Provide Lifetime Base Privileges for Service Members Medically Discharged for Disabilities Incurred in Military Service
Provides a no-cost benefit for disability resulting from service.
Annually some 10,000 service members are deemed no longer physically fit to serve as a result of service-incurred disabilities and found to be less than thirty-percent disabled by medical boards. Thus they are medically discharged and not medically retired. For those service members nearing retirement this is a terrible injustice. These service members are simply tossed unceremoniously into the Veterans Administration (VA) system to fight for several years for the disability benefits to which they are entitled and more often than not receive a considerably higher VA disability rating than their branches granted.
Once veterans these service members are granted but one additional benefit than other veterans and that is base privileges for a period of only two years following their discharge. Their disabilities however will last and worsen over their lifetimes.
Providing all medically separated veterans and their dependents access to commissaries, exchanges, services, activities and morale, welfare & recreation (MWR) facilities as are retirees and their dependents not only provides a modest benefit for sacrifice through service it will also generate as much as $1 billion or more in revenues for Family and MWR programs. Revenues from commissaries, exchanges, services and other activities on military installations fund Family and MWR programs which support the mental, financial and physical wellbeing of service members and their families.
This proposal is an opportunity to give a tangible benefit with a onetime negligible cost of issuing ID cards to those whose military service was abruptly ended through no fault of their own because of disabilities directly resulting from their service along with their dependents while providing a considerable infusion of new funding for quality of life improving programs that directly benefit Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve personnel and their families.
Granting this benefit is the fair, right and honorable thing to do.
Once veterans these service members are granted but one additional benefit than other veterans and that is base privileges for a period of only two years following their discharge. Their disabilities however will last and worsen over their lifetimes.
Providing all medically separated veterans and their dependents access to commissaries, exchanges, services, activities and morale, welfare & recreation (MWR) facilities as are retirees and their dependents not only provides a modest benefit for sacrifice through service it will also generate as much as $1 billion or more in revenues for Family and MWR programs. Revenues from commissaries, exchanges, services and other activities on military installations fund Family and MWR programs which support the mental, financial and physical wellbeing of service members and their families.
This proposal is an opportunity to give a tangible benefit with a onetime negligible cost of issuing ID cards to those whose military service was abruptly ended through no fault of their own because of disabilities directly resulting from their service along with their dependents while providing a considerable infusion of new funding for quality of life improving programs that directly benefit Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve personnel and their families.
Granting this benefit is the fair, right and honorable thing to do.
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