Volume 1 • Number 2 November - December 2005 61% of seniors who are eligible for the new Medicare prescription drug program don’t understand the program and 54% say they don’t plan to sign up for it, according to a recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll. The poll results were reported in a recent article published in USA Today. The drug program is the most significant change in the Medicare program since it was established in1965. Qualified seniors who are interested in enrolling can do so between November 15, 2005, and May 15, 2006. Coverage will begin on Jan. 1, 2006, for those who have signed up by then. Although it will still be possible to enroll after May 15, there will be a penalty in the form of higher premiums for those who do. One of the reasons for the lack of interest in the program appears to be its complexity. There are varying plans with monthly premiums that range from $1.87 to nearly $100. Co-payments and benefits also vary from one plan to another, as do deductibles, which range from zero to $250. According to USA Today, ten plans will be sold nationally and in some states there could be more than 20 companies offering competing versions. For more information about the Medicare drug program you can go to www.Medicare.gov and click on the prescription drug benefit option, or you can call: 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227). New Medicare Drug Plan Baffles Many Seniors I n July, shortly before the August Congressional recess, the leadership of the Senate pulled the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2006 (S 1042) from the floor. In an effort to curtail amendments and end debate on the bill the Senate Leadership had called for a vote to end debate so a final vote could be taken. The effort failed and rather than risk further amendments, the bill was taken off the floor. As we go to press, it is well into fiscal year 2006, and the Senate has not passed a National DefenseAuthorization bill. In an effort to get the bill to the floor, Senator John Warner (R-VA), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, filed it as an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill for FY 06. That effort to piggyback failed, so at this time it is unclear whether or not Congress will pass an authorization bill at all this year. The Senate leadership and the White House are concerned about the number and substance of the pending amendments. For example, one proposal would establish an independent commission to study the government’s response to Katrina; this has attracted a veto threat of the entire bill from the Administration. Other amendments include concurrent receipt, SBP/DIC offset elimination, paid up SBP as well as other improvements for military personnel and dependents. Senator Lindsay Graham’s amendment to expand the TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) health plan to more Reserve and National Guard families is part of the NDAA legislation as well. The basic bill includes a 3.1% military pay raise and badly needed protection for military medical personnel authorizations. Without an authorization bill, these proposed improvements will die. It is possible that some of them, such as the pay raise, could be brought up separately for consideration. Even if sufficient support is generated to get the bill to the floor and passed, many of the excellent Senate proposals are not in the House version of the bill and could be stripped out or watered down in a joint Senate/House conference on the Senate Stall Shafts Military Personnel continued on page 6
Transcript
Volume 1 • Number 2 November - December 2005
61% of seniors who are eligible for the new Medicare prescription drug program don’t
understand the program and 54% say they don’t plan to sign up for it, according to a recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll. The poll results were reported in a recent article published in USA Today. The drug program is the most significant change in the Medicare program since it was established in1965. Qualified seniors who are interested in enrolling can do so between November 15, 2005, and May 15, 2006. Coverage will begin on Jan. 1, 2006, for those who have signed up by then. Although it will still be possible to enroll after May 15, there will be a penalty in the form of higher premiums for those who do.
One of the reasons for the lack of interest in the program appears to be its complexity. There are varying plans with monthly premiums that range from $1.87 to nearly $100.
Co-payments and benefits also vary from one plan to another, as do deductibles, which range from zero to $250. According to USA Today, ten plans will be sold nationally and in some states there could be more than 20 companies offering competing versions. For more information about the Medicare drug program you can go to www.Medicare.gov and click on the prescription drug
benefit option, or you can call:
1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227).
