LEGISLATING “MILITARY ENTITLEMENTS”: a CHALLENGE to the CONGRESSIONAL ABDICATION THESIS By
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LEGISLATING “MILITARY ENTITLEMENTS”: A CHALLENGE TO THE CONGRESSIONAL ABDICATION THESIS by Alexis Lasselle Ross A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy Committee: James P. Pfiffner, Chair ____________________________________ David J. Armor ____________________________________ Siona R. Listokin-Smith Janine Davidson, External Reader ____________________________________ Kenneth J. Button, Program Director ____________________________________ Mark J. Rozell, Dean Date: _______________________________ Fall Semester 2015 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Legislating “Military Entitlements”: A Challenge to the Congressional Abdication Thesis A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at George Mason University by Alexis Lasselle Ross Master of Arts Naval War College, 2005 Bachelor of Arts Bucknell University, 2001 Director: James P. Pfiffner, Professor School of Public Policy Fall Semester 2015 George Mason University Fairfax, VA This work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noderivs 3.0 unported license. ii DEDICATION This is dedicated to Georgette. This dissertation is not nearly the achievement that she is. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Jim Pfiffner for his exceptional leadership, patience, and support. He is a first-class advisor whose professionalism and work ethic inspire me. Siona Listokin and David Armor have been instrumental in accomplishing this project. They provided excellent guidance, particularly early on while I was learning my fields and developing my research topic. Special thanks to Janine Davidson for agreeing when asked late in the process to serve as the external reader. Her insights and enthusiasm for my research have always given me encouragement. I wish to thank all of the people who participated in this research. I was surprised and encouraged by the number of senior officials in both branches who agreed to be interviewed. They spoke candidly and provided invaluable insights. I am grateful to the House Armed Services Committee, especially Nancy Warner, for giving me access to the committee’s archived material. Additionally, thank you to my cohorts, particularly Mark Loring, Doug Anderson, Michelle Ranville, and Mike Williams, who assisted me in keeping to a schedule. The most difficult aspect of this endeavor is simply maintaining forward momentum. The project would not have succeeded, nor would I have made it this far in the doctoral program, without the immense support of mentors, supervisors, and colleagues. Sarah Finnicum and Kathy Miller found a way for me as a GS-15 on the Army Staff to reduce my work schedule to part-time in order to advance my progress. Tim Litvin, Becky Waddle, and Danielle House took on more responsibility and work because of it. I am truly grateful for their part in helping me succeed. Finally, Bob Daigle continually pushed me and made it possible to finish despite the distraction of other life and work events. I am especially grateful for my husband, Randy. His help and encouragement from PhD program applications, through coursework and fields, to finally finishing the dissertation have been unwavering. I am continuously amazed by his selflessness and interest in watching me succeed. Fun for life! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... x Disclaimer .......................................................................................................................... xi Abstract ............................................................................................................................. xii I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Insights from Previous Scholarship .............................................................................. 11 Congress and National Security .................................................................................... 12 Congress’ Fluctuating, Yet Diminished Level of Involvement ................................. 13 Congressional Methods of Involvement: Direct and Indirect ................................... 18 Types of National Security Policy: Crisis, Strategic, and Structural ......................... 21 Summary and Gaps in the Literature ......................................................................... 23 Military Personnel Compensation ................................................................................. 25 Entitlements ................................................................................................................... 32 Budgetary Effects of Entitlements ............................................................................. 35 III. Background ................................................................................................................. 39 The Health Benefit Available to Military Beneficiaries ............................................... 40 Health Care for Medicare-Eligible Retirees Prior to 2000 ............................................ 45 Military Compensation Expands in the 2000s .............................................................. 48 IV. Research Design ......................................................................................................... 54 Applying Lindsay and Ripley’s Framework to TRICARE-for-Life ............................. 54 Types of Defense Policy ............................................................................................ 55 Types of Congressional Action ................................................................................. 57 Primary and Supporting Research Questions ................................................................ 58 Primary Research Question ....................................................................................... 59 v Supporting Research Questions ................................................................................. 60 Hypothesis ..................................................................................................................... 60 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 62 Case Studies and Case Selection ............................................................................... 63 Document Analysis .................................................................................................... 66 Interviews .................................................................................................................. 69 V. The Legislative-Executive Struggle over TRICARE-for-Life ..................................... 74 Creation of TRICARE-for-Life in 2000 ........................................................................ 75 Policy Agendas .......................................................................................................... 77 Actions Taken ............................................................................................................ 82 Protection of TRICARE-for-Life After 2000 ................................................................ 91 Dual Coverage under TRICARE-for-Life and VA ................................................... 92 TRICARE-for-Life Enrollment Fees ......................................................................... 94 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 101 VI. Policy Implications of Congressional Action ........................................................... 104 Effects on the Military Healthcare System ................................................................. 106 Manpower Implications ............................................................................................... 110 Budgetary Implications ............................................................................................... 114 “Military Entitlements” ............................................................................................... 123 TRICARE-for-Life: A Military Entitlement ........................................................... 127 Implications of a Military Entitlement .................................................................... 129 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 135 VII. Congress’ Role in Military Personnel Policymaking .............................................. 139 Congress Commands Military Personnel Policymaking ............................................. 140 Congress Takes Direct Action Despite the Executive’s Objections ........................ 141 Congress Uses Legislation to Retain Control .......................................................... 143 Congress’ Actions Affect Broader Defense Policies ............................................... 147 Summary .................................................................................................................