TREA WASHINGTON UPDATE FOR DECEMBER 18, 2009
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!
Please note there will be no Updates for the next two weeks, Christmas and New Year’s Day. We look forward to writing to you again in 2010.
The House of Representatives have adjourned for the season, but the Senate is still fighting it out. They should be leaving soon. At 1:00 a.m. this morning the Senate voted 63-33 for a cloture vote for the NDAA (HR3326). We expect the Senate to vote sometime tomorrow to pass this year’s $636.3 billion National Defense Appropriations Act and then move back to health care.
1) The Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs Sends a Holiday Greeting
2) The House of Representatives Raises Debt Ceiling for Federal Government
3) President Obama Signs Miniomnibus (Not All That Mini)
4) TMA Working on New “TRICARE Retired Reserve” Program
5) Commemoration of The Battle Of The Bulge
***************************************************
|
Donate to TREA -- You have a couple of weeks left to make a 2009 Charitable Donation!!! |
************************************
Click here for a Printable Version of this Update
************************************************
1) The Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs Sends a Holiday Greeting:
“On Christmas Eve, 1776, General George Washington met with his war council in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, to finalize what he hoped would be a “brilliant stroke,” a turning point in America’s War for Independence—the crossing of the ice-clogged, storm-swept Delaware River, culminating in a surprise attack on Trenton, New Jersey. Nothing less than the future of this newly-declared republic rested on its successful outcome.
The challenges were overwhelming. Many of General Washington’s troops were ill, low on food, poorly clothed, and suffering through one of the bitterest winters on record. Outnumbered and pressed to the limits of human endurance, the American Army was not fit to take on the professional British Army and its Hessian allies, warmly encamped across the Delaware. So remote and unthinkable was such audacity that complacency and lowered guards gave rise to opportunity.
As General Nathaniel Greene described him, Washington “. . . never appeared to so much advantage as in the hour of distress.” That would have aptly described the entire Continental Army that Christmas Eve. Within 24 hours, at midnight on the 25th of December, 1776, Washington executed the crossing of the Delaware, and the rest is history: Washington’s “brilliant stroke” tipped the scales in the War for Independence.
From that Christmas of 1776, American men and women in uniform have spent many Christmases on battlefields in Europe, Africa, throughout the Pacific; on the Korean Peninsula and in Vietnam; and from Kuwait to Iraq and Afghanistan.
This season, we gather with our families and friends in a Nation free to celebrate in the custom of our choosing, by whatever name or tradition it is known, thanks to the long and unbroken line of patriots whose courage and sacrifice continue to secure the blessings of freedom and liberty upon our grateful Nation.
To our 23 million Veterans, to our 298,000 VA employees, and to our men and women of the Armed Forces so far from home, we send best wishes for a joyous Holiday Season and heartfelt thanks for the selflessness of your service.
Eric K. Shinseki
2) The House of Representatives Raises Debt Ceiling for Federal Government-Just before leaving for the Holiday break the House of Representatives passed a bill raising the federal ceiling by $290 billion to finance operations for the next six weeks. The bill was passed 218-214 and sent to the Senate for their action before they leave.
This was not what the House leadership wanted to do. They had planned to include the debt limit legislation in the Defense Authorization bill. It was going to be a $2 trillion raise so Congress would not have to vote on this issue in 2010 (an election year).
But everything started to fall apart with the plan. First, the Republicans unanimously voted against the ceiling increase. And then several Blue Dog Democrats said that they would not vote for the full ceiling increase unless the law included the creation of a bipartisan task force tasked to create a plan to lower the deficits. (Speaker of the House Pelosi opposes the creation of such a panel.) Then moderate Democrats in the Senate objected to the full ceiling increase unless a PAYGO provision was included.
When the Democratic leadership tried to place the 6 week increase in the Defense Appropriation Act, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) refused to vote for its inclusion in the NDAA based on his opposition to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This means that Democrats in both the House and the Senate must vote for the increase without the political protection of the NDAA. It is getting very tense here.
3) President Obama Signs MiniOmnibus (Not All That Mini)-On Wednesday, President Obama signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill, the Consolidated Appropriation (HR3288) that includes 6 of the 12 Appropriations bills for FY2010 (which started on October 1, 2009). The bill included the Military Construction-VA Appropriations bill which included advanced appropriations for FY2011’s VA health care and a multi billion increase in this year’s VA budget.
