LEGISLATING “MILITARY ENTITLEMENTS”: A CHALLENGE TO THE CONGRESSIONAL ...

209 Pages·2015·1.11 MB·English

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.

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DEDICATION
This is dedicated to Georgette. This dissertation is not nearly the achievement that she is.
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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!
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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

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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 .................................................................................................................. 149

Nuances of Congressional Involvement ...................................................................... 151

Inter-Branch Relations Are Both Adversarial and Collaborative ............................ 151

Previously Overlooked Types of Direct Action ...................................................... 156

Legislators’ Involvement Is Limited to Certain Issues ............................................ 160

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The Branches Differ in Perspective and Approach ................................................. 161

Summary ..................................................................................................................... 164

VIII. Conclusions and Contributions .............................................................................. 165

Contributions to the Academic Field .......................................................................... 166

Contributions to Public Policy .................................................................................... 168

Appendix A: Interview Dates and Locations .................................................................. 173

Appendix B: Statement of Independent Analysis ........................................................... 174

Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 176

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LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
Table 1 Types of Military Compensation ......................................................................... 28

Table 2 Summary of Primary Sources Evaluated ............................................................. 67

Table 3 Expertise of Interview Participants ...................................................................... 71

Table 4 Career Affiliations of Interview Participants ....................................................... 71

Table 5 Affiliations of Interview Participants during Enactment of TRICARE-for-Life 72

Table 6 Interview Dates and Locations .......................................................................... 173

viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
Figure 1 Cost of DOD’s Military Healthcare System ..................................................... 116

Figure 2 Cost Growth in Military Compensation, 2000-2014 ........................................ 118

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