We have 1 Action Item today at Issue 2 below

 

 

Summary of Issues

At Issue 1. we see PANEL REJECTS PAY, FORCE CUTS. Process for defense bill gets rolling. House Subcommittee rejects DoD’s proposals on pay raise. (See Issue 1 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 2. we see TIME TO END THE MILITARY “WIDOWS TAX”. Repeal the SBP-DIC Offset. In his April As I See It column, MOAA Director of Government Relations Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF (Ret), says widows need relief from compounded losses. (See Issue 2 below for the details and to send messages to our Legislators. GF)

At Issue 3. we see VETERAN GROUPS TO COMMISSION: FIX, DON’T DISMANTLE VA. VA Commission on Care finalizing its report to Congress. Leading veteran groups meet to share concerns on some health system proposals. (See Issue 3 below for the details. GF)  

Collectively We Can and Are Making a Difference

 

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends –

don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources

 

ISSUES

 

Issue 1. PANEL REJECTS PAY, FORCE CUTS

April 22, 2016

On April 20, the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee approved its version of the FY 2017 defense authorization bill (H.R. 4909).

The Subcommittee’s mark differs significantly from DoD’s FY 2017 defense budget proposal, and provides some early optimism on the 2017 pay raise and commissary issues.

(Click on  DoD’s FY 2017 defense budget proposal,  here or above to see the details. GF)

Here’s how the bill addresses several issues of MOAA interest:

Force Levels: increases force levels above the DoD budget request by 20,000 for the Army; 15,000 for Army National Guard; 10,000 for Army Reserve; 4,000 for the Air Force; and 3,000 for the Marine Corps. Approves the DoD request to reduce Navy forces by 6,300.

Active Duty Pay Raise: rejects the administration’s proposal to cap the 2017 pay raise at 1.6 percent, and instead would provide servicemembers the same 2.1 percent pay raise experienced by the average American (as measured by the Employment Cost Index).

Commissary: allows DoD to implement variable pricing strategies and “house brand” products at commissaries nationwide, but specifies current patron savings and satisfaction must be maintained, benchmarks for those measures must be established, and quarterly reports must be provided to track progress. MOAA appreciates the Subcommittee’s extra efforts to preserve benefit value for patrons while pursuing system efficiencies.

Military Retirement: adopts a DoD proposal for flexibility in paying a continuation bonus between eight and 12 years of service for members under the new blended retirement system (taking effect in 2018), but does not include other DoD proposals to delay the onset of government Thrift Savings Plan matching until five years of service, increase the maximum government match, and extend matching beyond 26 years of service.

Uniform Code of Military Justice: adopts a long list of changes, including establishing new offenses involving use of government computers and credit card fraud, extending the statute of limitations for child abuse, and improving transparency of court records.

Impact Aid: provides $30 million in assistance for local schools serving significant numbers of military children.

The Subcommittee bill did not address military health care or extension of authority to pay a Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance (SSIA) to survivors affected by the military “widows tax.”  Subcommittee Chair Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.) said both of those issues would be addressed next week during action on the bill by the full Armed Services Committee.

The full committee is set to take up the defense bill next Wednesday, and action by the Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled to begin May 10.

 

 

Issue 2. TIME TO END THE MILITARY “WIDOWS TAX”

By: Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF (Ret) Director, Government Relations

April 22, 2016

No servicemember, active or retired, likes to contemplate their possible death.

But those with families do exactly that to shield their loved ones from the financial consequences of losing the head of household.

The significant majority of retiring members purchase the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to provide their surviving spouse 55 percent of retired pay.

But what if the servicemember dies of a service-caused condition? Shouldn’t the spouse get something extra in that circumstance?

In theory, they do, because the VA provides Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) — currently a little over $15,000 a year — in such cases.

But there’s a catch: If the deceased servicemember had SBP coverage, the law requires DIC to be deducted from it.

That’s right — the SBP the retiree purchased gets cut by up to $15,000. For most enlisted retirees, that wipes out most or all of the survivor’s SBP.

Is the government entirely unfeeling about this? No, they kindly refund a pro-rata share of the member-paid SBP premiums (without interest) for the lost SBP amount.

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) have introduced bipartisan legislation to end this so-called SBP-DIC widows tax and authorize payment of both SBP and DIC when military service caused the member’s death.

Nelson, a former Florida insurance commissioner, has said, “It would be illegal for any insurance company to say it wouldn’t pay on a life insurance policy because the policyholder had other coverage.”

That’s not the only irony SBP-DIC widows face. Several years ago, a court ruled dual SBP- and DIC-eligible survivors can receive both benefits — provided they remarry after age 57.

So — incredibly — current law punishes these survivors financially for remarrying before age 55 (they lose both SBP and DIC in that case) and also punishes them financially (by continuing the widows tax) if they don’t remarry after age 57.

Congress long has recognized the unfairness of the widows tax. Several years ago, Congress authorized a Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance (SSIA) as a partial rebate for SBP-DIC widows. The SSIA is $275 a month this year, and will rise to $310 next year, when it will make up for about 25 percent of the widows tax.

The intent, as expressed by previous House Armed Services Committee Chair Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) was to continue raising the SSIA as a means of eventually phasing out the widows tax.

But the authority to pay SSIA ends as of Oct. 1, 2017 — which means Congress has to act this year to keep SBP-DIC widows from losing the current $310 monthly allowance.

MOAA stormed the Hill last week to urge legislators to end the widows tax or, at the very least, extend and continue increasing the SSIA.

