A bill passed May 28 by the House, H.R. 4213, carries a provision that would allow service members who are medically retired with fewer than 20 years of service to collect both military retirement pay from the Department of Defense and disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs, providing the disability rating of these so-called Chapter 61 retirees is either 90 or 100 percent. If the measure becomes law, eligible retirees would begin receiving both payments when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. The program would expand to include Chapter 61 retirees with 70- and 80-percent disability ratings on Oct. 1, 2012.
