Veterans’ Disability Compensation: Trends and Policy Options

"The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oversees a disability program that makes payments through the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) to compensate U.S. veterans for medical cond

itions or injuries that are incurred or aggravated during active duty in the military,

although not necessarily during the performance of military duties. Compensable service-connected disabilities range widely in severity and type, including the loss of one or more limbs, migraines, scars, and hypertension. Payments are meant to offset the average earnings lost as a result of those conditions, whether or not a particular veteran’s condition has reduced his or her earnings or interfered with his or her daily functioning..."

Veterans disability compensation

County Compensation by Industry, 201

"Compensation increased in 2,480 counties and declined in 633 counties in the U.S. in 2010, as the average annual compensation per job increased 2.7 percent to $58,451, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).¹ Total compensation of U.S. workers increased 2.2 percent in 2010, as net job losses partially offset compensation growth.Inflation grew 1.8 percent, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures..."

Analysis of Federal Civilian and Military Compensation
"...The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was asked to compare federal civilian and
military compensation. Total compensation can be divided into three components:
cash compensation (including pay, cash allowances, and bonuses); noncash benefits
(such as subsidized health insurance and child care); and deferred benefits (such as
pensions and veterans’ benefits.) Because of the difficulties of estimating the relative size of noncash and deferred compensation, for this analysis CBO focused on cash compensation, addressing how salaries earned by federal civilian workers compare
with cash compensation for military personnel. According to CBO’s analysis, median
cash compensation for military personnel—including the tax-free cash allowances for
food and housing—exceeds the salaries of most federal civilians of comparable educa-
tion and work experience.

In addition, according to prior studies, noncash and deferred benefits are also higher for military personnel than for federal civilian workers..."

National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2009
"The National Compensation Survey (NCS) provides comprehensive measures of occupational earnings, compensation cost trends, the incidence of benefits, and detailed benefit provisions. This bulletin presents estimates of occupational pay for the Nation. These national estimates originate from the NCS locality survey data and are weighted to represent the Nation as a whole. The estimates include pay for workers in major sectors within the U.S. economy in 2009–the civilian, private, and State and local government sectors–and by various occupational and establishment characteristics. The civilian sector, by NCS definition, excludes Federal Government, agricultural, and household workers..."

County Compensation by Industry, 2008
"Compensation grew in over 80 percent of the 3,112 counties in the U.S., as the average annual compensation per job in the U.S. grew by 2.6 percent to $56,116, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).¹ Total compensation of U.S. workers grew 2.3 percent in 2008, as net job losses partially offset compensation growth. Inflation measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, grew 3.3 percent..."

County Compensation by Industry, 2007
"Total compensation of U.S. workers grew 5.2% in 2007 and most counties shared in that growth, according to statistics released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Compensation grew in over 90% of the 3,111 counties in the U.S., as the average annual compensation per job in the U.S. grew by 4.1% to $53,892. Inflation, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, grew 2.6% in 2007."

National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2007
"The National Compensation Survey (NCS) provides comprehensive measures of occupational earnings, compensation cost trends, the incidence of benefits, and detailed benefit provisions. This bulletin presents estimates of occupational pay for the Nation. These national estimates originate from the NCS locality survey data and are weighted to represent the Nation as a whole. The estimates include pay for workers in major sectors within the U.S. economy in 2007–the civilian, private, and State and local government sectors–and by various occupational and establishment characteristics. The civilian economy, by NCS definition, excludes Federal government, agricultural, and household workers."

National Compensation Survey: Retirement Benefits in State and Local Governments in the United States, 2007
"Eighty-two percent of State and local government employees participating in defined benefit retirement plans were covered by early retirement provisions in 2007. Almost all workers (95 percent) were in plans with disability retirement provisions, and more than half (56 percent) had portability provisions. Virtually all workers
participating in defined benefit plans had their retirement benefits calculated on the basis of their preretirement earnings. Ninety-three percent of participants were in plans allowing newly hired employees to participate; the remainder were in plans that are closed to new employees. Eighty-one percent could begin their plan participation immediately upon being hired."