Washington, D.C. —
Senator John Thune today announced his strong support for S. 2400, the Wounded Warrior Bonus Equity Act. The bill would end the policy of the military to demand combat-wounded service personnel give back a portion of the enlistment bonuses they receive because they are unable to serve out their commitments due to their combat-related injury.
"We owe the deepest debt of gratitude to those men and women who are permanently disabled in service to our nation," said Thune. "The idea that a soldier who has been wounded and unable to fulfill their service must be forced to return a part of their enlistment bonus is grossly unfair and must be rectified."
Current Department of Defense policy states that service personnel who have been medically discharged due to a wound sustained in combat have not fulfilled their full term of service, and therefore must return a portion of the bonus they received when they enlisted. The Wounded Warrior Bonus Equity Act would end this unfair policy and require that bonuses be paid in full when service personnel are disabled in combat. In addition, the bill would require the Secretary of Defense to identify the soldiers to be paid retroactively, and determine the amounts to be paid to each soldier through a financial audit.
"We owe the deepest debt of gratitude to those men and women who are permanently disabled in service to our nation," said Thune. "The idea that a soldier who has been wounded and unable to fulfill their service must be forced to return a part of their enlistment bonus is grossly unfair and must be rectified."
Current Department of Defense policy states that service personnel who have been medically discharged due to a wound sustained in combat have not fulfilled their full term of service, and therefore must return a portion of the bonus they received when they enlisted. The Wounded Warrior Bonus Equity Act would end this unfair policy and require that bonuses be paid in full when service personnel are disabled in combat. In addition, the bill would require the Secretary of Defense to identify the soldiers to be paid retroactively, and determine the amounts to be paid to each soldier through a financial audit.