BACK

RAO Bulletin Update
15 March 2008
 

Note:  Anyone receiving this who does not want it request click on the
 automatic delete tab at the end of the Bulletin !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES

== VA Disability Compensation [01] ------------------- (Heads Up!)
== VA Disability Compensation [02] ----- (S2674/HR5509 Impact)
== Anesthesia Awareness ------------------- (Waking Up in Surgery)
== VA Benefits Guide ------------------------------------- (2008 Issue)
== Mobilized Reserve 12 MAR 08 ---------------- (Net Increase 74)
== VA Travel Nurse Program --------------------- (Three-year Pilot)
== VA Rating Schedules [03] ------------------ (Right to Challenge)
== Prosthetic Limb Development ------------------------------- (Arms)
== VA Burial Benefit [01] -------------------------------- (Correction)
== Military Records/DD-214 [02] ------------------ (USAF Backlog)
== Florida Taxes ------------------------------------ (Summary)
== Diet and Exercise Myths ---------------------------- (Tips)
== Tricare in the Philippines ------------------- (18 FEB 08 Briefing)
== Family Care Giving ----------------- (Medicaid Cash Allowance)
== Agent Orange Stateside Use [01] -------------- (Banned in 1979)
== Pentagon Data Breach ----------- (A National Security Concern)
== PTSD [18] ---------------- (Policy Change Clarification)
== Nebraska Veterans Cemetery ------------------- (Bill Introduced)
== VA Health Care Funding [12] ---- (S.2639 Mandatory Funding)
== VA Homeless Vets [08] -------------------------- (21% Reduction)
== Veterans Disarmament Bill ----------------------- (No such Thing)
== Tricare Cancer Trials ------------------------- (Permanent Benefit)
== Tricare Hearing Aids [0--------------------- (Retirees)
== TSP [10] ---------------------------- (FEB 08 Losses)
== IRR Musters ------------------------------------ (MAR thru JUN 08)
== Medicare Hospital Discharge ------------------------------ (Rights)
== Medicare Insurer Status --------------------- (Primary/Secondary)
== VA Lawsuit (Lack of Care) [02] ---- (DoJ Arguments Continue)
== Medicare News [01] ------------------------- (RAC Goes National)
== Shad [05] --------------------------- (Chemical Exposed Vets)
== REAP [01] ----------------------- (Multiple Tour Eligibility)
== Military Retirement Plan ----------------------- (Options)
== VA Veteran Support [01] --------------------- (Benefit 2007 Stats)
== SS Taxation [05] ------------------ (NRA Green Card Exemption)
== Veteran Legislation Status 14 March 08 ------ (Where we stand)


VA DISABILITY COMPENSATION UPDATE 01:  Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), the
 Ranking Member on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced
 "America's Wounded Warrior Act," S. 2674, last week to overhaul DoD's
 disability retirement system and modernize the VA's disability compensation
 program. These reforms are an upshot from last year's Dole/Shalala
 Commission recommendations and would impact veterans in varied ways
 dependent on their disability status.  Some elements of the bill would:
• Reform the military disability retirement system and streamline the
 transition of disabled servicemembers from DoD to the VA. Basically, it
 would simplify the claims process by eliminating the need for
 duplicative DoD/VA ratings and disability examinations.
• Require DoD to determine a disabled servicemember's fitness for duty,
 and if found unfit, provide a lifetime annuity based on the member's
 rank and years of service. VA would then establish compensation for
 service-connected injuries, disease, or wounds. Under this proposal, the
 offset between DoD's annuity and future VA compensation would be
 eliminated.
• Revamped the VA compensation system into three elements - replacement
 value of average loss of earning capacity; a new payment for loss of
 quality of life; and a new transition payment provided to servicemembers
 who participate in treatment or vocational rehabilitation programs or
 who are within three months if their retirement from service.

However, the jury is still out on what the new DoD disability health
 care benefit and VA compensation levels would eventually look like.
 Currently, servicemembers who retire due to a 30% or higher military
 disability are eligible for lifetime family Tricare coverage (dependent
 children until majority age). However, the bill directs DoD to study and
 recommend to Congress new Tricare lifetime eligibility criteria under the
 new system. In the absence of a law change, the Secretary of Defense
 would establish eligibility by regulation effective the date of
 implementation of the new system. Additionally, the bill directs VA to study and
 provide a report to Congress within nine months and submit a proposal
 one year later detailing the new compensation and transition payment
 rate structure.  Until the specific rate structure of the new VA
 compensation system is better understood, most veteran organizations and
 military advocates are withholding endorsement of this legislation. [Source:
 MOAA Leg Up 7 Mar 08 ++]


VA DISABILITY COMPENSATION UPDATE 02:   The provisions of Senator
 Burr's America's Wounded Warrior Act (S 2674) and Representative Buyer's
 Nobel Warrior Act (HR 5509), would drastically change the disability
 compensation system for America's veterans. These bills are loosely based on
 the recommendations of the President's Commission on Care for
 America's Wounded Warriors (Dole/Shalala Commission), but the USDR believes the
 specifics of these bills would do great harm to these veterans in the
 following ways:

• Will offset VA Disability Compensation by Social Security when the
 veteran ages 65.
• Applicable to all currently discharging veterans AND any veteran
 under VA's current compensation system who files a subsequent claim for
 additional benefits.
• Once under the new system the veteran cannot return to the current
 system.
• The present protection for ratings in effect for 10 or more years
 would no longer apply.
• Would require the VA Secretary to examine or consider:
    (a)  The extent to which disability compensation may be used as an
 incentive to undergo treatment.
    (b)  The appropriate injuries to be covered under the new
 disability rating system.
    (c)   Age as a determining factor when considering average loss of
 earnings capacity
• Amends the law to provide the Secretary with authority to adopt and
 apply a rating schedule for specific injuries. This provision would
 expressly limit VA authority over the Rating Schedule and places the
 authority in the hands of Congress. If the Congress can not correct the
 Sustained Growth Rate formula of Medicare Law how can it be expected the
 Congress would do any better with the much more complex Disability Rating
 Schedule?
• Provides for a quality of life payment, but only for those enrolled
 in the new compensation system.
• Allows or suggests: That VA "may take into account the effect on
 potential future earnings caused by the age of the veteran at the time a
 disability rating is assigned." This provision would allow VA to
 compensate an older veteran at a lower percentage of disability than a younger
 veteran for the exact same disease or injury. Is this not age
 discrimination?
• Provides that
    (a)  As frequently as [the VA] considers it appropriate, [the VA]
 must reevaluate and ... adjust the disability rating for any veteran
 receiving compensation;
    (b)  The VA must ... take into account any adjustments in the
 rating schedule that occurred since the last assignment of a rating;
    (c)  The frequency of reevaluations would be determined by an
 examining physician. This places physicians back in the rating business,
 allows for frequent adjustments to a veteran's rating based on perceived
 improvement, and further allows reductions based on a change in the
 rating criteria even when no improvement in the disability is shown

For these reasons, USDR is encouraging veterans to contact their
 legislators and  strongly urge them  to oppose S2674/HR5509 and any other
 legislation which is detrimental to and/or discriminatory against this
 nation's veterans.  To facilitate doing this they have  prepared a letter
 available at
 http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=11114251&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]
 which can be used as is or modified for forwarding to all legislators
 representing your zip code by the click of a button.  [Source: USDR
 Action Alert 7 Mar 08 ++]


ANESTHESIA AWARENESS:  It's easy to be squeamish about going under the
 knife, especially if you fear that the anesthesia might forsake you.
 Well over 20,000 people a year, by some estimates, experience "anesthesia
 awareness," in which they awaken during the operation, paralyzed but
 later able to bear witness to operating room chatter, the clanking of
 instruments, and the sucking, sawing, or slicing sounds of the surgical
 team at work. Most of the time (but not always), there is no physical
 pain and the patient later recalls only fleeting awareness. But sometimes
 the event leads to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and lingering terror
 about hospitals and operations. Unfortunately, a study just out in the
 New England Journal of Medicine finds little value in a technology
 that might prevent this unhappy complication. The technology, called the
 BIS (short for bispectral index) monitor, measures the brain's
 electrical activity and comes up with a single number to represent the level of
 consciousness, ranging from 100 for fully awake to 0, no brain
 activity. Amid growing recognition that intraoperative awareness is a worldwide
 phenomenon, many countries, including the United States, have
 witnessed a proliferation in the use of such monitors to better titrate drugs,
 with reported success. But this new trial from the School of Medicine
 at Washington University in St. Louis of 1,941 patients at high risk for
 awareness showed no added value when BIS was used along with standard
 practice.

     What the study shows, first and foremost, is that anesthesia is
 still more about clinical sense than gadgets, says Nagy Mikhail, an
 anesthesiologist and pain specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Historically,
 it has been difficult to determine the depth of anesthesia. What may
 look like a gentle slumber is in fact a complex mix of
 states—unconsciousness, paralysis, insensitivity to pain, and inability to remember—that
 can vary inexplicably from one patient to another. It takes skill and
 judgment, says Mikhail, to determine the appropriate level of drugs.
 That means continuously looking at the whole patient, through physical
 examination; monitoring of oxygen levels, heart rate, blood pressure, and
 EKG; and tracking the concentrations of anesthetic gas in exhaled
 breath. A racing heart or a flurry of irregular extra heartbeats, changes in
 the pupils, perspiration, or even a tear can signal inadequate depth
 of anesthesia in a paralyzed patient. But brain monitoring can be
 helpful as a complementary tool. It adds one more physiological measure and
 has proved to be particularly useful when intravenous sedation is the
 only anesthetic as compared with inhaled gas, which can be readily
 monitored. And a failure to promptly lower the BIS score into the range of 40
 to 60 is certainly a sign that the anesthesia delivery equipment may
 be malfunctioning, one cause of intraoperative wakefulness.

