European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday. March is 1988 the stars and stripes Page 5 veterans cheated a out of millions by understating income Gao says Washington a . Veterans cheated the veterans administration out of tens of millions of dollars in pension payments in 1984 by hiding it Cir actual incomes from the a a congressional study says. The general accounting office the investigative Wing or Congress said that pensioners who under haled i hair incomes to the a May have collected ilb2.i million More in pension payments than they deserved. Under the Law the size of a pensions which went to 1.4 million people in 1984 principally Are determined by a recipient s total income from All sources including employment and investments. The Gao report released by sen Frank Murkowski a Alaska. Said that congressional investigators found that 349.000 pensioners failed to Lull the a about j947 million in income Gao said it arrived at the figure by comparing a income forms filled out by pensioners with data sup plied to the internal Revenue service by the pension in employers and other income sources such As Bank accounts and securities. The report said that More than 26,000 veterans told line a they had no earned income in 1984, but each actually made at least s 1,000 through employment. Some cases had reported no earnings Over several Yean although la data showed significant earnings in those Yean Gao said. Some 60 percent of the pensioners who understated their income 10 the a failed to report that they received Money through interest and dividends Accord ing to the Gao. The report said it could not estimate the exact amount of pension overpayment by the a but it estimated that potential overpayment of $182.5 Mil lion went to 149,000 pensioners whose a and irs records had a difference of j100 or More. Murkowski said the figures May be Low because Gao made several conservative decisions in compiling its data including ignoring All ukr ported income  Murkowski and Gao urged the Valo overhaul its income verification system and thai Congress give the Agency the Legal ability to use irs data to Cross Check the income veterans report to the a. This is the Lype of system thai has been used for seven years to verify the income of applicants for and recipients of needs based entitlement programs such As Aid to families with dependent children. Using to data to verify beneficiary reported in come data appears to be an efficient economical and effective Way to identify potential erroneous pay ments Gao said. Murkowski said that if the a was allowed the same Access to tax records As the Gao had and As food Tampt medicaid and other Means tested pro Grams do a pension payments would be focused on he intended beneficiaries and More Money would be available for other veterans programs and serv  the senator the senior Republican on the veterans affairs committee said he would introduce legislation to give the a the ability to use irs records to a crib what it is told by its pensioners. Clearly. A should be allowed to go to where the most accurate information can be  Murkowski said in a statement accompanying the Gao report he requested in 1983, when he was committee chairman there was no immediate reaction from the a be cause the report was Mode Public after the Agency had closed for the Day. Star studded arrest up a Wolfl handcuffed radio personality Curcy karm surrenders to police after trespassing on the lop Incret Nevada test Sale during a demonstration against nuclear Caponi letting. Risem my one of several  figures among the 1,100 wrested. Reagan vetoes rights Bill Quick override predicted Washington a president Reagan vetoed a major civil rights Bill wednesday saying in would vastly and unjustifiably extend the Power of the Federal government Over the decisions and affairs of private  Rongan also proposed an alternative that he said would protect civil rights and a the same time preserve the Independence of state and local governments the Freedom of religion and the right of America s citizens to order their lives and Busi Nesses without extensive Federal intrusion the veto was immediately criticized by civil rights and other groups and congressional democrats predicted a Quick override. The legislation which had bipartisan support passed the Senate 75-14 on Jan. 28 and the House j15-98 on March 2. Both Voles Are More than the two thirds majority necessary to override a presidential veto. Sen. Edward Kennedy d-mass., chairman of the Senate labor and human resources commit tee called the veto a kick in the Teeth of civil rights. In is the most regrettable and least justifiable of All the Reagan vetoes the Bill the president vetoed was designed to undo the effects of a 1984 supreme court ruling that in cutting off Federal Money because of illegal discrimination inc government could treat each specific program or activity separately that meant thai other parts of the institution involved could still receive Federal Money under the Bill Federal Aid to the entire institution would have to be Cut off in such cases. In his veto message the president said he supports legislation to strengthen the civil rights coverage of educational institutions that were affected by the High court s decision. He said he has already endorsed legislation to do this but his new Hill goes further than he legislation previously endorsed. Reagan s Bill is similar to one rejected by the Housely a Vole of 266-146. The president said his Bill would prohibit discrimination against women minorities people with disabilities and the elderly across tic Board in Public school districts Public systems of higher education systems of vocational education Ana private educational institutions that receive any Public Aid. Extend the application of the civil rights stat utes to entire businesses that receive Federal Aid As a whole and to the entire Plant or facility receiving Federal Aid in every other instance. Prohibit discrimination in All of the federally funded programs of departments and agencies of slate Ana local  Reagan said his Bill complements Well our Bod of Chisling Federal civil rights  Congress on the other hand has sent me a Bill that would vastly and unjustifiably expand the Power of the Federal government Over the decisions and affairs of private organizations such As churches and synagogues farms businesses and stale and local governments he said. In the process in would place at risk such cherished values As religious liberty.". Navy probes want to know where when officer killed Sands or time Mayport is Fla a inv Sii gators were trying to determine when and where inc destroyer John Hancock s disbursement officer was strangled shot and robbed of the ship s payroll a Navy spokesman said. The body of i. Ralish Prasad 24, was fund tuesday inside a locker on the destroyer. About $94,000 was missing from his office Safe inc Navy said Revis ing the amount downward from tues Day s estimate of j120,000. He was shot at close Range and also strangled said chief Petty officer Art Riccio. There was no indication Prasad also was bludgeoned As first reports indicated Riccio said with All the blood and everything that s the Way it looked Riccio said. The Bullet apparently passed right through the head final autopsy reports have not been released Riccio said. The Lime of death and where Prasad was shot had not been determined  officials said. No bullets or casings were found and the Caliper of the weapon was not known Riccio said. Riccio said the twice monthly payroll due for disbursement tuesday was 170,000. And about 124,000 in Cash usually is kept in the Safe. No information was available on suspects Navy investigative service officers arc working with Duval Jacksonville sheriffs deputies Riccio said. 40 years ago today March 18, 1948 president Truman urged Congress to temporarily revive wartime military conscription in face of whal he termed Russia s aim to subjugate Europe. 30 years ago today. March 18, 1958 rebel Leader Fidel Castro declared a state of total War Between the people of Cuba and the tyranny of president Fulgencio  20 years ago today. March 18, 196b thousands of London police and leftist Anli Vietnam War marchers battled for 90 minutes in Grosvenor Square in front of the . Embassy. To years ago today. March 18. 1978 the croup against smoking pollution Gaspa California citizens action group filed petitions to ban smoking in Public places and faced Strong position from the tobacco Industry which contended thai such a measure would be an encroachment on personal liberties