The vehicle to do that is the FY2017 defense authorization bill, which the House and Senate will be considering over the next month.

You can help protect these most deserving survivors by sending your legislators a MOAA-suggested message urging inclusion of a provision in the defense bill to end the SBP-DIC widows tax.

 

(Click on MOAA-suggested message here or above, or go to the “Here is the Process” section at the end of this Email to send your messages. GF)

Issue 3. VETERAN GROUPS TO COMMISSION: FIX, DON’T DISMANTLE VA

 

April 22, 2016

 

The Commission on Care is wrapping up its report to Congress on how best to organize the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for the next generation of veterans

.

With roughly two months left for the Commission to write its recommendations, MOAA joined several veteran organizations at a meeting with commissioners on April 18 to discuss the Commission’s work, but more importantly to convey what type of health system veterans want, need, and deserve.

 

The veterans panel offered stories, survey data, and viewpoints on four critical topic areas:

 

The role of the VHA

 

The role of non-VA (community care) health care providers

 

How veterans will need to access care in the future

 

How to strengthen veterans’ health care programs

 

MOAA reiterated many of the points outlined in a letter sent earlier this month disagreeing with some who say the VHA is “broken beyond repair.” MOAA acknowledged that the system is in need of immediate attention and reform, but urged the commissioners to find a way to fix the problems and not simply migrate the system to community-based services. MOAA is concerned such a move would lose the best aspects and most critical functions of the system, such as spinal cord and polytrauma care.

 

The group praised VA Secretary Robert McDonald’s MyVA transformation efforts, asking the commissioners to keep this in mind as they formulate their recommendations.“

 

The integration and coordination of care is critical in any health system,” said MOAA Deputy Director of Government Relations Cdr. René Campos, USN (Ret). “Not just veterans, but American medicine relies on VHA work, and these linkages are important, unlike any health system in the public sector.”

 

Campos reminded commissioners in the aftermath of the 2011 tornado in Joplin, Mo., and Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy in 2005 and 2012, the VA was able to support thousands of displaced veterans to ensure continuity of medical care and benefits because of VA’s electronic health record.

 

Panelists talked about the importance of talking and listening to other veterans, citing a recent Veterans of Foreign Wars survey. The survey also showed quality of care, availability of appointments, travel distance, and cost as the top four reasons for veterans using VA health care.

 

“If you are going to eliminate the functionalities of the VA, you actually are reducing choice, not adding choice,” said Bill Rausch, Executive Director of Got Your Six.

 

Top VA leaders spoke to the commission later in the day, providing a progress report on changes in the health system to date. Many of these changes have had a positive impact on veterans care, such as: a new employee and leadership training program; one-day stand downs to reduce the backlog of urgent care appointments; real-time customer satisfaction feedback; and expansion of clinical hours to see more patients-all with a focus on care that is veteran-centric.

 

MOAA recognizes the tough job ahead for commissioners as they craft their report to the President and Congress. We greatly appreciate the significant amount of time commissioners gave to hearing our concerns and recommendations.

 

Here is the Process:  I recommend that you review all of the steps below and then you might want to copy this process by high lighting all of the steps below.  Then click on “File” at the top of your screen, select “Print“, then click on “Selection” at the next display and then hit “Print“; or print the selected portion as you usually do this kind of task.

 

1. Click here onhttp://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/ or copy and paste it in your browser to put you at the  “Legislative Action Center” screen.
2. Scroll downunder “Current Action Alerts” and below “Congress” click on End the Military “Widows Tax”
3. 3.If applicable, at the next screen scroll down to the TAKE ACTION NOW! lineand enter or confirm your Zip code and /or hit “Go!”
4. 4. Orat that next screen under“COMPOSE MESSAGE” leave the “Message Recipients Delivery Method” as “Email” at your discretion, and then scroll down to “Issue Area” and select an appropriate issue; e.g. ‘Veteran affairs’
5. Scroll down to the  “Editable text” areaand edit/modify the text of the message if desired,
6. Insert “Your Closing” (I show ‘Respectfully), and “Your Name” and fill in the rest of the mandatory {asterisked} SENDER INFORMATION.
7. Fill in the “Guest Type“, “Service“, “Rank“, “Component“, and “Status” if you want that information to show in your message (recommended).  You may be prompted to include a phone numberif you try to send the message without entering your phone number. Don’t be concerned about entering a phone number. I haven’t  received return calls except on rare occasions to thank me for my interest in a particular piece of Legislation, at which time you can comment (pro or con) to the staff member on how the Senator stands on the issue.
8. Check “Remember Me” (recommended) if you don’t want to have to re-enter all of your Sender Information the next time you send a message. You can always change your information or uncheck ‘Remember Me’ anytime in the future.
9. Hit “Send Message”
10. If Printed Letter was selected at Step 4 above, at the screen after hitting “Send Message” leave “Plain Paper Style” and “Word Processor (RTF)” checked unless you have another preference. Then left click on “Print Letter(s)” at the end of the “PRINT LETTER” screen. At the File Download” alert that appears next, click on “Open”. You can then edit and print or save the letter for editing, printing, signing and mailing.

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————

That’s it for today- Thanks for your help!

