We now know for sure at least what part of our

Transcription

1 Volume 8 Number 2 March - April 2012 URGENT: Legislation to Slash Your Earned Military Benefits is Being Sent to Congress We now know for sure at least what part of our battle to save our military benefits will be this year. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has announced that the Administration will include in the budget it sends to Congress proposals to: For the first time, impose an enrollment fee for TRICARE for Life beneficiaries 65 and older; Impose new enrollment fees and additional fee increases for retirees under age 65 enrolled in TRICARE by creating a tiered approach based on retired rank. This means-testing will require senior grade retirees to pay more for their health care than lower ranking retirees; Increase pharmacy co-pays once again with the goal of increasing the use of generics and the mail order pharmacy. There will also be significant cuts in the end strength of the Army and Marine Corps. Active duty pay raises will keep pace with the private sector for 2013 and 2014 but after that they will be limited to less than private sector growth. The tiered approach to health care fees would make military retirees the only group of government retirees subject to healthcare means-testing. The proposal doesn t include any changes to retirement pay, but DoD will ask Congress to establish a BRAC-like commission with authority to conduct a review of the military retirement system. DoD reiterated that any changes resulting from the study would only affect future recruits. The President will also request from Congress another round of base realignment and closures in order to reduce excess infrastructure. More base closures would lead to fewer quality of life programs and services such as exchanges, commissaries, and Military Treatment Facilities and clinics. As we go to press details on exactly how steep the health care fee hikes will be have not been released but we will report on them in the next issue of The Alliance. AFTEA is strongly opposed to these proposals and we will do everything possible to stop them. This is not the first time the Pentagon has sent legislation to Congress to take away or slash your benefits and the great majority of the time we ve been able to stop them. This time it will be much more difficult, but with your help we will mount an all-out effort to kill them once again. It is vital that you contact your own Senators and Representative and tell them you oppose these cuts. c Congress was in recess for several weeks after Christmas so there was no new legislative news to report as this issue of the Alliance goes to press. However, there was major news on what the Administration intends to do with regard to the FY13 defense budget. In January, a major press conference was held at the Pentagon which was lead off by President Obama and followed by major speeches from both Defense Secretary Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dempsey. According to Panetta, in order to accomplish the new mission for the 21st century the United States needs a smaller, quicker, more agile military. He stated this when announcing the basis for the department s Fiscal 2013 budget that may have already been sent to Congress by the time you read this. Our budget is, basically, designed to reinforce the new missions we are talking about and that agile, deployable and ready force that has to move quickly, Panetta said during an interview on his way to Fort Bliss, Texas. Force structure will come down in the years to come, the secretary said, but the military will continue to be able to engage in the full range of conflicts even with spending $487 billion less over the next 10 years. The Army will get smaller, but the reduction will be slow and balanced as recommended by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, Panetta said. The way the force will be used will change under the strategy, the secretary said. While there will remain forces in Asia and the Middle East, two areas of particular focus for the United States, other areas will not be uncovered. Rotational forces, the way Army Special Forces currently deploy, will expand to conventional forces. The rotational deployments mean the military will be in a position to cover (con't on page 3)

