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CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS, RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Evans Urges Military Retirees Disabled by Exposure to Agent Orange, Radiation and other Toxins to Apply for Combat-Related Special Pay

Congressman Lane Evans (D-IL), the Ranking Democratic Member on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, a long-time advocate for veterans disabled by Agent Orange and other toxic exposures announced that the Department of Defense (Defense) has developed guidelines for a special pay program included in last year’s Defense Authorization Bill. The special pay provision is effective May 31, 2003, with payments beginning July 1, 2003.

"All military retirees who believe they qualify for the benefit should submit an application to their military department," said Evans.

In order to qualify for the special pay program, military retirees must have at least 20 years of military service ** and ** have a combat-related disability that is either at least 60% disabling or a combat-related disability for which a Purple Heart was awarded and rated at least 10% disabling. The disability rating is determined by either the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or a Military Department.

According to the special pay guidance found on the Defense Web site at http://www.dod.mil/prhome/crsc.html, "disabilities rated by the VA on the basis of exposure to radiation, mustard gas or lewisite, Agent Orange, and those disabilities associated with Persian Gulf service that are presumed by the VA to be service-connected shall be presumed by the Military Department to be combat-related absent documentary information that the disability was incurred under circumstances that were not combat-related."

Evans, who supports the allowance of "concurrent receipt" of military retirement pay and VA service-connected compensation benefits for all military retirees, noted that military retirees will not automatically receive this special pay, but must apply for it. The application and related information may be found on the Defense Web site. "While many questions remain as to how this program will be implemented, military retirees who believe that they meet the program criteria should apply now," said Evans.