Military Officer - February 2007 - (Page 38)

washingtonscene survivor beneﬁts payable from the VA. Under current law, the surviving spouse of a retired member who dies of a service-connected cause is entitled to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the VA. In the case of a military retiree enrolled in SBP, the surviving spouse’s monthly SBP annuity is reduced by the amount of DIC — a little more than $1,000 a month. This offset also affects many survivors of servicemembers killed on active duty — including all active duty deaths since Sept. 11, 2001. Most active duty deaths occur among relatively junior servicemembers, whose survivors are eligible for only modest SBP payments. That means most survivors of those killed on active duty lose most or all of their SBP beneﬁt. Commission members didn’t come to a consensus on the issue, so VDBC Chairman Lt. Gen. Terry Scott, USA-Ret., tabled it, asking the commission staff to obtain additional information. MOAA has provided the commissioners copies of its latest brochure on this topic. Commissioners then tackled several staff-developed topics to include VA claim-processing time limits, lump-sum payments, and resolution of pending claims that end with a veteran’s death, but they came to a ﬁnal decision on only one issue. They unanimously agreed to eliminate from their ﬁnal report any recommendations for a buy-out or lumpsum payments. Finally, the commission reported that three previously discussed issues now are undergoing legal and technical review: line-of-duty rules, character of discharge, and concurrent receipt. The commission expected these issue papers to be released in December 2006 so stakeholders, including MOAA and other military associations, could provide comments in January. We will continue to update you as more details emerge. 38 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2007 TRICARE Gets Upgrades Initiatives aim to expand, improve coverage. I n December, Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, USA, TRICARE’s deputy director and program executive ofﬁcer, briefed MOAA and other associations about several DoD efforts to improve aspects of TRICARE programs. In particular, he outlined: ■ outreach efforts to encourage providers to accept new TRICARE Standard patients; ■ plans to expand the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program overseas in 2008; ■ updated coverage for TRICARE For Life (TFL) beneﬁciaries whose doctors have opted out of Medicare. Under guidelines implemented late in 2006, TFL will pay such doctors the same as it would have paid if the doctors accepted Medicare. In certain cases in rural or remote areas where access to medical care is limited, TFL will act as ﬁrst payer (i.e., pay up to the same amount TRICARE pays for under-65 beneﬁciaries); ■ plans and progress for special diseasemanagement monitoring and education programs to assist beneﬁciaries who have asthma or congestive heart failure; ■ plans for a special task force to examine needs for patients with autism; and ■ his appreciation to associations for publicizing the advantages of the TRICARE Mail-Order Pharmacy and encouraging mail-order use as a way to save money for beneﬁciaries and the government. MOAA looks forward to working with DoD and its contractors in support of these efforts. MO — Contributors are Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF-Ret., director; Col. Mike Hayden, USAFRet.; Col. Bob Norton, USA-Ret.; Cmdr. René Campos, USN-Ret.; Cmdr. John Class, USN-Ret.; Col. Ana Smythe, USMC-Ret.; Cass Vreeland; and Bret Shea, MOAA’s Government Relations Department.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - February 2007

Military Officer - February 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: Building Stability Reaching Out, Reaching Up 5 Tax-Season Strategies A Capital Event MOAA Member Services Pages of History Information Exchange Advertising Index Member Books Sounding Taps MOAA Calendar Encore

Military Officer - February 2007

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