http://www.bluewaternavy.org/ViewPublication.pdf

VA Eye Glasses and Hearing Aids

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) not only covers eye examinations and audiology tests and writes eyeglass and hearing aid prescriptions for all its eligible patients. In many cases it also covers eyeglasses and hearing aids---even for some non-service-connected Priority 5 and 7 patients (generally, veterans honorably- or generally-discharged after at least two years’ service with incomes under about $35,000). The little-known Veterans' Health Administration Directive 2002-039 of July 5, 2002 [paragraph 4.a.(1)] authorizes eyeglasses and hearing aids for:

• those getting service-connected compensation for any reason or at any percentage;
• former prisoners of war and Purple Heart recipients;
• those getting Housebound or Aid and Attendance increments to needs-based disability Pensions;
• those needing eyeglasses or hearing aids due to any other (even non-service-connected) medical cause; and
• those with any other functional or cognitive impairment-- as shown by Activities of Daily Living (ADL) functional deficiency(ies) --who need eyeglasses or hearing aids to participate in their own care.

Replacements are allowed in cases of loss and breakage and for new or changed prescriptions. Hearing aids, without a prescription change or loss, must last 4 years. Issuance of spares is determined by the VA audiiologist or eye care specialist. Although general information on the VA website may wrongly suggest that the above benefits are restricted to those with service-connected disabilities and other limited groups, in fact Directive 2002-039 remains fully in force.

The VA ordinarily offers comprehensive dental services only to 100% disabled, service-connected veterans and those held as prisoners of war over 90 days; but other, non-service-connected veterans may apply to the VA, no later than 3 to 6 months after discharge, to get dental treatment that wasn’t completed while on active duty. For qualified cases, the VA may then pre-authorize some treatment with approved private dentists. VA health centers are listed at www.VA.gov.

 http://www.militaryfamily.org/publications/enewsletters/military-family-topics/president-signs-first-phase.html

Read what it says about Tricare
(Not to be concerned)

Be sure to read in it's entirety.

President Signs First Phase of Health Care Reform

Today, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 3590, “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” into law. Additional changes to the health care reform package are included in another bill approved by the House, H.R. 4872, “Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.” This bill now heads back to the Senate for a final vote, probably by the end of this week.Also heading to the Senate is H.R. 4887, the “TRICARE Affirmation Act.”

This bill addresses an oversight in H.R. 3590, which requires all individuals to maintain “minimum essential coverage” or face a financial penalty. The Senate in H.R. 3590 listed TRICARE for Life as meeting the standard for this coverage, but not TRICARE. 
(I don't believe this)  dh   (?)

To provide clarification and ensure all TRICARE beneficiaries would meet the requirements of the law, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-4th/MO) introduced H.R. 4887 during House debate on Saturday to affirm that TRICARE and the DoD Nonappropriated Fund (NAF) Health Benefits Program meet minimal essential coverage and that beneficiaries will not be required to purchase additional health care coverage beyond what they currently have.

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced the companion bill in the Senate which guarantees its passage. We appreciate Chairman Skelton’s and Senator Webb’s leadership in achieving this change.The law signed today by the President may have some unexpected consequences, both positive and negative. Our Association will monitor implementation of the law and will work to identify potential impacts on our TRICARE benefit and military families’ access to care.

We will also be looking at the bill to see if adjustments should be made to TRICARE based on the provisions in the bill. The health care reform bill contains mandates for private insurers regarding benefits, eligibility, and coverage that do not apply to TRICARE. For example, the new law allows adult children to remain eligible for insurance under their parents’ plans until they reach age 26. Currently,

TRICARE coverage stops at age 21, or 23 if the adult child is a student. Congress may have to enact a separate change to the law governing TRICARE to mirror this eligibility expansion. Congress will have the opportunity to make this change in its mark-up of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011.

We are continuing to monitor reimbursement rates for Medicare and TRICARE and how they will be affected under the new law. The cost savings for H.R. 3590 included a 21.2 percent cut in Medicare Physician Reimbursement Rates, which will affect TRICARE reimbursement rates and potentially impact access to health care services.

Our Association has been asking Members of Congress to establish a long-term fix to reimbursement rate cuts. We encourage you to continue to provide us your thoughts on the National health care reform and TRICARE on our Facebook page.

(Source: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=58412, http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/mo04_skelton/house_approves_legislation_to_protect_tricare.html, and http://thomas.loc.gov under H.R. 4887 and H.R. 3590

Return to Full Issue
http://www.militaryfamily.org/publications/enewsletters/military-family-topics/march-23-2010.html











Any man or woman who may be asked in this century what they did to make
life worthwhile in their lifetime....can respond with a great deal of pride and
satisfaction, "I served a career in the United States Navy."



