From:
[email protected]
Sent:
Wednesday, February 15, 2006 12:32 PM
Subject:
RAO Bulletin Update 15 February 2006
RAO
Bulletin Update
15
February 2006
THIS
BULLETIN UPDATE CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES:
==
Tricare User Fee [05] ------------------- (Increase details)
==
Tricare User Fee [06] ------------------- (Proposal reactions)
== VA
Budget 2007 ------------------------- (Insufficient)
==
Tricare Uniform Formulary [08] ------- (8 more to 3rd Tier)
== VA
Panel Hearing Change [01] ------- (Minor improvement)
==
Military Funeral Disorderly Conduct -- (300 foot restriction)
==
Photography Franchise Offer ----------- (Contest for vets)
== WRAMC
Amputee Facility ------------- (Waiver allows Opening)
==
Disabled Veterans Memorial ----------- ($65 million needed)
==
Mobilized Reserve 8 FEB 06 ----------- (5000+ decrease)
==
Purple Heart Stamp ---------------------- (Not discontinued)
== VA
Priority Categories [01] ------------ (263,257 turned away)
==
Disabled Retiree Back Tax -------------- (3 years refund limit)
== VA
Health Care Funding [03] ---------- (Budget process flawed)
== Honor
Guard Restriction ---------------- (Statute restricts support)
==
Disability Retirement [02] --------------- (Discharge parameters)
==
Dextromethorphan AAFES Sales ------- (Limitation on sales)
==
Tricare Pharmacy Paper Claim ---------- (Paper trail to end)
== VA
Claims Assistance [02] -------------- (Secondary claims)
==
Foreign Service Officer Exam ----------- (Second career option)
== VA
Help Lines ----------------------------- (Get second opinion)
== VA
Nasopharyngeal Radium Therapy -- (Head/neck cancer cause)
== Texas
Veterans Homes -------------------- (6 online - 1 to go)
==
Parentage ------------------------------------ (How to verify)
== SSA
Change of Address ------------------ (How to accomplish)
==
== Green
Card Lottery ------------------------ (90,000 selected for 2006)
TRICARE
USER FEE UPDATE 05:� Military association
representatives were
recently
briefed by DoD on the exact details in their FY 2007 budget
proposal
of the proposals affecting out-of-pocket costs paid by military
beneficiaries.
These officials shared the rationale for the increased
enrollment
fees, TRICARE Standard deductibles, and pharmacy co-payments,
aimed
primarily at the 3.1 million military retirees under age 65, their
families,
and survivors. It was emphasized the increases were needed to
sustain
the benefit in the future for those who had earned it. They
highlighted
recent expansions in the benefit and stated that beneficiary
costs
needed to be brought in line both with increases in civilian plans
and with
the original division of costs when TRICARE began. In 1995
beneficiaries
paid 27% of the total health care costs, but are paying only
12%
today. They noted there has been no change in TRICARE premiums in the
past 10
years, even as the DoD health care budget has doubled in the past
5 years,
going from $19 billion in FY 2001 to $38 billion this year.
Internal
efficiencies, they claimed, are not enough to stem the tide of
rising
health care costs. They stated that beneficiary behaviors also
needed
to change, but acknowledged the Department needed to give a higher
priority
to preventive health programs after association representatives
noted
that preventive health programs such as smoking cessation are not
TRICARE
benefits.� As part of the FY 2007 budget
proposal, DoD is seeking
the
following changes:
����� Create a three-tier TRICARE Prime
enrollment fee system and increase
these
fees substantially in FY 2007 and FY 2008, before setting future
increases
to average changes in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan
(FEHBP).
Currently all retirees under the age of 65 pay the same annual
enrollment
fee for TRICARE Prime: $230 for an individual and $460 for a
family.
1)�� Retired junior enlisted members (E-6 and
below) would see Prime
enrollment
fees increase to $275 for an individual and $550 for a family
in FY
2007 and $325 and $650 in FY 2008.
2)�� Prime enrollment fees for retired senior
enlisted (E-7 and above)
members
would increase to $350 and $700 in FY 2007 and $475 and $950 in FY
2008.
3)�� For retired officers, Prime enrollment fees
would increase to $500 for
an
individual and $1,000 for a family in FY 2007 and $700 and $1,400 in FY
2008,
more than triple the current annual fee.
����� Create a first-time-ever enrollment fee for
TRICARE Standard, the basic
health
care benefit to which military servicemembers, retirees, their
families,
and survivors are entitled. The annual fee would only be charged
to
retirees under age 65, their families, and survivors.
1)�� In FY 2007, retired junior enlisted members
in Standard would pay $75
for an
individual and $150 for a family. In FY 2008, they would pay $140
and
$280.
2)�� Senior enlisted retirees in Standard would
pay $100 for an individual
in FY
2007 and $200 for a family and $200 and $400 in FY 2008.
3)�� Standard enrollment fees for officer retirees
would start at $150 and
$300 in
FY 2007 and rise to $280 and $560 in FY 2008.
����� TRICARE Standard annual deductibles would
also increase in two tiers
over the
next two years from the current $150 for an individual and $300
for a
family.
1)�� For all retired enlisted members, they would
rise to $175 and $350 in
FY 2007
and $185 and $370 in FY 2008.