New Medicare Drug Plan Baffles Many Seniors
In July, shortly before the August Congressional recess, the leadership of the Senate pulled the National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2006 (S 1042) from the floor. In an effort to curtail amendments and end debate on the bill the Senate Leadership had called for a vote to end debate so a final vote could be taken. The effort failed and rather than risk further amendments, the bill was taken off the floor. As we go to press, it is well into fiscal year 2006, and the Senate has not passed a National Defense Authorization bill. In an effort to get the bill to the floor, Senator John Warner (R-VA), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, filed it as an amendment
to the Defense Appropriations Bill for FY 06. That effort to piggyback failed, so at this time it is unclear whether or not Congress will pass an authorization bill at all this year. The Senate leadership and the White House are concerned about the number and substance of the pending amendments. For example, one proposal would establish an independent commission to study the government’s response to Katrina; this has attracted a veto threat of the entire bill from the Administration. Other amendments include concurrent receipt, SBP/DIC offset elimination, paid up SBP as well as other improvements for military personnel and dependents. Senator Lindsay Graham’s amendment to
expand the TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) health plan to more Reserve and National Guard families is part of the NDAA legislation as well. The basic bill includes a 3.1% military pay raise and badly needed protection for military medical personnel authorizations. Without an authorization bill, these proposed improvements will die. It is possible that some of them, such as the pay raise, could be brought up separately for consideration. Even if sufficient support is generated to get the bill to the floor and passed, many of the excellent Senate proposals are not in the House version of the bill and could be stripped out or watered down in a joint Senate/House conference on the
Senate Stall Shafts Military Personnel
continued on page 6
Arlington National Cemetery Gains 70 Acres of Land
In 1998, burial space at the country’s most prestigious resting place for servicemembers and their spouses was becoming scarce, and officials worried they would run
out of room at Arlington National Cemetery in about 25 years. After years of searching for more space, Defense Department officials have garnered more than 70 acres of land to expand the sprawling 600-plus-acre hillside on the west bank of the Potomac River overlooking the nation’s capital.
“We estimated that we would run out of grave space between the year 2025 and 2030,” said cemetery superintendent John Metzler Jr. “So one of the things we were directed to do was to develop a new master plan and to look at not only what we needed to do internally to maintain the cemetery, but also how we could look at expanding the cemetery beyond the year of 2025.”
Now, Metzler said, Arlington would be able to continue operations until at least 2060, and that would include development for both ground and columbarium burials. He pointed out that the cemetery averages 26 burials a day, with 6,452 burials held during fiscal 2004. More than 292,000 people are buried at Arlington.
Eligibility for burial at Arlington includes: Anyone who dies on active duty; Any retired veteran with 20 years service or greater from the regular military; Reservists who have one period of active duty service other than training, who are aged 60 or older, and have a total of 20 years or more; and Honorably discharged recipients of the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star and Purple Heart.
Other eligible servicemembers include former prison-ers of war and veterans who are medically disabled with a 30 percent rating or greater before Oct. 1, 1949, as a
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result of their military service and were discharged for that reason. The spouses of these servicemembers are eligible for burial alongside their husbands or wives.
Metzler said any veteran with one period of active duty service ending with an honorable discharge is entitled to have his or her cremated remains placed into the Arlington Cemetery columbarium. Ashes of their spouses can be interred in the same location. Caissons are authorized for any officer or Medal of Honor recipient. E-9s are included in some cases, varying with each service branch, Metzler noted.
Several little-known historic sites are located at the cemetery. For example, there are two different locations for remains from the Civil War era. One has “USCT” engraved on the headstones, which stands for U.S. Colored Troops.
“We have several sections within the cemetery where the predominated burials are USCT,” Metzler noted. “Plus, we have the former residents of Freedmen’s Village. These were blacks who would be called in today’s terminology ‘homeless.’ They had no place to go. They’d come off the plantations, had no education, no money, no means to support themselves, and the government created a bureau -- the Freedmen’s Bureau -- to address this issue.”
Metzler said six villages were constructed in the Washington area. One was constructed on the grounds of Arlington Cemetery. “For some 30 years, this village existed, and over that period of time, 3,500 residents of Freedmen’s Village passed away and are buried here in Arlington Cemetery in Section 27,” he said.
There’s a plaque in Section 8 designated in memory of American Indians. The inscription reads, “The Vietnam Era Vets. We are honored to remember you. The indigenous people of America. Dedicated to our Indian warriors and their brothers who have served us so well.”
President John F. Kenney’s gravesite and the Tomb of the Unknowns are the most visited sites on the grounds of the cemetery. Metzler noted these sites draw about 4 million visitors each year.
From American Forces Press ServiceBy Rudi Williams
2006 COLA is AnnouncedThe 2006 COLA for military retired pay will be 4.1% according to an announcement by the federal government. While the increase is welcomed by retirees, it merely reflects what we all know - the cost of living, especially the costs of filling your car and heating your home, have increased substantially in the past year.