Shipmates, Veterans & Military Retirees:

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YNCS Don Harribine, USN(ret)

  Department of Veterans Affairs publishes proposed rules on Agent Orange Exposures
        

      Department of Veterans Affairs
      Office of Public Affairs
      Media Relations
      Washington, DC  20420
      (202) 461-7600
      www.va.gov
      NEWS RELEASE
      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
      March 25, 2010  

      VA Proposes Change to Aid Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange

      Proposed Regulation Change Adds Illnesses to List of Diseases Subject to Presumptive Service Connection for Herbicide Exposure

      WASHINGTON - Well over 100,000 Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will have an easier path to qualify for disability pay under a proposed regulation published by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that adds three new illnesses to the list of health problems found to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures.

      "This is an important step forward for Vietnam Veterans suffering from these three illnesses," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "These warriors deserve medical care and compensation for health problems they have incurred."

      The regulation follows Shinseki's October 2009 decision to add the three illnesses to the current list of diseases for which service connection for Vietnam Veterans is presumed.  The illnesses are B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson's disease; and ischemic heart disease.

      The Secretary's decision is based on the latest evidence of an association with widely used herbicides such as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, as determined in an independent study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
      Even though this is a proposed rule, VA encourages Vietnam Veterans with these three diseases to submit their applications for compensation now so the Agency can begin development of their claims and so they can receive benefits from the date of their applications once the rule becomes final.

      Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted over the next 30 days.   The final regulation will be published after consideration of all comments received.

      "We must do better reviews of illnesses that may be connected to service, and we will," Shinseki added. "Veterans who endure health problems deserve timely decisions based on solid evidence."

      Over 80,000 of the Veterans will have their past claims reviewed and may be eligible for retroactive payment, and all who are not currently eligible for enrollment into the VA healthcare system will become eligible.

      During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military used more than 19 million gallons of herbicides for defoliation and crop destruction in the Republic of Vietnam.  Veterans who served in Vietnam anytime during the period beginning January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.

      Used in Vietnam to defoliate trees and remove concealment for the enemy, Agent Orange and other herbicides left a legacy of suffering and disability that continues to the present.

      The new rule will bring the number of illnesses presumed to be associated with herbicide exposure to 14 and significantly expand the current leukemia definition to include a much broader range of leukemias beyond chronic lymphocytic leukemia previously recognized by VA.

      In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a "presumed" illness don't have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service.  This "presumption" simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.

      Other illnesses previously recognized under VA's "presumption" rule as being caused by exposure to herbicides during the Vietnam War are:
        a.. AL Amyloidosis,
        b.. Acute and Subacute Transient Peripheral Neuropathy,
        c.. Chloracne or other Acneform Disease consistent with Chloracne,
        d.. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, (now being expanded)
        e.. Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2),
        f.. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma,
        g.. Porphyria Cutanea Tarda,
        h.. Prostate Cancer,
        i.. Respiratory Cancers (Cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea), and
      • Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or Mesothelioma).

      Additional information about Agent Orange and VA's services for Veterans exposed to the chemical are available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.

      To view the proposed rule go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-6549.htm

House Approves Legislation to Protect TRICARE

      Not so fast...



      Bill Hansen makes some VERY good points here:



      TRICARE FOR LIFE'S FUTURE.... TRICARE For Life was instituted to correct
      the broken promise that military retirees would receive free healthcare
      coverage for life and it covers the Medicare co-pay.

      Now a heavy assault has begun on Veterans'/Retirees' benefits to pay for
      other programs our President promised during the campaign. And it is a
      high priority of his administration.

      The one item of most interest to Retired Military is in Article 189. If
      approved by Congress the first assault wave would hit in 2011 and would
      hit hard. It would initiate cost sharing to require retirees to pay the
      first $525 of medical cost and 50% of the next $4,725 for a first year
      cost of $2,888 per person. It would be indexed to increase with
      inflation. A reason given for this action (for PR effect) is "overuse"
      by Retirees. For those of you who are covered by TFL you will want to
      pay attention (below) to what BG Bob Clements has surfaced about the
      future of TFL.

      In any case, on page 189 of the Congressional Budget Office report, see
      the note below on how to get to that spot, there is a strong
      recommendation to eventually eliminate the program as it is too
      expensive. Just another move to slight those of us who dedicated much of

      our adult lives to the defense of our country.

      Strongly recommend that you contact your elected officials and register
      your strong opposition to the elimination of the TFL program.

      Heads-up from BG Bob Clements, USAF Ret (P38 Bob). The following has
      been added to the Congressional Budget Office Web Site
      http://www.cbo.gov/ <blockedhttp://www.cbo.gov/>  

      Budget, Options, Volume 1: Health Care http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm
      <blockedhttp://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm> ?  For those who have never opened
      one of these web sites from OMB: *

      1) double click on the above URL

      2) click on PDF


      3) click on the binoculars

      4) do a search for TFL .

      Now here it is folks and I will guarantee if you sit around on your
      behind and do nothing about it as they bring these options forward this
      coming year, you will lose one of the best healthcare benefits that the
      Medicare eligible retired military have. It is short of the promises
      made that we fought so hard for back in the late 90s and early 2000s but
      it is still the best healthcare program that anyone in the United States
      has, bar none.

