More NDAA Entries

Other provisions in the armed services committees’ inputs to the fiscal 2007 defense bill (see two previous items) include a 2.7 percent pay raise for all service members (House) versus a 2.2 percent increase by the Senate. The Senate also would give targeted pay raises to midcareer and senior enlisted members and warrant officers. And it would repeal the Survivor Benefit Plan offset currently undergone by survivors who receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. In addition, the Senate would accelerate the effective date of paid-up SBP from Oct. 1, 2008, to Oct. 1. 2006, for retirees age 70 who have paid premiums for 30 years. And it would require movers of service members’ household goods to provide free replacement value for lost or damaged household goods. The House would authorize free mailings of certain items for members serving in Iraq or Afghanistan or undergoing hospitalization as a consequence of such service.