From the Halls ….

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        Contact:    Kawika Riley (Veterans’ Affairs)

October 16, 2008                                                             (202) 224-9126

VETERANS’ COMPENSATION COST-OF-LIVING-INCREASE ANNOUNCED

5.8 percent increase effective December 1^st

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Effective December 1, 2008, veterans’ disability compensation, among other benefits, will be increased by 5.8 percent, to respond to the increasingly high cost-of-living in the United States.  This increase was secured by an Act of Congress, authored by U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.  The exact percentage increase of 5.8 percent was determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, corresponding with the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The Social Security Administration reports that this year’s CPI increase is the largest since 1982.  Last year’s increase was 2.3 percent.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC (October 13,  2008) –  The nation’s largest veterans organization applauds VA Secretary Dr. James Peake’s decision to retain control of the new GI Bill rather than outsourcing services.

Last month National Commander David K. Rehbein expressed concerns about VA’s earlier decision to contract out certain delivery aspects of the educational benefit during testimony before a joint session of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees.

On Oct. 10, VA announced that it will rely upon its own workforce to develop the information technology programs necessary to implement the educational benefits necessary to administer the Post-911 GI Bill.

Rehbein said the Legion’s opposition to VA’s earlier plan to outsource is based on practicality. “The VA employs IT personnel with intimate knowledge of how to best serve the veterans’ community. VA should be provided with the additional resources needed to get the job done by the August 2009 implementation date.

          “The new GI Bill is an earned benefit that the newest generation of wartime veterans richly deserves,” Rehbein said. “The ultimate goal is to assure timely delivery of these enhanced benefits. The American Legion will continue to work with VA to achieve this goal.”
         With a current membership of 2.6-million wartime veterans, The American Legion, www.legion.org, was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans’ affairs, Americanism, and patriotic youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation.

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Media Contacts: Craig Roberts – (202) 263-2982; Cell – (202) 406-0887;, Joe March, (317) 630-1253; Cell 317-748-1926 or John Raughter (317) 630-1350. This text and a high-resolution photo of Cmdr. Conatser can be downloaded at www.legion.org.