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1 Atlas of Military Compensation 1 (December 5, 2013)

handle is hein.congrec/asomtycn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ATLAS OF MILITARY COMPENSATION Compensation for military personnel is found in both the defense and nondefense parts of the federal bud- get. Defense funding, in the Department of Defense's (DoD's) budget, is mostly for current military personnel. Nondefense funding in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is mostly for former military personnel. Since 2000, the total budget for military compensation has been rising steadily, even though the number of mili- tary personnel and veterans has been declining. Spending by VA has accounted for most of that increase, rising from a small fraction of the total to about 60 percent of military compensation in the President's 2024 budget request. In the 2024 budget request, total military compen- sation is $551 billion. (Of that total, $230 billion is for DoD and $321 billion is for VA.) That amount represents an increase of 144 percent since 1980 (and 134 percent since 1999) after removing the effects of inflation. Military Compensation: Defense and Nondefense Spending Most military compensation in DoD's budget is funded through the appropriations for military personnel. That funding accounted for 27 percent of DoD's total budget in 2024, down from 34 percent in 1980 (because of reductions in the size of the force). Some elements of compensation (for medical care and family programs) are funded through the operation and maintenance (O&M) and family housing accounts. Budget of the Department of Defense Billions of 2024 Dollars 500 Large-Scale +Onerations in Ira -+ 400 300 200 100 0 1980 and Afghanistan b Operation and Maintenance Military Person Budget of the Department of Veterans Affairs Billions of 2024 Dollars 500 r 400 300 nel 'Procurement Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Military Construction 1984 1994 2004 2014 200 100 0 -- - 1980 2024 Request VA's budget funds income security programs (mostly disability compensation but also pension and survivors' compensation), medical care (in VA's facilities as well as at private-sector facilities), and other benefits and activities (mostly educational benefits but also administrative activities). The budget mostly funds benefits for veterans, but some benefits (such as VA-guaranteed home loans) can be accessed while serving in the military. After experiencing very little growth from 1980 to 1999, VA's budget has roughly tripled in real (inflation-adjusted) terms since then. The budgets for income security and medical care account for most of that growth; in the 2024 budget request, each individually is approaching the size of DoD's military personnel budget. VA's funding has grown since 2000, though the number of veterans has been declining. Furthermore, the number of combat veterans has been decreasing as a share of veterans who receive disability compensation-even though the United States was engaged in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than 10 years. A higher percentage of veterans serving after 9/11 (called Gulf War II veterans), both those who served in combat zones and those who did not, are applying for and receiving VA benefits more often and for an expanded list of covered conditions. VA's Total Budget 1984 1994 2004 2014 2024 Request

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