 

 

 

We have 2 Action Item today at Issue 3 below

 

 

Summary of Issues

At Issue 1. we see COLA CLIMBING . COLA shows signs of growth. The Consumer Price Index remains in the red — but it’s looking better than it did last year. (See Issue 1 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 2. we see MOAA STORMS THE HILL. More than 160 MOAA leaders swarm Capitol Hill. This year, the “Hill-stormers” asked legislators to reject disproportional TRICARE fee hikes and (See Issue 2 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 3. we see REDUCING VETERAN SUICIDES. VA addresses suicide rates. Join the campaign to end this tragedy (See Issue 3 below for the details and send massages to our legislators. GF)

At Issue 4. we see STUDY SHOWS RESILIENT MILITARY FAMILIES. Military families are tough. RAND study indicates deployments result in few long-term adverse effects on families – but could there be more to the story?  (See Issue 4 below for the details. GF)  

  

Collectively We Can and Are Making a Difference

 

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends –

don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources

 

ISSUES

 

Issue 1. COLA CLIMBING

In order for a positive COLA next year, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has to make pretty significant increases.

The March CPI is 232.209, and remains .9 percent below the FY 2014 COLA baseline. Because there was not a positive COLA in FY 2015, the FY 2014 baseline is used.

The CPI for April 2016 is scheduled to be released on May 17, 2016.

Note: Military retiree COLA is calculated based on the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), not the overall CPI. Monthly changes in the index may differ from national figures reported elsewhere.

Related content: Retired Pay vs Active Duty Pay Adjustments

(Click on  Retired Pay vs Active Duty Pay Adjustments here or above to see the details. GF)

 

 

Issue 2. MOAA STORMS THE HILL

April 15, 2016

 

MOAA council and chapter presidents from across the United States, accompanied by members of the national board of directors and headquarters staff, plus members of MOAA’s Currently Serving Advisory Council, Currently Serving Spouse Advisory Council, and Surviving Spouse Advisory Committee stormed Capitol Hill April 13 and visited nearly all 535 senators and representatives in support of key legislative priorities.

 

MOAA stormers used specially prepared color brochures to urge their elected officials to:

 

Reject disproportional TRICARE fee hikes

 

Eliminate the SBP-DIC Offset

 

(Click on the two links above to see the brochures. GF)

 

MOAA is gratified by your responses to the alert sent last Friday asking you to support this effort by emailing your legislators. MOAA members sent nearly 15,000 messages to Capitol Hill, and many legislators and staffers referenced the messages during their meetings with the MOAA stormers

.

The daylong event culminated with a dinner for MOAA Council and Chapter leaders and their spouses, featuring keynote speaker Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. The Congressmen has been a longtime advocate for survivors, and is the sponsor of legislation to repeal the SBP-DIC offset.

 

Wilson praised MOAA’s Storming the Hill activities, including the push to eliminate the SBP-DIC offset. “I’ve been working on this issue since I was elected 15 years ago, and I feel like I’ve been spinning my wheels – until today. The information you gave me was the clearest [I’ve ever received on the matter].”

 

Retired Air Force Gen. Charles Robertson, chairman of MOAA’s board of directors, introduced Rep. Wilson and closed the evening by thanking the stormers who had taken to Capitol Hill earlier that day to engage their congressional representatives.

 

To learn more about this year’s Storming the Hill events, check out: www.moaa.org/storming.

(Click on  www.moaa.org/storming here or above see the details. GF)

Issue 3. REDUCING VETERAN SUICIDES

April 15, 2016

 

This week, the VA announced a national campaign to reduce veteran suicide rates and refocus efforts aimed at further enhancing the department’s suicide prevention program.

 

Veterans Health Administration Under Secretary Dr. David Shulkin led a mental health summit bringing together mental health and suicide prevention professionals with caregivers, veterans and their families, veteran organizations, and members of Congress to help carve a path forward to prevent veteran suicide.

 

“We know that every day, approximately 22 veterans take their lives, and that is too many,” said Shulkin during the summit. “While no one knows the subject of veteran suicide better than VA, we also realize that caring for our veterans is a shared responsibility.

 

”The summit offered nine recommended actions to strengthen VA’s approach to suicide prevention, including:Elevating VA’s Suicide Prevention Program with additional resources;

 

Creating a goal of same-day evaluations and access by the end of 2016 to meet urgent mental health needs;

 

Establishing a new standard of care by using measures of veteran-reported symptoms to tailor mental health treatments to individual needs;

 

Launching a new study, “Coming Home from Afghanistan and Iraq,” to look at the impact of deployment and combat as it relates to suicide, mental health, and well-being;

 

Using predictive modeling to guide early interventions for suicide prevention;

 

Using data on suicide attempts for surveillance to guide preventive strategies;

 

Increasing the availability of naloxone rescue kits throughout VA to prevent deaths from opioid overdoses;

 

Establishing three regional tele-mental health hubs to enhance mental health access;

 

andContinuing to partner with DoD for a seamless transition from military service to civilian life.

 

As a follow-up to the summit, the VA asked MOAA and other military and veteran service organizations to engage in an outreach effort at national and community levels to help increase awareness and commit individuals to help prevent veteran suicide.

 

Improving mental health and suicide prevention programs have been major MOAA legislative goals for well over a decade.

 

In a joint hearing before the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees, MOAA emphasized the need for sufficient staffing, resources, and funding to help high-risk active and Reserve servicemembers prior to discharge, and the need for better resources to train and educate mental health providers on the unique cultural needs of veterans and their families.

 

From now through the end of September, which is Suicide Prevention Month, MOAA will be calling on you to share information about the VA’s suicide prevention efforts and available resources.

 

Additionally, please contact your legislators to support MOAA-endorsed legislation to improve the mental health and wellbeing of our veterans and their families:

 

1. 1641, Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Actwould require the VA and DoD to jointly update clinical practice guidelines for the management of opioid therapy for chronic pain, including guidelines for treating post-traumatic stress disorder, psychiatric disorders, or substance abuse or addiction.