2)�� For retired officers, deductibles would
increase to $225 for an
individual
and $450 for a family in FY 2007 and $280 and $560 in FY 2008.
Thus,
under this plan, an officer retiree and family would pay an
enrollment
fee of $560 and then have to pay out of pocket to meet the $560
deductible
before DoD would begin paying anything for the benefit they
earned.
����� Change pharmacy co-payments slightly for
all beneficiaries, except
active
duty servicemembers who pay no co-payments. Medications obtained in
military
hospitals and clinics would remain free. The co-payment for
generic
medications obtained through the TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy
(TMOP)
would be eliminated (it is currently $3 for a 90-day supply) and
the
co-payment for brand-name and the third-tier (non-formulary) drugs
would
remain $9 and $22 for a 90-day supply obtained through the TMOP. The
elimination
of the mail order co-payment for generic drugs is one way DoD
hopes to
persuade more beneficiaries to use the TMOP rather than retail
pharmacies.
Co-payments for generics in the retail pharmacy will increase
to $5
for a 30-day supply and $15 for a 30-day supply of a brand-name. The
third
tier price of $22 would remain the same.
Under
DoD�s proposal the following will remain the same:
1) The
catastrophic cap of $1,000 per year for active duty family members
and
$3,000 for retirees. The catastrophic cap is the maximum out-of-pocket
amount
beneficiaries must pay in one year for covered costs.
2)
TRICARE Prime co-payments for retirees will remain at $12 per medical
visit.
There are no co-payments under Prime for active duty members and
their
families.
3) No
cost changes for TRICARE for Life beneficiaries other than the
increases
in retail pharmacy co-pays.
4) No
co-pays for medications obtained in military hospital and clinic
pharmacies.
���� DoD will have to seek legislative approval
from Congress for what
will
probably be the most controversial of its proposed changes.
While it
has the authority to increase TRICARE Prime enrollment fees
and
pharmacy co-pays, it will need permission from Congress to create
the
tiered system and institute the TRICARE Standard enrollment fee.
[Source:
NMFA eNews 7 Feb]
TRICARE
USER FEE UPDATE 06:� The former USN
Surgeon General of the Navy
spoke
out on the SECDEF�s testimony before the Senate Armed Services
committee
7 FEB regarding the Defense Health Program. His response pretty
well
sums up why the less than 65 retirement community is being singled
out in
the proposed Tricare increases.� VADM
Koenig wrote:
�The
problem with SecDef�s testimony and what the Department is requesting
is that
virtually all of their re-balancing effort is being done out of
the
wallets of a single beneficiary group - retirees and their families
under
age 65.� The trap DOD is in is that
retirees under 65 are the only
group
that they can do this to.� The 24-star
letter signers won�t let them
do it to
active duty families because it will hurt recruiting and
retention.� Congress won�t allow DOD to hit the over-65�s
with a premium
beyond
part B for TFL because it was Congresses way of fixing the �broken
promise.�� So Rumsfeld is stuck, he has no where to turn
but to those
retired
and their families who are under 65.� Another
interesting
revelation
in his testimony, and I do not believe he wanted it to be quite
this
transparent, is where he talks about employers telling people to go
use
their Tricare benefit.� He acts as if
this is wrong.� What is wrong
with
people using the benefit they were promised, earned and are entitled
to?
Harold
M. Koenig, MD
Vice
Admiral, Medical Corps
���� Military Personnel Subcommittee Chairman
Sen. Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
appeared
to support DoD�s initiative at the Senate Committee hearing.
Testimony
before the House Armed Services Committee on 8 FEB drew a
far more
chilly response than their Senate counterparts. Military
Personnel
Subcommittee Chairman John McHugh (R-NY) and others
criticized
the fee increases and questioned not only the department�s
savings
calculations, but also questioned whether they would be
actualized.
McHugh indicated he had questions about the morality of
imposing
such large fee increases for the purpose of achieving budget
savings
by driving people not to use the health benefits they earned
through
a career of military service.
�� According to MOAA�s analysis of the
situation a great deal of the
Pentagon�s
concern over rising health care costs involves the nearly $9
billion
annual deposit to the TRICARE For Life trust fund that the
Administration
wrongly counts against the defense budget.�
Two years
ago,
when Defense leaders said the Administration was making them take
this
deposit out of hide at the expense of other Defense programs, the
Armed
Services Committees acted to change the law to shift that deposit
from the
Defense budget to the U.S. Treasury budget. The clear intent
was that
TFL expenses weren�t to come at the expense of other readiness
needs.� Congress passed that provision as part of the
FY2005 Defense
Authorization
Act (Public Law 108-375). But the Office of Management
and
Budget has since conspired with the budget committees to flout the
clear
letter of the law and continue to charge the deposit against the
defense
budget. That�s why the Administration has wrongly forced the
Joint
Chiefs of Staff to choose between retiree health funding and
weapons
programs. It�s a false and inappropriate choice. If the
Administration
obeyed the law, the debate wouldn�t be necessary.
