Denying Veterans' Benefits to Certain Former Servicemen, H.R. 4367

GAO supports the proposed legislation which would limit veterans benefits to only those who complete their initial obligated tour of duty. A study was made to determine the total costs associated with those military members separated before completion of their initial enlistments. The costs associated with 444,500 persons who attrited during a 3-year period were estimated at $6.7 billion; $2.7 billion was estimated for providing lifetime veterans' benefits to 211,500 attritees. Although the portion of these costs which could be saved through changing the eligibility criteria as proposed was not determined, it is believed that the cost savings would be substantial. The proposed legislation would be more equitable to those who complete their obligated tours of duty. Military officials responsible for managing attrition in their services generally support this bill and believe that limiting veterans' benefits should not hurt recruiting efforts and could reduce attrition.