(Washington, DC): – Congressman Michael R. McNulty (D-Green Island) joined his colleagues in the House of Representatives in an effort to force a vote on H.R. 303, the Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2005. HR 303 is a bipartisan proposal to end the Disabled Veterans’ Tax for about 400,000 military retirees with service-connected disabilities left behind under the partial repeal enacted in 2003. HR 303 would accelerate the phase-out of the Disabled Veterans’ Tax for any remaining disabled military retirees.

McNulty explained, “For each dollar of VA service-connected compensation, military retirees with a service-connected disability lose one dollar of their military retirement pay. Other federal retirees who receive civilian benefits are permitted to keep both their retirement pay and their VA service-connected compensation.”

McNulty has long been committed to ending the Disabled Veterans’ Tax. “Those who have sacrificed so much for our nation should receive all of their promised benefits,” he said. “Democrats in the House first launched our effort to end this unfair tax two years ago for the 500,000 disabled veterans who were military retirees – now it’s time to finish the job.”

In 2003, the congressman supported a discharge petition on legislation to eliminate the Disabled Veterans’ Tax. While Republicans reluctantly included a partial fix in subsequent legislation, the so-called ‘repeal’ was phased in over 10 years and covered only those veterans who are more than 50 percent disabled.

“That means that over two-thirds of disabled veterans continue to pay the Disabled Veterans’ Tax, and the rest have to wait for 10 years for their full benefits,” McNulty said. “We should consider H.R. 303 on the floor of the House because it is the appropriate fix – an immediate end to the Disabled Veterans’ Tax for every disabled military retiree.“

The petition requires signatures of at least 218 of the 435 Members of the House of Representatives to force the measure to the House floor for consideration.

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