[Source:
Brig Gen R. Clements USAF (Ret) msg 9 Feb & MOAA Leg UP 11 Feb
06 ++]
VA
BUDGET 2007: Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Nicholson announced 6
FEB that
President Bush will seek a record $80.6 billion in the fiscal
year
2007 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The
overwhelming
majority of the resources are targeted for health care and
disability
compensation. The FY 2007 proposal represents an increase of
$8.8
billion, or 12.2%, above the budget for 2006. The FY �07 budget
proposal
calls for $38.5 billion in discretionary funding, mostly for
health
care. For health care alone, the President�s request is an increase
of $3.5
billion (or more than 11%) over the FY 2006 level. The budget
proposal
also would provide $42.1 billion in mandatory funding, mostly for
compensation,
pension, and other benefit programs.� The
budget request
still
relies on $1.1 billion in cost-saving efficiencies. It appears to
table
long-needed construction dollars, particularly in the area of grants
for
state veterans homes and leaves CARES (Capital Asset Realignment for
Enhanced
Services) under-funded. It takes a $13 million bite out of VA
research
and fails to provide sufficient funds for staffing and training
in the
Veterans Benefits Administration to address a claims backlog fast
approaching
one million
���� The budget proposal recycles two
provisions from last year. In an
effort
to help the VA care for those veterans who count on it the
most
(those with service-connected disabilities) the VA is again
asking
non-disabled, higher income veterans (Priority 7 and 8
veterans)
to pay a $250 annual enrollment fee and higher pharmacy
co-payments
(from $8 to $15). Priority 7 and 8�
veterans were not
eligible
to receive VA medical care at all, or only on a case-by-case
space
available basis, until 1999 when new authority allowed VA to
enroll
them in any year that resource levels permitted. VA officials
state
these veterans typically have other alternatives for addressing
their
medical care costs, including third-party health insurance
coverage,
TRICARE, or Medicare, and thus believe it is acceptable to
ask
Priority 7 and 8 veterans to assume a modest share of the cost of
their
care. Secretary Nicholson stated that under no circumstances
will a
veteran make a co-payment of any kind for the treatment of a
service-connected
condition.
���� A chart in the president�s budget request
anticipates reducing the
number
of vets who can use VA healthcare services by approximately
1.2
million in Priority Groups 7 and 8 in 2007 through implementation
of
enrollment fees and higher copays.� The
request assumes an
increase
in third-party collections from insurance companies to $2.8
billion.� The administration�s 2006 estimate for
third-party
collections
was just over $2 billion.� These
estimates may be overly
ambitious
since the VA had $3 billion in uncollected debt as of early
2005.
The budget request is intended to provide the resources
necessary
to make servicemembers� transition from active duty
military
status to civilian life is as smooth and seamless as
possible.
Men and women still on active duty should find it easier to
access
VA benefits when they near the end of their military service
because
of a program that allows early application for disability
claims
and other benefits.� At
www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/PressArtInternet.cfm?id=1075� additional
info on
the budget proposal can be found. [Source: VA Press Release &
NMFA
eNews 7 Feb 06 ++]
TRICARE
UNIFORM FORMULARY UPDATE 08: On 15 FEB 06 several drugs will move
to the
third co-payment tier of $22 for a 30 day supply at network retail
pharmacies
and $22 for a 90 day supply through the mail order pharmacy.
Third
tier drugs are not available at military treatment facility (MTF)
pharmacies
unless the prescription has been written by an MTF provider and
medical
necessity is established. The drugs moving to the third tier are:
-���� Alpha 1 Blockers (for prostate
hypertrophy): Flomax
-���� ACE Inhibitor/Diuretic (for high blood
pressure):� Accuretic, Uniretic
-���� ACE Inhibitor (for high blood
pressure):� Aceon, Accupril, Quinapril,
Altace,
Univasc
A
summary of medications which have been moved to third tier status can be
found at
www.moaa.org/serv_healthcare_drug_formulary_3rd_tier.htm.� For
more
information on the Uniform Formulary and drug tiers, go to:
http://www.tricare.osd.mil/pharmacy/default.cfm.
[Source: NMFA eNews 7 Feb
06 ++]
VA PANEL
HEARING CHANGE UPDATE 01:� House
Veterans� Affairs Committee
Chairman
Steve Buyer (R-IN), who recently unleashed a torrent of criticism
from
veteran service organizations (VSOs), has reversed his original
decision
and extended from 3 minutes to 30 minutes the amount of time VSOs
may have
to present testimony regarding legislative priorities. Testimony
from
VSOs on the President�s budget request and proposed policy
initiatives,
however, will still be limited to three minutes, a
restriction
which all the VSOs consider to be totally inadequate and
counterproductive.
VSOs reacted angrily when Chairman Buyer last November
decided
to do away with a decades-long tradition in which veterans groups
presented
their legislative agenda to a joint meeting of the House and
Senate
Veterans Affairs Committees. [Source: VetJobs Veteran Eagle
Newsletter
1 Feb 06]
MILITARY
FUNERAL DISORDERLY CONDUCT:�
committing
disorderly conduct near a military funeral, memorial service,
funeral
procession, or burial, and providing penalties. Specifically it
states a
person shall not do any of the following within 300 feet of the
building
or other location where a military funeral or memorial service is
being
conducted, or within 300 feet of a military funeral procession or
burial:
a.) Make
loud and raucous noise which causes unreasonable distress to the
persons
attending the funeral or memorial service, or participating in the
funeral
procession.
b.)