Supporting the Troops Help the Army salute Soldiers, veterans and those who support the Army
The Army has started a new program -- “Freedom Team Salute” -- to honor those who
support our Soldiers and to honor all Army veterans. The program is free to anyone serving in the Army, Army National Guard or Army Reserve, and all veterans who served and received an honorable discharge.
Active duty, and serving Guard and Reserve Soldiers can nominate their parents, spouses, and employers to receive a Freedom Team Salute Commendation package. All veterans may also register.
Nominating someone for a “Freedom Team Salute” is easy.
Soldiers can simply visit the Web site at http://freedomteamsalute.army.mil and enter the names and addresses of the people who support them. The people nominated will receive a Freedom Salute Commendation package, including an official Army lapel pin, a U.S. Army decal and a letter/certificate of thanks signed by the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA). Veterans can log onto the Web site and simply enter their names and addresses.
CSA GEN Peter Schoomaker said “Freedom Team Salute provides Soldiers with an excellent opportunity to salute those at home and to thank them for their continued support and encouragement.” Concerning the recog-nition of veterans he said the program allows the Army to “show them just
how much we appreciate the legacy of loyal service that they have passed on to this generation of Soldiers.”
Medicare Part B Premiums Increase 13% Next Year
The government has announced that the monthly premium for Medicare Part B will increase $10.30 per month in 2006. This amounts to a 13% increase and will bring the total monthly premium to $88.50.
According to Herb Kuhn, direc-tor of the Center for Medicare Management, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, the increased cost is a result of the increase in the number and inten-sity of services that doctors provide.
P r e s i D e N t ’ s C o l u M N
First, I want to publicly thank Mike Myers, CMSgt USAF (Ret) for his leadership in the organizational phase of AFTEA. With his guidance and direction,
AFTEA has increased its membership by over 1,500 new charter members in just the past 60 days.
Has Congress forgotten the country is at war? Shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck, it became apparent that the vast scope of devastation would require a costly federal relief effort to supplement the hundreds of millions of dollars already raised voluntarily from ordinary citizens. Some or all of the funding should come from offsets in lower-priority federal spending programs that could be eliminated or postponed.
Cutting non-defense spending in wartime is not a new idea. FDR cut many of his own New Deal programs (up to one-eighth of the federal budget) to focus on World War II. Harry Truman cut non-defense spending by 28 percent in response to the Korean War.
But House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IA) has proposed cutting the budget an arbitrary 2-percent across the board for every government department -- including both Defense and Homeland Security -- to help
pay the cost of Hurricane Katrina cleanup.AFTEA believes strongly that cutting the Defense or
Homeland Security Budget in wartime would be a terrible idea -- undermining the very people who are sacrificing so much to defend us.
You can help give the House a nudge in the right direction. Please send a message or call your representatives to urge them in the strongest terms to vigorously oppose the Budget Committee’s plan make an arbitrary cut in the Defense and Homeland Security budgets to help pay for Hurricane Katrina cleanup.
Finally, as we are about to enter the seasons of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah please remember those who are suffering because of the hurricanes. There is no better way to celebrate the spirit of the season than by giving to those who have lost so much.
May you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving, a blessed Christmas and a happy Hanukkah.
Albert G. Ybanez
Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Retired and Annuitant Pay is working closely with national and regional banking and credit
union organizations as well as the military services to make certain their customers who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina have timely and ready access to their pay. If you are a military retiree or annuitant who has relocated or changed your banking information, it is essential that you contact DFAS Retired and Annuity Pay in one of the following ways:
Call 1-800-321-1080, Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. (Eastern). Have current address, banking data and beneficiary information available when you call; Use myPay (https://mypay.dfas.mil), as soon as possible, to update your mailing and banking information. Through myPay, which is available online mostly any time, you can change your financial institution and designate direct deposit as your method of delivery. You can establish a myPay account by logging onto myPay and selecting “New PIN”. For questions about myPay, call 1-800-390-2348. Fax your updated information to 1-800-469-6559. Make certain your mailing and banking data is complete and that you write “Hurricane Katrina” on the top of the page. Please include a contact phone number(s) if possible.
