Military Officer - September 2006 - (Page 27) washingtonscene TMC Weighs In MOAA and TMC’s priorities for congressional leaders include health fees, SBP and concurrent receipt fixes, military pay raises, and Guard and Reserve health and retirement upgrades. L E G I S L AT I V E N E W S T H AT A F F E C T S Y O U I n a July 28 letter to House and ■ providing equal TRICARE coverage for Senate Armed Services committee all drilling Guard and Reserve members members, MOAA and The Military for the same premium now available only Coalition (TMC) weighed in on milifor members mobilized since Sept. 11, tary compensation and personnel2001, as recommended by the House; related priorities for the FY 2007 National ■ providing full concurrent receipt for Defense Authorization Act. otherwise qualifying retirees rated by the The letter highlighted TMC’s top prior- VA as “unemployable,” retroactive to ities and additional recomJan. 1, 2005, as approved by mendations for resolving the Senate; and more than 100 differences ■ adopting a Senate proTMC’s between the separate verposal to reduce the Guard letter to sions of the bill passed by and Reserve retirement age by three months for each the House and Senate earCongress lier this year (H.R. 5122 and 90 days mobilized to active recomduty since Sept. 11, 2001. S. 2766, respectively). mends Accompanying the letTMC priorities include: more than ter was a matrix detailing ■ barring a House-proposed 70-percent increase dozens of other important 100 fixes in retail network pharmacy personnel-related differto the FY copayments pending a reences between the House 2007 deview of alternative ways to and Senate versions of the fense bill. reduce military health costs defense bill, with TMC recin ways that don’t penalize ommendations and rationale beneficiaries; for their resolution. ■ adopting Senate-passed Last year, a long delay initiatives to end the deduction of VA surin Senate action on the defense bill kept vivor benefits from Survivor Benefit Plan congressional leaders from working out (SBP) annuities and implement 30-year their differences until December. This year, paid-up SBP coverage as of Oct. 1, 2006 legislators got a much earlier start on nego(support this issue by signing and mailing the tiations, but that doesn’t necessarily mean postcards on the cover of this magazine); House and Senate leaders will reach a deal ■ supporting the House-passed 2.7-perbefore the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year. cent pay raise for active duty, Guard, and In the past three election years, the Reserve troops rather than the Senateearliest the defense bill was finished proposed 2.2 percent. was late October. So chances are we SEPTEMBER 2006 MILIT ARY Tell Congress to End SBP Penalties Now Mail the postcards on back cover today! (See inside of front cover for details.) OFFICER MAIL THOSE POSTCARDS! ■ Please help correct two long-standing Survivor Benefit Plan inequities. Sign, stamp, and mail the postcards on the cover of this magazine to your legislators today. MILITARY OFFICER 27
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