     Most hospitals have become vigilant about what previously might
 have gone unnoticed or been dismissed as a bad dream. Some regularly
 interview patients about their anesthesia experience, and the American
 Society of Anesthesiologists advises that in documented cases, awareness
 patients should be offered psychological counseling. The Joint
 Commission, which accredits hospitals, considers awareness a "sentinel event,"
 calling for immediate investigation and response. This reinforces some
 obvious advice: If you are facing surgery, make sure you know the skill
 and experience of your anesthesiologist. However chilling, awakening
 during an operation has to be kept in context. There are over 20 million
 general anesthesias nationwide every year, and more than 99.8% of
 patients remain wholly unaware. [Source: US News % World Report Bernadine
 Healy M.D. article 12 Mar 08 ++]


VA BENEFITS GUIDE:   The Department of Veterans Affairs recently
 published their Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents for 2008.  An
 easy-to-read reference guide, it provides the most current information
 about your earned benefits.  Be careful before hitting the print
 button--it is 153 pages and may take some time to print.  However, you may want
 to hit your “Save to” tab and download it for future reference into a
 folder of your choice. You can download or print your copy at
 http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf.  [Source:  EANGUS Minuteman
 Update 13 Mar 08 ++]


MOBILIZED RESERVE 12 MAR 08:  The Army, Air Force and Marine Corps
 announced the current number of reservists on active duty as of 12 MAR 08
 in support of the partial mobilization. The net collective result is 74
 more reservists mobilized than last reported in the Bulletin for 27 FEB
 08. At any given time, services may mobilize some units and
 individuals while demobilizing others, making it possible for these figures to
 either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty in
 support of the partial mobilization of the Army National Guard and
 Army Reserve is 74,419; Navy Reserve, 5,544; Air National Guard and Air
 Force Reserve, 7,127; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,654; and the Coast Guard
 Reserve, 344. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel
 who have been mobilized to 96,088, including both units and individual
 augmentees. A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve
 personnel, who are currently mobilized, can be found at
 http://www.defenselink.mil/News/Mar2008/d20080312ngr.pdf . [Source: DoD
 News Release 196-08 12 Mar 08 ++]


VA TRAVEL NURSE PROGRAM:   To deal with a nationwide shortage of nurses
 and to improve the quality of care for veterans, the Department of
 Veterans Affairs (VA) has created a "Travel Nurse Corps" to enable VA
 nurses to travel and work throughout the Department's medical system. The
 Travel Nurse Corps, headquartered at the Phoenix VA Health Care System,
 is beginning as a three-year pilot program. Initially, it will place as
 many as 75 nurses at VA medical centers across the country. The goals
 of the program are to improve recruitment, decrease turnover of
 experienced nurses and maintain high standards of patient care. Under the
 program, participating nurses may be temporarily assigned to distant
 medical centers and clinics to help nursing staffs that have vacancies, to
 reduce wait times or the reliance upon contractors, or to maintain
 high-skill services and procedures.

     On 20 FEB the Department announced plans to create a Rural Health
 Care Advisory Committee to enhance VA services to veterans in rural
 areas. The Travel Nurse Corps will work with this national VA panel to
 support VA health care in rural areas. Those who become VA travel nurses
 are compensated for their time on duty and their travel. They also
 receive standard government per diem allowances, which include lodging,
 meals and incidentals. "This program is competitive with the private
 sector. VA has
state-of-the-art facilities, high-tech computer systems and
 professional colleagues second to none," said Jacqueline Jackson, Travel Nurse
 Corps director at the Phoenix VA Health Care System. The program is also
 designed to establish a potential pool for national emergencies, serve
 as a model for an expanded VA travel corps with nurses who have varying
 specialties, and to reduce the use of contracted nurses, thus
 preserving resources that can be used elsewhere to care for veterans. For
 additional info on VA's Travel Nurse Corps refer to www.travelnurse.va.gov,
 email travelnurse@va.gov or call (602) 200-2398. or (866) 664-1030.
  [Source: VA News Release 11 Mar 08 ++]


VA RATING SCHEDULES UPDATE 03:   U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI),
 Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced legislation 10
 MAR to expand legal recourse for veterans seeking compensation for
 service-connected disabilities. The Veterans’ Rating Schedule Review Act
 S.2737 would expand the jurisdiction of the U.S. Court of Appeals for
 Veterans Claims (CAVC) to allow for review of cases challenging the
 Department of Veterans Affairs rating schedule, the tool VA uses to determine
 the degree of a veterans’ service-connected disability. Under current
 law, veterans cannot bring a case challenging the Rating Schedule to the
 CAVC. The legislation Senator Akaka introduced would remedy this by
 allowing the court to consider whether the Rating Schedule violates
 provisions in Chapter 11 of Title 38 of the US Code, the body of law which
 covers veterans’ compensation for service-connected disability or death.
  Senator Akaka said, “I expect VA to comply with all laws passed by
 Congress in developing and revising the Rating Schedule. However, our
 nation’s veterans deserve a forum where they can challenge the Rating
 Schedule when they believe that a statute passed by Congress to provide
 compensation for the service-disabled is being violated”.   [Source: Sen.
 Akaka Press Release 10 Mar 08 ++]__._,_.___


PROSTHETIC LIMB DEVELOPMENT:  Hundreds of veterans face the challenge
 of learning to live with a missing arm. To make that transition easier,
 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched a
 $55-million project that pools the efforts of prosthetics experts nationwide
 to create a thought-controlled bionic arm that duplicates the functions
 of a natural limb. If all goes well, by 2009 the agency will petition
 the Food and Drug Administration to put the arm through clinical
 trials. This summer the team hit a critical milestone when it finished Proto
 2, a thought-controlled mechanical arm -- complete with hand and
 articulated fingers -- that can perform 25 joint motions. This dexterity
 approaches that of a native arm, which can make 30 motions, and trumps the
 previously most agile bionic arm, the Proto 1, which could bend at the
 elbow, rotate its wrist and shoulder, and open and close its fingers. A
 person wearing a Proto 2 could conceivably play the piano. The next
 steps are to shrink the battery, develop more-efficient motors, and
 refine the bulky electrodes used to read electrical signals in muscles. A
 video clip of this prosthetic device can be viewed at
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4224764.html?series=37video

     Research on the use of Rockets to help power robotic arms, could
 help lead to "better, stronger, faster" bionic limbs. Strength is a
 major hurdle in overcoming the develop- challenge of building a usable
 device. A new prototype rocket powered arm can lift about 20 to 25
 pounds—three to four times more than current commercial prosthetic arms—and can
 do so three to four times faster. "Our design does not have superhuman
 strength or capability, but it is closer in terms of function and
 power to a human arm than any previous prosthetic device that is
 self-powered and weighs about the same as a natural arm … It has about 10 times
 as much power as other [robotic] arms", said researcher Michael
 Goldfarb, a roboticist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. "The
 rocket-powered arm also has greater dexterity and freedom of movement than any
 other prosthetic to date. Conventional prosthetic arms have only two
 joints, at the elbow and the "claw." This prototype functions more naturally
 than previous models, with a wrist that can twist and bend, and fingers
 that open and close independently. A video clip of this prosthetic
 device can be viewed at
 http://www.livescience.com/php/video/player.php?video_id=220807BionicArm.

     In a separate effort Inventor Dean Kamen is developing an
 extraordinary prosthetic arm at the request of the US Department of Defense, to
 help the 1,600 who've come back from Iraq without an arm (and the two
 dozen who’ve lost both arms). His tasking is to develop a prosthetic
 with which vets could  pick up a raisin or a grape off a table, put it in
 their mouth, without destroying either one, and  be able to know the
 difference without looking at it. In other words a device that had
 efferent, afferent, and haptic response.  With a team he put together 13
 months ago, they have developed a prosthetic that has  14 out of the 21
 degrees of freedom available to a normal arm.  You don't need the ones in
 the last two fingers. It has an elastic set of 14 actuators, each one
 which has its own capability to sense temperature and pressure. It also
 has a pneumatic cuff that holds it on, so the more it is put under
 load, the more it attaches. When the  load is reduced it becomes more
 compliant.  In a video clip recorded MAR 07 that can be viewed at
  http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/05/bionic.arm/index.html  a
 demonstration of the effectiveness of the arm is shown. A man wearing the
 prosthesis takes a bottle of water from a woman's hand,  drinks from
 the bottle, raises the prosthetic arm to his face and scratches his nose,
 picks up a pen with his opposed thumb and index finger, and picks up a
 piece of paper, rotates it and raises it to read.  [Source:  Various
 Mar 08 ++]


VA BURIAL BENEFIT UPDATE 01:  Often survivors are disappointed when
 they seek reimbursement of burial expenses for departed veterans.  This is
 because retirees have not informed their loved ones what to do and how
 much to expect in the event of their demise.  You may be eligible for
 a VA burial allowance if:
•  You paid for a veteran's burial or funeral ; AND,
• You have not been reimbursed by another government agency or some
 other source, such as the deceased veteran's employer;  AND,
• The veteran was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

Following are the maximum benefits currently available from the VA:

• Burial Allowance (SC): VA will pay a burial allowance up to $2,000 if
 the veteran’s death is service-connected. In such cases, the person
 who bore the veteran’s burial expenses may claim reimbursement from VA.
 In some cases, VA will pay the cost of transporting the remains of a
 service-connected veteran to the nearest national cemetery with available
 gravesites. There is no time limit for filing reimbursement claims in
 service-connected death cases.
•  Burial Allowance (NSC): VA will pay a $300 burial and funeral
 allowance for veterans who, at time of death, were entitled to receive
 pension or compensation or would have been entitled if they weren’t receiving
 military retirement pay. Eligibility also may be established when
 death occurs in a VA facility, a VA-contracted nursing home or a state
 veterans nursing home. In non service-connected death cases, claims must be
 filed within two years after burial or cremation.
• Plot Allowance: VA will pay a $300 plot allowance when a veteran is
 buried in a cemetery not under U.S. government jurisdiction if: the
 veteran was discharged from active duty because of disability incurred or
 aggravated in the line of duty; the veteran was receiving compensation
 or pension or would have been if the veteran was not receiving military
 retired pay; or the veteran died in a VA facility. The $300 plot
 allowance may be paid to the state for the cost of a plot or interment in a
 state-owned cemetery reserved solely for veteran burials if the veteran
 is buried without charge. Burial expenses paid by the deceased’s
 employer or a state agency will not be reimbursed.
• Headstones or markers: VA will provide headstones or markers to
 memorialize veterans or mark the graves of veterans buried in national,
 state, or private cemeteries as well as those whose remains have not been
 recovered or identified. This includes those buried at sea, those
 remains donated to science, and those cremated and whose cremated remains
 were scattered without burying any portion of them. VA will also provide
 markers for eligible family members interred in a national or State
 Veteran's Cemetery. When interment is in a private cemetery, the cemetery
 may require, and charge for, a foundation for the marker and
 installation of the marker. Such costs must be paid from private funds.
• Flag:  VA will provide an American flag, upon request, for covering
 the casket; and a memorial certificate, bearing the President's
 signature, expressing our Nation's grateful recognition of the deceased
 veteran's service.
• Other:  In addition to VA burial benefits, the surviving spouse or
 eligible child of a veteran  may be eligible for a $255 lump-sum death
 benefit from Social Security. Local Social Security Offices have details.
[Source:  VA Federal Benefits for Veterans & Dependents 2008 Edition
 ++]


