Mental Health Resources Are Available For Veterans Unsettled By Afghanistan News
Advocates are reminding veterans that help is available if headlines about the disastrous end of the U.S mission in Afghanistan and the looming Sept. 11 anniversary are triggering anxiety and mental health issues. "Veterans should be on the lookout for red flags if news of Afghanistan starts changing behavior," Dr. Sonya Norman, director of the Department of Veterans Affairs' PTSD Consultation Program, said in a statement late last week.
To read more, please click here.
Troops En Route To Afghanistan Aim To Help Remove Civilians, Pentagon Officials Say.
U.S. Forces Afghanistan-Forward continue to provide security in Kabul, Afghanistan, at Hamid Karzai International Airport and at the U.S. Embassy, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told reporters today during a briefing on the U.S. mission. "These are the existing security elements that were already in Kabul," Kirby explained. "This comprises the [tactical] and lift aviation assets, infantry, security personnel and some intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance assets that are already there at the airport."
Infrastructure Bill Contains Highway Expansion To Connect 12 Military Bases In Five Southern States.
A proposed stretch of interstate highway that would connect a dozen military bases between Texas and Georgia made its way into the $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed by the Senate this week with the expectation it will improve access to bases located in some of the more isolated stretches of the South. The highway is a "major step in advancing Interstate 14 as a future corridor for handling freight movement, military facility connectivity, coastal evacuation and sparking economic development," said John Thompson, chairman of the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition, a group of community leaders who advocate for the highway.
For those who are unfamiliar, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provides authorization of appropriations for the DoD. The NDAA also establishes defense policies and restrictions, and addresses organizational administrative matters related to the DoD. FY2021 served as the 60th conservative fiscal year for which a defense authorization act was enacted, and lawmakers are working to ensure FY22 continues the longstanding bi-partisan precedent to fully fund DoD's warfighting mission and the Services' personnel accounts.
As it currently stands, Congress has formally received the President's budget request, hosted a series of posture hearings in which senior civilian and military leaders testified on the budget request, and both the House and Senate have prepared a markup of the legislation. To be more specific, the Senate has put forward its full committee markup, while the House lags slightly behind - only having approved several subcommittee markups.
To this point, our Team has fully analyzed all the available materials encompassed within the scope of our Legislative Platform and publicly available. This includes the budget proposals put forward by the President, DoD, DAF, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and the House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee.
Earlier in the year, joining hand-in-hand with our mission partners in the Military Coalition, AFSA signed onto a statement outlining various legislative priorities for this year's NDAA. Some of the most pressing issues covered in this statement were pay-raises, basic allowance for housing, concurrent receipt, child care access and affordability, privatized housing condition improvement, and spouse / family support.
To read the statement in its entirety, please click here.
However, the TMC statement merely scratches the surface of our Legislative Team's efforts behind the scenes to ensure this year's NDAA is favorable towards servicemembers past and present and their families.
After thoroughly analyzing the SASC's committee markup and HASC's personnel, it cannot be understated that there is a lot of room for cautious optimism in a number of policy areas - including pay and compensation, sexual assault and harassment prevention, and child care.
More specifically:
SASC Markup (Voted 23-3 to advance bill to Senate floor.)
Supports increase in top-line DoD funding from President's budget
Includes funding for a 2.7% pay-raise for servicemembers and DoD civilian workforce
Creates new category of bereavement leave for military personnel
Establishes a basic needs allowance to ensure all servicemembers can meet basic needs and combat food insecurity
Authorizes DoD Safe Helpline to receive sexual assault reports in both restricted and unrestricted forms, and to provide support to victims making reports
Authorizes increases of $4.0 million for SecDef to enter into cooperative agreements with the Council of State Governments to assist w/ funding and development of interstate compacts on licensed occupations
HASC Personnel Markup (Markup held on July 28, 2021, full committee hearing to be held on September 1, 2021.)
Command oversight of military privatized housing as an element of performance evaluation
Modifications to the annual report regarding sexual assaults involved members of the armed forces
Establishment of Exceptional Family member Program Advisory Council
Establishment of basic needs allowance for low-income regular members of the Armed Forces
Expansion of pilot program to provide financial assistance to members of the Armed Forces for in-home child care
Increase funding for construction, repair, improvement, and maintenance of commissary stores
Independent analysis of DoD Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration Program
Modifications to realignment of military medical manning and medical billets
Where We Go From Here?
