From: FRA NewsBytes [Newsbytes@fra.org]
Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 1:28 AM
To: fra@fra367.org
Subject: FRA NewsBytes -- 11-13-09
In this week's NewsBytes:
Stop Medicare/TRICARE Doctor Reimbursement Cuts!
Executive Order on Veterans Employment
Veterans' Day 2009
Veterans' Critical Issues Report Available Online
TRICARE Extends OTC Medication Demonstration Project


Stop Medicare/TRICARE Doctor Reimbursement Cuts!
The House is expected to vote next week on "The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act" (H.R. 3961), a measure that will halt a 21-percent cut in Medicare and TRICARE reimbursement rates that is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2010. Unless this rate cut is eliminated or delayed, many doctors are expected to stop seeing Medicare and TRICARE patients. Some health care providers already choose not to participate in the Medicare and TRICARE programs because of low reimbursement rates, citing extra TRICARE administrative burdens and fewer military patients as added challenges. Members are urged to use the FRA Action Center (www.fra.org) to contact their U.S. representative immediately to ask for their support.  


Executive Order on Veterans Employment
President Obama signed an executive order this week that's intended to make the federal government a model employer of veterans and encourage private employers to do the same. The order creates an interagency Council on Veterans Employment to advise the President and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on veteran's employment in the federal government. The initiative is intended to underscore the importance of recruiting and training veterans, increasing employment opportunities for veterans, and providing assistance to recently hired veterans as they adjust to their new work environment.  

The order also establishes a Veterans Employment Program Office within most federal agencies, which will be responsible for finding veteran employment opportunities within their agencies and providing feedback from veterans employed by the agencies.


Veterans' Day 2009
In accordance with a long-standing tradition, FRA shipmates participated in Veterans' Day ceremonies around the country on November 11th, 2009, which also marked FRA's 85th anniversary. FRA National President (NP) Gary Blackburn, LA FRA NP Cindy Rodham-Tuck and FRA's National Veterans Service Officer Chris Slawinski attended a White House breakfast before attending ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery.  NP Blackburn, LA FRA NP Rodham-Tuck and NED Joe Barnes proudly represented the FRA and LA FRA at a special wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns following President Obama's address to thousands of veterans and family members who assembled for the occasion.


Veterans' Critical Issues Report Available Online
Each year four of the nation's largest veterans' organizations release a collaborative Independent Budget (IB) that makes recommendations on how the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) can best meet the needs of America's veterans. FRA has regularly endorsed the IB and the FY2011 edition will be released in February to coincide with the Administration's release of its proposed VA budget. A report of critical issues related to the FY2011 IB was recently released, alerting law- and policy-makers to recommendations that may require their intervention. This critical issues report is available at http://www.independentbudget.org/2011/CI_2011.pdf.


TRICARE Extends OTC Medication Demonstration Project
TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) has announced that TRICARE's over-the-counter medication demonstration project has been extended. The program allows TRICARE beneficiaries to substitute over-the-counter (OTC) versions of certain prescription drugs.   The OTC program, which was scheduled to end Nov. 4, 2009 as TRICARE's new pharmacy contract starts, will continue. However, due to system changes being implemented as part of the new TRICARE Pharmacy program, participants in the OTC demonstration must pay $3 co-pay while the demonstration program is under review. The program previously did not require any copayment.

Examples of OTC medications available through the program include the allergy medications (cetirizine and loratadine), and heartburn medications (proton-pump inhibitors) Prilosec OTC and its generic form (omeprazole).

As before, beneficiaries cannot just walk into a pharmacy and get OTC medications. To use the program a prescription from their health care provider is required for the respective OTC drug.   For more information about the TRICARE Pharmacy Program, go to http://www.tricare.mil/pharmacy.

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