2 President s Column Mark Olanoff Looking back over the past several years, we can take justifiable pride in what we ve accomplished as an association. We helped win full concurrent receipt for unemployable disabled retirees; implementation of TRICARE coverage for Gray Area Reserve retirees; the Post-9/11 GI Bill; significant expansion of compensation and benefits for full-time caregivers of wounded warriors, and helped to defeat a proposal to cut commissary and exchange benefits. We ve managed to do pretty well most of the time, but I can tell you that career military men and women and retirees are confronting the biggest threat to their earned military retirement benefits that we have faced in decades. The President has sent a proposal to Congress that would, for the first time, impose an annual enrollment fee on TRICARE For Life and impose new enrollment fees and additional fee increases for retirees under age 65. This would result in means-testing and force senior-grade retirees to pay higher fees than lower ranking retirees. He also wants to increase TRICARE Pharmacy copays and make you pay much more than you do now. And he wants to set up a commission to look at overhauling the military retirement system and make it more like a civilian retirement system -- and set up a new BRAC commission in order to close more bases and posts. But that s not all. Last fall both the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee supported slashing your military retirement benefits like the President has proposed. Both the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees have said they are willing to cut the budget for veterans. And there is a growing movement in Congress to change the formula used to calculate your COLA so that you would receive a smaller COLA than you otherwise would each year. This could reduce your military retirement pay, your Social Security payment, and your VA disability benefit payment if you receive one. We understand the importance of tackling the federal debt. But reducing the debt on the backs of career military personnel and retirees is not the way to do it. Career personnel and retirees have spent their careers enduring military service under conditions few Americans are willing to endure for 20 to 30 years or more, and deserve the benefits they have earned. And in these dire economic times... while military retiree families have been forced to make the most out of every dollar they have... have seen their savings shrink... have watched their home values decline... and did not receive a COLA increase on their military retirement pay, or VA disability benefits, or from Social Security in two years... it is too much to ask them to make further and unfair sacrifices. Our record of success leaves me optimistic that we can navigate the storm ahead. But it will require all of us to come together and do what we can, collectively and individualy, to win the fights that we will face. Election of AFTEA Officers and Directors This is a call for resumes from all members interested in serving on AFTEA s National Board of Directors. The election shall be held in September, 2012, by mail-in ballot. The following offices shall be filled: President (2-year term) 1 st Vice President (2-year term) 2 nd Vice President (2-year term) Secretary (2-year term) Treasurer (2-year term) Director (One) (4-year term) Election information and qualifications are contained in AFTEA Bylaws, Article XI, and are available on the AFTEA Web-site. Members who wish to place their names in nomination for a position on the BOD must submit their qualifications to AFTEA on a Resume of Candidate for Elective Office form. Resume forms may be downloaded from the AFTEA Web-site at or by calling Member Services at , ext Resumes must be mailed to: Armed Forces Top Enlisted Association, ATTN: Nominating Committee, P.O. Box 16848, Colorado Springs, CO 80935, and post-marked no later than July 10, All elected officers and directors will take office on January 1, c

3 Report from the Hill (con't from page 1) not only the area that will be a primary focus but we will be able to cover the world, he said. The new air-sea battle doctrine will allow the military to handle more than one conflict at a time. The example I ve used is if we are in a land war in Korea and Iran does something in the Strait of Hormuz to go after that and to deal with that threat is largely going to be the responsibility of the Air Force and Navy, Panetta said. Same if we are in Afghanistan and something breaks out in the Taiwan Straits or the South China Sea, confronting that would largely be a naval and air capability. The secretary is adamant that the budget will not be reduced on the backs of service members. He specified there will be no changes to military retirement for those serving today. We are going to design the requirements for any commission that looks at retirement, he said. One of the requirements is that those already serving are fully grandfathered. Panetta stated that this means the current retirement system will remain in effect for those now in the military. We have made very clear that we will make no reforms for those who are serving now, he said. We will grandfather all benefits for those serving today. We made a promise to you on retirement and we will stick with it. The capability, readiness and agility of the force will not be sustained if Congress fails to do its duty and the military is forced to accept far deeper cuts, in particular the arbitrary, across-the-board cuts currently scheduled to take effect in January of 2013 through the mechanism