Armed Forces News

The fiscal ’05 defense authorization act authorized immediate

concurrent receipt, without phase in, for military retirees

with a 100 percent disability rating from the Department of

Veterans Affairs. For those affected, this will eliminate the

“disabled veterans tax,” which refers to a 100-year old

requirement for military retirees to forfeit a dollar of retired

pay for every dollar of VA compensation received. American

Legion commander Thomas P. Cadmus said, “It’s a step in the

right direction. However, The American Legion will not rest

until every retired military veteran with a service-incurred

disability receives his or her just due: retirement pay they

earned through a full military career and compensation for

injuries received while serving their country. Subtracting

one from the other is just plain wrong regardless of the degree

of disability they suffered.”