MILITARY RECORDS/DD-214 UPDATE 02:  The Department of Labor (DOL)
 National Office has notified all states that the Department of the Air Force
 is significantly backlogged in providing the Certificate of Release or
 Discharge from Active Duty, DD 214s to the separating servicemembers,
 the Veterans Administration, and the DOL Federal Claim Control Center
 (FCCC). The Air Force is now completing all DD 214s at a central
 location in Texas and the new completion procedures have caused delays in
 issuing the discharge forms.  The DOL has spoken to both the Department of
 Defense and the Air Force, and they are diligently working to eliminate
 the backlog.  In the interim, if an Air Force Ex-servicemember has not
 received his/her DD 214, orders to report, orders of release, or
 similar service and discharge letter from the Air Force, the servicemember
 may contact the unemployment compensation for ex-servicemen (UCX) Air
 Force Liaison, Gail Weber to obtain a letter for unemployment
 compensation use.  The DOL has approved the Air Force’s use of this official UCX
 Verification letter for the States to initiate the affidavit process and
 to make a determination for UCX eligibility and wages.  This Air Force
 letter will be provided from the UCX Air Force Liaison, Gail Weber, on
 official Air Force letterhead and will contain all of the information
 usually supplied on the DD 214 and Claims Control Record.  She can be
 reached at: Gail Weber, DAFC, HQ AFPC/DPSOS, 550 C St. W. Ste. 3,
 Randolph AFB TX 78150-4713Tel: (210) 565-2461/3502F or via E-mail to
 gail.weber@randolph.af.mil.  [Source: UIPN 08-008 10 Mar 08 ++]


FLORIDA TAXES:   Veterans considering retirement in Florida should take
 into consideration the tax burden they will be undertaking as compared
 to where they presently reside. The following covers Florida's sales,
 personal income, property, inheritance and estate taxes as of  MAR 08:

•  Sales Taxes
a. State Sales Tax: 6 percent. (Food, prescription, and
 non-prescription drugs are exempt). There are additional county sales taxes that
 could make the combined rate as high as 7.5%.
b. Gasoline Tax: 32.6  cents per gallon.
c. Diesel Fuel Tax: *28.5 cents per gallon. Includes local county
 taxes.
(Local taxes for gasoline and gasohol vary from 9.7 cents to 17.7
 cents, and there is a 2.07 percent gasoline pollution tax.)
d.   Cigarette Tax: 33.9 cents per pack of 20.

•  Personal Income Taxes:
a. No state income tax.
b. Retirement Income: Not taxed. Starting in 2007, individuals, married
 couples, personal representatives of estates, and businesses are no
 longer required to file an annual intangible personal property tax return
 reporting their stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money market funds,
 shares of business trusts, and unsecured notes. For details refer to
 http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/taxes/ippt.html.

•  Property Taxes: All property is taxable at 100 percent of its just
 valuation. In certain counties and cities, homeowners 65 and over can
 receive a homestead exemption from property tax is at or below $26,763
 (single) or $30,046 (couples) per year (2007 figures). The income
 limitation is adjusted each year based on the COLA. In many instances the
 definition of household income excludes Social Security. Permanent
 residents may also be entitled to a homestead exemption regardless of age.
 Residents age 65 and older are entitled to both exemptions ($50,000). The
 senior citizen's homestead exemption applies only to tax millage levied
 by the county or city and does not apply to millage of school districts
 or other taxing authorities. The homestead exemption for all residents
 applies to all property taxes not just city and county taxes. Annual
 increases in the assessment of homestead property are limited to 3
 percent of the pervious year's assessed value, or if lower, the percentage
 change in the CPI for the prior, as long as there was no change in
 ownership. A 2006 law provides a property tax discount on homestead property
 owned by eligible veterans. To be eligible, a veteran must have an
 honorable discharge from military service, be at least 65 years old, be
 partially disabled with a permanent service connected disability all or a
 portion of which must be combat-related, and must have been a Florida
 resident at the time of entering military service. This discount is in
 addition to any other exemptions veterans now receive. A 2007 law
 allows local governments to give those age 65 and above with low incomes an
 increased homestead exemption. Cities and counties have the option of
 doubling an existing homestead exemption on primary owner-occupied homes
 from $25,000 to $50,000. To qualify, taxpayers must have an annual
 income of $20,000 or less. For more details on property taxes go to
 http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/property/ and then find the link for the
 county property appraiser for the county in question. For more
 information on Florida's property tax exemptions refer to
 http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/property/exemptions.html

•  Inheritance and Estate Taxes: There is no inheritance tax and only a
 limited estate tax.

For general information on Florida's taxes, to review information for
 new residents, or to access state tax forms refer to the Florida
 Department of Revenue site http://dor.myflorida.com/dor  or call (800)
 352-3671. [Source:  MOAA 2008 Tax Guide Mar 08 ++] 


DIET AND EXERCISE MYTHS:   Many common diet and exercise myths could
 slow your weight loss. Every year, millions of Americans resolve to lose
 weight, whether on New Year’s Day, their birthdays, or just some
 morning when their mirror or the bathroom scale seems particularly unkind.
 And every year, many get frustrated and give up before they reach their
 goals. Contributing to this problem is a host of bad information about
 diet and exercise that circulates through gyms, workplaces, and over the
 Internet.  To help more people achieve and maintain a healthy weight,
 Julie Bender, a dietitian with Baylor University Medical Center at
 Dallas, and Phil Tyne, director of the Baylor Tom Landry Health and
 Wellness Center agreed to “weigh in” on ten of the most common diet and
 exercise myths.

•  Myth #1: Crunches will get rid of your belly fat. “You can’t pick
 and choose areas where you’d like to burn fat,” Tyne says. “In order to
 burn fat, you should create a workout that includes both cardiovascular
 and strength training elements. This will decrease your overall body
 fat content.”
• Myth #2. Stretching before exercise is crucial. False. Some studies
 have suggested that stretching actually makes muscles more susceptible
 to injury. They claim that by stretching, muscle fibers are lengthened
 and destabilized, making them less prepared for the strain of exercise.
 “You might want to warm-up and stretch before a run, but if you are
 lifting weights wait until after the workout to stretch your muscles,”
 Tyne suggests.
• Myth #3. You should never eat before a workout. False. "Fuel" from
 food and fluids is required to provide the energy for your muscles to
 work efficiently, even if you are doing an early morning workout.
 “Consider eating a small meal or snack one to three hours prior to exercise,”
 Bender says. “Load up your tank with premium ‘fuel’ and choose some
 fruit, yogurt, or whole wheat toast.”
• Myth #4. Lifting weights will make women bulky. False. “Most women’s
 bodies do not produce nearly enough testosterone to become ‘bulky’ like
 those body builders on TV,” Tyne says. If you do find yourself getting
 bigger than you would like, simply use less weight and more
 repetitions.
• Myth #5. Fat is bad for you, no matter what kind. False. Contrary to
 popular belief, there are plenty of “good fats” out there that are
 essential for good health and aid in disease prevention. “They are the ones
 that occur naturally in foods like avocados, nuts, and fish, as
 opposed to those that are manufactured,” Bender says. "Including small
 amounts of these foods at meal times can help you to feel full longer and
 therefore eat less.”
•  Myth #6. Restricting calories is the best way to lose weight. False.
 Both cutting back on calories and moving more will help you lose
 weight and maintain the lean muscle mass needed to boost metabolism. People
 often think they must take drastic measures to lose weight, such as
 eating less than 1200 calories per day, but such diets usually do not
 provide adequate fuel for the body and may slow metabolism. “Drastic
 measures rarely equal lasting results, so start small and eliminate 100-300
 calories consistently from your daily diet, and you will reap the
 reward,” Bender says.
• Myth #7. As long as you eat healthy foods, you can eat as much as you
 want. False. A calorie is a calorie. Although oatmeal is healthy, if
 you eat four cups of oatmeal, the calories add up. “Healthy or
 otherwise, you still must be aware of portion sizes,” Bender says. "You must
 limit your caloric intake in order to lose weight, however, understanding
 how to ‘balance’ calorie intake throughout your day can help you avoid
 feelings of deprivation, hunger and despair.”
• Myth #8. Exercise turns fat into muscle. False. Fat and muscle tissue
 are composed of two entirely different types of cells. “While you can
 lose one and replace it with another, the two never “convert” into
 different forms,” Tyne says. “So fat will never turn into muscle.”
• Myth #9. Eating late at night will make you gain weight. False.
 “There are no ‘magic’ hours,” Bender says. “We associate late-night eating
 with weight gain because we usually consume more calories at night. We
 do this because we usually deprive our bodies of adequate calories the
 first half of the day. Start the day out with breakfast and eat every
 3-4 hours. Keep lunch the same size as dinner, and you will be less
 likely to over-indulge at night, yet you can enjoy a small late-night snack
 without the fear of it sticking to your middle.”
• Myth #10. You have to sweat to have a good workout. False. “Sweating
 is not necessarily an indicator of exertion—sweating is your body’s way
 of cooling itself,” Tyne says. It is possible to burn a significant
 number of calories without breaking a sweat: try taking a walk, or doing
 some light weight training, or working out in a swimming pool.
[Source:  Senior Living Sharon O’Brian article Jan 08 ++]


TRICARE IN THE PHILIPPINES:  In a 18 FEB 08 in Manila the Tricare Area
 Office (TAO) Pacific Chief of  Program Operations Lt Col Tony Ingram,
  provided some insight into the magnitude of the Tricare situation in
 the Philippines. Some facts that were brought out were:

• There are 10-12,000 retirees in the Philippines. Of which almost 70%
 are located in the Pampanga, Olongapo, Zambales region. 13% of these
 retirees' location is unknown.
•  78% of the TRICARE claims in the Pacific are from the Philippines.
• In 2003 $112 Million was billed to TRICARE and they paid out $61
 million.
• TRICARE had to take drastic measures in order to cut down on the
 fraudulent billing in recent years.  At present they process up to a
 hundred requests monthly for individuals/facilities to be certified as
 TRICARE providers in the Philippines.

