House bill would speed disability payments to wounded troops

Below you will find an article on the Recovering Service Members Disability Benefits Act appearing in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and Stars & Stripes. 

House bill would speed disability payments to wounded troops

By Carl Prine

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Published: October 7, 2012

A bipartisan bill promises to speed disability payments to troops wounded in Afghanistan, but it must clear a Congress so divided that 96 percent of proposed legislation dies on Capitol Hill.

Inspired by chats with wounded troops at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Centre County, has proposed HR 6445, the Recovering Service Members Disability Benefits Act. It would exempt active-duty, Reserve and National Guard service members injured in a combat zone from the customary five-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance payments.

This would help the most vulnerable veterans and their families -- those troops transitioning out of the military but too sick to work...

Click here to view the full article and here to view additional information on the bill.