TREA WASHINGTON UPDATE FOR AUGUST 14, 2009

Slow, sleepy, hot August has come to Washington DC. Members of Congress are all out of town going to Town Hall meetings in their Districts or states (or trying to avoid them). And we, back in the Capital, are trying to catch up on all the things we couldn’t get to while Congress was in session.

We should wish a belated birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard. Last week (August 4 to be precise) was the Coast Guard’s 219th birthday. It was authorized by our 1st Congress (we are now up to 112th) to enforce tariff and trade laws. It received its present name in 1915 and is now under the Department of Homeland Security and one of our seven Uniformed Services. Semper Paratus (Always Ready)!

1) Secretary Geren Stays on as Secretary of the Army until Congress’ Return

2) More From the White House on TRICARE and Proposed Health Insurance Reform

3) Skelton Opposes Proposal to Move Gitmo Detainees to Ft Leavenworth

4) Army Sergeant to be Awarded Medal of Honor by President Obama

5) July Big Month for Military Recruiting

6) TRICARE Releases Information Paper on New Mental Health Program

7) U.S. Army’s “Spirit of America” Show Will Be Touring the Country

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1) Secretary Geren Stays on as Secretary of the Army until Congress’ Return-The Senate adjourned without acting on the nomination of Rep. John M McHugh (D-NY) as the next Secretary of the Army. While President Obama announced the proposed appointment on June 2, the Senate Armed Service Committee held a confirmation hearing on July 30. There was then not enough time for the full Senate to vote. The present Army Secretary Pete Geren has agreed to remain on the job until formally replaced rather than leaving the job to an acting Secretary during war time. It will be at least a month until the Senate will vote on Rep. McHugh.

2) More From the White House on TRICARE and Proposed Health Insurance Reform-This week the White House posted a question and answer about the proposed health care bills pending in Congress and how they say it would affect the active duty on TRICARE. Below please see the Q and A.

Q: I am active duty military and I am worried that health reform will affect my care under TRICARE.

A: The President is committed to ensuring that America’s servicemen and women have high quality care. This was an issue he fought for when he was a United States Senator and will continue fighting for as President. You have given much to your country, and we are determined to provide you and your family with good, reliable health care.

Health reform will only build on our commitment to military health care. TRICARE will continue to be available for all eligible servicemen and women, and their families. The health reform legislation that is being considered would enable those who are covered by TRICARE to meet the shared responsibility requirement for individuals to have insurance, thereby exempting such members of the uniformed services and dependants from being assessed penalties. If enacted, the President will ensure that this exemption is implemented aggressively. The Secretary of Defense would continue to maintain sole authority over the system and for enhancing the quality and access for all eligible members of the uniformed services.

Whenever we find a statement from the White House on how they think the proposals to change the Nation’s health care system will specifically affect TRICARE or VA health care we intend to include it on our Update.

3) Skelton Opposes Proposal to Move Gitmo Detainees to Ft Leavenworth-Chairman of the House Armed Services, Ike Skelton (D-MO), was written a letter to SecDef Gates opposing the present proposal to move prisoners from Guantanamo to the military prison on Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. His objections stated in the letter were that their presence jeopardizes the quality of education provided at the base’s Army Command and General Staff College to “foreign officers sent there from Muslim countries.” He said that if the detainees were transferred it was likely that fewer countries would participate which would hurt the experience gained by American officers. He also said that such a plan would probably require new building construction because U.S. law bans American and foreign individuals from sharing cell space. He stated “I feel strongly that Fort Leavenworth is not an appropriate option.”

4) Army Sergeant to be Awarded Medal of Honor by President Obama-The White House announced that on September 17, President Obama will posthumously award Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry in Afghanistan. This will be the first time President Obama has conferred the award and the 6th Medal of Honor for service in Afghanistan or Iraq since 9/11. On June 21, 2006 the staff sergeant Monti was killed while serving with the 10th Mountain Division. The White House statement said: "He displayed immeasurable courage and uncommon valor – eventually sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his comrade." Sgt. Monti was a native of Raynham MA and enlisted in the Army in 1993. During his Army career he was awarded several military decorations including a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, five Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, three Good Conduct Medals, and three National Defense Service Medals. His parents Paul and Janet Monti will attend the White House ceremony.