Direct abusive epithets or make any threatening gesture which the
person
knows or reasonably should know is likely to provoke a violent
reaction
by another.
c.)
Disturb or disrupt the funeral, memorial service, funeral procession,
or
burial by conduct intended to disturb or disrupt the funeral, memorial
service,
funeral procession, or burial.
���� A person who commits a violation of above
within 30 minutes
preceding,
during, and within 30 minutes after a military funeral,
memorial
service, funeral procession, or burial is subject to:
a.) A
simple misdemeanor for a first offense which is punishable by
confinement
for no
more
than 30 days or a fine of at least $50 but not more than $500 or by
both.
b.) A
serious misdemeanor for a second offense which is punishable by
confinement
for no more than one year and a fine of at least $250 but not
more
than $1,500.
c.) A
class "D" felony for a third or subsequent offense which is
punishable
by confinement for no more than five years and a fine of at
least
$750 but not more than $7,500.
Nebraska,
Kentucky, Indiana and Missouri have passed similar bills in
their
house, but approval is waiting for their senate�s action.� That
leaves
45 states lacking in similar legislation.�
[Source:� POVA VSO msg
26 Jan
06]
PHOTOGRAPHY
FRANCHISE OFFER:� TSS Photography, a
youth photography
franchise
formerly known as The Sports Section, has announced it will
award a
franchise territory worth $20,000 to a retired or
honorably-discharged
member of the Armed Forces. The 250,000-population
territory
can be anywhere in the country where TSS Photography does not
have a
current franchise.� The winner will receive
the franchise
territory,
plus $5,000 in equipment and three nights at the TSS
Photography
Convention Hotel for training and public relations support for
their
opening�for a total value of $30,000. Candidates must submit an
essay
focusing on what their service to America has meant to them, why
they
would be an excellent franchise owner and why TSS Photography would
be their
franchise of choice. The essay should demonstrate previous
entrepreneurial
ambition, and dedication or commitment to their
communities
through activities such as involvement in local organizations,
donations
to charitable causes, or youth outreach. For additional
information
refer to www.tssphotography.com. [Source: Armed Forces News 20
Jan 06]
WRAMC
AMPUTEE FACILITY: Construction is expected to begin this spring on a
state-of-the-art
rehabilitation facility for amputee Soldiers at Walter
Reed
Army Medical Center even though the venerable military hospital is
scheduled
to close in five years. The $10 million Military Amputee
Training
Center [originally expected to open last month]�
was caught in
limbo
during the Pentagon's base closing process. Ground was broken in
2004,
but construction did not begin begun last May when the Army ordered
a hold
on all projects that could be affected by the Base Closure and
Realignment
Commission. A waiver was granted in September to continue work
on the
project. A contractor should be selected for design and
construction
by the end of March, with construction to be completed in SEP
07.
Walter Reed officials still expect the 30,000-square-foot addition to
the
military hospital to include a running track, a climbing and
rappelling
wall and a virtual-reality center, as well as a military
vehicle
simulator to help some Soldiers return to the battlefield. It will
combine
both new and existing counseling, occupational and physical
therapy
services for amputees. However, amputee center is now considered
temporary,
to serve Soldiers for only five to seven years due to the BRAC
decision.
Walter Reed is supposed to move to an expanded suburban military
hospital
in 2011, under the BRAC recommendations President Bush signed
last
year. [Source: Reuters Alert News 18 Jan 06]
DISABLED
VETERANS MEMORIAL:� Veterans who have
been wounded face many
challenges
- learning to live without sight or the use of limbs, retiring
from the
only career they�ve ever known, and dealing with emotional scars.
A new
memorial planned in Washington, D.C., will honor the dedication and
bravery
of those permanently disabled veterans and express the nation�s
gratitude
for their sacrifice.� The American
Veterans Disabled for Life
Memorial
will occupy a 2-acre site adjacent to the National Mall, within
full
view of the U.S. Capitol. The focal point of the marble and glass
memorial
will be a star-shaped reflecting pool with an eternal flame
rising
from its center.� A grove of trees will
stand sentry-like beside
the
pool. The U.S. Congress approved this national memorial to be built in
Washington
D.C. with the passage of Public Law 106-348. The Disabled
Veterans
Life Memorial Foundation is raising the estimated $65 million in
private
funds needed to build and maintain the memorial. By federal law,
the
entire cost of the construction, plus 10% for the Memorial's perpetual
maintenance
and preservation, must be on hand before groundbreaking.
Donations
should be coordinated through the Disabled Veterans' LIFE
Memorial
Foundation, Inc. (DVLMF). For more information on the Disabled
Veterans
memorial or how to make a donation visit www.avdlm.com, write
Disabled
Veterans LIFE Memorial Foundation, Inc. ,2300 Clarendon
Boulevard,
Suite 302, Arlington VA 22201-3367 or send an email to
[email protected].� [Source: Military Officer Jan 06]
MOBILIZED
RESERVE 8 FEB 06:�� Army National Guard
and Army Reserve on
active
duty in support of the present partial mobilization is now 107,200.
