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VA BENEFITS GUIDE: The Department of Veterans Affairs recently
published their Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents for 2008. An
easy-to-read reference guide, it provides the most current information
about your earned benefits. Be careful before hitting the print
button--it is 153 pages and may take some time to print. However, you
may want to hit your “Save to” tab and download it for future reference into a
folder of your choice. You can download or print your copy at
http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf. [Source: EANGUS Minuteman
Update 13 Mar 08 ++]

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In recent weeks there have been rumors going around the internet among military retirees that President Obama has proposed to cut the Tricare benefits by raising various fees. It is important to understand that is not true at this time. The rumors have centered on a report put out by the Congressional Budget Office that says one option for Congress is to raise Tricare fees. However, that is not a proposal. It is a report that is issued every two years that contains possible options for Congress regarding spending and/or reductions in the entire federal budget. TREA Legislative Director Larry Madison met in FEB with top officials from the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. They stated directly that no decision on what DoD will propose to Congress regarding Tricare has been made and they did not know for certain when they would be making a final decision. The officials did express concern about the long-term viability of the military health care system, and when questioned by Madison, they acknowledged one option they are looking at is to encourage military retirees to use MTF’s in the future. However, this is only in the talking stage and any decision on that will not be made anytime soon. The officials also stated that they are exploring options that would lower co-pays for the best drugs available to treat a specific condition. Again, no decision on this has been made. While there is no harm in contacting members of Congress with your concerns about possible increases in Tricare fees, TREA suggests waiting until the Administration submits its proposal so we know exactly what we are dealing with. Be assured that TREA’s Washington office and the RAO will let you know as soon as we hear what the proposals will be. [Source: TREA Washington Update 13 Feb 09 ++]

Gary Hayman
PRO
AMVETS Post 86