*** Link to the DFAS website www.dod.mil/dfas so you can receive updates as information becomes available on military pay, retired and annuitant pay and civilian pay issues impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
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Retirees, Annuitants Affected by Hurricane Urged to Update Pay Information
VA Sets Up Toll-Free Nationwide Number for Veterans, Families
The VA has set up a toll-free number for veterans who normally receive health care at VA facilities in New Orleans, Gulfport, MS, and Biloxi, MS.
The number can also be used by family members concerned about the location of veterans who were hospitalized at those facilities. The Gulfport facility has been closed, and the New Orleans medical center has been evacuated. The Biloxi facility is still operational.
The number is 1-800-507-4571. It will be staffed
continuously for the duration of the emergency.By calling that number, people can find out about:
Receiving health care for veterans evacuated from the storm area; Receiving prescription drugs for veterans in the stricken area; Locating evacuated VA patients; and Any other health care questions for veterans in the area affected by the storm.
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While myPay at https://mypay.dfas.mil has recently added CRSC information, it continues to be a source of pay information
for all retirees and annuitants. The Web-based system delivers personal pay information and provides the ability to process pay-related transactions timely, safely and securely for all its members. The online system eliminates the risks associated with hard copy documents by allowing members to access their electronic 1099Rs, Retiree Account Statement (RAS) and other financial information. myPay security matches existing private industry standards with the highest level of encryption and security designed to prevent member information from being accessed by others on the Internet.
If you don’t have a myPay account, call DFAS at 1-800-390-2348 to get a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to access your myPay account on the Web. If you already have a myPay PIN, but have forgotten your number, please dial the same number to get your PIN reissued.
All retirees, annuitants can get pay information online
TRICARE Benefits Continue for Beneficiaries Affected by Hurricane Katrina
TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) assures its beneficiaries and their families affected by
Hurricane Katrina that their health care benefits will be maintained and service and support will continue during this time of tragedy.
“We are aware that many of our active duty service members, retirees and their families have been displaced and may be ill or injured because of Hurricane Katrina,” said Dr. William J. Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for Health Affairs. “We encourage beneficiaries to seek urgent or emergency care if needed wherever they are located. TRICARE will continue to take care of you.”
Affected beneficiaries enrolled
in TRICARE Standard, a fee-for-service option, may seek care from any TRICARE-authorized provider. Displaced beneficiaries enrolled in TRICARE Prime should call Humana Military Healthcare Services (HMHS) at 1-800-444-5445 for more information or to find a provider in their area.
The TRICARE mail order pharmacy contractor, Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI), is actively transferring prescriptions to retail pharmacies for those beneficiaries who participate in the program, upon the beneficiary’s request. ESI is also updating patient information to include temporary mailing addresses so prescriptions will reach the beneficiaries at their new location. For more information
about the mail order pharmacy benefit, beneficiaries may call 1-866-DOD-TMOP (1-866-363-8667).
Other resources available to active duty members and their families include Military One Source at 1-800-342-9647 or www.militaryonesource.com. The TRICARE Web site, www.tricare.osd.mil, also includes important information for displaced or affected beneficiaries. Beneficiaries may also contact beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinators (BCACs), debt collection assistance officers (DCAOs), and family support representatives at local military installations. If beneficiaries are unable to obtain assistance at any of the named resources, they may call 1-800-DOD-CARES.
women Veterans PopulationThe total veteran population in the United States and Puerto Rico, as of September 2005, was approximately 24.4 million. The population of women veterans numbered 1,712,117. States with the largest number of women veterans were California, Florida, Texas and Virginia. State-by-state totals are as follows:
Budget Cuts Could Affect Defense Spending
final bill. When you consider that the nation is at war, this is an outrageous situation to be in. We need action on this legislation, now. AFTEA has contacted the leaders of both parties in the Senate and urged them to resolve the impasse and bring this badly needed legislation to the floor. Many of you already have contacted your Senators also. The National Military/Veterans Alliance, The Military Coalition and other groups have also been urging the Senate to act. We intend to keep up the pressure until the bill is brought to the
floor or the session ends. It is important that the Senate enact the bill and equally important that it include the badly needed provisions. The Army, including the Army Guard and Reserve, has the largest number of troops in active combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is also the only service that has not met its recruiting goals. Prompt passage of the NDAA for 2006 is not only the right thing to do, it is also necessary to show our armed forces personnel that the nation takes their needs seriously and is acting to meet them.