 

H.R. 1607, Ruth Moore Act would upgrade disability compensation procedures for veterans with mental health conditions related to military sexual trauma. The bill would also update regulations recognizing the full range of physical and mental disabilities that can result from the trauma.

 

MOAA applauds the VA’s efforts to break the cycle of suicide among our veterans, and we hope you will help us spread the word on available resources.

 

(Click on S. 1641, Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act  and H.R. 1607, Ruth Moore Act respectively here or above to send messages to our legislators. At those links scroll down on the right below Take Action Now and Enter Your Zip Code and then click on GO. At the next link scroll down under Issue Area to select an issue, e.g. Veterans affairs. Then edit the message if desired and fill in your personal information if it is not already shown. Then hit Send Message. GF)

Issue 4. STUDY SHOWS RESILIENT MILITARY FAMILIES

April 15 2016

 

Published by AdminSpouse at 1:47 pm under Military Children,Military Spouses,News,Veterans

RAND released its Deployment Life Study last week, a longitudinal study of military families facing deployment. Nearly 3,000 families were studied from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps over a three year period, with each family being surveyed before, during, and after deployment, in four-month intervals.

Surprisingly, the study showed few long-term adverse effects on military families as a result of deployments, with the major exception of servicemembers who faced some kind of deployment-related physical, psychological, or combat trauma.

The study was largely motivated by the major deployment increases in the middle to late 2000s, but was not commissioned until 2009 and did not begin until 2011.

There are at least some questions whether the study captured a true cross-section of deployment-affected families. For example, the experience level of those surveyed indicates they were relatively seasoned military families. Many families highly impacted by deployment peaks may have left service or otherwise may not have been in the study at all, so those surveyed may represent a more resilient population.

Outcomes of the study may be helpful, however, in determining the focus of future support programs surrounding deployments. This was the first longitudinal study performed that surveyed multiple family members: the servicemember, the parent at home, and teen children between 11-17 (children younger than 11 were surveyed through a parent).

Key findings indicate:

• Integration outcomes vary more for servicemembers than spouses and children.
• Families that are not facing a deployment still face challenges related to military life, particularly around relocation.
• Pre-deployment readiness activities result in better outcomes for post-deployment.
• Families face lower levels of financial stress during deployments.

The study shows that familial reactions to deployment and military service are far more complex than previously understood. Not only should the results of the study be used to direct improvement of existing programs, it shows the need for ongoing collection of this kind of data. These kinds of studies take years to implement, and often, by the time this kind of one-time survey is approved and implemented, key opportunities to access information may be lost.

Read more about the RAND Deployment Life Study.

(Click on RAND Deployment Life Study here or above for the details. GF)

 

 

 

That’s it for today- Thanks for your help!

 

We have 1 Action Item today at Issue 1

 

 

Summary of Issues

At Issue 1. we see HELP MOAA STORM THE HILL. Now is the time to stand up and make your voice heard to reinforce MOAA’s efforts on Capitol Hill.. (See Issue 1 below for the details and send messages to our Legislators. GF)

At Issue 2. we see MOAA URGES COMMISSION TO PROTECT VETERANS HEALTH CARE. VA commission in final weeks of deliberation. MOAA asks commissioners to improve – not eliminate – veterans’ health system. (See Issue 2 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 3. we see ANOTHER ROUND OF BRAC? Defense officials testify on shortfalls in military installation accounts

At a congressional hearing, officials pushed lawmakers to authorize another round of base closures.. (See Issue 3 below for the details. GF)

                                

Collectively We Can and Are Making a Difference

 

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends –

don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources

 

ISSUES

 

Issue 1. HELP MOAA STORM THE HILL

Now is the time to stand up and make your voice heard to reinforce MOAA’s efforts on Capitol Hill.

On Wednesday, April 13, more than 160 national, state, and local MOAA representatives will “Storm the Hill” to visit the offices of nearly every U.S. senator and representative.

They will be urging lawmakers to oppose disproportional TRICARE fee hikes and repeal the SBP-DIC “widows tax” that penalizes 63,000 military widows up to $15,000 a year.

There has never been a more important time to add your voice and deliver a barrage of emails to remind your legislators that MOAA’s Hill-Stormers are backed by thousands more of their constituents.

Let’s work together to ensure we don’t impose disproportional penalties on military families and survivors.

(Click on deliver a barrage of emails here or above to send messages to our Legislators.. At that “Legislative Action Center” link scroll down to the “Take Action” and “COMPOSE MESSAGE” screen where you can scroll down to further to the draft message for editing if desired and verify or insert your required personal information and enter you Zip code if it is not already shown. Then hit “Send Message”. GF)

Issue 2. MOAA URGES COMMISSION TO PROTECT VETERANS HEALTH CARE

April 8, 2016

A flurry of media reports hit the airwaves this week when veteran groups voiced concerns over a controversial proposal being considered by a special commission set up by Congress to look at how to deliver veterans’ health care.

The Commission on Care is tasked with examining access to VA health care and to examine strategically how best to organize the Veterans Health Administration for the next generation of veterans.

The “strawman” document calls for phasing out all VA health care treatment facilities over the next 20 years, and pushing all veterans, including those who are 100 percent disabled, into the private sector for medical care.

In a letter to commissioners, MOAA President Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins, USAF (Ret) stressed the need to preserve, but also improve, the VA health system.

