NAUS Weekly Update for March 21, 2008

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National Association
for Uniformed Services®Weekly Update March 21, 2008
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"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in."

~President Andrew Jackson~

WASHINGTON REPORT

Congress in Recess—Connect with Your Elected Officials At Home
There wasn't any March madness on the Hill this week. Lawmakers were completing the first half of a scheduled two-week spring recess.

In most cases, members of Congress will be at home in their districts talking to constituents about key issues at town hall meetings and other public venues. Congressional members and their staffs hear from constituents every day in the form of phone calls and letters, but face-to-face meetings allow individuals to voice their concerns directly, and in return, get something a letter or email can't provide—immediate feedback.

For that reason, we encourage our members to speak with their elected officials during the coming week. Simply call their district office to make an appointment or to learn the schedule of town hall meetings or forums. Plan your presentation in advance, make sure you get there, and emphasize the issues that are important to you.

Be sure to ask questions concerning the member's position on important issues. Some key ones are:

- Saying "No" to DoD's proposed TRICARE fee increases
- Full funding for veterans healthcare
- Revamping the Montgomery GI Bill
- Fully repealing the SBP/DIC offset
- Immediately fixing the Medicare/TRICARE Reimbursement situation
- Providing full concurrent receipt for all disability levels
- Supporting the 3.9 percent Jan. 1, 2009, military pay raise

Remember this is a major election year when we select a new President and Vice President; every House seat is up for grabs, and one-third of the Senators also face reelection. When you visit with your elected officials, remind them you are a voter, and ask them directly where they stand on issues that support those who serve.

On Target Commentary
If NAUS had an award for "calling it like it is" no doubt that this week's presentation would to go to Allan R. Glass, M.D. Colonel (Ret), U.S. Army Medical Corps. Col Glass has written a six-part article on DoD's proposal to raise TRICARE premiums, deductibles and pharmacy copays from the beneficiaries' perspective. The first three were posted on the Military Health System (MHS) Blog earlier this week. You can view them by Clicking Here.

Colonel Glass provides convincing arguments much in line with NAUS's position on military health care, appropriately noting that current health care is not "free" and DoD's rationale to raise fees is based on flawed assumptions. His statements that "Providing medical care for dependents and retirees is not a dispensable freebie, but rather an essential tool for recruitment and retention" and "The cost of war and of the military, especially in times of an all-volunteer force where most are not asked to assume this obligation of citizenship, is a shared expense that should be borne by the general population" are right on target.

Responses to his thoughts are welcome. We encourage all of our readers to visit the MHS Blog and comment appropriately. Simply click "Comments" at the end of each entry to submit your thoughts and initiate discussions.

HEALTH CARE NEWS

Veterans Needed in Specific Career Fields
The public health care field is facing an employment crisis. Baby boomers are retiring from the workforce in large numbers, which will hit the public health care field hard. This demand will not only threaten public health resources but also the health of all Americans. The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) projects that 23 percent of public health care workers will be eligible to retire during the next presidential term, creating shortages of public health physicians, public health nurses, epidemiologists, health care educators, and administrators. This shortage will have a negative impact on the industry's ability to respond to the nation's health care needs. In an effort to head off this crisis, the ASPH reports that 250,000 additional health care workers will need to be hired by 2020. As a result, health care organizations are looking to military personnel to fill this void. Veterans, with a health care background, have the skills to work in this fast-paced and high-stress environment and are being encouraged to explore this career field when they leave the military.

Does TRICARE Cover That?
As your family circumstances change, so does your TRICARE coverage. This could range from a new member in the family or transitioning to TRICARE for Life at age 65. Knowing TRICARE's enrollment policy and coverage for you and your family is vital to ensuring you get the most of your TRICARE benefit. Perform a "checkup" on your TRICARE coverage during major life events by visiting TRICARE's Life Events webpage.

ACTIVE DUTY NEWS

Air Force to Close Force Shaping Programs
According to an Air Force press release, the service is on track to meet end strength goals for fiscal 2008 meaning several force shaping programs will soon close for the remainder of the year.

Mar. 31 is the last day Air Force officials will accept applications for voluntary separation force shaping programs. This includes Limited Active Duty Service Commitment Waivers and Palace Chase transfers to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. Voluntary retirement programs close Apr. 30, but the "Blue to Green" program for enlisted and officers' applying for transfer to the Army remains open indefinitely.

According to the press release, a decision on what force shaping programs may be utilized in fiscal 2009 is still pending. For more information, Click Here.

Track Lost Military Mail
The Military Postal Service Agency has expanded their services to allow military personnel and family members to track late or lost mail with an e-mail enquiry. Questions about mail that is more than 60 days late should be sent to mpsa-mrc@conus. army.mil. The e-mail should include a telephone number, e-mail address; rank; first and last name; mailing address; return address; any insured, certified, registered or confirmation number if applicable; date of mailing; and type of contents to help identify the package. The Military Postal Service is an extension of the U.S. Postal Service that provides Department of Defense personnel and their family members, and other authorized users, with mail services around the world. For more information, visit the Military Service Postal Agency website.

Wounded Warrior Pay Support Team
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) has set up a team devoted to serving the needs of wounded warriors. Depending on a service member's personal situation, several entitlements may be starting, changing, or stopped during transition between the deployment and medical treatment. The Wounded Warrior Pay Support Team's mission is to provide accurate, real-time financial support to service members who are medically evacuated as a result of wounds, disease, or injury incurred while serving in a combat zone. Additionally, the team provides a critical human dimension of customer service to Wounded Warriors. Visit the DFAS Wounded Warrior Pay website to learn more.