�In addition the other services have mobilized
5,286 Navy Reserve; 7,670
Air
National Guard and Air Force Reserve; 7,072 Marine Corps Reserve; and
414
Coast Guard Reserve.� As of 11 JAN this
brings the total National
Guard
and Reserve personnel, who have been mobilized, to 127,127,
including
both units and individual augmentees.�
This is a decrease of
5,562
from last month�s 11 JAN total mobilization announcement.�� At any
given
time, services may mobilize some units and individuals while
demobilizing
others, making it possible for these figures to either
increase
or decrease. A cumulative roster of all Reserve contingent
personnel
can be found at
www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb2006/d20060208ngr.pdf� for those now
mobilized.
[Source: DoD News Release No. 114-06 8 JAN 06]
PURPLE
HEART STAMP:�� With the recent increase
in postal rates, supporters
of the
Purple Heart Stamp were concerned that the Postal Service might
discontinue
the stamp which honors the heroes who have received the Purple
Heart
Medal.� With support from a petition and
letter writing campaign
launched
by Sen. Hillary Clinton�s office and the Military Order of the
Purple
Heart, the Postal Service announced last week that the Purple Heart
stamp is
coming back as a 39-cent version. There was clearly a tremendous
amount
of public support for keeping the stamp in circulation.� [Source:
AFA
Update 11 Feb 06]
VA
PRIORITY CATEGORIES UPDATE 01:�� Three
years ago, then-Secretary
Anthony
J. Principi announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs was
suspending
health care enrollment for some higher-income veterans who did
not have
injuries or illnesses related to their military service.� The
move to
exclude �Priority 8� veterans was unpopular, but Principi said it
was
necessary to prevent the VA medical system from being swamped by the
rising
number of veterans who were eligible for care. At the time, about
6.8
million veterans were enrolled in the VA health system. Now more than
7.5
million are enrolled which includes 5.4 million who received treatment
last
year. However, others could not get in the door.� More than a
quarter-million
(263,257) �Priority 8� veterans who tried to sign up for
VA
health care coverage between JAN 03 and OCT 05 were turned away because
of the
new effort to rein in costs.
����� There are 24.4 million veterans in the
United States, and 16.9
million
are not enrolled in the VA health care system. As many of 10
million
of those not enrolled are Priority 8 veterans, the VA says.
The
annual household income cutoff for Priority 8 veterans varies by
region.
It was $57,500 for a veteran with three dependents who lived
in
George�s
counties in Virginia.� A VA spokesperson,
said the affected
veterans
could not enroll because they were not eligible. The VA
wants to
be clear to vets that absolutely nobody is being cut from
VA
health care rolls and no veteran will be disenrolled from VA
health
care unless they specifically request it.�
Rep. Lane Evans
(D-IL),
ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee,
called
on the administration to increase the VA budget.� �There is
no
reason for the VA to give the cold shoulder to veterans who have
served
our country honorably,� Evans said in a written statement.
[Source:
washingtonpost.com Christopher Lee article 10 Feb 06]
DISABLED
RETIREE BACK TAX:�� Most VA disability
claims filed by military
retirees
are resolved in less than a year. But lost paperwork,
administrative
errors, and appeals of rejected claims delay thousands of
disability
awards for years on end.� The tax free VA
disability award is
retroactive
to the date of the application. To accept award the retiree
must
forfeit retired pay on which he has already paid taxes. But to get a
refund
of back taxes paid, disabled retirees must file an amended tax
return
for each applicable year.� That�s when
retirees run into a major
problem
because the IRS Code bars filing amended returns beyond the last
three
tax years. As a result, VA administrative glitches and insensitive
tax laws
cost these disabled retirees thousands of dollars through no
fault of
their own.
���� Veteran organizations and advocates have
been seeking support for a
legislative
solution to this unfair situation. Recently Rep. Sam Farr
(D-CA)
and Rep. Mike Bilirakis (R-FL) expressed interest in
supporting
this effort.� On 9 FEB Rep. Bilirakis
introduced H.R. 4727
which is
a positive step towards fixing this problem.�
The bill,
known as
the Disabled Veterans Tax Fairness Act, adds an exception to
the IRS
statute of limitations that would allow disabled retirees to
file
amended returns for more than three tax years in cases where the
VA
approval is retroactive for more than that time. Efforts are now
underway
to seek companion legislation in the Senate. [Source: MOAA
Leg UP
11 Feb 06 ++]
VA
HEALTH CARE FUNDING UPDATE 03:�� The Government
Accountability Office
has made
an initial report of an investigation requested by House
Committee
on Veterans� Affairs Chairman Steve Buyer (R-IN) and members of
the
Senate. GAO blamed unrealistic assumptions, errors in estimates,
insufficient
data, and an unresponsive budget model for health care
funding
shortfalls at the Department of Veterans Affairs in fiscal years
2005 and
2006. GAO declared that the federal budgeting process itself,
which
uses information up to three or more years old, had contributed to
shortfalls.
Projections were understated for a number of reasons,
including
returning Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom
soldiers
and requirements for long-term care. The funding shortages, which
were
discovered by VA officials in the spring of 2005, were ultimately
filled
by supplemental funding. The GAO will continue its review of the
process
used by the administration to formulate the VA budget.