(Click on a letter to commissioners here or above to see the letter. GF)

“We are concerned that migrating the current system to community-based services…would eliminate some of the best aspects of VA care, such as spinal and polytrauma care, and could produce unintended consequences, such as a reduction in benefits and/or negative health care outcomes.”

Instead, MOAA urged the Commission to consider incorporating VA Secretary Bob McDonald’s MyVA reform efforts, and plan for consolidating community care efforts.

MOAA also believes the Independent Budget’s (IB) veterans service organization concept, a Framework for Veterans Health Care Reform, should be seriously considered. The IB recommends moving away from arbitrary federal access standards towards a clinically-based decision made between a veteran (to include family and caregivers) and a health care professional, offering the potential for simplifying eligibility requirements and expanding access.

MOAA believes the IB provides an excellent framework for what a veterans’ health care system should look like.

MOAA will join other veteran and military service organizations to meet with the commissioners on April 18 to discuss in more detail the Commission’s work and potential recommendations for their final report.

The report is due out in June.

Issue 3. ANOTHER ROUND OF BRAC?

April 8, 2016

On Thursday, defense officials urged Congress to consider another round of base realignment and closures (BRAC).

Officials testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs on military facility and installation funding shortfalls.

Across the board, defense and services leaders voiced concerns over reduced funding and the challenges of keeping up with current environmental requirements.

The proposed $1 billion FY 2017 military construction budget is an 18-percent reduction from last year’s budget. The Army’s budget is at its lowest since 1993.

Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and the Environment, spoke frankly of the struggles in funding readiness with a reduced budget, stating, “The Army has decided to take strategic risks to fund installations so it can support soldier readiness.”

She said the Army has an excess of about 21 percent in infrastructure, which is expected to increase further with the force drawdown. With another round of BRAC, the Army believes it could save over $5 million annually to reinvest in training and troops.

The FY 2017 Navy’s budget of almost $12 billion is a 10-percent reduction from last year’s funding levels. The Navy warned of significant consequences and degradation of future military operations if funding continued at these levels.

The Air Force’s FY 2017 $8 billion budget is down 4-percent. The Air Force has placed military construction as a top priority, and 40 percent of the budget will go to chip away at a significant backlog for existing mission infrastructure.

“The bottom line for the Air Force, installations are too big, too old and too expensive to operate,” said Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations Environment and Energy Miranda A.A. Ballentine. “Twenty-four years of continuous combat and a fiscal environment constrained by the Budget Control Act have truly taken a toll on the service.”

The Air Force also urged another BRAC to address the 30-percent excess infrastructure capacity. Since the first Gulf War the service has reduced the number of combat-coded squadrons by nearly 60 percent. Meanwhile, stateside bases were  only reduced by 15-percent during this period.

MOAA believes lifting sequestration directed by the Budget Control Act is the only way to fix current budget shortfalls. Further erosion of installation facilities not only hurts readiness, but ultimately degrades military and family morale and readiness.

 

That’s it for today- Thanks for your help over the years!

 

 

 

 

 

We have no Action Items today

Summary of Issues
At Issue 1. we see TOP MILITARY DOC DISCUSSES HEALTH CARE ISSUES. MOAA President Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins, USAF (Ret) met with the director of the Defense Health Agency to talk about this year’s proposed changes to TRICARE. (See Issue 1 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 2. we see DOD PROPOSES UCMJ CHANGES. First set of changes in 30 years. Sentencing guidelines and expanded criminal offenses are among the recommendations. (See Issue 2 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 3. we see PENTAGON PULLS PLUG ON HIRING. DoD issues civilian hiring freeze. (See Issue 3 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 4. we see SO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? Red tape frustrating for military spouses
Federal employment can be an attractive option for military spouses if they know how to navigate the system (Click on SO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? here or above for the details. GF)

Collectively We Can and Are Making a Difference

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends –
don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources

ISSUES

Issue 1. TOP MILITARY DOC DISCUSSES HEALTH CARE ISSUES
April 1, 2016

On March 28 Defense Health Agency (DHA) director VADM Raquel Bono, USN, hosted MOAA president Lt Gen Dana Atkins, USAF (Ret.) and several other association leaders to discuss various aspects of defense health programs.

The meeting comes at a critical time as lawmakers mull serious changes to military health care.

The meeting began with a discussion of the budgeting process and the flow of funds through DHA to the services. In response to MOAA’s request concerning actions being taken to address shortcomings in access to care, the DHA staff provided a briefing on the services’ efforts to increase appointments in military facilities and make progress toward the goal of “first-call resolution” for appointment requests.

Bono’s staff also provided an update on TRICARE payment rate changes for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for autistic children. MOAA and others have expressed concern the payment reductions could affect access to ABA providers. Defense Health Agency representatives said they would be watching this closely.

It’s been a whirlwind two weeks for MOAA’s president, who also has had meetings with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.), and staff members of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee.

“These meetings are great opportunities to build relationships and find common areas where we can do what’s right for currently serving and retired servicemembers and their families,” said Atkins. “There are some areas where we’re going to disagree, but we need to keep up the dialogue, keep exchanging information and analysis, and keep working to end up in the right place.”

Issue 2. DOD PROPOSES UCMJ CHANGES

April 1, 2016

For the first time in 30 years, the Pentagon has proposed several changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

The UCMJ is the foundation of military justice, encompassing procedural and substantive criminal laws for the military. In the wake of military sexual assault incidents, a lot of attention was drawn to the procedural statutes in the code, leading then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to direct a full review in 2013.

