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Aniela Szymanski, Chief Policy Officer No clear answers exist. As the federal government shutdown drags into its third week, the next scheduled paycheck for active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces, set for October 31, hangs in the balance. Military personnel continue to serve and uphold national security, yet their pay has become a casualty of political stalemate — leaving service members and their families uncertain about whether they will be compensated on time.
Earlier this month, the administration announced it would redirect approximately $8 billion of previously unobligated research and development funds from the Department of Defense (DoD) to make the mid-October paycheck (October 15) for troops. However, officials explicitly noted that this measure does not guarantee pay beyond that date if the shutdown continues.
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Aniela Szymanski, Chief Policy Officer The proposal would authorize two-year appropriations for military personnel accounts, ensuring that service members and their families continue to receive pay even if Congress fails to pass a budget on time. The measure represents a forward-thinking solution that would finally protect troops—including members of the U.S. Coast Guard—from the financial instability that too often accompanies funding lapses.
“This concept is exactly the type of forward-thinking solution that would finally protect our service members and their families from the financial harm caused by government shutdowns,” CWOA Executive Director Michael Little said. The idea draws inspiration from a proven precedent. In 2009, Congress passed the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which granted the Department of Veterans Affairs advance appropriations for its medical care accounts—authorizing funding one year ahead of the normal budget cycle. That reform allowed VA hospitals to maintain staffing, patient care, and critical operations even when Congress delayed annual budgets. Later, Congress expanded that protection to include VA benefits programs such as disability compensation and pensions, ensuring that veterans’ payments continued uninterrupted during government shutdowns. The Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association joins the broader veteran community in expressing deep disappointment in The Washington Post’s recent article, “How Some Veterans Exploit $193 Billion VA Program, Due to Lax Controls.” The story’s narrative misrepresents the reality of the Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation system and, in doing so, disrespects the men and women who have earned those benefits through honorable and often life-altering service.
As a retired Chief Warrant Officer, I have seen firsthand the sacrifices our service members endure. The vast majority of veterans who file disability claims do so because their service left them with visible and invisible wounds that impact their daily lives. To imply that these same individuals are taking advantage of a “lax system” is a grave injustice. Fraud exists in every government program, and when it occurs, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice are fully capable of investigating and prosecuting those responsible. Those cases are rare. They do not represent the millions of veterans who navigate a complex, confusing, and often exhausting claims process just to receive the care and support they were promised. The Post’s piece fails to recognize that the number of disability claims has risen not because of greed or deception, but because of the 24 years of continuous military operations following 9/11, and because medical advances now save lives once lost on the battlefield. Survival, however, comes at a cost — chronic pain, traumatic brain injuries, and psychological trauma that often emerge months or years after returning home. The Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association stands firmly in defense of those who have borne the battle. We will always support accountability, but we reject any narrative that paints veterans as opportunists. Our focus must remain on modernizing the VA system, improving claims processing, and ensuring timely care for every veteran in need. The debt this nation owes its veterans is not one that can be questioned in headlines — it’s one that must be honored through understanding, compassion, and continued commitment. CWO4 (Ret.) Mark Cortor Vice President for Retired Affairs Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association, U.S. Coast Guard Championing Coast Guard Warrant Officers: CWOA’s Legacy of Advocacy and Vision for the Future5/29/2025   Aniela Szymanski, Chief Policy Officer VA officials testified before Congress April 9, 2025, about VA efforts to improve the quality and accuracy of VA disability claim decisions. When the PACT Act was passed, VA saw a flood of disability claims and backlogs soared. After an Inspector General Report found VA had an unusually high error rate related to PACT Act claims, the IG blamed those on processing errors. As a result, VA undertook a system-wide effort to improve its processing of disability claims.
By: Aniela Szymanski, Chief Policy Officer CWOA members sharing their challenges, concerns and ideas for improvement is vital to establishing advocacy priorities for CWOA. The traditional structure for feeding those to the organization leadership has been through the chapter and committee structure. Ideally, chapters will get to know what the challenges, concerns and ideas are for chapter membership and inform the organization through its committees to ensure CWOA advocates for them.
By: Aniela Szymanski, Chief Policy Officer This week, Congressman Salud Carbajal, Ranking Member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, part of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, wrote an open letter to members of the United States Coast Guard, highlighting issues of concern and asking the President to focus his efforts on improving them.
By: Aniela Szymanski, Chief Policy Officer The news out of Washington DC has been fast hitting, but military and veteran advocates have stayed the course in consistently pressing for the priorities of the military and veterans community. Here are a couple big items that our organization has been orienting around.
 The COLUMBIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association Scholarship is a partnership with the university that provides two years of education to pursue Associates, Bachelors, and or Master’s degree in a three year period. Note: Books are covered however there is a $35.00 library fee unless you are active duty.
The scholarship will cover up to $25,200 in one online degree program (undergraduate or graduate level). The scholarship will be directly applied to the recipient’s tuition for up to 60 semester hours or 36 consecutive months in the selected online degree program, whichever comes first.  The CWOA LT Art and Eleanor Colona Scholarship Grant was established by the Colona Family to financially assist dependent children of enlisted members of the United States Coast Guard (active, retired, or reserve). Seeking a meaningful way to celebrate the 30 years which LT Colona devoted to the Coast Guard, the Colona family established this scholarship fund to remain in perpetuity with the CWOA.
Each year, one or more Colona scholarship recipient(s) will be awarded a $4000 dollar scholarship dispersing $1000 dollars a year over four years of undergraduate studies.  The CWO John A. Keller, Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association Scholarship Grant (hereinafter “Grant”) is established to financially assist dependent children of members in good standing or who were members in good standing of the CWOA, United States Coast Guard at the time of their death. The assistance shall be a monetary grant for an accredited institution of higher learning.
 The Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association is rallying support for the family of ME1 Michael T. Horan, who was killed in the line of duty, by contributing CWOA and personal coins as a gesture of solidarity and respect, while honoring his posthumous promotion to CWO2.
 Chief Policy Officer Aniela Szymanski provides an overview of recent and upcoming legislative developments.
By: Aniela Szymanski, Chief Policy Officer After a dizzying campaign season, Congress swore in new Members and is beginning its session with a great deal of momentum. Upcoming cabinet nomination confirmation hearings will be held by the Senate in the upcoming month, including Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Homeland Security.
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AuthorThe views expressed in the articles in this publication are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizations for which they work, CWOAUSCG, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, or the U.S. government. Archives
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