If you are unemployed and depending on your situation, MHA's Home Affordable
Unemployment Program (UP) may reduce your mortgage payments to 31 percent of your income or
suspend them altogether for 12 months or more. Check out http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/pages/default.aspx.
From the RAO Bulletin: The Veterans Affairs Department faces a "staggering" backlog of 897,566 disability claims with more than 65 percent pending for more than 125 days, a problem compounded by an error rate of 16 percent, representatives of veterans' services organizations told lawmakers on the House Veterans Affairs Committee on 18 APR. The department has seen a 48 percent increase in claims since 2008. Officials expect the backlog will grow to 1.2 million claims this year and another 50,000 will accrue in 2013 as veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars flood the system, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in March. He vowed to process all claims in fewer than 125 days with a 98 percent accuracy standard by 2015.
Read more...The online edition of "Silverlines" is the VFW's information paper and has loads of articles and items of interest to Retiree's and Veterans.
Theres a bill H.R. 652 - Tricare Premium Limits to limit the increase of premiums, deductibles, co-payments or other charges for health care provided under the TRICARE program. In plain-speak it has purposed limits on the amount of increases to TRICRARE and has limited the increase to:
1. If members of the Armed Forces don't get a pay raise - no increase will be authorized, and;
2. Any increase authorized (if 1 above applies) it will be limited to not more than half the percentage of the Social Security increase (provided there is one). I interput this to mean that if Social Security gets a 2% increase, the military increase will be not more than 1%.
The text of the bill is quoted below. It is proposed by Rep Don Young of Alaska and has 6 co-sponsors so far.
Allows the Secretary of Defense (DOD), beginning in FY2012, to increase a premium, deductible, copayment, or other charge for health care provided under TRICARE (a DOD managed care program) only if: (1) the rates of monthly basic pay for members of the Armed Forces are increased for the same year, and (2) the increase to TRICARE charges is not more than half the percentage by which amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act are increased for the same year.
To support this bill and/or contact your legislators send a message via
http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=32098506&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]
http://capwiz.com/fra/issues/alert/?alertid=33916536
SECNAV Retiree Council Update 02: Applications are now being accepted for the Secretary
of the Navy Retiree Council. Applications must be received by 30 SEP. Here’s how to apply. Submit a one (1)-page bio/resume with the following:
Your full name, address, phone number, e-mail address and Social Security Number. (Left side top)
One paragraph highlighting your military career to include highest rank achieved, designator (if
applicable), military specialty, total years of active duty, total years of service (if applicable) and entry date.
Additionally, provide a brief summary of current civilian career.
One paragraph identifying all volunteer work, Retired Activities Office (RAO) affiliation, and/or
membership in civic and other organizations.
Education (Associate Degree, Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, Ph.D and field of study as appropriate).
Include a brief statement on how you can contribute to the RC.
A recent snapshot photo. It is requested that picture be placed on the one page application at the top right hand corner (head and shoulder shot). Photo should be no larger than 2 ½ inches by 3 inches. (Right side top)
Send applications to: Department of the Navy, OPNAV N135C, Retired Affairs, 5720 Integrity Drive Millington, TN 38055-6200. Selection is scheduled for October with appointment scheduled for December. For more information, contact Navy Retired Affairs toll-free at (866) 827-5672 or (901) 874-4308. Another way to assist the Naval retiree community is to volunteer at your local Retired Activities Offices (RAO). The Navy currently has 32 offices worldwide that are staffed by retiree volunteers. The Navy depends heavily on volunteers to run these offices. The volunteers are trained to assist other retirees, their families and survivors in receiving their earned benefits, aid family members when a retired service member dies, and plan and conduct annual Retiree Appreciation Days or Retiree Seminars. Most RAO volunteers spend a few hours a week in the office. If you are interested in being a volunteer, please contact your nearest RAO or call the Navy’s RAO program manager at (866) 827-5672 ext. 4308. [Source: Shift Colors Spring 2012 ++]
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