5) July Big Month for Military Recruiting-Last month more than 15,000 enlisted in the active duty forces. It is clear that during bad economic times more young men and women look at military for a career. Deputy Undersecretary for Military Personnel Policy Bill Carr referred to the economy when he explained “In tougher economic times, youth are simply more willing to discuss options with recruiters. And when they learn the facts, they see the advantages.”

All four services met or exceeded their July active duty recruiting goals as did the reserve components. Only the Army and Air National Guard failed to meet their July goals. The Army, with 6,199 active-duty accessions, topped its July goal by 2 percent. The Marine Corps exceeded its active-duty goal by 15 percent, with 3,451 new members. The Army Reserve signed on 1,628 soldiers, 123 percent of its monthly goal. The Marine Corps recruited 1,135 members --201 percent of its goal. The Navy signed on 3,421 new members while the Air Force signed on 2,654 new members. Both services' reserve components met their July goals, with 688 accessions in the Navy Reserve and 907 in the Air Force Reserve.

6) TRICARE Releases Information Paper on New Mental Health Program-Below please find an information Paper explaining in detail the new “web-based” mental health care initiatives that I wrote about 2 weeks ago.

INFORMATION PAPER ON TRICARE’S WEB-BASED MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVES

TRICARE is providing two new avenues to access mental health care. The TRICARE Assistance Program (TRIAP) is being established to provide short-term, problem solving counseling to eligible beneficiaries twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. TRICARE is also building a telemental health network to provide greater access to mental health care.

• TRIAP is intended to help beneficiaries deal with personal problems that might adversely impact their work performance, health, and well-being. Eligibles include ADSMs, their spouses, and other family members 18 years of age or older who reside in CONUS. Those enrolled in TRICARE Reserve Select and the Transitional Assistance Management Program are also eligible.

• The counseling will be provided in a virtual face-to-face environment using video cameras and software such as Skype or iChat. Beneficiaries may access TRIAP from any location provided they have the necessary hardware and software.
• There is a clinical aspect to the counseling but there is no diagnosis made, there are no limits to usage, and those seeking counseling will not be reported back to their primary care managers, or others, unless required by the counselor’s licensure (spouse abuse, etc.). There are no out-of-pocket costs for TRIAP.

Heath care provided via telemedicine is a TRICARE-authorized benefit, and TRICARE has asked the managed care support contractors to develop a telemental health network in order to provide greater access to care as part of its telemental health (TMH) care initiative.

• The requirement is to develop an originating site (the site where the beneficiary is receives care) within 40 miles of each military treatment facility (MTF) and a single originating site more than 40 mile from an MTF where there are significant numbers of TRICARE Prime Remote or TRICARE Reserve Select enrollees.
• Network development includes establishing distant sites (the site from where providers deliver care) to provide mental health care.

Both initiatives will be operational August 1, 2009.

7) U.S. Army’s “Spirit of America” Show Will Be Touring the Country-The Army has announced that the free live spectacular “Spirit of America” will be appearing early this fall at the George Mason Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, on September 11 and 12, the Nationwide Arena in Columbus Ohio on September 18 and 19; and at the Providence Rhode Island Dunkin’ Donuts Center on September 25 and 26. This is a great show; if you are near one of the locations you should try and see it.

The show is put on by over 300 soldiers re-enacting historical moments in our Nation’s history along with performances by the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own," and Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army. Elements of The Old Guard include The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the Caisson Platoon, the Commander-in-Chief's Guard and the U.S. Army Drill Team.

The shows are free but you will need tickets. For the 4 shows in Fairfax Virginia go to www.partriotcenter.com The 2 hour shows will be Friday, September 11 at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, September 12 the shows will be at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For tickets for the shows in Columbus, Ohio, go to www.nationwidearena.com. There will be performance at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 18, and at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 19. Finally, to get tickets for the shows in Providence, Rhode Island, go to www.dunkindonutscenter.com. Again, the times are 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 25, and at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday September 26.

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