Col Ingram also revealed some of the improvements that his office have
 submitted up the chain inclusive of:
a)    Pended time for claims changed from 35 to 90 days.
b)    Philippine Specific payment schedule
c)    Increased outreach by TAO-P
d)    Allow faxing of claims to secure fax server
e)    Allow EFT to the Philippines
f)    Opening of TAO-P branch office in the Philippines
[Source:  FRA BR 82 Roberto Vicencio input 19 Feb 08 ++]


FAMILY CARE GIVING:   The cost of providing care to a loved one who no
 longer can perform daily living activities is an emotional and
 financial challenge for everyone.  Recently the Centers for Medicare and
 Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed new rules to give low-income Medicaid
 beneficiaries a cash allowance to hire their own personal care workers,
 including qualified family members.  The cash allowance could be used to
 hire workers to help with activities such as bathing, preparing meals,
 household chores and related services that family members often provide.
  Hospitals and senior services agencies are offering training programs
 for caregivers, who upon completion of the program, may qualify to be
 paid for their services.  In addition, if you don’t qualify for Medicaid
 but have long-term care insurance, some newer policies pay for family
 to provide care after they have completed a care giving-training
 program. Adult day care is also becoming an increasingly important option. 

     Medicaid generally will pay for adult day care.  In 2007 CMS began
 a three-year pilot program that allows a portion of Medicare home
 health-care benefits to go toward adult day care.  The program, if
 available in your area, could help those who don’t qualify for Medicaid.  The
 cost of adult day care, around $60 for a day that can stretch to 11
 hours, can be substantially less than hiring an in-home health care worker
 at an hourly rate of $12 to $17 an hour.  States generally require that
 adult day-care centers be registered or licensed, though laws vary.
  Most centers have a registered nurse available during the day,
 particularly at centers providing medical treatments.   Of particular value for
 worn-out family caregivers are the activities that many centers
 provide, ranging from cognitive games for dementia patients to gardening and
 art classes. However, availability of the programs and adult day care
 services vary by state and area you live in, To investigate caregiving
 programs in your area, contact your local Area Agency on Aging.  Check
 the yellow pages of your phone book, or to find an agency near you call
 the Eldercare Locator 1(800) 677-1116 or refer to
 www.eldercare.gov/Eldercare/Public/Home.asp.  [Source: TREA Social Security & Medicare
 Advisor 27 Feb 08 ++]


AGENT ORANGE STATESIDE USE UPDATE 01:   In 1979, the Environmental
 Protection Agency banned the use of Agent Orange in the United States when
 a large number of stillbirths were reported among mothers in Oregon,
 where the chemical had been heavily used. During the testing phase of
 Agent Orange in prior years, use tests were carried out at Fort Detrick,
 Maryland, Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and Camp Drum in New York.
 The Diamond Alkali Co. in Newark, New Jersey, was one of the major
 producers of Agent Orange for the government. It was not until 1983 that the
 state of New Jersey got around to testing the soil around the plant. It
 found hazardous levels of dioxin. New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean urged
 residents living within 300 yards of the plant to move. In Times Beach
 Missouri dioxin laced oil had been sprayed on the town's roads to keep
 down the dust. Times Beach was one of 28 eastern Missouri communities
 where the spraying had been done. But none of the others had the levels of
 dioxin contamination of Times Beach, parts of which had dioxin levels
 of 33,000 parts per billion, or 33,000 times more toxic than the EPA's
 level of acceptance. The contamination was so bad that the government
 decided the only way to save the town's residents from further damage
 from dioxin was to buy them out and move them out. In early 1983, the
 U.S. government spent $33 million buying the 801 homes and businesses in
 Times Beach and relocating its 2,200 residents. The entire town was
 fenced in and guards were brought in to keep out the curious. "Caution,
 Hazardous Waste Site, Dioxin Contamination," read the signs leading into
 Times Beach. It remains a ghost town today because of dioxin
 contamination.
 
    In DEC 83, the EPA announced a nationwide plan to clean up more
 than 200 dioxin contaminated sites in the U.S., including 50 plants where
 2,4,5-T had been manufactured. The cost of the cleanup was put at $250
 million and was expected to take four years. However, two months later
 the U.S. Air Force released the first part of a three part study on
 Operation Ranch Hand pilots and crewmen which sidelined this plan. It
 concluded that the 1,269 pilots and crewmen involved in the herbicide
 spraying program in Vietnam suffered no higher death or serious illness
 rates than the general population. In DEC 85 the Air Force released the
 third of its Operation Ranch Hand studies. It confirmed the other two:
 that there was no evidence that Agent Orange had any adverse affects on
 those who handled it during the war.  For more info on Agent Orange refer
 to www.usvetdsp.com/agentorange.htm.  Following is a list of Rainbow
 Herbicides containing dioxins and their components that were
 manufactured in the U.S.:
-   Agent Orange: 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T; used between January 1965 and
 April 1970.
-   Agent Orange II (Super Orange): 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T; used in 1968 and
 1969.
-   Agent Purple: 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T; used between January 1962 and
 1964.
-   Agent Pink: 2,4,5-T; used between 1962 and 1964.
-   Agent Green: 2,4,5-T; used between 1962 and 1964.
-   Agent White: Picloram and 2,4-D.
-   Agent Blue: contained cacodylic acid (arsenic).
-   Dinoxol: 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T; used between 1962 and 1964.
-   Trinoxol: 2,4,5-T; used between 1962 and 1964.
-   Diquat: Used between 1962 and 1964.
-   Bromacil: Used between 1962 and 1964.
-   Tandex: Used between 1962 and 1964.
-   Monuron: Used between 1962 and 1964.
-   Diuron: Used between 1962 and 1964.
-   Dalapon: Used between 1962 and 1964.
[Source:  The U.S. Veteran Dispatch Mar 08 ++]


PENTAGON DATA BREACH:   A top Defense Department technology official
 said this week that a JUN 07 network intrusion at the Pentagon resulted
 in the theft of an "amazing amount" of data, and the incident remains a
 national security concern, The Office of the Secretary of Defense
 detected malicious code in various portions of its network infrastructure
 while consolidating information technology resources in the middle of
 last year. Over the course of two months, the code infiltrated multiple
 systems, culminating in an intrusion that created havoc by exploiting a
 vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, according to Dennis Clem, OSD's
 chief information officer. During the attack, spoofed e-mails containing
 recognizable names were sent to OSD employees. When they opened the
 messages, user IDs and passwords that unlocked the entire network were
 stolen; as a result, sensitive data housed on Defense systems was accessed,
 copied and sent back to the intruder. "This was a very bad day," said
 Clem during a panel discussion at the Information Processing Interagency
 Conference 4 MAR. The breach continues to pose a threat, he added. "We
 don't know when they'll use the information they stole… including
 processes and procedures that will be valuable to adversaries."

     Clem didn't give any indication that the source of the attack was
 identified, nor did he provide details about what data was accessed. He
 noted that the network used by the office of John Grimes, Defense CIO
 and assistant secretary of networks and information infrastructure, is
 maintained separately, and therefore was not compromised. The portion
 of the network infrastructure under assault was shut down soon after the
 attack was detected. Recovery, which took three weeks and cost $4
 million, involved the introduction of a new process of  checking out
 temporary IDs and passwords for access to the network, stricter requirements
 about the use of common access cards for identity verification, and
 introduction of digital signatures to ensure that information comes from a
 valid source. "It made a big difference" in securing the OSD network,
 which currently gets 70,000 malicious attempts at access a day, Clem
 said.  [Source: GOVExec.com Jill R. Aitoro article 5 Mar 08 ++]


PTSD UPDATE 18:   VA's new PTSD policy previously reported in Update 17
 applies only to those Diagnosed as having PTSD while on active duty.
 For these vets there will no longer be a requirement to verify in
 writing that they have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event before
 filing a claim for post-traumatic stress disorder. However, for those not
 diagnosed on Active duty the present rules regarding verification still
 apply for VA to process a claim. [Source: VA Watchdog Org 20 Feb 08 ++]


NEBRASKA VETERANS CEMETERY:   Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson introduced
 legislation S.2701on 4 MAR authorizing the establishment of a new
 national cemetery for eastern Nebraska in Bellevue. Current Veterans Affairs
 (VA) regulations require a threshold of 170,000 eligible veterans
 living within a 75-mile radius of a proposed cemetery site to merit the
 establishment of a new national veterans cemetery. An independent analysis
 conducted by the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency in Omaha estimates
 the number to be near 172,500, while the VA estimate places the number
 of eligible people closer to 133,000. Nebraska veterans and local
 officials have pushed for the radius to be increased for the Bellevue
 cemetery due to differences in the rural region.  The introduced legislation
 if approved would  direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
 establish a national cemetery in Bellevue. Both the Sarpy County Board and
 Omaha City Council have supported the establishment of a national cemetery
 in Bellevue. Both boards passed resolutions last year encouraging
 federal officials to do what is necessary to push the VA and authorize the
 cemetery. "By local estimation there are 33,000 World War II veterans in
 the Omaha metropolitan area. Taking from national statistics, the
 average age of these veterans is 83," said Steven Johnson, President of the
 Memorial Ridge of the Midlands Foundation. "With the great numbers of
 aging veterans, we feel an urgency to establish another national
 cemetery in eastern Nebraska. Not only is it necessary, but it would be a
 fitting gesture from a grateful nation as a final resting place of honor
 for our brave men and women who have served us. It would be instructive
 to present and future generations to provide a place locally to view
 nationally significant memorials permanently commemorating the importance
 of their great service to this country."