      People who are professionals always look for the channel of least
      resistance when it comes to cutting money out of the Federal and DOD
      budget. I can tell you this straight on, military retirees are one of
      those channels of least resistance noted for sitting around, doing
      nothing, and waiting for ole Joe to do it for them.

      You had better wake up. Your medical benefits are prime target. If you
      lose them, you have nobody to blame but yourself. Let me repeat that ...
      you have nobody to blame but yourself. The way to secure your benefits
      is to write to your members of Congress and to keep writing and writing
      and writing. ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH!! Keep repeating the above statement
      until you are blue in the face.



      Now I'm going to make one more statement to all of you younger people
      out there who are not yet eligible for TRICARE for Life. HEALTH CARE
      WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME THE DOMINATING FACTOR IN YOUR LIFE. Remember that
      . . . . it will impact you big time with the utmost in cruelty unless
      you are fortunate enough to die from a heart attack or get run over by a
      truck.

      The service organizations will put up a fight, but, they will need your
      help and can't do it by themselves.

      I hope this makes it clear as to what you can expect if you do nothing.
      To show you how stupid these professionals can be at times just read the
      data on the noted sites closely. You will see that in spite of the MTFs
      (Military Treatment Facility) need to get patients back to keep their
      doctors busy and the hospitals from going to clinic status, these people
      from OMB would employ a means to keep retirees from using MTF facilities
      by charging them a fee for services. How dumb can you get.

      Even if you are an Obama fan, and believe that change cometh, TFL option
      from OMB will not go away. They need the money they spend on you for
      other programs for people who produce nothing but votes to keep their
      boss in office.

      If you know of anyone who is Retired Military, Please forward this on to
      them. Remember - TFL is an "Earned Benefit" that's been granted by a
      previous Congress.

      William V. (Bill) Hanson
      ASM Research, Inc.
      3025 Hamaker Court | Suite 100 | Fairfax, VA 22031
      Comm:  (703) 645-0420 | Fax:  (703) 752-3007 | www.asmr.com
      <blockedhttp://www.asmr.com/>  
      Direct:  (703) 752-3072 | DSN:  235-5102
      Email:  whanson@asmr.com |
      AKO-N:william.hanson1@us.army.mil
      <blockedmailto:AKO-N%3Awilliam.hanson1@us.army.mil>  
      AKO-S:william.hanson@us.army.smil.mil
      <blockedmailto:AKO-S%3Awilliam.hanson@us.army.smil.mil>  






      ----- Original Message -----
      From: "Margaret E Myers" <mmyers@ida.org>
      To: "(john.k.mcilhenny@us.army.mil)" <john.k.mcilhenny@us.army.mil>, "(bohdan.kobzar@hqda.army.mil)" <bohdan.kobzar@hqda.army.mil>, bdoll@jwac.mil, "Michael Cates" <michael.cates@us.army.mil>, "Ronald S MG NG NG NGB Chastain" <ronald.chastain@us.army.mil>, harazd3@yahoo.com, "j nevin" <j.nevin@comcast.net>, "Jack Nevin (jack.f.nevin@us.army.mil)" <jack.f.nevin@us.army.mil>, "Jeffrey Yeaw (Jeffrey.yeaw@jfcom.mil)" <Jeffrey.yeaw@jfcom.mil>, "jeffrey yeaw" <jeffrey.yeaw@us.army.mil>, "John Hargraves (john-hargraves@us.army.mil)" <john-hargraves@us.army.mil>, "Don Lajoie (home) (lajoie@roadrunner.com)" <lajoie@roadrunner.com>, "Donovan G Mr Lajoie" <Donovan.G.Lajoie@us.army.mil>, snowbirds68@hotmail.com, tothdk@aol.com, wjdoll@comcast.net
      Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 5:12:32 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
      Subject: FW: House Approves Legislation to Protect TRICARE

FREDERICK, Md. (WUSA) -- Hundreds of families say
their loved ones are dying from cancer, and they
blame contaminants coming from Fort Detrick.

"These chemicals were buried in the '50s and '60s.
They did leak into the ground water. And we now
know they have migrated downstream and have in
fact gone off post," says Robert Craig, the
Environmental Coordinator at Ft. Detrick.

He says the practice was stopped in 1976. In 1992,
they discovered a problem with ground water
contamination.

A $43 million project has effectively removed some
of the waste, and capped six landfills in Area B.

Randy White lost his daughter to brain cancer. His other
daughter battled with tumors, and he says his ex-
wife has terminal cancer.

"I'm glad that they're doing something, but they're
20 years late," White says.

"The problem is not just the ground water," he says.
"We're also dealing with the chemical Agent Orange."

White says he wants answers from Ft. Detrick.

A group from Ft. Detrick gave 9NEWS NOW a tour of
Area B. They say they are trying their best to
uncover every hazard created a half century ago.
And they are looking into concerns about Agent
Orange.

"There is still ground water contamination, there's
no way around that. Now, what is the final remedy,
and we're still a few years away from knowing what
the final remedy will be," Craig says.

Written by Lindsey Mastis
9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com