February 19, 2011 (Newsletter received from Div #12 Trustee, Ret CMSgt Jim Lokovic)

1.  SecDef Proposes 13 percent TRICARE Prime Increase, Annual Indexing in 2013 and Beyond.  As reported in the Air Force Times, under a proposal from the Administration, TRICARE Prime annual enrollment fees for “working age retirees” would rise next year from $230 to $260 per person, and from $460 to $520 for families.  In 2013 and beyond the rates would be adjusted annually to the rate of “medical inflation.”  Under the Administration plan, there would be no annual enrollment fee instituted for TRICARE Standard.  Additionally, DoD also proposes eliminating the $3 copayment for drugs delivered through the TRICARE Home Delivery service, but increasing the cost of medicines for other delivery systems.  At Retail Pharmacies, the cost of $3 for generic drugs would go up to $5; brand name drugs would rise from $9 to $12; and non formulary drugs would rise from $22 to $25.  The pharmacy increases would apply to all TRICARE beneficiaries.  To read more, go to:  http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/02/military-tricare-fee-increase-opposition-021511w/

 2.  Details of TRICARE Home Delivery Program.  According to a TRICARE news release, “For more than 10 years, TRICARE has offered home delivery as a convenient alternative to picking up prescription medications at a civilian retail pharmacy,” said Rear Adm. Thomas McGinnis, chief of TRICARE Pharmacy Operations.  “TRICARE undertook an aggressive campaign to increase awareness of the benefits and savings of home delivery in 2010, which contributed to a 12.3 percent increase in participation.”  More than one million prescriptions were filled through home delivery in each of the last five months of 2010–a record.              Pharmacy home delivery is available to many categories of beneficiaries, including active duty service members deployed overseas.  “Home delivery can be to any U.S. postal address and overseas Army Post Offices (APO), Fleet Post Offices (FPO) and in some cases, U.S. Embassies,” McGinnis said.  “Beneficiaries have convenient and secure Internet access to their plan information and can manage their prescriptions online.”  For more information, go to:  http://www.tricare.mil/Pressroom/News.aspx?fid=689

 3.  Sen. Webb Vows to Block TRICARE Fee Increases.  An Air Force Times article posted on Tuesday, Feb. 15, reports that Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., will work to block any TRICARE fee increase.  This follows Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates’ proposal to increase the TRICARE Prime fees for working age retirees by 13 percent.  Webb, who heads the personnel subcommittee for the Senate Armed Services Committee said, “As someone who grew up in the military and served in the military, I start from the presumption that lifetime health care for career military personnel is part of a moral contract between our government and those who have stepped forward to serve.  The entire article is at:  http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/02/military-tricare-fee-increase-opposition-021511w/

4.  24-Star Letter to SASC supports Proposed TRICARE Fee Increases.  According to a DoD News report, JCS Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen and the service chiefs wrote to the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a rare “24-star letter” this week, expressing their unqualified support for the military health care program changes included in the president’s fiscal 2012 defense budget request.  For more, go to:  http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=62839

5.  1.6 Percent 2012 Military Pay Raise.  As predicted last October, the Administration budget request for 2012 included a proposed 1.6 percent military pay raise.  This is based on a measurement of the Employment Cost Index (ECI) as measured from September to September (from 2009 to 2010).

 6.  Earmarks and Loopholes.  The Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan think tank, recently posted an article on earmarks and the unlikely success of an earmark ban.  Basically speaking, an “earmark” is an item placed in a bill that is not germane to the subject of the bill or that is not desired by the primary author of a bill.  For example, a number of items were placed in the most recent National Defense Authorization Bill that were not asked for nor desired by the Administration.  To read an article about earmarks (some call them “pork barrel projects”), go to:  http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/02/ceo-2-9-11.html

7.  Details of Veterans Affairs Department Request for FY 2012.  According to Business Wire, “In announcing the proposed budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the next fiscal year, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki emphasized ‘making every dollar’ count in the $132 billion budget proposal for VA.”  For more details, go to:   http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110214007085/en/VA-Announces-Budget-Request-2012

8.  Funding for Remainder of FY 2011 Expires March 4.  The current Continuing Resolution for the remainder of FY 2011 expires on March 4.  While the House is looking toward a continuing resolution that would cover funding for the remainder of FY 2011, the Senate is looking toward a more short-term extension.   Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., has introduced an amendment to restore $16 billion in cuts proposed in the bill under consideration in the House.  House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, stated on Thursday that he had no intention of bringing up any new short-term resolutions.