Chuck PartridgeLegislative Liaison
continued from page 1
Senate Stall Shafts Military Personnel
As this is written there is rampant speculation in Washington about what Congress might do to offset the spending it has authorized for rebuilding in the
aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It has already approved $62 billion in spending and some estimate as much as $250 billion more may be required over the next few years. It appears that the leadership in the House of Representatives has decided to cut federal spending programs to partially offset the hurricane costs. One of the most talked about ideas is a 2 percent across-the-board in all federal spending, including the defense budget. As part of that plan, the House budget committee is discussing the possibility of cutting $50 billion from mandatory spending programs, which includes military and federal civilian retirement. In addition, the House Republican Study Group, which
is composed of the most conservative members of the Republican majority, has proposed a series of cuts which includes consolidating exchanges, closing stateside schools for military dependents, and offering active duty military members cash in exchange for reduced family health care benefits. While the Study Group proposals have not been endorsed by the House leadership, the ideas will be on the table during discussions on how to deal with the hurricane spending problem. Obviously, AFTEA will ferociously oppose any attempts to cut military retirement pay, or the other proposals that would cut retiree and active duty benefits. While all of these issues are under discussion at this point, we will closely watch the deliberations and report to you in coming issues of the Alliance about the decisions that are reached.
The Defense and Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) has started monthly, electronic delivery of Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC)
account statements via the online pay account site, myPay, at https://mypay.dfas.mil. The CRSC monthly statement will contain information concerning only the continuing monthly payment. Details about retroactive payments will be available through myPay by the end of the year.
The CRSC account statements include disability ratings, unemployability, Purple Heart indicators, and other entitlement data. While retirees may continue to call the Retired and Annuitant Contact Center at 1-800-321-1080, it is hoped that the statement will answer questions regarding the computation of the CRSC payment.
Retirees to receive monthly, electronic CRSC statements
Happy Holidays!
Albert G. Ybanez, CSM USA (Ret)President
Michael L. Myers, CMSgt USAF (Ret)1st Vice President
Roger J. Ehrke, CSM USA (Ret)2nd Vice President
Oliver W. Estes, SGM USA (Ret)Director
Daniel J. O’Connell, CMSgt USAF (Ret)Director
Jose L. Trujillo, CSM USA (Ret)Director
Alan J. Wenzel, CMSgt USAF (Ret)Director
Albert N. Garrett III, SGM USA (Ret)Secretary
Oscar R. Hinson, SGM USA (Ret)Treasurer
is published bi-monthly by theArmed Forces Top Enlisted Association
PublisherAlbert G. Ybanez,CSM USA (Ret)
Executive EditorCatherine Tavarozzo
Managing Editor/DesignerSue Boyles
the AFteA Alliance
officers & Directors
Armed Forces top enlisted Association Charter Membership Acceptance Form
Membership:Armed Forces Top Enlisted AssociationP.O. Box 90030Washington, DC 20090-0030
Material may be quoted or reprinted in part or whole as long as proper credit is given to AFTEA.Membership in the Armed Forces Top Enlisted Association is open to Sergeant Majors, Master Chief Petty Officers, Master Gunnery Sergeants, and Chief Master Sergeants from all branches of the Uniformed Services: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp, and Coast Guard, including Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve and Retired.
Membership:1 (800) 808-45171101 Mercantile Lane, Suite 260Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
Dear Fellow Member,
I’m betting you have a friend that, like you, also reached the pinnacle of the enlisted ranks in the uniformed services. And, given the opportunity, your friend would join with us in the Armed Forces Top Enlisted Association.
As you may know, the politicians in Washington count numbers. They care about how many people belong to an organization, because groups that have large memberships win the political fights. Those are just the simple facts of life in Washington.
Help us reach out to other top non-commissioned officers. Please share AFTEA with a friend.
Use the Charter Membership Acceptance form below to share AFTEA with a friend.
Gratefully Yours,
Albert G. Ybanez, CSM, USA (Ret)President
P.S. As part of our thanks for becoming a Charter Member of AFTEA, we’ll send your friend the handsome member’s coin just like the one you received.