     A cemetery at Bellevue would be the second site in Nebraska.  At
 present the state only has the Fort McPherson National Cemetery, 12004 S
 Spur 56A, Maxwell, NE 69151-1031 Tel (308) 582-4433/4616F or (888)
 737-2800. This 20 acre  cemetery has space available to accommodate
 casketed and cremated remains. The number of internments through 2006 were
 8,615. Records of burials (7643) on file with the VA are available at
 http://www.interment.net/data/us/ne/lincoln/ftmcphnat/index.htm.   The
 site can be viewed at
 http://www.rootsweb.com/~nephotos/monumts/mcphercem1.htm.  For
 additional info on this facility refer to
 http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/ftmcpherson.asp.  [Source:  Sen,
 Ben Nelson Press Release 5 Mar 08 ++]


VA HEALTH CARE FUNDING UPDATE 12:   Senator John Thune has co-sponsored
 S. 2639, a bipartisan bill to require mandatory funding for veterans
 health care. The bill was introduced by Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) last
 month and is also cosponsored by Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Byron
 Dorgan (D-ND), and Jon Tester (D-MT). “Mandatory funding for veterans
 health care means that veterans health programs will not be subject to
 the politics of the appropriations process,” said Thune. “This
 legislation guarantees adequate funding for veterans health without annual
 wrangling over spending levels. I look forward to working with Senator
 Johnson and Senator Snowe to pass mandatory funding for veterans health care
 that fits within the budget and does not raise taxes.”  The bill would
 establish an annual formula of funding for the Veterans Health
 Administration (VHA) based on the number of enrolled veterans. It would prevent
 the VHA from spending health care dollars on construction or
 acquisition of medical facilities. Similar bills have been introduced in past
 congressional sessions without success.  [Source: Sen. John Thune Press
 Release 7 Mar 08 ++]


VA HOMELESS VETS UPDATE 08:  The number of veterans homeless on a
 typical night has declined 21% in the past year, thanks to the services
 offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its partners in
 community- and faith-based organizations, plus changing demographics and
 improvements in survey techniques. The reduction of homeless veterans
 from more than 195,000 to about 154,000 was announced as Secretary of
 Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake was elected to chair the U.S.
 Interagency Council on Homelessness. Peake's election to head the council
 coordinating the federal response to homelessness came as VA released the
 fourteenth annual Community Homeless Assessment, Local Education and
 Networking Group (CHALENG) report on homeless veterans. The decline in
 veterans' homelessness was attributed, in part, to VA's success in providing
 more services for homeless veterans and improved coordination of
 federal, state and local efforts. VA provides health care to about 100,000
 homeless veterans, and compensation and pensions to nearly 40,000
 annually.  The Department offers homeless veterans employment assistance and
 help obtaining foreclosed homes and excess federal property, including
 clothes, footwear, blankets and other items. The Department has already
 approved funding for more than 12,000 beds  in transitional housing
 programs, and provides about 5,000 veterans each year with residential
 services in VA hospital-based programs. Other factors in the decline of
 homeless veterans include the substantial reduction in the number of
 poor veterans -- from 3 million in 1990 to 1.8 million in 2000 -- and
 improvements in counting homeless people. The U.S. Interagency Council on
 Homelessness is the coordinating entity within the federal government
 composed of 20 cabinet secretaries and agency heads that creates
 partnerships at every level of government and the private sector to end
 homelessness. [Source: VA News Release 6 Mar 08 ++]


VETERANS DISARMAMENT BILL:   An allegation is being passed around the
 Internet that a new law the President signed in JAN 08 would deny
 veterans diagnosed with PTSD or other mental health problems their
 constitutional right of gun ownership. The allegation is false; there is no
 legislation called the Veterans Disarmament Bill, and there are no validated
 instances of an otherwise eligible veteran being denied employment
 because of the new law, which signed 7 JAN 08.  H.R. 2640 The NICS
 Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to improve the National Instant Criminal
 Background Check System, and for other purposes was passed and became
 Public Law No: 110-180 A major supporter of H.R. 2640 was the nation's
 staunchest gun rights advocate, the National Rifle Association, who would
 have never backed a bill that overly restricted ownership rights.
 Bottom line: Gun ownership is a Second Amendment right, but exercising that
 right comes with inherent social responsibilities in a democratic
 society. If a court of law rules someone as mentally unfit and a danger to
 him/herself and to others, then the rights of society must outweigh
 individual rights. The new law is not anti-veteran legislation; it is
 common sense legislation. For articles of interest on this subject refer to
 http://www.nraila.org//Issues/Articles/Read.aspx?ID=246,
 http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,151321_1,00.html?wh=wh, and
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080108-7.html.
[Source: VFW Washington Weekly 7 Mar 08 ++]


TRICARE CANCER TRIALS:  To offer Tricare beneficiaries, and the health
 professionals who care for them, the latest in both cancer preventive
 care and treatment, the Department of Defense (DoD) joined forces last
 year with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) through an interagency
 agreement, known as the DoD/NCI Cancer Clinical Trials Demonstration
 Project.  Under this agreement, eligible beneficiaries could participate in
 NCI-sponsored cancer prevention and treatment studies as part of their
 Tricare health care benefits. On 1 APR 08, this become a permanent
 Tricare health care benefit. It covers all Phase II and Phase III trials.
  Eligibility extends to all beneficiaries utilizing Tricare through its
 Prime, Prime Remote, Standard and Extra, Tricare for Life, and U.S.
 Family Health plans.  The trials are not available overseas. Whether you
 choose to participate in these studies is a decision that you should
 make with help from your doctor.  

     Clinical trials are research studies that help find ways to
 prevent, diagnose or treat illnesses and improve health care.  When enrolled
 in these studies, people receive care that is considered the latest
 medicine or therapy, but is not yet approved as standard care. There are
 two types of prevention clinical trials that study ways to reduce the
 risk of getting cancer: 
•  Action studies which focus on finding out whether actions people
 take, such as getting more exercise or quitting smoking, can prevent
 cancer; and
• Agent studies, also called chemoprevention studies, which are
 designed to learn whether taking certain medicines, vitamins or food
 supplements can prevent cancer. 

Cancer treatment trials, also known as research studies, test new
 treatments on people diagnosed with cancer.  The goal of this research is to
 find better ways to treat cancer and help cancer patients.  Cancer
 treatment trials study many types of strategies to fight cancer.  These
 include testing new drugs, new approaches to surgery or radiation
 therapy, new combinations of treatments or new methods, such as gene therapy.
 The trials are carried out in three phases.  Each phase is part of a
 careful process to determine whether the activity or medicine being
 studied is safe and effective.  The DoD/NCI agreement covers NCI-sponsored
 phase II and phase III cancer prevention and treatment clinical trials.
 Phase II trials focus on learning whether a new therapy has an
 anticancer effect, usually focusing on a particular type of cancer. Phase III
 trials compare a promising new treatment against the standard approach.
  NCI-sponsored clinical trials take place in the same facilities where
 standard medical care is given. 
 
    There are more than 2,000 sites throughout the U.S., including
 military hospitals, clinics, comprehensive and clinical cancer centers,
 community hospitals and practices.  While care can require patients to
 change physicians, there are times when their own doctors or specialists
 can administer certain care as part of the clinical trial. No patient
 receives a placebo when effective care exists. To find out about
 available trials you can call 1(800) 422-6239) or go online to
 http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials. You can also find out more about
 the program at
 www.tricare.mil/mybenefit/home/overview/SpecialPrograms/CancerClinicalTrials. The Tricare Contractors for authorization are
 PGBA in the TRICARE North and South Regions and TriWest in the West
 Region. In the Tricare North region call 1(800) 395-7821; in the South call
 1(800) 779-3060 and in the West Region call 1(866) 427-6610.  [Source:
 TREA Washington Update Mar 08 ++]


TRICARE HEARING AIDS UPDATE 01:  Tricare does not cover hearing aids
 for retirees or their family members.  However, some military treatment
 facilities support the Retiree At Cost Hearing Aid Purchase Program
 (RACHAPP) for servicemembers in need of hearing aids.  This program allows
 retired service members to purchase hearing aids at government cost.
  At http://www.militaryaudiology.org/rachap/state.html you can view
 facilities along with contact information and whether or not the facility
 provides hearing aids at cost to US military retirees. This information
 is subject to change at any time. It is recommended that you contact the
 appropriate facility before incurring significant travel expenses.
 Retirees can use any facility which will accept them; you don't need to
 return to your service affiliation to participate in this program.
 Dependents of military retirees are generally ineligible to participate in
 this program at the current time. [Source: NAUS Weekly Update 7 Mar 08
 ++]


TSP UPDATE 10:  TSP offers investors the chance for lower taxes each
 year they contribute with taxes deferred until they withdraw the account
 after retirement.  TSP is a long-term retirement savings plan, which is
 an ideal supplement to military and civilian retirement plans.
 Investment money is deposited directly from each paycheck which makes it easy
 to ‘pay yourself first' while only investing what you deem appropriate.
  In February the two most reliable funds in the Thrift Savings Plan
 posted minimal gains while all other funds lost ground.  Following is a
 YTD status of each fund and how they performed in February:

• G Fund made up of short-term Treasury securities specially issued to
 provide a higher return than inflation without any serious risk from
 market fluctuations, grew the most, with gains of 0.24%.  Its 12-month
 earnings were 4.66%.
• F Fund invested in fixed-income bonds, earned 0.16%  in February. The
 fund posted the biggest long-term gains in the TSP, earning 7.52% in
 12 months.
• I Fund made up of international investments experienced a slight drop
 from the previous month, falling 0.66%. It has dropped 0.22% in the
 past 12 months.
• S Fund which invests in small and mid-sized companies by tracking the
 Dow Jones Wilshire 4500 Index, dropped 2.05% in February. The fund
 posted losses of 5.85% for the year, the largest long-term losses of any
 fund in the TSP.
• C Fund, composed of common stocks on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index
 of the largest domestic companies, dropped the most in the last month,
 falling 3.28%. Its 12-month losses were 3.59%.
• L Fund life-cycle options (which are a blend of the five basic funds
 that automatically grow more conservative as investors near retirement)
 all experienced minor losses in February. L 2040, intended for
 employees with a target retirement date around the year 2040, dropped 1.80%; L
 2030 fell 1.51%; L 2020 lost 1.25%; and L 2010 went down 0.59%. The L
 Income Fund, designed for employees with planned retirements in the
 very near future, lost 0.22%. Two L funds also posted losses for the year.
 The L 2040 Fund lost 1.11% and L 2030 lost 0.37%. L 2020 gained 0.57%
 in 12 months, L 2010 earned 2.80% and L Income made 3.50%.
[Source:  GOVExec.com Brittany Ballenstedt article 3 Mar 08 ++]