of sequester. That would force us to shed missions, commitments, and capabilities necessary to protect core U.S. national security interests, resulting in a demoralized and hollow force. While AFTEA was pleased to hear Panetta s commitment to keep all benefits for those serving today, we assume that commitment also applies to those now retired. But we are very concerned about just what he meant when he said we will make no reforms for those who are serving now. After all, it was this Defense Department and Administration that sent a set of proposals to the now defunct Super Committee last fall that included massive cuts in retirees health care benefits. And DoD also championed the increase in TRICARE Prime enrollment fees last year. AFTEA is extremely concerned about what may be proposed this year and we will fight in every way we can to stop any proposals to cut benefits for active duty personnel, military retirees and all veterans. Here is what appears at this point to be the schedule for events concerning budget proposals for this year. Some of these are likely to have already occurred by the time you read this. Mid February: The President will submit his annual budget proposals to Congress. On or before this date we ll find out exactly what the Pentagon and Administration will propose in order to cut $450 billion in defense spending over the next decade. Pay freezes, manpower cuts, TRICARE fee increases, retirement changes, and more could be included in the proposal. Late March: Six weeks after the President delivers his budget to Congress, congressional committees are required to submit their views and estimates of spending and revenues within their respective jurisdictions to the House and Senate Budget Committees. April: House and Senate Budget Committees draft and mark up concurrent resolution on the budget, which sets spending limits for the year. April 15 is the deadline for completion of action on the budget resolution (though partisan and fiscal differences have precluded approval of a formal budget resolution in recent years, and that may prove true again in 2012.) May: The House and Senate Armed Services Committees will likely begin work on the FY2013 Defense Authorization Bill, including any changes that may be imposed by budget resolution spending limits. May-July: Full House and Senate pass their respective versions of the defense bill. July-October: House and Senate negotiators resolve differences between their respective versions. October-December: Final Defense Authorization Bill passed by House and Senate and becomes law. November 6: Presidential and Congressional elections. December 31: Deadline to pass an alternative debt reduction plan in order to avoid the sequestration process that will cut another $600 billion from defense spending over the next decade. It is true, of course, that Congress has failed miserably in meeting these deadlines in past years, including last year, but since this is a presidential and congressional election year they may try to stick closely to the schedule in order to get back home as soon as possible this fall to run for re-election. Finally, in case you missed it, here are the most relevant provisions of the defense bill that was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President in December. Authorizes a 1.6% military pay raise. Limits the percentage increase in TRICARE Prime enrollment fee in any year to the percentage growth in military retired pay. Enhances authority to call up the Reserves for certain missions. Authorizes early retirement and voluntary separation incentives to reduce the need for involuntary separations during the coming force reductions. Bars denial of reenlistment based on a medical condition that a (con't on page 4)

4 Report from the Hill (con't from page 3) medical board has evaluated and deemed as not disqualifying for continued duty. Establishes the Chief of the National Guard Bureau as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Provides $45M in assistance for civilian schools in which military dependents are enrolled. Enhances the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program for wounded warriors and their families. Safeguards reemployment rights for Guard members ordered to full-time duty under state orders. Authorizes a death gratuity and related benefits for Reserves who die during an authorized stay at their residence during or between successive days of inactive duty training. Requires GAO to review effectiveness of programs aimed at promoting military spouse employment. Requires a DoD report on the cost of expanding the Homeowner Assistance Program to help more servicemembers who are upside-down on their mortgages. Unfortunately, the final legislation did not retain the Senate-passed provision to eliminate deduction of VA survivor benefits from military Survivor Benefit Plan annuities. c VA Announces Changes to Emergency Care Payment Policy