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For Immediate Release:                                                                         April 26, 2005

House Armed Services Committee Leadership and Experience

Buyer Military Personnel Subcommittee Successes

• Pay raises for our troops ( 2.8% and 3.6%) / Major changes to the pay structure
• Redesign of the Military Health Delivery System pharmacy benefits
• Improved housing allowances
• Removed restrictions on subsistence allowances for enlisted members
• Improved the National Guard’s structure to respond to WMD emergencies
• Authorized Concurrent Receipt for certain severely disabled military retirees
• Required DoD to provide military funeral honors
• Improved TRICARE claims processing times
• Gained access for Persian Gulf War veterans to military health facilities for undiagnosed illness
• Co-authored Gulf war veterans’ compensation for unknown diagnosis
• Led the fight for R&D into Gulf War Illness
• Required pre- and post deployment health surveys
• Focused DoD to re-evaluate the plume analysis of the Iraqi weapons destroyed at Kamisayah
• Authorized Reservists to fly at “government rates” when commuting to drills
• Increased the Family Separation Allowance, Hardship Duty Location Pay, and Hazardous Duty Pay
• Authored the military’s participation in the Thrift Savings Plan
• Increased Commissary visits from 12 to 24 for Guard and Reserves
• Increased Guard and Reserve retirement points to 90
• Waived 1st year deductibles for Guard & Reserve called to active duty
• Created TRICARE for Life
• Added 800 Full Time Support billets to the Army Reserve
• Revised the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) mobilization authority, reformed military recruiting to reduce recruit attrition rates, required the Army to reform training of its Drill Instructors, increased aviation and nuclear bonuses, ordered a review of military criminal investigations involving sexual misconduct
• Revised basic training to protect women recruits, established a commission to evaluate basic training practices including gender-related issues
• Prohibited the Army from reducing the staff at the Central Identification Lab Hawaii to ensure continued level of efforts regarding recovery of MIA remains
• Required a comprehensive exit survey of those leaving the military
  

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