After an extensive two year review, the Pentagon has proposed a number of changes, including:

Publicly Accessible Court Documents

Unlike the civilian justice system, filed court documents are not publicly available. The only way to currently gain access to that kind of information is by filing a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

DoD would make filed court documents publicly available and easily accessible.I

Individualized Criminal Statutes

Many criminal offenses currently fall under one broad article. The Pentagon proposes breaking out criminal offenses into separate articles under the UCMJ to better distinguish crimes and “ensure each offense receives separate consideration.” The additional articles expand legal protections for sexual assault victims.

The proposals also explicitly prevent suicide attempts as being marked as a crime.

Stronger Sentencing Guidelines

Military sentencing procedures are very different from the civilian justice system. For most military crimes under the UCMJ there are no minimum or maximum sentences, leading to considerable variance in sentencing for similar offenses.

The Pentagon proposes sentencing guidelines established by the Department of Justice, to be carried out by military judges in all non-capital trials.

Right to Appeal

Judicial review is not currently a right in all cases for convicted servicemembers under the UCMJ.

The new proposals would mirror much of the civilian appeals process, giving servicemembers the ability to determine whether or not to file an appeal. The appellate process would then focus on issues raised by the parties during the original court proceeding.

The Pentagon proposals also would allow the government to appeal sentences under certain conditions.

MOAA supports the Pentagon’s proposals to better align UCMJ practices with current judicial standards.

t will still be up to Congress to enact the proposed changes.
Issue 3. PENTAGON PULLS PLUG ON HIRING

April 1, 2016

Effective March 20, the Pentagon has implemented a civilian hiring freeze that affects all vacant permanent civilian positions for which no tentative employment offer had been presented as of March 19.

The freeze is part of a broader effort to reduce the number of Pentagon staff. In 2013, then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel issued a memo calling for a 20 percent reduction in Pentagon staff. Later instructions from senior DoD leaders raised the required reduction to 25 percent.

The move comes amid reports the staff of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) increased by 20 percent over the last decade or so. The rapid growth in personnel was due to increased mission responsibilities, reliance on federal employees instead of contractors, and staff reorganizations.

Unsurprisingly, requirements driven by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a primary driver of personnel growth. As the wars wind down, lawmakers are looking to cut costs.

A hiring freeze at the Pentagon may end up hurting veterans. According to the Office of Personnel Management, 46 percent of DoD employees are veterans.

“Hiring freezes are usually double-edged swords,” said Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF (Ret), MOAA’s Director of Government Relations. “DoD saves some salary funds, but the work of the absent employees usually still has to be done, so the remaining military and civilian employees have to pick up the slack.”

That’s it for today- Thanks for your help over the years!

We have no Action Items today

Summary of Issues
At Issue 1. we see WILL YOU PAY MORE AT THE COMMISSARY? Commissary to use new metrics in pilot program. Variable pricing means your grocery bill could change. (See Issue 1 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 2. we see HOUSE LEADER HUDDLES WITH VA HEALTH COMMISSION. Commission has only a few weeks to report on health care improvements. The chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee offered his views on the future of VA health care. ( See Issue 2 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 3. we see. YOUR MOAA LETTERS MATTER. Congress pays attention. MOAA thanks you for mailing in your tear-out letters. (See Issue 3 below for the details. GF)

Collectively We Can and Are Making a Difference

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends –
don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources

ISSUES

Issue 1. WILL YOU PAY MORE AT THE COMMISSARY?
March 25, 2016

The commissary continues to be a favorite benefit for servicemembers, retirees, wounded warriors, and survivors. Yet, every year, we find the program coming under budget scrutiny.

The money required to keep commissaries operating is small in terms of the overall defense budget, but the desire to use that money elsewhere (approximately $1.4 billion annually) is high.

Last year, Congress wrote a requirement into the defense bill for the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to achieve budget-neutrality for the commissary and exchange benefits no later than March 1, 2016. Then, the Department was tasked to begin pilot projects to achieve that goal – while also maintaining current levels of patron savings and satisfaction and product quality.

Recently, Defense Chief Management Officer, Peter Levine, acknowledged budget neutrality couldn’t be achieved while still meeting those criteria. But the requirement to proceed with the report remains.

March 1, 2016 has passed, and the report release has been delayed, but is expected later this year. After the report is submitted, DoD will be allowed to begin pilot programs using concepts such as variable pricing.

Commissaries currently are not allowed to sell items for less than cost or more than cost. The variable pricing pilot would allow them to selectively modify product prices, up or down, for up to five years (or more if it works to reduce requirements for tax dollar support).

Although the pilot still requires DoD to meet benchmarks for savings, product quality, and customer satisfaction, variable pricing could change the way commissaries deliver those savings.

Civilian stores use variable pricing to create “loss leaders” – basic products that may be priced at a loss to the store, but attract patrons to buy other products with higher profit margins.

Variable pricing could also lead to varying commissary prices by location. For example, in areas where costs outside the gate are higher, commissaries could adjust pricing upward, so long as the patron experiences the equivalent level of savings compared to local groceries. Accordingly, if the local groceries are typically priced lower than the national average, the commissary would have to adjust their prices downward, potentially at a loss, to provide savings.

Therefore, some assignments may result in higher or lower out of pocket cost to the patron to put the same food on the table.

MOAA hopes these pilots are successful in finding efficiencies without deteriorating the benefit.

The commissary isn’t just a store inside the gates of a military installation. It’s one of the key mechanisms through which the Defense Department delivers a military benefits package intended to sustain long-term retention and readiness.