4) TMA Working on New “TRICARE Retired Reserve” Program-TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) put out a press release on Thursday saying that they were working to stand up the new TRICARE Gray Area retiree program that was created in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (that is the good news). They also indicated that it will be both slower to start and more expensive than we think is necessary (that is the bad news). We need to urge Congress to press DoD on both points.
The program which TMA says is tentatively named “TRICARE Retired Reserve” will provide a TRICARE option for members of the Retired Reserve (who are not yet 60 and therefore qualified for TRICARE) to purchase TRICARE Standard (or Extra) coverage. (TRICARE Extra means that beneficiaries pay smaller out of pocket costs if they use network providers.) The benefit is the same as TRICARE Reserve Select; however, the costs are dramatically different. IN TRS present members of the Selected Reserve pay 28% of the costs and the federal government pays 72%. In the new Gray Area Retiree program the beneficiaries will pay 100% of the cost of the coverage.
DoD is taking the position that they cannot fold the new beneficiaries into the present TRS program but must stand up an entirely new program:
“We’re working hard to coordinate all the details of eligibility, coverage and costs, and expedite implementation of this important program,” said Rear Adm. Christine Hunter, deputy director of the TRICARE Management Activity. “This is a major benefit program with implementation on the same magnitude as TRS. It will require detailed design, development and testing, but qualified retired reservists should be able to purchase coverage by late summer or early fall of 2010.”
This decision will delay the implementation of the program. As you can see Admiral Hunter is indicating that it will not start before late summer or early fall. This means those who plan to enroll in the program should save their medical receipts for 2010 with a view to being reimbursed for their expenses when the program is finally implemented. However, we will try and clarify with TMA if, in fact, reimbursement will be possible. The statement also makes clear what we have heard rumored behind the scenes. DoD intends to have a different risk pool from TRS and higher premiums for TRICARE Retired Reserve than TRS. TREA thinks both the delay and the planned higher premiums are not appropriate. We, along with other VSOs, are urging Congress to pressure DoD to change these decisions.
5) Commemoration of the Battle of the Bulge-Last weekend in Bastogne Belgium there was a dramatic commemoration of the 65th Anniversary of World War II’s Battle of the Bulge. While there were less than a dozen veterans of the battle at the event, the U.S. Ambassador along with 2 of General George S. Patton’s grandchildren and General Anthony McAuliffe ‘s nephew attended. Over 4,100 people walked the American defensive lines. On December 16, centered in Bastogne, the Germans started their 500,000 troop, 41 day counter offensive. When it was over we had lost 19,000 America troops and 3,000 Belgium civilians. But the counter offensive had failed.
***************************************************
 www.treawireless.com |
 www.brookdaleliving.com |
*********************************************************
What if TREA earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!
GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!
GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Retired Enlisted Association (Aurora, CO) as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!
http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=815089
********************************
MAKE A DONATION TO TREA, JUST BY SHOPPING! CLICK BELOW:
http://www.mypowermall.com/mall/111349
**********************************************************
AS YOU ARE PLANNING YOUR 2009 CHARITABLE DONATIONS, PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION TO THE RETIRED ENLISTED ASSN. MAKE YOUR DONATION ONLINE AT: www.trea.org/DonationPage.html
OR MAIL YOUR DONATION TO: TREA HQ, 1111 S ABILENE CT., AURORA, CO 80012
YOU MAY EARMARK YOUR DONATION TO SUPPORT WHATEVER YOU WOULD LIKE. (GENERAL FUND, THE VOICE/WEB, MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, SCHOLARSHIP, OR JUST MARK "WHERE IT IS NEEDED MOST")! DONATIONS TO TREA ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!!!
****************************
If you need to change the email address that receives the Legislative Update, go to: http://www.capwiz.com/trea/mlm/verify/
At the bottom of the page, enter the email address that currently receives the update, verify who you are, and change your email address. If you have any problems email editor@trea.org
Continue to send emails to your Senators and Representatives about the bills that are of interest to you. Remember we have prepared emails available for you.
If you do not receive the Legislative Update delivered to your email box, click the above link, and sign up!
Don’t forget to "Tell A Friend” about our Legislative Updates, GoodSearch, GoodShop, and TREA's My Power Mall.
|
******************* National Headquarters email: treahq@trea.org
|
