From: FRA NewsBytes [Newsbytes@fra.org]
Sent: Saturday, May 01, 2010 03:06
To: fra@fra367.org
Subject: FRA NewsBytes -- 04-30-2010
In this week's NewsBytes:
TRICARE Fee Clarification
Senate Panel Reviews Military Pay Raise
Allow Families of Fallen Heroes to Mourn in Peace
FRA Briefs Retiree Councils
Report: Independent Evaluation Needed for OEF/OIF Programs


TRICARE Fee Clarification
Regarding a story in last Friday's USA Today , RADM Christine Hunter, Deputy Director of TRICARE Management Activity (TMA), assured FRA that no TRICARE fee increase will be proposed this year . This was one of several issues discussed by members of FRA's National Board of Directors during their recent Hill visits with their respective members of Congress and/or their staffs.  FRA opposes excessive TRICARE fee increases and believes that retirees have earned health care and other benefits through many years of arduous military service to our nation.  The Association also believes that the Defense Department should investigate and implement cost-saving measures as alternatives to shifting costs to TRICARE beneficiaries. Shipmates are encouraged to use the FRA Action Center at www.fra.org and urge support for HR 816, a measure that would require congressional approval to increase TRICARE premiums.  


Senate Panel Reviews Military Pay Raise
The Senate Armed Services Committee's Personnel Subcommittee heard testimony this week from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) the Rand Corporation and others indicating that across-the-board pay increases are not necessarily the most effective way to keep the military fully staffed. There is continuing debate about the continuing existence of a pay gap between military and civilian pay levels, and witnesses suggested that targeted special pay, incentive pay and bonus payments (in lieu of the annual across-the-board-pay increase) could provide substantial savings for the Pentagon budget.

Military pay increases were kept below private sector pay growth (Employment Cost Index or ECI) for most of the 1980s and 1990s, which resulted in a 13.5-percent basic pay gap between military and comparable non-military occupations in 1999 that compounded retention and recruitment problems. Congress responded to FRA's and The Military Coalition's advocacy on the matter by authorizing higher-than-ECI military pay raises every year since 1999 (except FY2007) and today the cumulative basic pay gap has been reduced to 2.4 percent. While some policymakers believe that increased housing allowances, tax breaks and other benefits have eliminated the gap altogether, FRA believes that a pay gap remains and has referenced the issue in congressional testimony and interaction with lawmakers and their staffs. FRA cites the unique demands ssociated with military service and advocates a FY2011 annual active duty pay increase of 1.9 percent, which is one-half percent (0.5 %) above the ECI and the Administration's budget request of 1.4 percent.


Allow Families of Fallen Heroes to Mourn in Peace
Rep. John Boccieri (Ohio) recently introduced a measure (H. Con. Res. 261) expressing the sense of Congress that the Supreme Court should uphold the law that allows the families and friends of fallen members of the Armed Forces to mourn their loved ones in peace and privacy. In the pending court case Snyder v. Phelps , war protesters are challenging the constitutionality of the law that prohibits protests within 300 feet from the entrance of any cemetery under control by the National Cemetery Administration and at Arlington National Cemetery from 60 minutes before and 60 minutes after the funeral service.

FRA strongly supported the "Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act" and urges shipmates and others to use the FRA Action Center at www.fra.org to contact their representatives to ask that this resolution be passed to send a strong signal to the Supreme Court not to overturn this important law.

Hot Topic:  Is protesting at a funeral a demonstration of free speech or a sign of disrespect?  Share your views at www.fra.org/hottopics.


FRA Briefs Retiree Councils
FRA National Executive Director Joe Barnes and other members of the Military Coalition (TMC) provided a legislative update to members of the Secretary of the Navy Retiree Council this week, addressing the importance of fully funding TRICARE, concurrent receipt improvements, repeal of the existing Survivor Benefit Plan/Dependency Indemnity Compensation (SBP/DIC) offset, Agent Orange claims, reform of the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act (USFSPA) and other military retiree benefit issues.  The Council is co-chaired by former Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Gene Overstreet and VADM John Totushek, USN (Ret.)  The 24-member SecNav Retiree Council was established in 1968 to consider issues of importance to retired military personnel and their families, and reports to the Secretary of the Navy with recommendations on the same.  

John Davis, FRA's director of Legislative Programs, and representatives from the Military Officers of America Association (MOAA) also provided a legislative update on priority retiree issues this week to members of the National Coast Guard Retiree Council. In addition, FRA hosted the council for a reception at NHQ. The Coast Guard Retiree, which is co-chaired by former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard and former FRA National Chaplain Vince Patton (Ret.) and RADM Fred L. Ames, USCG (Ret.), ensures that retirees' concerns are brought to the attention of USCG leadership and that members of the retired community are kept informed on key legislative initiatives.

Both Retiree Councils meet once yearly to develop a list of priorities and recommendations on important retiree issues.


Report: Independent Evaluation Needed for OEF/OIF Programs
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released preliminary findings from a study on the readjustment needs of current and former service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. IOM recommends that the Departments of Defense and Veterans' Affairs organize an independent evaluation of their various transition programs to determine effectiveness and eliminate redundancy to help ensure the needs of service members, veterans and their families are met.  It is important to learn how many mental health care providers are needed and where, what works best in treating traumatic brain injury (TBI) over the long term, and whether giving service members time to decompress before returning home would be beneficial. VA also needs to institute a process of forecasting the amount and types of resources necessary to meet the needs of veterans and their families in the next 30 years or more when their demand for health care and disability compensation will likely peak.

The study sought to identify the most pressing needs of this population through an intial review of the limited scientific literature available, as well as media reports and testimony from veterans and their families at town-hall meetings.  A follow-up report will present more detailed findings and recommendations based on an in-depth review of additional sources, including data anticipated from several ongoing studies.

Copies of the preliminary report can be found at  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12812

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