TREA WASHINGTON UPDATE FOR NOVEMBER 13, 2009
Congress was in session on Monday and Tuesday of this week, but several members were at Ft. Hood on Tuesday for the memorial service for the soldiers murdered during last week’s horrific shootings. Congress then recessed for the Veterans’ Day holiday and for the remainder of the week. But both the House and Senate have scheduled very important votes next week and we urge you to contact your Representative and Senators to vote for the bills as explained below.
On Wednesday TREA once again participated in the ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery honoring our nation’s veterans. Details on each of these – and more – follow.
1. House and Senate Schedule Crucial Votes Next Week
2. TREA Honors America’s Veterans at Arlington Cemetery Ceremonies
3. A Veterans Day Message from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
4. New Veterans Employment Initiative Announced
5. TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy Services No Longer Available to Those Living Overseas
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1. House and Senate Schedule Crucial Votes Next Week - Next week the House of Representatives will vote on a bill to block the 21 percent reduction in Medicare payments to doctors that will go into effect in January unless the law is changed. The bill, H.R.3961, would instead increase the payments based on the Medicare economic index.
Congressional Quarterly reported that in addition to fixing the looming reimbursement cut in January, “the bill would restructure formulas on a long-term basis beginning in 2011, … .”
The cuts in Medicare reimbursement would also directly impact TRICARE reimbursement rates, since they are the same as the Medicare rates, so it is critically important that Congress pass this legislation. If Congress fails to act and the cuts do go into effect, it is believed that many doctors would stop seeing Medicare and TRICARE patients.
Also next week, the Senate is expected to vote on S. 1407, the FY 2010 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bill. This is the bill that will fund all of the activities of the VA, other than those which were included in the recently passed legislation that provides advanced funding for VA health care programs.
It is important that you to contact your Representative and urge him or her to vote for H.R. 3961 to block the payment reductions.
It is also important to contact your Senators and ask them to vote for S.1407 to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The other measure of concern to military personnel is the FY 2010 Defense Appropriations bill. However, the bill is still in a House-Senate conference committee and until they resolve their differences, no vote on the final measure can be taken.
2. TREA Honors America’s Veterans at Arlington Cemetery Ceremonies - TREA’s National President Charlie Flowers participated in events on Veterans’ Day in Washington to honor all of our nation’s veterans. The day started with a breakfast at the White House with President Obama and Mrs. Obama, as well as with Vice President Biden and his wife. Following that event, President Flowers traveled to Arlington National Cemetery where he was on the platform with President Obama and the heads of the nation’s other veterans service organizations as the President addressed the nation in the annual Veterans’ Day speech.
The cold, windy and rainy day concluded with TREA President Flowers and TREA National Director Arthur Cooper, accompanied by President Flowers’ daughter Cindy, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington.
Members of TREA chapters 9 and 24 from Maryland also proudly represented TREA at the events in Arlington Cemetery.
3. A Veterans Day Message From the Secretary of Veterans Affairs - Ever since Armistice Day was declared at the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month of 1919, Americans have paused every November 11 to salute the service and remember the sacrifice of those who have protected and defended our Nation.
Throughout our history, Americans have never faltered. Whether in epic battles, the names of which are known to many, or in little-known skirmishes, remembered only by those who fought them, men and women of our Armed Forces have pledged themselves to preserve the strength and assure the survival of our Nation. Time and again, the men and women of our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard answered each call to serve and safeguard our way of life.
Their legacy surrounds us. It is in our public meeting places, where we gather to celebrate and to speak openly and freely. It is in our churches, synagogues, and mosques, where we worship freely, as we please and in our own way. It is in our media, where reporters are free to write and broadcast the truth without fear of reprisal. And it is in our polling places, where we cast our ballots freely for those whom we choose to have govern this great land. As a Veteran, I am proud to extend the respect and gratitude of the Department of Veterans Affairs to each and every one of our Nation’s Veterans.
As the Nation honors its 23 million living Veterans and acknowledges their courage and sacrifice in war and their even greater accomplishments in peace, I want to thank VA’s employees for your unwavering commitment to and compassion for those Veterans. By your exemplary work at VA facilities all across the country, you fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have “borne the battle.”
I am privileged to serve with all of you. Together, we are committed to making every day “Veterans Day.”
Eric K. Shinseki
4. New Veterans Employment Initiative Announced -
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
November 09, 2009
Washington, DC – Today, the White House announced the launch of an initiative that is designed to transform the federal government into the model employer of America’s veterans. This evening, President Obama will be joined by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry to sign an Executive Order on the Employment of Veterans in the federal government, which establishes the Veterans Employment Initiative for the Executive Branch. The Initiative underscores to federal agencies the importance of recruiting and training veterans, aims to increase the employment of veterans within the Executive Branch, and helps recently hired veterans adjust to service in a civilian capacity.
