Many Numbers Floating Around

Although there have been congressional moves toward maintaining pay parity, there still has been no formal determination of what the “parity” figure would be. The House-passed DoD budget measure for fiscal 2004 follows the administration recommendation for military raises ranging from 2 to 6.25 percent and an average military raise of 4.1 percent. The Senate version (S-1050) would provide military raises ranging from 3.7 to 6.25 percent, with an average of 4.15 percent. The “parity” figure most likely will be 3.7 percent, a figure arrived reached under an employment cost index-linked formula used for the military for the last several years; virtually all military members will get raises at least that large even under the administration proposal and House version of the bill. The federal raise typically is determined in the annual appropriations bills that carry the actual money for the upcoming fiscal year, bills that are to be drafted in the weeks and months ahead.