Registration Open for Wilderness Challenge
Registration is now open for the Mid-Atlantic Region, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Department's 8th annual all-military Wilderness Challenge, to take place, Oct. 2 - 4, 2008, in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains and on the New and the Gauley Rivers in West Virginia. More than 300 military people representing teams from around the world are expected to apply. Registration is open to all branches of the military, and teams are encouraged to register early. Teams must be comprised of four active-duty service members, one of which must be a female. This year, for the first time, the event will have retiree teams. To register for the event, visit the 2008 Wilderness Challenge website.

Why Don't Commissaries "Double" Coupon?
(DeCA Update)
Commercial stores operate at a profit by marking up the grocery items they sell. By law, commissaries must sell items at cost – not for profit. If a shopper redeems a manufacturer' s coupon for 25 cents and a commercial store doubles it to 50 cents, the manufacturer pays the store only the value of the coupon, which is 25 cents. The additional 25 cents comes out of the store's built-in profit margin. Many local stores can double coupons, knowing they may lose money on a few items, but make up the difference in their overall markups. The Defense Commissary Agency has no such profit margin to make up the difference for a doubled coupon, so commissaries honor only the amount on the coupon that the manufacturer will rebate.

VETERANS NEWS

VA Putting Mobile Pharmacies on the Road (VA Press Release)
To support veterans and their families during major emergencies, especially natural disasters, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun to deploy mobile pharmacies that will provide vital medicine when patients are unable to fill their prescriptions. VA will also open up the facilities to help communities during major disasters and other emergencies.

"The mobile pharmacies give VA the ability to provide critical medications to veterans when disaster strikes," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "VA is committed to ensuring our veterans receive their care and prescriptions as soon as possible during an emergency."

Each VA mobile pharmacy is housed in a 40-foot-long solid steel trailer built to withstand winds in a Category 3 storm. The units include a satellite connection with VA's Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy system, a computerized, automated state-of-the- art mailout pharmacy that can process more than 1,000 prescriptions hourly.

Pharmacists can use the satellite system to obtain a veteran's prescription data to dispense the drugs on site. In addition, VA can send replacement medications during an emergency by mail or another carrier to a veteran's home or temporary address.

VA recognized the need for mobile pharmacies in 2005 after hurricanes Katrina and Rita severely damaged VA medical centers along the Gulf Coast. The Department deployed several mobile medical clinics as part of its response to the disasters.

The first mobile pharmacy was unveiled on Sept. 11, 2007 in front of VA's Washington, D.C., headquarters. The unit was displayed recently at a meeting of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists in Las Vegas. A second mobile pharmacy is expected to be delivered in March 2008.

To ensure rapid response to a wide range of emergencies, VA's mobile pharmacies will be strategically placed across the nation. Plans now call for one of the three mobile pharmacies to be stationed at Dallas; Murfreesboro, Tenn.; and Charleston, S.C. The Department also expects to acquire a fourth unit that will be placed in the western part of the country.

Each mobile pharmacy is divided into five compartments, including a work area for pharmacists, an entryway accessible to patients and a sleeping area with a bath and shower for VA personnel. Pharmacy personnel from across the country have already volunteered to staff the units in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency. Six pharmacists who were part of a regional disaster drill have already completed their training and can deploy on short notice.

"Our mobile clinics enabled us to provide critical services during hurricanes Katrina and Rita not only to veterans but also to thousands of others in the area who were adversely affected by the storm," said Michael Valentino, VA's pharmacy chief. "These new mobile pharmacy units will ensure that we are even better prepared for future emergencies. "

VA Awards $1.3 Million to Kentucky State Veterans Cemetery(VA Press Release)
This week the VA announced the award of a $1.3 million grant to complete construction of the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North in Williamstown.

In April 2007, VA awarded a $6.9 million grant to establish the Williamstown cemetery. This latest grant will fund the purchase and placement of 1,000 lawn crypts and the construction of an equipment storage structure, items not included in the original grant award.

The combined grants will pay 100 percent of the allowable costs to build the 99-acre cemetery. In its initial 20-acre development, the cemetery will provide 3,706 full-casket gravesites, 500 in-ground cremation burial sites and 1,020 columbarium niches for cremation remains.

NAUS NEWS

As previously reported, NAUS will be participating in numerous Retiree Appreciation Days and Chapter meetings around the country during the month of April. Some of our upcoming venues appear below. If we are going to be in your area, come on out and say hello. Plan on attending and invite a friend or two to join you. If you still need a keynote speaker for your Retiree Appreciation Day, let us know and we will try to accommodate your requests.

Wednesday, April 2, NAUS President MG Matz and his wife Linda will be at the AUSA-NAUS General Bob Bernstein Chapter meeting in Austin, Texas. The meeting will start at 12:00 noon in Building 8 at Camp Mabry.

Saturday, April 12, MG Matz will be the keynote speaker at the Dover, AFB Retiree Appreciation Day in Dover, Delaware. Come by and say hello to MG Matz and his wife Linda and bring a friend.

Thursday, April 17, NAUS Director of Chapter Management Hal Grant will be the featured speaker at the inaugural meeting of the NAUS Greater Houston Area TX-29 Chapter. The meeting will begin at 5:00pm at the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines Reserve Center at 1902 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, Texas. For more information contact Chapter President GySgt Henry Palomo at 713-849-5808 or email Hpalomo@aol. com. There are over 300 NAUS members in the Houston area and we hope to see many of you there.

Saturday, April 26, NAUS Legislative Director Rick Jones will be the keynote speaker at the Retiree Appreciation Day at Malmstrom, AFB in Montana.
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Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen stand in harm's way around the globe to defend our nation and our cherished liberties. NAUS asks you to please pray for their continued strength and protection—and pray as well for their families, who daily stand in support of their spouses, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters.

GODBLESSAMERICA