The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced a change in regulations regarding payments for emergency care provided to eligible Veterans in non-va facilities. This provision helps ensure eligible Veterans continue to get the emergency care they need when VA facilities are not available, said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. The new regulation extends VA s authority to pay for emergency care provided to eligible Veterans at non-va facilities until the Veterans can be safely transferred to a VA medical facility. More than 100,000 Veterans are estimated to be affected by the new rules, at a cost of about $44 million annually. VA operates 121 emergency departments across the country, which provide resuscitative therapy and stabilization in life-threatening situations. They operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. VA also has 46 urgent care units, which provide care for patients without scheduled appointments who need immediate medical or psychiatric attention. For more information about emergency care in non-va facilities, visit c Army to Replace 2 Brigades in Europe With Rotating Units Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army Ground forces will remain important to the U.S. defense strategy, but the employment of the forces will change, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced earlier this year. In an interview on his way to Fort Bliss, Texas, Panetta said that the Army will withdraw two brigade combat teams from Europe, while retaining a strong presence in the region via rotational units. The change is part of a new, 10-year defense strategy announced by President Barack Obama that emphasizes air-sea doctrine to better allow the United States to confront more than one threat at a time, Panetta said. Still, ground forces will remain important, and soldiers and Marines will continue to deploy to Afghanistan and be on the Korean Peninsula and partnering with nations around the globe. We will continue to maintain our presence both in the Middle East and Asia, the secretary said. Yes, we ll have the Navy and the Air Force, but in my experience, in any conflict you need to have the potential use of ground forces. Panetta said he is excited about the prospect of using Army units on a rotational basis, just as Special Forces and the Marine Corps do. Getting the Army to deploy to areas conducting exercises providing, most of all, a partnership with countries in Latin America, Africa, other countries where we can show the flag is important, he said. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno is particularly excited about the ability to develop that rotational capability, Panetta said. It will keep the ground forces very meaningful in the future, he said. As the Army replaces the two brigade combat teams with rotational units, the Europeans actually will see more U.S. forces because the American forces in Europe have more often than not been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, Panetta said. DOD officials have spoken to European leaders about the withdrawal and they understand why the change will be good for the U.S. military and NATO allies, senior defense officials traveling with the secretary said. c

5 Army and Air Force Work to Standardize Disability Evaluation Process A team charged with establishing an Army-wide standardized disability evaluation system met early this year at the headquarters of U.S. Army Forces Command. Right now there s no standardization of the process, said Brig. Gen. Brian C. Lein, the U.S. Army Forces Command, or FORSCOM, command surgeon. There are more than 75 different policies, regulations and MEDCOM (Medical Command) orders, often with very confusing and very different interpretations of what the standards are. Members of the team developing the Army s streamlined disability evaluation process include representatives from FORSCOM, the Department of the Army G-1 (Personnel) Department, the U.S. Army Reserve Command, the National Guard Bureau, the Army Physical Disability Agency, the Army Physical Disability Evaluation Board and several specific providers that are conducting disability evaluations. The result of their efforts will improve the Army s portion of the Department of Defense s Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES), through which it is determined whether or not service members are fit for continued service. The program partners the Department of Defense with the Department of Veterans Affairs where responsibilities overlap. When a Soldier is injured, he or she may become disabled, which could be short- or long-term, depending on how severe the injury. Last year the IDES replaced the two separate systems injured military personnel had to complete before receiving benefits. The new process works as follows. First, the Physical Evaluation Board must make a determination of fitness. Through medical documentation and a physical, a three-member board determines if a