Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Lawyer
There is no end to the mischief Congress can get itself into. It did little to assist veterans in 2013 and I have written about that earlier in the month. In a last minute budget deal, the Congress and President have a budget law that punishes retirees from the military. “The deal Obama signed includes a provision that would pare down annual cost of living increases in benefits for military retirees under age 62, saving the government an estimated $6.3 billion over a decade.” On the theory that younger retirees have the chance to work in the private sector, the budget team isolated these “younger” retirees and stripped out COLA from their pensions. These folks put in their 20–30 years and now get a point shaving game run on them.
Congress does not treat all retirees this way. It is not stopping COLA for all similar situated people or for those on other federal programs. But remember, only less than 10% of the population have served in the military. The early retirees are not that big of a voting block. So Congress cut them from the herd and then cut them down – a military tactic dating back to Sun Tzu and the Art of War. The veterans may need to employ some of the same tactics in the next election cycle.
If you want to view a good discussion of the problem, listen to this retired Marine on Fox discuss the problem.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Budget Punishes Retirees first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer
In most organizations the people at the top get it. The people at the bottom are just doing a job. It is the people in the middle that make or break the team. You have seen it where there is “no bench” strength. If the star football player goes down, no one steps up. It is about the LTs and the NCOs. Well, one Congressman called this issue out. “It’s become apparent to me and many others that there is a culture of complacency among the agency’s middle management,” Rep. Jeffrey Miller (R-Fla.), chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC), told International Business Times. “These mid-level managers know that as federal employees there is a good chance they’ll have their position longer than I will be chairman of oversight, and longer than the VA secretary will have his job. They’re evidently willing to just wait out those of us who are trying to change things, and unfortunately the consequences are as serious as life and death for our veterans.” So Congress knows the problem, gosh I don’t want to keep blogging about that for the next decade, and where the bulk of the problem is located. So, do something!
Read more about this in a recent article.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Is it the Middle Managers at VA? first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>