 9.  VA Secretary Shinseki Apologizes for Delay in Caregiver Benefits.  The Stars and Stripes reported on Thursday, “Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki apologized Thursday for delays in the new caregivers benefits plan, pledging that families of wounded troops remain a top priority for the department.  Under legislation passed last year, the VA was mandated to begin awarding caregiver benefits–living stipends, medical training, and counseling support– to select families of wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans by Jan. 31. However, that deadline passed without officials even presenting basic details of how the program would be administered. . . Shinseki, testifying before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said the department’s 2012 budget request includes about $208 million in funding for the caregiver benefits, and the rules as written now would cover caregivers for about 840 recently wounded troops.”  For more, go to:  http://www.stripes.com/news/shinseki-apologizes-for-missing-deadline-for-caregiver-benefits-1.135168

10.  Single VA-DoD Health Care Record Coming Soon.  A nextgov article posted Thursday reported, “The Veterans Affairs and Defense departments are close to reaching an agreement to use a single electronic health record system, VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker told lawmakers at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing today.  If this deal goes through, the single Defense-VA electronic health record system would be the largest in the world today, serving 15.8 million patients–9.6 active-duty service members, retirees and their families in the Defense system and 6.2 million veterans in the VA system.”  For more, go to:  http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110217_9686.php?oref=topnews

 11.  JCS Chairman Opposes Reinstitution of Draft.  According to the Altoona Mirror, JCS Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen said, “Compulsory induction was “powerful” in bringing citizens together from every class and ethnic group, through the “depth and breadth” of the nation, helping create a microcosm of society and a sense of shared sacrifice, Mullen told an audience in Chambersburg last week, when someone suggested bringing the draft back.  But the nation’s highest ranking military officer doesn’t want it.  “I would not trade the military I have now,” Mullen told the group, assembled by the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce and Scotland Landing Foundation, a nonprofit trying to create a center for the reintegration of veterans back into society.”  To read more, go to:  http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/547154/Nation-s-top-military-officer-rejects-instituting-draft.html?nav=742

 12.  Bills of Interest.

H.R. 614, by Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wisc., would extend the age of eligibility of dependent children for receipt of transferred educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

H.R. 621, by Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., would deauthorize the Military Selective Service Act, including the registration requirement and the activities of civilian local boards, civilian appeal boards, and similar local agencies of the Selective Service System, except during a national emergency declared by the President.

H.R. 637, by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., would amend the procedures regarding military recruiter access to secondary school student recruiting information.

H.R. 648, by Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., would amend title 4, United States Code, to authorize members of the Armed Forces not in uniform and veterans to render a military salute during the recitation of the pledge of allegiance.

H.R. 649, by Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., would require consolidation of the defense exchange stores system.

H.R. 652, by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, would limit the increase of premiums, deductibles, copayments, or other charges for health care provided under the TRICARE program.

S. 325, by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., would require the provision of behavioral health services to members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces necessary to meet pre-deployment and post-deployment readiness and fitness standards.

S. 331, by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., would ensure that military voters have the right to bring a civil action under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to safeguard their right to vote.

S. 344, by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., would permit certain retired members of the uniformed services who have a service-connected disability to receive both disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs for their disability and either retired pay by reason of their years of military service or Combat-Related Special Compensation.

 H.R. 702, by Rep. David P. Roe, R-Tenn., would amend the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to require States to delay certifying the results of regularly scheduled general elections for Federal office in order to ensure the counting of any marked absentee ballots of absent overseas uniformed services voters that are collected by the Presidential designee under such Act for delivery to State election officials.

H.R. 719, by Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., would award a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol.

H.R. 768, by Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., would direct the Secretary of Defense to prohibit the unauthorized use of names and images of members of the Armed Forces.

H.R. 780, by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., would provide that funds for operations of the Armed Forces in Afghanistan shall be obligated and expended only for purposes of providing for the safe and orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan of all members of the Armed Forces and Department of Defense contractor personnel who are in Afghanistan.

H.R. 791, by Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., would provide flexible spending arrangements for members of the uniformed services.

S. 387, by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., would provide flexible spending arrangements for members of uniformed services.

S. 390, by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., would ensure that the right of an individual to display the Service Flag on residential property not be abridged.

S. 402, by Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, would provide for the award of a military service medal to members of the Armed Forces who served honorably during the Cold War.

S. 411, by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., would authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into agreements with States and nonprofit organizations to collaborate in the provision of case management services associated with certain supported housing programs for veterans.

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