Soldier can continue in the Army. If the board decides a Soldier can continue, the Soldier is designated fit. If not, the Soldier is designated unfit. After being determined unfit, Soldiers records go to the Veterans Benefit Administration to receive a disability rating. Afterward, the record is passed back to the Physical Evaluation Board, which uses the VA cumulative rating to determine the overall percentage of disability for unfit conditions. For example, a Soldier may initially have 30 percent disability from the Army and 80 percent overall disability from the VA. There are three types of medical separations from the Army: separated with severance pay, separated without severance pay or retired. Soldiers rated Rules Liberalized for Veterans with Undiagnosed Illnesses below 30 percent are separated with or without severance pay. Those found unfit are turned over to the Veterans Administration to determine the veterans disability rankings. Standardizing the process will help the people responsible for carrying it out and provide a lot of predictability for the Soldiers going through the process, Lein noted. Last November the Air Force held a training conference to teach those operating the Integrated Disability Evaluation System how to process service members who, because of medical conditions, may no longer be able to serve in the Air Force. With the new IDES there is only one set of medical exams, performed to the Veteran s Affairs standards, which provides medical information needed by both departments. The VA issues disability ratings that will immediately be used for veterans compensation and benefits once the service member is no longer active duty. The integrated process still takes just over nine months but now when the service member is finished with the military process, a disability claim is already filed with the VA so veteran disability compensation and benefits can begin after one month in Veteran status. That is the earliest allowable under current law. c Application Window Extended for Five Years Veterans of the Persian Gulf War with undiagnosed illnesses have an additional five years to qualify for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Not all the wounds of war are fully understood, said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. When there is uncertainty about the connection between a medical problem and military service, Veterans are entitled to the benefit of the doubt. A recent change in VA regulations affects Veterans of the conflict in Southwest Asia. Many have attributed a range of undiagnosed or poorly understood medical problems to their military services. Chemical weapons, environmental hazards and vaccinations are among the possible causes. At issue is the eligibility of Veterans to claim VA disability compensation based upon those undiagnosed illnesses, and the ability of survivors to qualify for VA s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. Under long-standing VA rules, any undiagnosed illnesses used to establish eligibility for VA benefits had to become apparent by Dec. 31, The new change pushes the date back to Dec. 31, Veterans or survivors who believe they qualify for these benefits should contact VA at Further information about undiagnosed illnesses is available online at gulfwar and index.asp c

6 Driving Green With gasoline prices still high and perhaps on the rise, as well as increasing reports about the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment, now is the time to rethink how you typically maintain and operate your vehicles. Try following these tips to increase your fuel efficiency: Driving Consider a hybrid car that uses less gas, creates less pollution, and gets better mileage. Avoid idling for more than 30 seconds. Save gas by turning off your engine. Eliminate excess weight from your trunk and luggage racks. Use air conditioning conservatively to consume less fuel and decrease emissions. Avoid jackrabbit stops and starts that can dramatically reduce mileage on the highway and in the city. Maintenance Follow the recommendations for fuel octane in your manual and only use higher octane gas if it s recommended. Use energy-conserving motor oil that contains friction-reducing additives to improve fuel economy. Conform to the manufacturer s recommendation when changing oil. Keep your tires properly inflated to save 2-3% in fuel economy. Tires can lose one pound of pressure per month. Follow a preventative maintenance schedule according to your manual s guidelines to enhance engine performance. This information brought to you by Liberty Mutual, USI Insurance Services and the Armed Forces Top Enlisted Association. Our partnership with Liberty Mutual offers competitive rates and superior service to AFTEA Members. For more information or to request a quote, please call or visit us at Please mention client # when you call Liberty Mutual Group. All rights reserved. c New Law Change Increases Insurance Coverage