“Honoring our sacred trust with America’s veterans means doing all we can to help them find work when they come home so they never feel as if the American Dream they fought to defend is out of reach for them and their families,” said President Obama. “But this initiative is about more than repaying our debt for their courageous service and selfless sacrifice. It’s also about continuing to fill the ranks of federal employees with men and women who possess the skills, dedication, and sense of duty that Americans deserve from their public servants. And few embody those qualities like our nation’s veterans.”
The Executive Order creates an interagency Council on Veterans Employment that will advise the President and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management on the veterans’ employment initiative. The Council will be chaired by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. OPM Director John Berry will serve as the Vice Chair and Chief Operating Officer of the Council.
“Veterans have shown unmatched dedication to public service,” said Secretary Shinseki. “They offer leadership and technical skills that are in high demand, whether in the public or private workforce. Not only does this initiative present an opportunity for Veterans to serve their Nation once again, the Nation will benefit from the education and training Veterans received in the Armed Forces. I am looking forward to working with Secretary Solis and Director Berry to achieve the objectives of this initiative across the federal government.”
“Veterans are an important part of our nation’s past, present and future. They deserve our full support as they reintegrate into the civilian workforce,” said Secretary Solis, “In signing this Executive Order, President Obama underscores his Administration’s commitment to our military men and women, and keeps us squarely on the path to achieving the goal of good jobs for everyone.”
“President Obama strongly believes in honoring the service of our veterans and he sees this initiative as an opportunity to put some real muscle behind that promise,” said Director Berry. “The strong sense of patriotism and public service held by members of our armed forces doesn’t leave them when they exit from active duty. It benefits our government to seize this opportunity to utilize their skills and dedication to service. The Veterans Employment Initiative will help our federal agencies identify qualified veterans, clarify the hiring process for veterans seeking employment with the federal government, and help our veterans adjust to civilian life once they are hired.”
The Order also establishes a Veterans Employment Program office within most federal agencies. These offices will be responsible for helping veterans identify employment opportunities within those federal agencies, providing feedback to veterans about their employment application status, and helping veterans recently employed by these agencies adjust to civilian life and a workplace culture often different than military service.
In addition, the Office of Personnel Management will issue a government-wide strategic plan that will focus on creating leadership commitment and an infrastructure in each agency to promote continued skills development and employment success for veterans. The strategic plan will also include marketing strategies aimed at agency hiring managers as well as veterans and transitioning service members.
“This Executive Order reflects the shared commitment across the Obama administration to hiring American veterans,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Veterans play a vital role in the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to protect the nation, which is why we have pledged to grow our veteran workforce to more than 50,000 Department-wide by 2012.”
At the end of Fiscal Year 2008, there were approximately 480,000 veterans working within the federal government.
For more information, visit: www.fedshirevets.gov
5. TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy Services No Longer Available to Those Living Overseas - The Department of State is discontinuing postal activities for DoD retirees not serving overseas in an official capacity using a U.S. embassy or consulate post office box. Therefore, TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy services will no longer be available for those beneficiaries because TMOP cannot deliver to a foreign address. This change does not affect retirees who have a post office box on a military installation.
Express Scripts will continue processing TMOP orders until December 1, 2009. Mail service to affected beneficiaries will continue until December 31. Beneficiaries will then need to have their prescriptions filled by a host nation pharmacy or a Military Treatment Facility. They may be required to pay out-of-pocket and submit claims to the overseas claims processor WPS for reimbursement.
As a result of this announcement by the Department of State the following letter, which was signed by TREA, along with 33 other veterans/military organizations, was sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
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The Honorable Hillary
Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Madam Secretary,
The Military Coalition (TMC), a consortium of nationally prominent military and veterans associations representing 5.5 million active, Guard, Reserve, retired and former members of the uniform services, plus their families and survivors, is writing to urge you to rescind the State Department’s policy initiative that will eliminate embassy mail privileges for American uniformed service retirees overseas by Dec. 31, 2009.
As you know, the State Department and the Department of Defense are in the process of shifting mail delivery to State Department facilities overseas from the traditional APO/FPO addresses to a new designation as Diplomatic Post Offices. This change will eliminate mail privileges to close to 4,800 military retirees, forcing them to use foreign mail systems that in some parts of the world can be slow, unreliable or expensive.
Further, timely mail delivery is of the utmost importance for those retirees who rely on the embassy mail privileges to receive their TRICARE Mail-Order Pharmacy prescriptions. They also receive their military retirement and Social Security checks via mail and could possibly become targets for theft and/or fraud.
It is our hope that possible alternatives can be realized before further implementation of this initiative so as to not penalize military retirees for choosing to live abroad. We thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
The Military Coalition
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!!!
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