Issue 2. HOUSE LEADER HUDDLES WITH VA HEALTH COMMISSION

March 25, 2016

Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, met with the Commission on Care on Mar. 21 to discuss what the VA health system should look like over the next few decades.

The chairman and other congressional leaders championed legislation – the Veterans’ Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, or Choice Act – establishing an independent Commission to make recommendations for needed health system reforms. Those recommendations are to be reported in June.

When a commissioner voiced concern about the possibility of the report falling through the cracks, Miller assured them, “This report will not sit on the shelf.”

Though the VA budget has increased nearly 86 percent since 2009, the chairman voiced concern over ongoing problems, seeing little improvement despite the unprecedented investment of money.

Problems ranging from poorly managed construction projects to misconduct by VA employees are ongoing.

Miller told commissioners the VA budget can’t keep getting bigger, saying, “The VA’s current fiscal path is not sustainable.”

He offered commissioners some suggestions on how to frame a new, more sustainable, veterans’ health system for the future, addressing system accountability, infrastructure and property management, and “putting veterans in the driver’s seat.”

Miller questioned whether health coverage for a service-connected or combat-disabled veteran should be the same as a non-combat, non-service connected disabled veteran who served for a shorter period of time, and may have other health insurance.

Regardless, Miller insisted the Veteran Health Administration of the future needs to be veteran-centric, empowering veterans to make their own health care choices.

He also talked about the need for more community care so veterans have options, as envisioned in the Choice Program. It’s not practical to have a medical facility near every veteran, and bringing new facilities on-line is an extended, expensive process, he noted. He asked the commission to seriously consider whether VA should continue to operate its own hospitals, because VA facilities are aging.

As Miller approaches retirement from Congress at the end of the year, he hopes the next chairman continues to exert the necessary oversight to reduce the bureaucracy between the Secretary and those in the field.

“I want to see VA transform into a model of accountability…bold changes will happen if veteran service organizations get behind Congress on these changes,” he said

Issue 3. YOUR MOAA LETTERS MATTER
March 25, 2016

Every year, MOAA provides tear-out letters in the Military Officer magazine to encourage members to mail physical letters to their elected officials. Members have asked whether these tear-out letters really make a difference, or if they even get through to the Hill in a timely way.

MOAA recently visited the House Armed Services Committee offices to check on the arrival of the tear-out letters we included with the February Military Officer Magazine. By early March, the Committee had received thousands of MOAA members’ letters.

Tear out Letters

The Committee staff has told us many times these letters do make a difference. A couple of years ago, MOAA addressed the tear-out letters to Budget Committee leaders instead, only to have the Armed Services Committee staff suggest we go back to sending letters to Armed Services, as they help leadership understand beneficiary interests.

MOAA uses the February or March magazines to carry the tear-out letters and post cards because it can take about four weeks for them to start arriving on the Hill.

In that regard, the Armed Services Committees usually start preparing the Defense Authorization Bill around the end of April or early May. The publication of the letters is timed to have them arrive on the Hill before then, so they can be taken into consideration.

MOAA thanks you for mailing in your tear-out letters. You are making a difference.

That’s it for today- Thanks for your help over the years!

We have 2 Action Items today at Issue 4

 

 

Summary of Issues

At Issue 1. we see COLA UNCHANGED.  Low energy costs continue to anchor index. Despite growth in other sectors, inflation index still lags. Check out the 2016 vs 2015 COLA trends. (See Issue 1 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 2. we see CONGRESS RAMPS UP HEALTH CARE TALKS. MOAA leads the charge in health care discussions. Reform should focus on improving beneficiary care, not just increasing fees.

( See Issue 2 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 3. we see SMALL MILITARY PAY CAPS ADD UP TO BIG PENALTIES. Continued pay caps lead to big losses. In his March As I See It column, MOAA Director of Government Relations Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF (Ret), highlights how pay raise caps really bite you in the longer term. (See Issue 3 below for the details. GF)

At Issue 4. we see MOAA TESTIFIES ON VETERAN PRIORITIES. Health and benefit system reforms top the list. (Click on  MOAA TESTIFIES ON VETERAN PRIORITIES here or above for the details. At the end of that site, click on HR. 969  and S. 681 respectively. At the next link, enter your Zip Code (at the lower right of the screen) to access the “Take Action” and “COMPOSE MESSAGE” screen where you can scroll down to the draft message for editing if desired and verify or insert your personal information before hitting “Send Message”. GF)

                               

Collectively We Can and Are Making a Difference

 

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends –

don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources

 

ISSUES

 

Issue 1. COLA UNCHANGED 

In order for a positive COLA next year, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has to make pretty significant increases.

The February CPI is 230.972, and remains at 1.4 percent below the FY 2014 COLA baseline. Because there was not a positive COLA in FY 2015, the FY 2014 baseline is used.

The CPI for March 2016 is scheduled to be released on April 14, 2016.

Note: Military retiree COLA is calculated based on the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), not the overall CPI. Monthly changes in the index may differ from national figures reported elsewhere.

 

Related content: Retired Pay vs Active Duty Pay Adjustments

(Click on : Retired Pay vs Active Duty Pay Adjustments here or above for the detail. GF)

Issue 2. CONGRESS RAMPS UP HEALTH CARE TALKS

 

March 18, 2016

The Chairman of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee invited MOAA and a small handful of stakeholders to Capitol Hill on March 17 to discuss Pentagon proposals to reform the military’s health care system (MHS).

