Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 117.djvu/1530

 PUBLIC LAW 108–136—NOV. 24, 2003

117 STAT. 1511

(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 404a the following new item: ‘‘404b. Travel and transportation allowances: lodging expenses at temporary duty location for members on authorized leave.’’.

Subtitle D—Retired Pay and Survivor Benefits SEC. 641. PHASE-IN OF FULL CONCURRENT RECEIPT OF MILITARY RETIRED PAY AND VETERANS DISABILITY COMPENSATION FOR CERTAIN MILITARY RETIREES.

(a) CONCURRENT RECEIPT.—Section 1414 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: ‘‘§ 1414. Members eligible for retired pay who are also eligible for veterans’ disability compensation for disabilities rated 50 percent or higher: concurrent payment of retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation ‘‘(a) PAYMENT OF BOTH RETIRED PAY AND COMPENSATION.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), a member or former member of the uniformed services who is entitled for any month to retired pay and who is also entitled for that month to veterans’ disability compensation for a qualifying service-connected disability (hereinafter in this section referred to as a ‘qualified retiree’) is entitled to be paid both for that month without regard to sections 5304 and 5305 of title 38. During the period beginning on January 1, 2004, and ending on December 31, 2013, payment of retired pay to such a qualified retiree is subject to subsection (c). ‘‘(2) QUALIFYING SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY.—In this section, the term ‘qualifying service-connected disability’ means a service-connected disability or combination of service-connected disabilities that is rated as not less than 50 percent disabling by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. ‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULES FOR CHAPTER 61 DISABILITY RETIREES.— ‘‘(1) CAREER RETIREES.—The retired pay of a member retired under chapter 61 of this title with 20 years or more of service otherwise creditable under section 1405 of this title, or at least 20 years of service computed under section 12732 of this title, at the time of the member’s retirement is subject to reduction under sections 5304 and 5305 of title 38, but only to the extent that the amount of the member’s retired pay under chapter 61 of this title exceeds the amount of retired pay to which the member would have been entitled under any other provision of law based upon the member’s service in the uniformed services if the member had not been retired under chapter 61 of this title. ‘‘(2) DISABILITY RETIREES WITH LESS THAN 20 YEARS OF SERVICE.—Subsection (a) does not apply to a member retired under chapter 61 of this title with less than 20 years of service otherwise creditable under section 1405 of this title, or with less than 20 years of service computed under section 12732 of this title, at the time of the member’s retirement.

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