IRR MUSTERS:   About 10,000 members of the Individual Ready Reserve
 (IRR) will be briefly activated this spring to participate in one-day
 musters at Army Reserve Centers throughout the United States, and some
 overseas locations. Soldiers typically become members of the IRR upon
 successful completion of a tour of duty with the Regular Army or Army
 Reserve. They remain members until their military service obligation expires.
 Veterans who are unsure of their status in regard to the IRR should
 call the Human Resources Command Communications Hub at 1(800) 318-5298.
 While the Army is required by law to continuously screen and provide
 training to members of the IRR, it did not conduct a major physical muster
 of the force until 2007 because of a lack of funding. Three types of
 musters will be conducted this year by the Human Resources Command in
 coordination with the Army Reserve Command as follows:

• Readiness Musters: During MAR through JUN 08, readiness musters for
 soldiers who have been in the IRR for 12 months or more will be held at
 Fort Devens MA; Los Alamitos CA : Fort Lawton WA; Fort Totten NY;
 Decator GA; Arlington Heights IL; Grand Prairie TX; and Fort Meade MD. The
 one-day muster will consist of a reserve components briefing, record
 review, security clearance updates, medical and dental screening, ID card
 issue and briefings on training and unit opportunities.
• Personnel Accountability Musters: Beginning in March, selected
 soldiers who were assigned to the IRR within the past year will be mustered
 at 450 stateside and overseas reserve centers to receive briefings on
 IRR participation requirements, and training and unit opportunities. They
 also will be offered the Post Deployment Health Reassessment Program,
 and will be required to update their personal information.
• Unit Affiliation Muster: New this year as a pilot, this program will
 require selected IRR soldiers to visit a local reserve unit in addition
 to participating in regular muster activities. They will be paid $190
 for successfully completing the muster.
[Source: ArmyTimes article 5 Mar 08 ++]


MEDICARE HOSPITAL DISCHARGE:  Most of the time, doctors and nurses are
 the best judges of your progress and recovery when in the hospital.
 However, it’s possible that in certain situations they may ask you to
 leave the hospital before you feel well enough to go. If this happens and
 you feel you are being discharged too early, you have the right to ask
 for an independent, immediate review of your case. If you make a formal
 request for an immediate review within the proper time frame, the
 hospital cannot force you to leave before a decision has been made. You
 should be able to stay in the hospital with Medicare coverage while your
 case is being reviewed. At the very least, this should give you a few
 extra days in the hospital to sort out a care plan for when you leave.
 Since 1 JUL 07, the steps for the first level of appeal (requesting a
 review) are the same whether you are in Original Medicare or a Medicare
 private health plan like an HMO, PPO or PFFS (also known  as Medicare
 Advantage).  The following steps apply:

1. First, before you leave the hospital, you should receive a copy of a
 notice called an “Important Message from Medicare” that describes your
 rights as a patient.  The notice explains your rights to receive
 Medicare coverage in the hospital, to be involved in decisions about your
 hospital stay and to know who will pay for your stay. It also explains
 your rights to discharge planning and to appeal an early hospital
 discharge without financial risks. The hospital must provide this the notice
 when you are admitted, and again no more than t two calendar days before
 your discharge date and no fewer than four hours before you must leave
 the hospital. This notice is the same document you should have been
 asked to sign within two days of being admitted to the hospital.  If you
 have a short stay, you may only get one copy of the notice.
2. Follow the directions in the notice and request an immediate review
 (expedited determination) of the hospital’s decision to discharge you
 from the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). A QIO is an independent
 group of doctors and other professionals that contracts with Medicare
 to ensure that you receive quality care. To get an expedited review,
 you must contact the QIO by midnight on the date you are set to be
 discharged. If you miss the deadline for filing, you can still request a
 review by the QIO before you leave the hospital. However, you will have to
 pay for the full cost of your additional days in the hospital if the
 QIO denies your appeal.
3. The hospital (or your plan, if you are enrolled in a Medicare
 private health plan) must give you a “Detailed Notice of Discharge,” which
 includes an explanation of why services will no longer be covered, a
 description of Medicare coverage rules and an explanation of how those
 rules apply to your case. It is important that you read this notice so that
 you are prepared when you have your QIO review.
4. The hospital must give the QIO all the information it needs for the
 review no later than noon of the day after it is notified by the QIO
 that you are appealing the discharge. If you ask, the hospital also must
 give you a copy of what it gives the QIO. Once the QIO has all the
 relevant information from the hospital, you (or your representative) must
 be available to discuss your case with the QIO (generally by phone). You
 should have your doctor present for the call. Based on the evidence,
 the QIO will decide if continued hospital care is reasonable and
 necessary or the needed care could be safely delivered in another setting,
 like a skilled nursing facility or in your home.

The QIO must contact you and the hospital by telephone and then in
 writing of its decision within one calendar day after it receives all
 information. If the QIO agrees with you, you can stay in the hospital with
 Medicare coverage. You will still be responsible for any Part A
 coinsurances that might apply. If the QIO does not agree with you, you can
 either leave the hospital or advance to upper levels of appeal. This
 involves contacting another independent entity called the Qualified
 Independent Contractor (QIC) if you have Original Medicare, or asking the QIO
 for a reconsideration if you have a Medicare private health plan.
 However, you may be responsible for all costs after the QIO made its original
 decision. To prevent an unnecessary appeal, speak to your (or your
 loved one’s) doctor on a regular basis to make sure each of you understand
 the extent of progress and recovery as well as the terms of your
 Medicare coverage. [Source: [Source: The Medicare Counselor Mar-Apr 08 issue
 ++]


MEDICARE INSURER STATUS:   One of the factors to consider when making
 you Medicare A or B election decision is whether or not it will become
 your primary or secondary insurer.  Your primary insurer always provides
 the bulk of your health insurance. Three months before become eligible
 for Medicare a letter is sent to help you determine A or B election.
  Whether your employer insurance is primary or secondary will help you
 decide if you should take Medicare Part A (inpatient/hospital insurance)
 and/or Part B (outpatient/medical insurance). The rules for primary
 versus secondary Medicare coverage depend on:
1.) If you r eligibility is due to age (over 65) or disability;
2.) Whether you are currently working or retired; and, if you are
 working,
3.) The size of the company you work for.

Most people should take Part A when they first become eligible
 regardless of whether their employer insurance is primary or secondary. This is
 because most people with Medicare receive premium-free Medicare Part A
 if you or your spouse (but not a domestic partner) has worked and paid
 into Social Security for 10 or more years. Everyone with Medicare must
 pay a premium for Part B.. If your Medicare coverage is primary, but
 you fail to take Part B, you will likely have no or very limited
 coverage for Part B-covered services; secondary insurers generally only pay
 after the primary insurer (in this case, Medicare) pays. Check with your
 employer to find out how your coverage coordinates with Medicare. In
 most cases, if your employer insurance is secondary to Medicare, you
 should take Parts A and B to have full coverage.

     With Part B, you should also keep in mind the possibility of a
 late-enrollment penalty if you do not make the election when first
 eligible. However, if you have insurance from a current employer, you may be
 able to enroll in Part B after you are first eligible without penalty.
  If you have retiree insurance and do not take Part B when you are first
 eligible, you will pay a penalty for late enrollment.  With Retiree
 insurance (from your own or your spouse's former employer) Medicare could
 be your Primary or Secondary insurer when:

• Primary if you are 65 or older, have insurance from a current
 employer (yours or your spouse's) and the company has fewer than 20 employees.
 You should enroll during your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), the
 seven month period surrounding the month in which you turn 65. This
 includes the three months before the month in which you turn 65, the month of
 your birth, and the three months following your birth month.
• Secondary if you are 65 or older, have insurance from a current
 employer (yours or your spouse's) and the company has 20 or more employees.
 Your employer plan is your primary coverage. You do not need to enroll
 in Medicare if you are satisfied with your job coverage.
• If your employer insurance coverage is very limited you may want to
 consider whether paying for Part B might save you more in the long run.
 You would need to contact your employer human resources office to see
 how your employer coverage would work with Part B.
• Primary if you are under 65 but eligible for Medicare due to a
 disability or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease),
 and have insurance from a current employer (yours or your spouse's) and
 the company has fewer than 100 employees.  You will be automatically
 enrolled when you have received Social Security Disability Insurance
 (SSDI) for 24 months or have been diagnosed with ALS.
• Secondary if you are under 65 and eligible for Medicare due to a
 disability or ALS, have insurance from a current employer (yours or your
 spouse's) and the company has 100employees or more. You don't need to
 enroll in Medicare Part B if you are satisfied with your employer
 coverage. If not you have the option of enrolling in Part B.
• If you have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), Medicare will be primary
 or secondary depending on how long you have had Medicare.
[Source: The Medicare Counselor Mar-Apr 08 issue ++]


VA LAWSUIT (LACK OF CARE) UPDATE 02:  The US Department of Justice is
 arguing that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have no right to specific
 types of medical care and that Congress and veterans don’t have any say in
 the matter. The Administration’s argument comes in response to a
 lawsuit filed by Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans for Truth which
 alleges that veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being denied access to
 critical services. The veterans organizations argue that:
• vets are arbitrarily denied access to mental health and other
 services.
• vets are kept waiting for months or years for treatment or
 compensation benefits.
• vets are denied fair procedures for appealing denials of their
 claims.

To support their argument, the veterans organizations cite the VA’s
 backlog of 600,000 disability claims and that “120 veterans commit suicide
 each week.” Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are supposed
 to be provided five years of VA health care from the date of their
 discharge, but the Government is arguing that the law does not create an
 entitlement to any particular medical service. Furthermore, DOJ lawyers
 are arguing that the VA should only provide needed medical services to
 the extent that funds are available.  The United Spinal Association
 (USA) reports there will be more arguments in this case on 7 MAR 08. The
 USA is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization formed in
 1946 by paralyzed veterans. Our mission is to improve the quality of
 life of Americans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D).
 Membership is free and open to all individuals with spinal cord injuries and
 diseases.  [Source: Vets 1st article
 http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/vetsfirst/ Mar 08 ++]


MEDICARE NEWS UPDATE 01:  The Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC)
 demonstration program was designed to determine whether the use of RACs will be
 a cost-effective means of adding resources to ensure correct payments
 are being made to providers and suppliers and, therefore, protect the
 Medicare Trust Fund. In coming weeks, private audit companies will begin
 scouring mountains of medical records. to determine if health care
 providers erred when billing Medicare and require them to return any
 overpayments to the federal government. The auditors will keep a tidy
 percentage for their services. The contractors have shown they're pretty good
 at their work. In just three years, they've returned more than $300
 million to the federal government -- and that's just from three states.
 That experiment is winding down. But a larger, national program will soon
 take its place. The rollout of recovery audit contractors will be
 gradual. They'll monitor health care providers in 19 states beginning this
 spring. In October, an additional five states will join. Health care
 providers are nearly unanimous in their dislike of the program's
 continuation, much less its expansion. Many lawmakers have similar sentiments,
 though it was Congress in 2006 that made the program permanent. A bill
 sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) calls for a one-year moratorium.

