilized G/R force
- Protect funding for commissary, dependent schools and other military benefits
- Improve access to affordable child care
- Provide incentives for employers/government contractors to hire military spouses
- Raise relocation payments to cover members’ costs for government-directed moves
- Allow military spouses the option to establish same domicile state as service member
Health Care Issues
- Ensure proper DoD and VA care for/outreach to wounded warriors and families
- Protect against benefit cuts/avoid disproportional cost-shifting to beneficiaries
- Upgrade TRICARE to attract more providers and improve beneficiary access
- Allow three years of active-duty-level health care for disability retirees/families
- Fix Medicare/TRICARE payment rate formula to promote provider participation
- Improve seamless transition between the Defense and VA health care/benefits systems
- Provide full funding for veterans enrolled in the VA health care system
- Authorize option to subsidize retention of reservists' civilian family health insurance
- Increase orthodontia payment cap under active duty dental plan
Retirement/Survivor Issues
- Preserve full-inflation cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs)
- Eliminate the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) deduction from SBP
- Authorize full concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation
- Restore VA survivor annuities for qualifying widows who remarry after age 55
- Oppose military benefit changes that are inconsistent with service career sacrifices
- Expand permanent ID card eligibility for elderly / disabled beneficiaries
- Reform the Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA)
- Authorize survivors to retain the deceased sponsor’s full final-month retired pay
- Implement a more equitable military disability retirement system
Veterans and Other Issues
- Improve quality, efficiency, and timeliness of VA claims-processing system
- Authorize pre-tax payment of health, dental and long-term care premiums
- Win congressional approval of Flag anti-desecration amendment
- Reduce Social Security penalties for certain civil service and state retirees/survivors
- Prevent disproportional Social Security/Medicare penalties for any population segment