���� Lane Evans, ranking Democratic member,
House Committee on Veterans
Affairs,
says the Department of Veterans Affairs used phantom claims
to
offset VA budget requests for health care. Basing his comments on
a
Government Accountability Office report issued Feb. 1 (previous
item),
he added that while calling for the establishment of user fees
and
increased copayments for veterans seeking health care, and
altogether
barring at least 260,000 veterans from the (VA) health
care
system, the administration falsely claimed billions of dollars
in
unsubstantiated management efficiencies.�
Democrat Daniel Akaka,
Evans�
counterpart on the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, said
it is
distressing that VA�s health care budget over the past three
years
has been built like a house of cards. Evans and Akaka stressed
that
replacing the Administration�s savings claims in the VA budget
would
have averted the needs for the $1.3 billion supplemental
request
in 2005 and increases in pharmacy co-payments.�
[Source:
Armed
Forces News 10 Feb 06]
HONOR
GUARD RESTRICTION:�� Congress passed a
law ensuring that all
veterans
could receive full military honors at their funerals. But it
failed
to include sufficient funding for the practice, and the military
has
largely turned to veterans organizations to provide the service.
Veterans
of WWII, the Korean War and other conflicts die are now dying at
an
estimated rate of 1,800 a day nationwide.�
A few states grant small
stipends
to honor guards, but most do not. Now, a little known statute
being
enforced by the Army further complicates veterans� organizations
attempts
to provide the service.� It was so little
known that top
officials
with the American Legion in Washington, D.C., weren�t familiar
with it
until the Associated Press brought it to their attention.� The
statute
prohibits the Army from supplying veteran organizations with
weapons
or ammunition to provide the services if they do not use veterans
on the
honor guard who were trained in the use of the weapons by the
military.
���� The Army provides M-1 rifles and blank
cartridges to honor guards
nationwide
for funeral gun salutes.� However, it
will not provide
ammunition
to organizations that wish to use rifles not donated by
the
Army. The Army admits it has little power to investigate whether
honor
guards around the country are following the statute but the
materials
will be repossessed if it is discovered that organizations
are.� Many organizations are limited in available
personnel to serve
on their
honor guards and supplement their resources with auxiliary
members
such as the Sons of the America Legion. Primarily because
their
older members can no longer participate due to age and their
younger
members cannot take time of from their employment on a
regular
basis to meet the need.� It would take an
act of Congress to
change
the statute.� Rep. James Oberstar [MN] is
reportedly looking
into the
issue.� [Source: NavyTimes.Com 9 Jan 06]
DISABILITY
RETIREMENT UPDATE 02:� If you have been
found to be physically
unfit
for further military service and meet certain standards specified by
law, you
will be granted a disability retirement. Military members with 20
or more
years of active service (service retirement eligible) can retire,
regardless
of the percentage level of disability, if they are found to be
unfit
and removed from the service by reason of physical disability.
People
with less than 20 years of active service at the time they are
removed
from the service by reason of physical disability may be either
separated
or retired, based on the following:
����� 1)�
If you have a disability that is rated by the military
disability
evaluation system at 20% or lower, you can be discharged
(most
likely with severance pay, unless the condition existed prior
to
service and was not permanently aggravated by service or
misconduct
is involved). Those who are separated for disability may
be
eligible for monthly disability compensation from the Veterans
Administration
(VA).
���� 2)�
If the condition is rated at or above 30%, and other conditions
are met,
you will be disability retired.
Your
disability retirement may be temporary or permanent. If temporary,
your
status should be resolved within a five-year period.
���� The amount of your disability retired pay
is determined by one of
three
methods:
���� 1)�
Multiply your base pay or average of highest 36 months of active
duty pay
at the time of retirement by the percentage of disability
which
has been assigned. However, the minimum percentage for
temporary
disability retirees will equal 50%. The maximum percentage
for any
type of retirement is 75%.
���� 2)�
Multiply only your years of active service at the time of your
retirement
by 2.5% by your base pay or average of highest 36 months
of
active duty pay at the time of retirement.
���� 3)� The
third method applies to you if you were eligible to
retire/transfer
under any other law. FAS will compute your
entitlements
using both methods above, and use the one which results
in the
greatest amount of retired pay. If you desire that another
method
be used, you may request (in writing) that the other method be
used.
���� The difference between temporary and
permanent disability is the
stability
of the medical condition. If you�re condition is not deemed
�stable�
by the PEB, they will recommend you be placed on the TDRL
(temporary
disability retirement list). When on the TDRL, you are
subject
to reevaluation every 18 months and limited to 5 years max on
the
TDRL. At the 5 year point, if not sooner during a re-eval, you
are
removed from the TDRL and either found fit; permanently retired;
or
discharged with severance pay.
If, on
24 SEP 75, you were either a member of an Armed Force or was under
a
binding written commitment to become a member, and are
discharged/retired
by reason of disability by the military disability
evaluation
system (not VA), your retirement pay may not be taxed.
Otherwise,
for a tax free retirement, you�d have to have a combat related
disability.