     The program's critics say that contractors have too much incentive
 to question as many claims as possible. That's because they get to
 keep about 20% of the overpayments. "What we have here is bureaucrats and
 government contractors coming in and trying to second guess what
 doctors and nurses have done in a hospital setting," said Don May, vice
 president for policy at the American Hospital Association. "They're playing
 Monday morning quarterback." While the contractors are often described
 as overzealous, that's a compliment as far as one watchdog group is
 concerned. "A little zealotry is what were looking for on the part of the
 taxpayers," said Leslie Paige, spokeswoman for Citizens Against
 Government Waste. "We think it's about time." The government will spend about
 $430 billion this year on Medicare, which provides health coverage to
 44 million elderly and disabled people. The sheer size of the program,
 with more than 1.2 billion claims filed each year, not only makes it
 ripe for fraud but for mistakes. The Office of Management and Budget
 estimates that payment errors total about $10.8 billion a year. To put the
 number of Medicare claims in perspective, that's 4.5 million claims each
 work day and 9,579 claims per minute. Rarely does the government and
 its contractors give those claims a detailed review. The agency has
 contractors that process claims. It also has an inspector general. But,
 now, auditors will routinely review patient's medical records as well as
 the claim.

     It's the contractors' job to find both overpayments -- and
 underpayments. Besides returning overpayments to the government, they return
 underpayments to health care providers. So far, they've returned $20
 million, mostly to hospitals. A report from the Centers for Medicare and
 Medicaid Services shows that contractors reviewed about 930 million
 claims in Florida, California, and New York during the program's first 2
 1/2 years. They identified errors in less than 0.2 percent of the claims
 reviewed. Hospitals appealed in about 11%  of the overpayment cases.
 Only 5% were fully or partially overturned. Those statistics tell
 Medicare officials that the program is working. Health care providers say the
 CMS statistics are misleading. Many appeals have not been completed.
 Also, many providers won't appeal because of the amount of money and time
 it takes. "It costs at least $2,000 to run an appeal all the way
 through the process," May said. When providers overcharge the government,
 they also have to refund any overcharged copayments or deductibles to the
 patient. If providers need more time to repay the government, they can
 apply for a repayment plan. If a provider just refuses to pay, the
 Medicare contractor processing their claims will deduct from future
 payments until the debt is paid. Hospital officials said the repayments make
 the job of providing care more challenging and have the potential to
 force them to reduce services or charge customers more to make up the
 expense.
 
   CMS said it also has safeguards in place to ensure that patient
 information is handled securely. Providers, when they sign up for Medicare,
 also agree to make any necessary information available to the agency
 or its contractors. When the program goes national, all contractors must
 have a medical director on staff. The agency also is limiting how far
 back auditors can look when reviewing patient records. The limit will
 be three years, but under no circumstances, before 1 OCT 07. Finally,
 the agency is working on regulations that would defer repayment until
 after the appeals process is completed. Currently, the money is taken back
 regardless of the appeal status, which providers say is a financial
 burden and akin to guilty until proven innocent. But what gets health
 care providers most upset is when auditors determined a procedure or
 hospital admission was not medically necessary. May said that there's a "lot
 of gray area" when it comes to whether a patients needs to be admitted
 to a hospital or rehab facility. Often the patients have diabetes or
 other complicating factors that prompt a physician to want closer
 monitoring. "You need a physician looking at these daily if not more so to
 make sure the patients are being managed effectively," May said. For more
 info on RAC refer to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/RAC. [Source: AP Kevin
 Freking article 1 Mar 08 ++]


SHAD UPDATE 05:  The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a
 new report that the he Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department must
 work harder to find tens of thousands of veterans involved in military
 chemical and biological weapons tests since World War II.  “As this
 population becomes older, it will become more imperative for DoD and VA to
 identify and notify these individuals in a timely manner because they
 might be eligible for health care or other benefits,” according to the
 report. The classified tests exposed people to various agents. Some were
 simulated, but many were not. The list included blister and nerve
 agents, biological agents, PCP and LSD, in a series of tests over several
 decades known as “Project 112.” According to the GAO, the military also
 exposed healthy adults, psychiatric patients and prison inmates in the
 experiments. In some cases, service members volunteered for the tests but
 were misled about what they would be asked to do. “Precise information
 on the number of tests, experiments and participants is not available,
 and the exact numbers will never be known,” the report states.

     Still, in 1993, the Defense Department began trying to find as
 many as it could. They identified almost 6,000 veterans and 350 civilians
 who may have been exposed. That search effort ended in 2003. But in a
 2004 study, GAO said the Pentagon should review further data and see if
 it would be feasible to find more people who may have been exposed.
 Defense officials decided that looking further would not yield significant
 results, but GAO said that decision was “not supported by an objective
 analysis of the potential costs and benefits,” and that the Pentagon
 had not documented the criteria for its decision. Since 2003, the
 Institutes of Medicine as well as other non-military agencies have found 600
 more people. GAO found that the Defense Department efforts in this area
 lack consistent objectives and adequate oversight, and officials have
 not used information gained from previous research that identified
 exposed people. GAO also said the process lacks transparency because it has
 not kept Congress and veterans groups informed of its progress.

     The Pentagon hired a contractor to try to identify more veterans,
 but GAO found the project lacked sufficient oversight. For example, in
 2007, a contractor identified 2,300 people exposed to biological tests
 at Fort Detrick MD in “Operation Whitecoat,” which ran from the early
 1950s to the early 1970s. But the contractor did not give those names to
 the Pentagon because it is adding more information, such as a test
 objective and summary. In the meantime, most of those 2,300 people don’t
 know they were exposed. GAO also found that the Pentagon and VA have no
 standard process for exchanging information, and new names come through
 in haphazard batches. VA officials sent letters to only 48% of the
 names provided by the Pentagon because those were the only ones for whom
 they could find addresses. At least 16,269 known to be living still need
 to be notified. Some records have been lost or destroyed, but GAO said
 VA does not work with the Social Security Administration or the
 Internal Revenue Service to obtain contact information for veterans.

     GAO recommended that the Pentagon do a cost/benefit analysis about
 continuing search efforts, and work with veterans organizations to
 determine other projects that may have exposed veterans to harmful
 materials, as required by the 2003 Defense Authorization Act. In response to
 the report, VA Secretary James Peake concurred that efforts to identify
 and notify exposed personnel must be improved. Defense officials agreed
 with GAO’s recommendations, except for the one calling for a
 cost/benefit analysis. However, Arthur Hopkins, principal deputy assistant to
 the secretary of defense, said the Defense Department has made a “full
 accounting” of the project and has no more credible leads to pursue,
 although it is willing to “pursue any new leads” that come to light. The
 GAO, however, stuck with its assertion that Congress should consider
 “requiring the Secretary of Defense to conduct and document an analysis.”
 [Source: NavyTimes Kelly Kennedy article 2 Mar 08 ++]


REAP UPDATE 01:   Some members of the National Guard and the Reserves
 who serve on active duty will see a significant increase in their
 educational benefits, thanks to improvements announced 3 MAR by the
 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). "Reservists and National Guardsmen who
 serve multiple tours on active duty may get an increase in their
 educational benefits, in keeping with the value of their service to our nation,"
 said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake.  Under new
 provisions, members who accumulate three years on active duty, regardless of
 breaks in service, may be eligible for the maximum payment under the
 Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP).  Previously, reservists and
 guardsmen had to serve two continuous years on active duty to receive
 the highest payment. The new eligibility rules are retroactive to 1 OCT
 07.  The top payment under REAP is currently $880.80 per month. 

     The new law, part of the National Defense Authorization Act, also
 expands the period of eligibility for certain Guard and Reserve members
 who complete their service obligation before separation from the
 selected reserve. Members meeting these criteria may be eligible to use REAP
 benefits for a period of ten years following discharge.  Benefits
 typically end upon separation for members who do not complete their full,
 obligated service. Additionally, some REAP-eligible National Guard and
 Reserve members may now make an extra contribution to the Department of
 Defense to increase their monthly benefit rates. Service members
 receive an additional $5 per month for each $20 contributed. With the maximum
 $600 contribution, this option can add up to $5,400 to a member's
 total 36-month education benefit package.  Beginning on 1 OCT 08,
 participants in REAP and the Montgomery GI Bill program for the Selected Reserve
 who pursue non-degree programs lasting less than two years may also be
 eligible to receive accelerated payments. During FY 2007, more than
 60,000 National Guardsmen and reservists were paid under REAP, more than
 41,000 were paid under the Montgomery GI Bill program for the Selected
 Reserves, and approximately 344,000 participants were paid under the
 Montgomery GI Bill for active-duty members. For more information on
 changes to VA's GI Bill benefits, refer to www.GIBILL.va.gov or contact VA
 directly at 1(888) 442-4551.  [Source: VA News Release 3 Mar 08 ++]


MILITARY RETIREMENT PLAN:   Service members who remain on active duty
 or serve in the Reserves or Guard for a sufficient period of time may
 retire and receive retired pay, retain use of base facilities, and retain
 health care coverage under Tricare.  Members who become disabled while
 on duty may be medically retired and receive a disability retirement.
 All retirees may choose to participate in the Survivor Benefit Plan
 (SBP) or the Reserve Components Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP), which
 protects the retiree’s family financially in the event of his or her death.
 Social Security does not affect retirement pay.  Members who remain on
 active duty for 20 or more years are eligible for retirement in one of
 the three non-disability retirement systems currently in effect. These
 are Final Pay, High-3 Year Average, and Military Retirement Reform Act
 of 1986 (more commonly referred to as REDUX). REDUX was revised by the
 FY2000 National Defense Authorization Act. A $30,000 Career Status
 Bonus (CSB) has been added for those who accept the REDUX retirement
 system. Individuals formerly under REDUX may now choose between the High-3
 and CSB/REDUX systems. The date you first entered the military determines
 which retirement system applies to you and whether you have the option
 to choose your retirement system.

