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Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: March 13, 2012
Sen. Steve Russell
Senate approves Wounded Warrior Protection Act The Senate showed their support of Oklahoma’s heroes who
are wounded in battle by giving unanimous approval to a bill to
protect Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) in divorce proceedings.
Senate Bill 1951 would deem a portion of CRSC as separate property,
not divisible as a marital asset or community property. The bill
would prohibit alimony payments, whether designated for support
or for property division, to be based on CRSC.
“These men and women have sacrificed so much. It’s incomprehensible
that someone would try to claim a military member’s special
compensation for losing a limb or being paralyzed, but it happens.
It’s a case of downright greed and we need to protect our
injured military members,” said Russell, R-Oklahoma City.
“I completely understand ensuring that a spouse receives sufficient
alimony and so forth from a military member’s regular pay
and retirement, but not this special compensation. This is the government’s
way of showing its gratitude to these brave men and women for their
incredible sacrifice, and no other human being has the right to
take that away from them.”
Under the proposed measure, the service member would have to prove
a specific dollar amount of CRSC was compensation paid for combat-related
loss of limb or loss of bodily function. Combat-related injuries
include those for which a service member was awarded a purple heart,
was incurred as a direct result of armed conflict, or sustained
through an instrumentality of war while serving in a combat theater.
Service members would be responsible for providing competent evidence
of what amount of his or her disability compensation is CRSC. Competent
evidence would include, but not be limited to, a DD-214 or NGB-22
or similar statement of service which identifies the combat theater
in which the member served; a Bureau of Veterans Administration
(“BVA” or “VA”) Award letter which sets
for the specific combat-related loss of limb or loss of bodily function,
and the specific amount of CRSC paid for such injuries; and a 1099
from the BVA or VA which details the specific amount of CRSC for
combat-related loss of limb or loss of bodily function.
SB 1951 now moves to the House for further consideration.
For more information, contact:
Sen. Russell: (405) 521-5618
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