I just got a letter from Senator Dean Heller where I ask him to support S. 160 which will repeal certain provisions which require the offset. The legislation has been referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee, where it awaits further action. Senator Heller assures me he will continue working with his colleagues to pass this important legislation.
Read more...It appears there will be an increase of 1.6% in Retired pay on 1 January 2012. Provided the president signs the bill, it has passed both houses.
Also, Tricare costs will be pegged to Cost of Living Increases for Tricare Recipitants. These changes are also tied to the Defense Appropriations Bill sent to the President for signature.
The latest information we have is there are 898.000 application pending at the VA. This is down from 1.5 million a year ago. We have to remember there are approximately 1 million Army and another million in the other combined services for a total active duty of about 2 million. Most are on a 3 year hitch, that means approximately 55,000 in and discharged each month or 666,000 a year. Not all of these people will submit an application for Disability but it looks like 10% are. That means about 5,500 a month or 66,000 a year.
Its going to take a while for the VA to Catch up at this rate. They are shooting for a 125 day turn around on an application. We want to wish them Luck and hope for the best.
LTC Judith Schill USAR (Ret) has provided a helpful web site: www.health.mil/ that is published by Department of Defense, so its an official web site. Lots of medical information there about TRICARE and other services we use.
Read more...Current Information Regarding DD-214's
Please pass on to other vets. It's official: DD-214 discharge papers are
NOW ONLINE. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has
provided the following website for veterans to gain access to
their DD-214s online:
http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/
This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy
of his/her DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working
to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet
access to obtain copies of documents from their military files.
Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military
members may now use a new online military personnel records
system to request documents.
Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete
the Standard Form 180, which can be downloaded from the
online web site. Because the requester will be asked to supply
all information essential for NPRC to process the request,
delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans
for additional information will be minimized. The new web-based
application was designed to provide better service on these
requests by eliminating the records centers mailroom and
processing time.
Please pass this information on to former military personnel you
may know and their dependents.
| New TRICARE Pharmacy Copays Highlight Benefits of Home Delivery |
| By Peter Holstein TRICARE Management Activity |
| October 31, 2011 |
FALLS CHURCH, Va. – New copayments for prescription drugs covered by TRICARE went into effect Oct. 1, 2011. The new copayments make Home Delivery an even more attractive option, with zero dollar copays for a 90-day supply of generic formulary medications. “Home Delivery ships prescription medication safely, securely and conveniently to beneficiaries’ homes,” said Rear Adm. Thomas J. McGinnis, chief of TRICARE Pharmacy Operations. “It’s intended primarily for beneficiaries with chronic conditions who need maintenance medications they take regularly over a long period of time.” Home Delivery offers beneficiaries up to a 90-day supply of medication at one time, instead of the 30-day supply they get from a retail pharmacy. New copayments for medications through Home Delivery are $0 for generic drugs, $9 for brand name drugs and $25 for non-formulary medications. Copayments at retail pharmacies are now $5 for generic drugs, $12 for brand name and $25 for non-formulary. Costs at military pharmacies are still zero and there is no plan to change this. The TRICARE Uniform Formulary is a list of all the medications TRICARE covers. Beneficiaries can search the formulary at www.pec.ha.osd.mil. For more information on the new copayments, go to www.tricare.mil/pharmacycosts. TRICARE’s pharmacy copayments had not changed since 2002 and the new copayments reflect how TRICARE beneficiaries use their pharmacy benefits. Data through August 2011 shows more people are using Home Delivery, up 9 percent this year from 2010, while the number of maintenance medications purchased at retail pharmacies in 2011 has actually gone down slightly, reversing a long-time trend. “The trend towards using Pharmacy Home Delivery over retail pharmacies is encouraging,” said McGinnis. “TRICARE pays more for prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies than for the same medication through Home Delivery. When beneficiaries use their benefit wisely, TRICARE dollars go further.” In 2010, beneficiaries switching from retail pharmacies to Home Delivery saved the Department of Defense $30 million. For more information about TRICARE pharmacy and Home Delivery, visit www.tricare.mil/pharmacy. Sign up for TRICARE e-mail updates at www.tricare.mil/subscriptions. Connect with TRICARE on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/tricare and www.twitter.com/tricare. The TRICARE Management Activity administers the worldwide health care plan for 9.6 million eligible beneficiaries of the uniformed services, retirees and their families. |
HR 178 The Mil Surviving Spouses Equity Act is trying to eliminate the SBP deduction from those disabled veterans wives checks. When you die the VA reduces your wife's check by the amount you receive from the VA. Its called the "Offset". You paid into your SBP for at least 20 years, its your money, and, you earned your VA DIC Pension thru service. Neither one should be reduced. The Senate has bill S260 that is esentially the same thing. There is also a bill for the "Gray Area" retiree's (those that have 20 yrs svc but were reservists and must wait until age 60 to get some benefits).
Read more...The CA/NV Military Council held a meeting in Monterey CA on Friday 19 Nov 10 and was supposed to recommend changes to benefits and policy's to the Department of the Army Retiree Council for their meeting in Apr 2011.
They decided there were no issued to submit to the CSA Military Retiree Council.
That could be because they did not get input to consider.
We of the Pahrump Military Retire Council did not submit any items because we were told - The input cannot be political or legislative and every problem that the Retiree's have brought up is either Political or legislative to correct it.
The submission requires the following format: Problem, Facts bearing on the Problem and Recommendation.
The problems that were received from out members in our area and the councils recommendation were wide in application, but all required someone to actually do something and it always included changing existing legislation.
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