     To decide which system applies to you, you must determine the date
 that you first entered the military. This date is called the DIEMS
 (Date of Initial Entry to Military Service) or DIEUS (Date of Initial
 Entry to Uniformed Services). The date you first entered the military is
 the first time you enlisted or joined the active or reserves. This date
 is fixed. Departing the military and rejoining does not affect your
 DIEMS.  Some unique circumstances that impact on what the Diems will be
 are:
• The DIEMS for Academy graduates who entered the Academy with no prior
 service is the date they reported to the Academy, not the date they
 graduated.
• Beginning an ROTC scholarship program or enlisting as a Reserve in
 the Senior ROTC program sets the DIEMS, not the graduation or
 commissioning date.
• Members who entered the military, separated, and then rejoined the
 military have a DIEMS based on entering the first period of military
 service.
• The DIEMS for members who enlisted under the delayed entry program is
 when they entered the delayed entry program, not when they initially
 reported for duty.
• For those who joined the Reserves and later joined the active
 component, their DIEMS is the date they joined the Reserves.

Your pay date may be different than your DIEMS. Also, your DIEMS do not
 determine when you have enough time in the service to retire. It only
 determines which retirement system applies to you.  Not all Services
 have their DIEMS dates properly defined in their personnel records. If
 you have unusual circumstances and are unsure of when your DIEMS date is
 or believe your records show an incorrect DIEMS date, contact your
 personnel office to discuss your particular situation.

     Based upon the date you initially entered the military, you can
 determine which of the following retirement system applies to you:

• FINAL PAY:  Entry before 8 SEP 80. Each year of service is worth 2.5%
 toward the retirement multiplier.
• HIGH-3: Entry on or after 8 SEP 80, but before 1 AUG 86 or entered on
 or after 1 AUG 86, and did not choose the Career Status Bonus (CSB)
 and Military Retirement Reform Act (REDUX) of 1986 retirement system.
  Computation is at 2.5% per year of service based on the average of the
 highest pay received over any consecutive 36 months of service.
• CSB/REDUX: Entered on or after 1AUG 86 and elected to receive the
 Career Status Bonus of  $30,000 given at the 15th year of service with
 commitment to complete 20 year career. Each year of service is worth 2% of
 the highest pay received over any consecutive 36 months of service for
 the first 20 years; 3.5% for each year beyond 20, up to 75%.  Annual
 COLA is based on CPI less 1% until age 62.  At that time yearly
 multiplier becomes 2.5% and 1% reduction in COLA is eliminated.

Retired pay is based on a percentage of base pay. Allowances and
 special pay are not included in base pay computation.  The maximum percentage
 anyone can receive is 75%. Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) are
 given annually based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a
 measure of inflation. Under the High-3, the annual COLA is equal to CPI.
 This is a different index than the one used for active duty annual pay
 raises. The index used for active duty pay raises are based upon
 average civilian wage increases.
[Source: www.dod.mil/militarypay/index.html Feb 08 ++]


VA VETERAN SUPPORT UPDATE 01:   In support of the nation’s veteran
 community the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) reported the following
 Benefit statistics as of FEB 08:

• More than half of Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) budget
 (nearly $86 billion in obligations in 2007) is paid directly to veterans in
 the form of statutory benefits.
• Over 3.7 million veterans and beneficiaries receive compensation or
 pension benefits from VA. In 2007, VA processed nearly 825,000 claims
 for disability benefits and added almost 250,000 new beneficiaries to the
 compensation and pension rolls.
• Approximately 523,000 students received education benefits in 2007;
 20 percent of them are first time recipients of VA education benefits.
• VA guarantees an average of 11,109 loans a month for veterans
 realizing the American dream of home ownership. VA currently guarantees 2.2
 million active home loans to veterans. Those loans total $243 billion.
• Over half of VA’s home loan guarantees went to first- time home
 buyers. Approximately 90% of the loans use the “no down payment” feature
 that makes the VA loan guaranty so effective.
• VA will pay 1.2 million veterans insurance policy holders $369
 million in dividends this year. VA will also pay $2.5 billion in life
 insurance beneficiary claims to 105,000 survivors of veterans and service
 members.
• Approximately 200 children and widows of Spanish- American War
 veterans still receive VA survivor benefits. There are three survivors of
 Civil War veterans still receiving VA benefits.
• There are 4 million veterans or service members insured under
 VA-administered life insurance programs. The average basic insurance amount is
 $240,000. All policies have a total face value of $1 trillion, an
 amount higher than the gross domestic product of most countries.
• Average annual amounts paid to veterans or survivors under various
 benefits programs: disability compensation, $9,811; pension, $8,509;
 Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, $13,612; and death pension, $3,829.
• As of September 2007, 223,564 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation
 Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans filed for disability claims, 89%
 received claims decisions and 11% are waiting for claims decisions.
[Source:  VA Fact sheet Feb 08 ++]


SOCIAL SECURITY TAXATION UPDATE 05:   Non-resident alien green card
 holders residing in countries that do not have a tax treaty with the U.S.
 can claim exemption from alien tax on their Social Security benefits
 per IRS Pub 915. To claim the exemption from withholding and/or apply for
 a refund three things are required:       
   1.  A copy of Form SSA-1042S Social Security Benefits Statement   
   2.  A copy of the “green card,” and  
   3.  A signed declaration that includes the following statement:
  “The SSA should not have withheld federal income tax from my social
 security benefits because I am a U.S. lawful permanent resident and my green
 card has been neither revoked nor administratively or judicially
 determined to have been abandoned. I am filing a U.S. 1040 income tax return
 for the tax year as a resident alien reporting all my worldwide income.
 I have not claimed benefits for the tax year under any income tax
 treaty as a nonresident alien.”       

     For residents of countries that have a tax treaty who want to
 escape from paying U.S. tax on their social security the inclusion of the
 tax treaty reference is important. Not all tax treaties are the same. In
 the case of Korea, the distinction is important because SS benefits
 are taxable by the U.S. whereas other U.S. government annuities are not
 taxable by the U.S. because they are taxable by the country of residence
 (Korea). Thus, a widow who receives SBP and/or OPM annuities cannot
 exempt these from U.S. income tax if they try to claim exemption from
 taxation of their SS benefit. They must decide which is the more
 beneficial to them.  To cancel the SS tax withholding and lose the exemption on
 any other annuities or take the exemption on other annuities and pay
 the U.S. tax on their SS benefits.  In Korea widows most affected by the
 exemption eligibility would be those who are younger with minor
 children for which the mother is receiving both the mother’s and child’s SS
 benefits.  Taxes are not withheld on the children’s benefits because
 they’re U.S. citizens but would be withheld on the mother’s benefit. In the
 case of Japan, who also has a tax treaty with the U.S., this is not a
 factor since SS and other benefits are considered taxable by the
 country of residence (Japan) rather than the country of origin of the
 benefits (U.S.).           

     Although a green card holder who has remained outside the U.S. for
 one year or more is normally denied reentry with that card it is not
 considered invalid as long as the holder has not voluntary relinquished
 it. If the holder applies for a Tourist, work, or other type of  visa
 for future visitation to the U.S. he/she must relinquish it before that
 new visa can be issued. For a holder to claim tax exemption on other
 U.S. sourced annuities the card must normally be relinquished to the
 nearest U.S. Consular office, Embassy, or mailed to INS in the states. An
 annotation will then be entered in that person’s records that the card
 was voluntarily relinquished. [Source: RAO Osan 8 DEC 06 ++]


VETERAN LEGISLATION STATUS 14 MARCH 08:   For a listing of
 Congressional bills of interest to the veteran community that have been introduced
 in the 110th Congress refer to the Bulletin’s House & Senate
 attachments.  By clicking on the bill number indicated you can access the actual
 legislative language of the bill and see if your representative has
 signed on as a cosponsor. Support of these bills through cosponsorship by
 other legislators is critical if they are ever going to move through
 the legislative process for a floor vote to become law.  A good
 indication on that likelihood is the number of cosponsors who have signed onto
 the bill. A cosponsor is a member of Congress who has joined one or more
 other members in his/her chamber (i.e. House or Senate) to sponsor a
 bill or amendment. The member who introduces the bill is considered the
 sponsor.  Members subsequently signing on are called cosponsors. Any
 number of members may cosponsor a bill in the House or Senate. At
 http://thomas.loc.gov you can also review a copy of each bill’s
 content, determine its current status, the committee it has been assigned to,
 and if your legislator is a sponsor or cosponsor of it.  To determine
 what bills, amendments your representative has sponsored, cosponsored,
 or dropped sponsorship on refer to
 http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d110/sponlst.html.  The key to increasing
 cosponsorship on veteran related bills and subsequent passage into law is
 letting our representatives know of veteran’s feelings on issues.  At
 the end of some listed bills is a web link that can be used to do that.
 Otherwise, you can locate on http://thomas.loc.gov who your
 representative is and his/her phone number, mailing address, or email/website to
 communicate with a message or letter of your own making.  [Source: RAO
 Bulletin Attachment 14 Mar 08 ++] 


HAVE YOU HEARD:  A man rushed into a busy doctor's office and shouted
 'Doctor! I think I'm shrinking!!' The doctor calmly responded, 'Now,
 settle down. You'll just have to be a little patient.'


Lt. James “EMO” Tichacek, USN (Ret)
Director, Retiree Assistance Office, U.S. Embassy Warden & IRS VITA
 Baguio City RP
PSC 517 Box RCB, FPO AP 96517
Tel: (951) 238-1246 in U.S. or Cell: 0915-361-3503 in the Philippines.
Email: raoemo@sbcglobal.net Web:
 http://post_119_gulfport_ms.tripod.com/rao1.html
AL/AMVETS/DAV/FRA/NAUS/NCOA/MOAA/USDR/VFW/VVA/CG33/DD890/AD37 member
BULLETIN SUBSCRIPTION NOTES:
== To subscribe first add the above RAO email addees to your address
 book and/or white list and then provide your full name plus either the
 post/branch/chapter number of the fraternal military/government
 organization you are currently affiliated with (if any) “AND/OR” the city and
 state/country you reside in so your addee can be properly positioned in
 the directory for future recovery. Subscription is open to all veterans,
 dependents, and military/veteran support organizations.  This Bulletin
 sent to 65,283 subscribers.
== To submit a change of email addee provide your old and new email
 addee plus full name.
== To automatically change your email addee or remove yourself from
 Bulletin distribution click the below or send a message which includes
 your full name plus your old & new email