If you go through the VA disability evaluation system and they
grant
you disability compensation, it will not be taxed, regardless of
whether
or not you were in the service on 24 Sep 75. [Source: New Mexico
e-Veterans
News 6 Feb 06]
DEXTROMETHORPHAN
AAFES SALES:� The Army and Air Force
Exchange Service has
voluntarily
started limiting sales of products with Dextromethorphan (DSM)
to
customers over the age of 18. DXM is a common cough-suppressing
ingredient
contained in more than 140 over-the-counter cough and cold
medicines.
AAFES officials pointed out that when taken as directed and
used
properly, DXM is safe.� However, recent
media reports and research
indicate
abuse of DXM is becoming more of an issue than previously
thought.
While there is not yet a legal requirement to flag products with
this
ingredient, as of 24 JAN AAFES is voluntarily limiting sales of
products
with DXM to customers over the age of 18.�
A message on the cash
register
will alert cashiers to verify the age of the person buying
products
with DXM. Customers can still find cough and cold medicines with
DXM in
the Health and Beauty Care department of their BX/PX.� The only
difference
customers will encounter will be at checkout.�
[Source: Air
Force
Retiree News 7 Feb 06]
TRICARE
PHARMACY PAPER CLAIM:� Every month about
400,000 users of the
military�s
retail pharmacy network, those who have other health insurance,
have to
file paper claims with Tricare to be reimbursed for co-payments
and
other costs incurred that their primary insurance won�t cover. The
paper
hassle is about to end because Tricare is moving to online
coordination
of benefits for the retail pharmacy network in the next
couple
of months. At present a beneficiary using the retail network, who
has
other health insurance, gives the pharmacist his/her primary insurance
information.
The pharmacist bills the primary carrier via computer online
and
quickly gets back information on what the beneficiary still owes in
fees or
copayments.� But many retail network
pharmacists do not go one
more
step and communicate online with Tricare. So, in most cases, the
beneficiary
is told to pay the balance and file a claim with Tricare for
full
reimbursement.� When implemented, rather
than filing paper claims,
beneficiaries
will just wait a few moments in front of the pharmacist
while
the unpaid portion of the claim is reviewed online by Tricare.� When
coverage
is verified the Pharmacy will receive confirmation of payment
through
the beneficiary�s secondary Tricare coverage. [Source: Philpott,
Trenton
Times 6 Feb 06]
VA
CLAIMS ASSISTANCE UPDATE 02:�� The VA
recognizes that disabilities
veterans
may develop years after service may be directly related to
military
exposure to certain conditions. For a summary of those
conditions,
go to the VA Web site: www.va.gov and review the 38 Code of
Federal
Regulations, Sections 3.309 to 3.317. If you feel any of the
presumptive
conditions listed apply to you get a doctor�s opinion, a
diagnosis,
your DD-214, and visit your veteran advocate to file a claim.
If not
for you, then for your wife and children who would be eligible to
file for
benefits if your death results from any related condition. A
small
investment in the beginning will pay off for the rest of the
veteran�s
life. Nam vets should be aware that veterans from the early
years of
that conflict are now recognized by the VA as in-country Vietnam
veterans
from 28 FEB 61 through APR 75. Some conditions to consider would
be:
-���� Asbestosis. This can develop many years
later from the veteran�s
exposure
to the material during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, when asbestos
was used
as insulation on all U.S. Navy ships and numerous military
barracks.
If you have a lung disease, ask your doctor if it may be
related.
X-rays will show asbestosis.
-���� Conditions from exposure to atomic
radiation and Agent Orange
-���� Conditions related to vets who have been
diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome.
Claims
can also be filed for secondary conditions. These are disabilities
that are
proximately due to, or the result of a service-connected disease
or
injury. Some examples are:
-���� a veteran has a right knee
service-connected injury.� For years he
favors
his good knee, but it, too, goes bad. The veteran may file a claim
for his
left knee condition secondary to his service connected right knee.
The vet will
need a doctor�s opinion documenting that condition.
-���� A psychological condition often causes
hypertension and heart disease,
which VA
and National Academy of Sciences studies have linked to the years
of
stress from these conditions.� This can
mean that a veteran who suffers
PTSD,
major depression or similar disabilities can make a claim for
secondary
hypertension/heart disease to his service connected
psychological
disorder with a doctor�s opinion. Or his widow, if the
veteran
died of a heart condition, may file a claim after producing a
doctor�s
opinion that his psychological condition contributed to his
death.
-���� Agent Orange Diabetes II that can lead to
neuropathy, kidney, heart and
other
secondary conditions, which the veteran should and could be rated
for.
-���� Prescription drugs for a service-connected
condition that causes other
medical
conditions would be claimable. This includes dental conditions
that
result form medications administered for the primary disability.
Remember,
the VA hires highly educated, many legally schooled, rating
specialists,
so give these VA employees the medical and legal opinions
they
seek. These VA rating specialists are mostly pro-veteran, but they
too,
have laws and rules set by Congress that they must adhere to. The
best way
to work the system is to provide them with the documentation they
need to
help you, the veteran.� If in doubt as to
where to obtain claim
filing
assistance refer to the Bulletin article �VA Claim Filing Sources�
available
upon request. [Source: North County Times Mike Schuster article
3 Feb 06
++]
FOREIGN
SERVICE OFFICER EXAM:� Retirees looking
for a second career might
want to
consider entering the United States Foreign Service. The first
step in
becoming a Foreign Service Officer is to take the Foreign Service
Written
Exam (FSWE).� It is offered once a year
in cities around the
world.� To be eligible for the written examination,
an applicant must be:
1.�� Between 20 and 59 years old on the date of
examination. Appointment to
the
Foreign Service must take place before the candidate's 60th birthday
2.�� A citizen of the United States
3.�� Available for worldwide assignment, including
Washington, D.C.
