From: FRA NewsBytes [Newsbytes@fra.org]
Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 2:36 AM
To: fra@fra367.org
Subject: FRA NewsBytes -- 05-21-10
In this week's NewsBytes:
Concurrent Receipt and Medicare/TRICARE Doc Fix
FY 2011 NDAA Approved by Full Committee
Financial Bill Passes Senate Without Auto Loan Exclusion
Service Flag Protection Bill Passes House

Concurrent Receipt and Medicare/TRICARE Doc Fix
At the Speaker's round table last week, FRA asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about a long-term or permanent solution to scheduled cuts in reimbursement rates for doctors serving Medicare and TRICARE patients. The Speaker said the House would consider legislation to delay the 21-percent reimbursement cuts before they are due to take effect on June 1, 2010. The pending Tax Extenders Act (H.R. 4213) may be amended to extend the delay until January 1, 2014. FRA is concerned that many physicians will stop accepting Medicare and TRICARE patients, if the cuts take effect.

The bill has also been amended to expand the concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation. The measure would authorize service members who are medically retired with less than 20 years of service (Chapter 61 retirees) and have a disability rating of 90 to 100 percent to receive both payments, without offset, starting on October 1, 2010 (FY 2011). The following year (FY 2012) concurrent receipt would be expanded to those medically retired with 70- to 80-percent disability ratings. These provisions are similar to President Obama's proposal last year to phase-in concurrent receipt by FY 2015 for all medically retired service members. The plan was not included in last year's Defense Authorization bill.

These are high priority issues for FRA and members are urged use the FRA Action Center (www.fra.org) to ask their legislators to resolve the ongoing threat to doctor reimbursement rates and support concurrent receipt improvements. Congress is expected to vote on this legislation next week.


FY 2011 NDAA Approved by Full Committee
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) marked-up and approved its version of the FY 2011 Defense Authorization bill in a day-long session this week. The Committee-approved bill includes:

  • Paying retirees on the first day of the month or earlier if the first day of the month falls on a weekend or holiday as is currently done for active duty pay;
  • No TRICARE fee or co-pay increases for retirees;
  • Authorizes TRICARE beneficiaries to purchase coverage for dependent children up to age 26 to align with coverage provided under national health care reform;
  • A 1.9-percent active duty pay increase, which is half a percent higher than the Employment Cost Index (ECI) and the Administration's request;
  • Increases monthly combat pay from $225 to $260 and raise the family separation allowance from $250 to $285;
  • Authorizes an increase in Navy end strength (4,000) until Navy Individual Augmentees (IA) are withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan;
  • Restores BAH payments for two active duty spouses when one is on sea duty;
  • Creates additional special one-time payment to pay for relocating a seriously wounded warrior's caregiver;
  • Full funding ($345 million) for the first-phase of construction to modernize DoD schools, additional Impact Aid funding ($50 million) for schools that educate military children and additional funding ($15 million) for schools impacted by base realignment and closure (BRAC).

    The bill does not include improvements to concurrent receipt (see story above), repealing SBP/DIC offsets for survivors, or allowing retroactive (back to Sept 11, 2001) early retirement credit for frequently mobilized Reservists.  These are high priority issues for members and the FRA Legislative Team will be working to support House floor amendments and include necessary language in the Senate version of the bill.

    The measure will now move to the House floor for consideration and the Senate will begin marking up its version of the Defense Authorization bill next week. After both chambers pass their bills, a conference committee will be appointed to reconcile the differences and create a final version of the measure that can be approved by both chambers and sent to the President for approval.


    Financial Bill Passes Senate Without Auto Loan Exclusion
    The Senate passed legislation (S. 3217) this week that provides regulation of various financial institutions. The Restoring American Financial Stability Act also creates a Consumer Financial Protection Agency that includes a military liaison to focus exclusively on protecting service members and their families from unscrupulous financial transactions. FRA, other Military Coalition members, consumer groups and the Pentagon successfully defeated efforts to exclude auto loans from the financial regulation bill. Auto loans are a major financial obligation for most service members and FRA believes it is important to address auto dealers' financing and sales in the reform bill to ensure greater protections for service members and their families.

    The House-passed version of the financial regulation bill (H.R. 4173) excludes auto loans and this issue will be a point of debate as a conference committee addresses differences between the two measures to create a final version. FRA thanks shipmates who contacted their senators on this issue; your involvement continues to make a difference.  


    Service Flag Protection Bill Passes House
    The House passed the FRA-supported "Blue Star/Gold Star Act" (H.R. 2546) that prohibits a residential association from adopting any policy that would restrict or prevent a member from displaying a service flag on their residential property. (Service flags are those showing a blue star for a loved one's wartime service or a gold star to show a family member died during military wartime service.) Military personnel and their families make enormous sacrifices for their country and their service, and it seems only right they be guaranteed the right to show support for that service at their place of residence.

    The bill, introduced by Ohio Rep. John Boccieri, now goes to the Senate for further consideration. Members are urged to use the Action Center (www.fra.org) to ask their Senators to support the initiative.

    ________________________________________
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