European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 22 stars and stripes thursday april 26 2007 your Money Steve and Alicia Zucatti of suffering by started a 529 plan in 2004 to help their 15yearold daughter Lauren left attend College they have been putting in the maximum they can deduct from their state income taxes Enid Alvarez new York daily news act Register Early for econ 529 state savings plans help with College expenses by Elizabeth Lazarowitz new York daily news new you Are a Parent youve probably noticed the Only thing that grows As fast As your kids is the Cost of sending them to College while gains in the Price of higher education have slowed a bit they be surged 35 percent in just the past five years according to the College Board to help off set those costs More parents Are socking away Money in 529 savings plans a College saving program that works like a Roth Era contributions come from net income but that s the last time the account gets taxed with All gains tax free the Money grows faster than it would in a Reg ular savings account where taxes take a bite out of any interest or gains you earn Congress recently passed a Law making these tax Breaks permanent the Money remains tax free even when you take it out to use it toward qualified College expenses if families can invest without taxes on the moneys growth there going to be Way ahead said Joe Hurley ceo of  which rates and compares 529 plans on average the Cost for an Instate resident at a fou year Public University including tuition fees room and Board was for the 200607 school year according to the College Board at a private University the average jumped to each state offers its own 529 plans making for an overwhelming array of choices High fee scan Cut into any gains the Money makes so watch for that when checking out another states plans the catch with 529 plans is that the Money must be used for qualified higher education expenses use the Money for something else and youll have to pay tax on any gains and a penalty of 10 percent what happens if your kid decides to skip College and become say a Street mime it Doest mean All that savings was for naught it can be used by some one related to the person youve named the beneficiary of the Money including yourself parents who open a 529 plan  worry that the Money will Hurt their Childs chances for financial Aid since the Federal formula takes anly a Small percentage of parental assets into consideration said Kal Chany author of paying for College without going broke in addition if the kid turns out to be a scholar ship superstar you can take the equivalent value out of the 529 with no penalty he said tuesdays Market summary 52 High Low name last net chg Ltd chg dig 52wk chg 1298392 1068332 Dow Jones industrials 1295394 524245 413472 Dow Jones transportation 513360 2816 52601 38930 Dow Jones utilities 52656 969860 770811 nose composite 964850 1206 224247 180065 amex Index 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South Korea 40303 iia71 02891 59708 4754 77 37497 15115 92593 Switzerland Thailand Turkey new military Exchange rates Are those available to customers at military Bank ing facilities in the country of issuance for Japan South Korea Germany the Netherlands and the United kingdom for no local currency Exchange rates in purchasing British pounds in Germa Check with your local military Bank ing facility commercial rates Are inter Bank rates provided for reference when buying currency All figures Are foreign currencies to one Dollar except for the British Pound which is represented in  and the euro which is dollars euro precious metals new York merc dose Gold interest rates prime rate discount rate Federal funds Market rate 3month Bill 30year bond481 sources the associated press Bank of America 625 Tom Philpott support it Al no Vav jul j v t a v xxx squeeze has a past that not so pretty editors note the military us found the former Marine unfit for editors note the military up Date column will move to Satur Day in stars and stripes starting this saturday april 28 of rising disability retirement costs the department of de sense under the Sec retail Caspar Weinberger quietly sought and received an internal Legal opinion that to this Day lamps Down the number of wounded or ill servicemen Ibers awarded military disability retirement the March 251985 memo from the Bod office of general counsel which Only recently came to Light gave Bod health officials a Green Light to restrain military disability ratings without a change in Law they did so by directing the ser vices to Stop setting disability awards based on All service con nested ailments found during Meck ical evaluations and Start Basing them Only on conditions that leave members unfit for duty the policy change took effect in february 1986 with a revised Dod instruction to services its in pact can be profound on individuals Gartice Early in wartime the veterans disability benefits com Mission is studying the effects and its chairman this month sounded an alarm the advantages of receiving Dis ability retirement which requires a 30 percent or higher disability rating Are great for members with less than 20 years in service be sides an immediate annuity disabled retirees and their families gain lifetime Access to Tricase to base shopping privileges and to a Host of other Perks tied to Retiree status veterans with disability ratings of Zero percent to 20 percent receive Only a Lump sum Severance payment upon discharge they can apply to the department of vet Erans affairs for a higher rating and often will get one but a care int available to families and a Doest offer Baseline support ser vices the experience of army nation Al guard pc Kenneth Parham 47 shows the Impact of the 1986 policy shift on disability awards today in april 2005 Parham was in the gun Turret of a humvee when it drove Over a bomb buried beneath a Road outside Kirkuk Iraq the explosion tossed his humvee High into the air it was Parhams third Contact with an improvised explosive device in five months this one collapsed a lung fractured ribs and damaged discs in his neck and Back today the once vigorous Par Ham needs a motorized cart to shop in stores he has chronic neck and Back pain he must walk slowly sit frequently and cant lift More than 20 pounds because he cant Wear a helmet or carry a Rucksack the army has found the former Marine unfit for duty it plans to discharge Parham with a 20 percent rating and about in Severance soon he will travel from his Home in Lewiston Idaho to fort Lewis Wash to a peal that rating decision before a physical evaluation Board his wife Cheryl said ser Vic connected ailments that the army ignored in setting the 20 per cent figure include Post traumatic stress disorder with nightmares a weakened leg sleep Apnoea High blood pressure and arthritis injured War veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan Are becoming More aware of the critical 30 percent threshold some credit for that goes to retired army it Gen James Terry Scott chairman of the veterans disability benefits commission Scott spotlighted the value of 30 percent ratings and Ruf fled feathers of Dod officials be fore a recent Senate hearing when he said the higher Cost of disability retirement versus Severance pay gives Dod a Strong incentive to award 20 percent or less no service does it More often than the army according to fresh service data released by Scott from 2000 through 2006 the army gave ratings of 30 percent or higher to 13 percent of soldiers deemed disabled the Navy awarded disability retirement to 36 per cent of its disabled members the air Force number was 27 percent and the marines corps 18 per cent More troubling Scott suggested were data showing army awarded a Zero percent rating to 13646 sol Diers that i found unfit for duty Scott said he want speaking for the commission but he urged Dod officials to allow the services to begin setting disability awards based on All service connected Dis abilities found to ease rating disparities across the services and Between Dod and a he recommended that the a alone conduct All medical evaluations and set All disability rat Ings before members leave ser vice col Andy Buchanan Deputy commander of the army physical disability Agency said he would quibble with some of the commissions data but clearly there Are troubling disparities in ratings i know where were different right now but i have to find out Why Buchanan said he has recommended an Independent audit of service disability awards to identify the factors creating the service disparities but Buchanan in our phone interview denied that the pad or individual evaluation boards operate with any concern for How rating decisions affect army budgets to comment write military update to Box 231111 Centreville a 201201111 email or visit