for Veterans Some Veterans covered under the Veterans Group Life Insurance program (VGLI) now have the opportunity to increase their coverage to the current maximum coverage under the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program. Currently, 70 percent of the Veterans covered under VGLI are under age 60, have less than $400,000 of coverage, and will greatly benefit from this law change, said Allison A. Hickey, Department of Veterans Affairs under secretary for benefits. Under the Veterans Benefits Act of 2010, enacted on Oct. 13, 2010, Veterans can increase their coverage by $25,000 at each five-year anniversary date of their policy to the current legislated maximum SGLI coverage, presently, $400,000. To date, approximately 21 percent of eligible Veterans have taken advantage of this opportunity, resulting in nearly $113 million of new coverage being issued. The VGLI program allows newly discharged Veterans to convert their SGLI coverage they had while in the service to a civilian program. Before enactment of this law, Veterans could not have more VGLI than the amount of SGLI they had at the time of separation from service. For example, those who got out of the service prior to Sept. 1, 2005, when the maximum SGLI coverage was $250,000, were limited to $250,000 in VGLI coverage. Now on their first five-year anniversary, these Veterans can elect to increase their coverage to $275,000. On their next five-year anniversary, they can increase the coverage to $300,000, and so forth. The additional coverage can be issued regardless of the Veteran s health. To be eligible to purchase this additional coverage, the Veteran must: yhave active VGLI coverage, yhave less than the current legislated maximum coverage of $400,000, yrequest the additional coverage during the 120-day period prior to each five-year anniversary date, and ybe less than 60 years of age on the five-year anniversary date of his or her coverage. Eligible Veterans are notified of this opportunity a week before the start of the 120-day period prior to their anniversary date, and twice more before the actual anniversary date. For more information about VA s Insurance Program or other VA benefits, go to or call Veterans are also encouraged to visit VA s web portal ebenefits - Insurance. c

7 Officers & Directors Mark H. Olanoff, CMSgt USAF (Ret) National President Bernd Dela Cruz, CSM USA (Ret) Vice President Roger J. Ehrke, CSM USA (Ret) Vice President Charles Richardson, CMSgt USAF (Ret) Secretary Oscar R. Hinson, SGM USA (Ret) Treasurer Oliver W. Estes, SGM USA (Ret) Director William E. Spradley, CMSgt USAF (Ret) Director Mark K. Weeks, CMSgt USAF (Ret) Director Vincent W. Patton III, MCPOCG USCG (Ret) Advisor for Sea Services The AFTEA Alliance is published bi-monthly by the Armed Forces Top Enlisted Association 1 (800) Publisher Mark H. Olanoff CMSgt USAF (Ret) Executive Editor Catherine Tavarozzo Managing Editor/Designer Sue Boyles Front AFTEA Wear and Accessories Order Form and Price List Back Mail with check or money order to: AFTEA Wear and Accessories % Alan Wenzel 6638 Showhorse Ct. Colorado Springs, CO Item Qty. Cost Total Baseball Cap (Black only) $25 Jacket (Red only) $57 Polo Shirt (White) $33 Polo Shirt (Blue) $34 Polo Shirt (Yellow) $35 AFTEA Patch $10 Coin $10 Indicate Size S M L XL (circle choice) XXL (Add $2) XXXL (Add $3 Subtotal Add Shipping and Processing Amount Enclosed Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery SHIPPING AND PROCESSING Subtotal: Add: $0 - $25.00 $7.00 $ $50.00 $9.00 $ $ $12.00 $ $ $15.00 $ $ $17.00 $ $19.00 Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Armed Forces Top Enlisted Association Membership Application Name: q 1 Year ($30) q 2 Year ($53) q 3 Year ($75) Rank: Branch of Service: q Lifetime Membership Lifetime Membership dues based on age Address: (May be paid quarterly) City: State: Zip: Under 51 q $255 (one payment) q $63.75 (qrtrly) Make your check payable to: AFTEA q $230 (one payment) q $57.50 (qrtrly) q $180 (one payment) q $45.00 (qrtrly) q Check Enclosed q Visa q Mastercard Over 70 q $155 (one payment) q $38.75 (qrtrly) Card No. Membership: Exp. Date / Armed Forces Top Enlisted Association Name on Card: P.O. Box Washington, DC Signature:

8 Armed Forces Top Enlisted Association P.O. Box Washington, D.C Address Service Requested NONPROFIT US POSTAGE PAID LYNCHBURG, VA PERMIT 324 Urgent: Legislation to Slash Your Earned Military Benefits is Being Sent to Congress...page 1 Report from the Hill.... page 1 President's Column... page 2 Election of AFTEA Officers and Directors... page 2 VA Announces Changes to Emergency Care Payment Policy.... page 4 Army to Replace 2 Brigades in Europe With Rotating Units.... page 4 Army and Air Force Work to Standardize Disability Evaluation Process... page 5 Rules Liberalized for Veterans with Undiagnosed Illnesses.... page 5 Driving Green.... page 6 New Law Change Increases Insurance Coverage for Veterans.... page 6