Buchanan ‘pleased’ to see bill to help domestic abuse victims included in NDAA

WASHINGTON, D.C. (FLV) – Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and Steven Horsford, D-Nev., praised the inclusion of their legislation, the Rachael Booth Act, in the National Defense Authorization Act, which the House is expected to consider this week. 

The Rachael Booth Act aims to “fix a gap in current law that prevents some individuals who suffer domestic abuse at the hands of a service member from receiving much-needed financial assistance,” according to Buchanan’s office.

Buchanan originally introduced the House version of the act last Congress alongside Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in the Senate. Rubio has again introduced the Senate companion legislation this Congress.  

The bill is named after Rachael Booth, a constituent of Buchanan’s from Lithia, Florida. Booth found herself unable to access the financial assistance she should have been eligible for when her husband was convicted of domestic abuse in a civilian court, according to the statement.

“Just as our men and women in the Armed Forces sacrifice for their country, so too do military spouses. In times of crisis, it’s critical that they are able to access these benefits in a timely and efficient manner,” Buchanan said. 

“I’m pleased to see our legislation included in this year’s NDAA to help domestic abuse victims like Rachael get back on their feet as soon as possible.”

Currently, dependents of service members are eligible to apply for Transitional Compensation to help them transition to financial independence after the service member has been discharged from the military for a domestic abuse offense.

However, there are cases in which the service member is convicted of a domestic abuse offense in a civilian court but is discharged from the military for another offense.

Current law requires a dependent in this situation to request “exceptional eligibility” from the member’s service secretary to be awarded compensation, a process which could take as long as four years to be resolved.

The act would aim to fix this error by ensuring standard eligibility to Transitional Compensation for dependents of service members who are convicted of domestic abuse in civilian court, even if they are separated from the military for another offense.

It would also allow the service secretaries to delegate the authority to grant Transitional Compensation to those seeking an “exceptional eligibility” to the flag officer or first general in the service member’s chain of command, a fix that would “significantly decrease the wait time for these claims.”

“This language will allow for financial support to the survivors of domestic violence and close a shameful gap in the Pentagon’s transitional compensation program,” Horsford said.