FW: VVA: Fw: VFW Action Corps Weekly, February 6, 2015

 From: vva@vva2.talklist.com
To: krrisk@comcast.net
Subject: VVA: Fw: VFW Action Corps Weekly, February 6, 2015
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2015 07:22:42 -0600

Ken Riskedahl
Tupelo, MS.

February 6, 2015 In This Issue: 1. VFW Conducts Second VA Choice Card Survey 2. Defense Releases FY 2016 Budget Request 3. Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Bill Clears Congress 4. Prescription Tracking 5. New TRICARE Prescription Copays in Effect 6. Pentagon Launches Call to Continued Service Campaign 7. Three MIAs Identified 1. VFW Conducts Second VA Choice Card Survey: In December the VFW commissioned a survey to poll members on their experiences accessing the Veterans Choice Program. Thanks to you, we learned that veterans still faced significant problems in accessing their non-VA care options. Now, we are evaluating progress as the Veterans Choice Program enters its third month. If you took our survey the first time, please take this survey again so we can track any changes in your experiences. If you are taking this survey for the first time, your input is critical to holding VA accountable for delivering timely non-VA care options to veterans. Take the survey here:  https://www.research.net/s/VFWChoiceSurvey2. To learn more about the Veterans Choice Program or to share your stories with us, please visit: http://www.vfw.org/VAWatch/.  2. Defense Releases FY 2016 Budget Request: The Pentagon on Monday released its $585.3 billion fiscal 2016 budget request with recommendations to continue slowing the growth in military pay and compensation. Most notably, the Defense Department recommends: A 1.3% military pay raise, which is slightly better than the past two consecutive 1% requests but still less than the expected CPI increase. To cut housing allowances by 4% over the next few years, which continues the Pentagon's push to lower BAH from the current 99% of average costs to 95%. To reduce appropriated funding to commissaries by $300 million, which again continues a push to reduce the current $1.4 billion in annual subsidies to $400 million. This could force some commissaries to reduce their hours and days of operation. A new fee to penalize active duty families who are perceived to be abusing or misusing military emergency rooms. At minimum, to more than double copays for pharmaceuticals purchased commercially. To create new TRICARE-for-Life enrollment fees, but grandfather existing users. The proposed TFL fee begins at a half-percent of gross retired pay in FY 2016, and increases to 2% by FY 2019. To consolidate TRICARE Prime, Standard and Extra into one plan, and by FY 2020, raise the average retiree's out-of-pocket health costs to 10%. VFW National Commander John Stroud called the defense budget request a good starting point, but said the best request would be for Congress to first end sequestration, which begins again on Oct. 1, and forces the Pentagon to cut almost $1 trillion from its budget over 10 years. That could eliminate quality of life programs for military personnel and their families, and tremendously impact readiness and modernization programs, to the point of jeopardizing the military's ability to respond when and where needed. Regarding the budget, Stroud said "The VFW looks to continuing this most important conversation with Congress and the American people about what it means to properly take care of veterans, service members and their families, but all is for naught as long as sequestration remains the law of the land. Congress must end it or replace it, so that the rest of America can begin moving forward." 3. Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Bill Clears Congress: On Monday, the Senate passed H.R. 203, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act, a bill that the VFW strongly supported, by a vote of 99-0.  Having already cleared the House, the bill now heads to the President for his signature. This critical legislation begins to address the crisis of veterans' suicide by allowing VA to hire more psychiatrists, collaborate with local non-profit mental health organizations, and expand its successful peer support networks. Still, the VFW feels that more needs to be done. Dropped provisions from the final bill would have improved mental health partnerships between VA and the Reserve Components, and required DOD to review less-than-honorable discharges that may have been associated with undiagnosed PTSD. The VFW  will continue to work with Congress on these critically important issues. To read the VFW press release on the SAV Act, click here: http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2015-Articles/SAV-Act-Clears-Senate/. 4. Prescription Tracking: VA recently implemented a new online tool that allows veterans to track the delivery of their VA prescriptions through My HealtheVet, 24/7. VA reports that more than 57,000 veterans currently use the prescription tracker every day.  Read more at: http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2676.  5. New TRICARE Prescription Copays in Effect: The FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act required the military's TRICARE health program to increase most pharmacy copayments by $3. The increase went into effect Feb. 1, and copays vary depending on the class of drug and where beneficiaries choose to fill their prescriptions. Using military pharmacies to fill prescriptions continues to be free to beneficiaries, as well as generic formulary medications received through TRICARE's Pharmacy Home Delivery program. Read more at: http://www.tricare.mil/CoveredServices/BenefitUpdates/Archives/02_02_15_RxCopayIncrease.aspx.   6. Pentagon Launches Call to Continued Service Campaign: The Joint Chiefs of Staff signed a 32-star letter Tuesday to urge service members to continue serving their nation and communities after they separate or retire from the military. The Call to Continued Service Campaign expands the successful Marine For Life and Soldier For Life programs so that all are now encouraged to become military and veteran advocates out in their communities, and to help ease transitioning issues for future veterans and their families—which is exactly what the VFW is all about. 7. Three MIAs Identified: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced the identification of remains belonging to one airman and two soldiers who had been missing and unaccounted for since World War II and Korea. Returned are: U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. James F. Gatlin, 25, of Jacksonville, Fla. On Dec. 23, 1944, Gatlin was copiloting a B-26C Marauder that was shot down while on a bombing mission near Ahrweiler, Germany. Gatlin and four other crew members were reported killed in action. He was assigned to the 575th Bombardment Squadron, 391st Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force, and was buried with full military honors Jan. 30 in Bushnell, Fla. Army Sgt. Gilberto L. Sanchez, 19, of New Braunfels, Texas. Sanchez was assigned to Medical Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 31st Regimental Combat Team. His unit was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea when it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. On Dec. 1, 1950, remnants of the 31st RCT, known historically as Task Force Faith, began a fighting withdrawal to more defensible positions south of the reservoir. Sanchez was reported as missing in action on Dec. 2. He was buried Jan. 23 with full military honors in San Antonio. Army Cpl. C.G. Bolden, 24, of Van Buren, Ark. Bolden was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.  He was captured by enemy forces on Jan. 5, 1951, and reportedly died in a North Korean POW Camp on April 30, 1951. He was buried Jan. 27 with full military honors in Clinton, Ark. To sign up new veterans' advocates, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm. As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories, either fill out our online form by clicking here: http://www.vfw.org/Forms/Capitol-Hill-Blog-Submissions/, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.