���� There is no longer a printed version of
the application.� As of 2006
all
registrations for the FSWE must be done online at
http://careers.state.gov/officer/join/examinfo.htm.� The exam is for
entry-level
Foreign Service Officer positions in the U.S. Department
of
State. Test date is 8 APR 06. Registration deadlines are 1 MAR 06
for
foreign test centers and 8 MAR 06 for U.S. test centers.
Additional
information regarding the Foreign Service and employment
therein
is available at http://careers.state.gov.�
[Source: US.
Embassy
Manila Warden notice� Feb 06 ++]
VA HELP
LINES:� The Department of Veterans
Affairs provides toll free help
lines on
VA benefits and programs at
https://iris.va.gov/scripts/iris.cfg/php.exe/enduser/cci/phonenbrs.php.� A
veteran
who turns to the lines for information about benefits might want
to get a
second opinion. According to a follow up study assessing
telephone
service quality, it was noted in a 14 OCT 04 VBA Letter 20-04-42
that
people who call the agency�s regional offices for help and advice are
more
likely to receive completely wrong answers than completely right
ones. To
see how well its employees answer typical questions from the
public,
VA benefits experts in 2004 called each of the agency�s U.S.
regional
offices, which process veterans� disability claims.� The
so-called
mystery callers, saying they were relatives or friends of
veterans
inquiring about possible benefits, made a total of 1,089 calls.
Almost
half the time they got answers that the VA said were either
completely
incorrect or minimally correct. According to a VA memo, 22% of
the
answers the callers got were �completely incorrect,� 23% were
�minimally
correct� and 20% were �partially correct.� Nineteen percent of
the
answers were �completely correct,� and 16% were �mostly correct.� The
program
also found that some VA workers were dismissive of some callers
and
unhelpful or rude to others. The results of the 2004 study are below
expectations
and are disappointing to the organization.�
The report
included
comparisons to the previous 2002 study. Of special concern was
that the
excellent and very good responses declined for courtesy and
professionalism
(from 81 to 69%) and for willingness to help (from 76 to
62%).� Significant improvement, however, was made in
prompt service (from
76 to
87%).� VA officials acknowledge in the
letter that the agency needs
to do
better. To read the VA survey online, which includes the questions
asked
and the responses received go to
www.warms.vba.va.gov/admin20/letters/vba04_42.doc.� [Source: VetJobs
Veteran
Eagle Newsletter 1 Feb 06 ++]
VA
NASOPHARYNGEAL RADIUM THERAPY:� Veterans
who remember being treated or
think
they were treated with nasopharyngeal radium should tell their
physicians
about it. Veterans who have health problems they think may be
related
to nasopharyngeal radium also are encouraged to contact the
nearest
VA medical center. Public Law 105-368 enacted in November 1998
authorizes
examinations and treatment of head and neck cancers for
veterans
who received nasopharyngeal radium treatments during active
military,
naval, or air service. For veterans not otherwise enrolled in VA
health
care, documentation of nasopharyngeal radium treatment in service
records
may be required to be eligible for these services. Veterans who
are
enrolled in VA health care receive medically indicated diagnostic and
treatment
services without any need to document exposures.
���� Radium was first used as a medical therapy
in 1904. It was used
internally
and externally to treat a variety of diseases and
conditions
-- from cancer to goiters to scalp ringworm. It was used
on
tissues unsuitable for surgery, only local anesthesia was
required,
and it could be performed in a physician's office. The
treatment
also was believed to be safer than conventional X-ray
treatment.
During the 1920s, a new technique was developed using
radium
to treat hearing loss in children caused by repeated ear
infections
(otitis media). This technique was called nasophayrngeal
radium
therapy. A radium-tipped rod was inserted in the nose and left
for
several minutes. Often, several treatments were provided in a
series,
each two to three weeks apart. The therapy also was used to
treat
sinusitis, tonsilitis, asthma, bronchitis, and repeated viral
and
bacterial infections. Because it was effective in treating otitis
media,
military physicians used it to treat aerotitis media in
submariners,
aviators and divers. Aerotitis media is hearing loss
caused
by swollen tissue in the throat combined with rapid pressure
changes
in the middle ear. The treatment was used to shrink tissue in
the
throat and prevent ear damage from pressure changes. An estimated
500,000
to two million civilians, mostly children, received these
treatments.
It is estimated that between 8,000 and 20,000 military
personnel
received them during World War II and until about 1960.
Pressurized
aircraft cabins and new treatments, such as better
antibiotics,
as well as concerns about radiation safety resulted in
its
discontinuation.
���� Information on filing a claim for
disability compensation may be
obtained
by calling the nearest VA regional office at 1-800-827-1000.
For
questions on nasopharyngeal radium therapy, veterans may call