MOAA Government Relations Director Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF (Ret) told the panel in the year of TRICARE reform, DoD’s plan contained only vague statements on needed program improvements, and focused mainly on adding several new beneficiary fees and raising a wide range of others, especially for the retired community.

He noted the proposed fee schedules were designed to push more care to military hospitals and clinics, which have been the primary sources of access problems.

“Our preference would be to ensure access is improved in the [military facilities] before implementing a fee structure intended to drive more care there,” Strobridge said.

He also expressed MOAA’s hope the system would establish positive “carrots” to incentivize beneficiary choices rather than financial penalty “sticks.”

“Particularly for retirees, we believe the proposed fee increases – in the range of $500 to $1,200 a year – are disproportional,” Strobridge said.

“Further, the incentives seem structured as different-sized sticks, with the biggest sticks proposed for the TRICARE Standard group that, ironically, costs DoD the least money.

”Retirees in TRICARE Prime who use military facilities, as DoD wants, would see a 24 percent enrollment fee increase plus other increases in cost-shares and pharmacy copays.

Families who elect to stay with TRICARE Standard – which costs DoD less than Prime – would incur a new $900 annual enrollment fee, plus a $600 deductible for using out-of-network care, in addition to their existing 25 percent cost share for all services.

If a military family has a choice, a higher deductible for using out-of-network care might make sense. But DoD acknowledges the network system will only cover 85 percent of the population.

“MOAA believes the 15 percent of beneficiaries who have no choice other than using out-of-network providers shouldn’t be charged an extra $1,200 in enrollment fees and extra deductible for having no other option,” Strobridge told the panel.

MOAA believes there should be no enrollment fee for TRICARE Standard or TFL, as neither plan guarantees access to a network of providers, as TRICARE Prime does.

“MOAA particularly disagrees with the proposal to means-test the TFL enrollment fee by making it a percentage of retired pay,” Strobridge said. “No other federal or civilian employer means-tests its retirees’ service-earned health coverage, since it would penalize longer and more successful service.”

“We urge against any enrollment fee for TFL for three additional reasons: First, these older retirees already pay more for their health care than any other military beneficiaries. Second, DoD only pays 20 percent of their health costs, because Medicare is first payer. Finally, DoD costs for TFL have dropped 40 percent over the last several years”.

All of the witnesses expressed concern DoD’s budget proposal does nothing to address the serious continuity of care and consistency of coverage issues faced by the Guard and Reserve communities.

Lawmakers were receptive to MOAA’s and other witnesses’ inputs, and agreed the focus of military health reform must be on improving timely access to quality care rather than simply raising beneficiary fees.

 

Issue 3. SMALL MILITARY PAY CAPS ADD UP TO BIG PENALTIES

 

In times of budget crunches, the big cuts get the headlines. But small, repeated cuts also add up to big bucks over time.

For instance, the FY 2017 budget proposes capping military pay raises below the average American’s for the fourth year in a row.

The 2017 basic allowance for housing (BAH) increase for currently serving personnel also will be shaved by 1 percent for the third consecutive year, with two more years of 1-percent cutbacks coming after that.

For most servicemembers, the effect of these pay and allowance adjustments is masked.

They still get a pay raise each year and likely still get a BAH increase each year. The increases just aren’t as big as they would have been without the caps.

But that doesn’t mean the cuts have no impact.

In fact, the cumulative effect compounds with each passing year, and it will follow some servicemembers (those who retire under the depressed pay rates) for the rest of their lives in the form of reduced retired pay.

So exactly how much are we talking about?

First, let’s summarize the relative size of the caps for each year to date.

For 2014, the military basic pay raise was capped 0.8 percent below the average American’s pay raise (as measured by the Employment Cost Index, which is supposed to be the standard for military raises under the law unless the president proposes something different).

For 2015, there was an additional 0.8-percent pay-raise cap. In 2016, the cap was a full 1 percent. The FY 2017 budget proposes an additional 0.5-percent cap.

For 2015 and 2016, the BAH raise was capped 1 percent below actual housing cost growth, and current law will require another 1-percent BAH cap for 2017, 2018, and 2019.

The chart below shows the progressive, incremental losses those combined caps have imposed on an E-5 and an O-3, each with 10 years of military service.

While the first-year pay loss was relatively small, the compounded losses have mounted with each passing year.

The pay and allowance loss for 2017 alone will have grown above $2,000 for the E-5 and almost $3,300 for the O-3.

Their four-year cumulative losses will approach $5,000 and $8,000, respectively.

Because both the O-3 and the E-5 likely would have been promoted at some point in those four years, the amounts would be larger still.

What about their future retired pay?

Without even considering any subsequent promotions or longevity increases or further pay-raise caps, the O-3’s retired pay loss after 20 years’ service would be about $1,100 a year for life, just from these four “modest” pay-raise caps. Add in promotions, longevity increases, and likely further caps, and the future retired-pay loss would grow dramatically.

Think this sounds a little alarmist?

The last period of pay-raise caps began in the mid-1980s and continued through most of the ’90s. Servicemembers who retired under those depressed pay tables between 1994 and 2004 lost (and still are losing) upward of $5,000 in retired pay each year for the rest of their lives.

Unfortunately, history shows that once administrations and Congresses start capping military pay raises, they don’t stop until the cuts start hurting military retention and readiness.

That’s why MOAA is urging Congress to learn from the past and restore military pay raises to match the average American’s — before the troops’ cumulative losses get any larger.

 

That’s it for today- Thanks for your help over the years!