At this time, our Legislative Team continues to conduct outreach on the Hill to gather more information that has not been made publicly available. While our Team is pleased to see several of the aforementioned takeaways from each of the respective Committee markups, given that the legislative language is not yet available for each Chamber's version of the bill, it is premature at this time to stake official positions.
With that being said, the Team is nonetheless conducting fact-finding missions relentlessly to prepare the appropriate advocacy materials at the HQ and for the field - including letters of support, grassroots letters via VoterVoice, Congressional testimony, and more.
As alluded to previously, on September 1, the House Armed Services Committee will host a full committee markup. Following the conclusion of the markup, both Committees will send their respective NDAA's to the "floor," where rules for further debate and amendments will be considered. This step is crucial in the NDAA process, as the Constitution requires that the House and Senate approve the same bill in precisely the same form before it is presented to the President.
In normal circumstances, the House and Senate will each agree (following the conclusion of a full markup) to appoint members to a conference committee w/ the responsibility of resolving disagreements between the House and Senate positions.
However, at this point in time, it is too early to speculate how Congress will decide to reconcile their differences. As more information comes to light, our Team will keep you posted.
If you have any questions about the NDAA process, please contact our Policy Advisor, Matthew Schwartzman, at mschwartzman@hqafsa.org.
IMPORTANT TO REITERATE: AFSA Delegates Vote to Approve 2021-2022 Legislative Platform, Open Letter, and Annual Resolution at 2021 Legislative Forum!
Pictured (Left to Right): AFSA International President, Mike Carton, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman, Mark Takano, AFSA Legislative Committee Chairman, Dr. Jim Crissinger, AFSA Executive Director, Keith A. Reed
As you may be aware, from July 24 to 29, the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA) hosted over 2,000 Airmen and Guardians and senior enlisted leaders of the Air and Space Forces at the 2021 Professional Education and Development Symposium (PEDS) in Orlando, Florida at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.
Chairman Takano making formal remarks at the 2021 Legislative Forum.
On Sunday, July 25, AFSA delegates convened to take part in our annual Legislative Forum with a member of Congress - where we made a formal presentation of our L. Mendel Rivers Award to House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, received an up-to-the-minute update from our Policy Advisor, Matthew Schwartzman, and voted on the AFSA's 2021-2022 Legislative Platform, Open Letter, and Annual Resolution.
This year's Legislative Platform saw a total of six modifications that were approved unanimously. In addition to an aesthetic change to the document, the following additions were made to modernize the Platform to address pressing issues in the field:
To ensure proposed military medical billet cuts, any other uniformed/civilian/contracted medical personnel reductions and/or military treatment facility downsizing, or closures are not implemented until DoD presents to Congress a thorough analysis of civilian care availability and plan to mitigate impacts on readiness and beneficiary care.
To monitor transition of MTF administration to DHA and secure a transparent analysis and report on access to care at the MTF level as well as beneficiary problem tracking and resolution.
To support DoD's encouragement for States to engage in immediate actions to fully implement military spouse licensure laws; to attain a baseline of getting military spouses a license in 30 days based on minimal documentation; to seek long-term solutions for reciprocity through compacts.
To increase USAF and military oversight of privatized and government owned family housing and barracks to ensure quality housing is provided, health and safety hazards are properly addressed, abated, and prevented, and utility rates are equitable.
To reverse trends in (and ultimately end) the national tragedy that is suicide among service members past and present and their families; to expand research into core causes, risk factors, and protective factors for suicide among veterans, caregivers, service members and their families; to pursue further legislation and funding for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) as treatment of persistent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)/post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) for veterans through VA.
This year's open letter to Congress addressed pending legislation before the 117th Congress on toxic exposure - specifically, the COST of War Act of 2021 and Honoring ourPACT Act of 2021.
In short, the letter respectfully requests Congressional consideration of the following:
Expand a presumption of service connection to include K-2 vetarans
Ensure health care personnel and processors of claims have adequate training with respect to toxic exposure veterans
Provide for reevaluations of claims for compensation involving certain presumptions of service connection
Require consultation with congressionally chartered, membership-based Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) on select appointments to de jure advisory bodies that make determinations on presumptions.
To read the Open Letter in its entirety, please click here.
And, lastly, our Annual Resolution addresses one of the most important issues to our members - that of TRICARE beneficiary cost shares. In short, with the approval of the 2021 Annual Resolution, the AFSA will continue to urge decision-makers to:
Oppose future TRICARE fee increases.
Ensure any programmatic revision to TRICARE and its managed care support contract structure does not force beneficiaries to incur any additional costs.
Separate the costs of providing health care to TRICARE beneficiaries from the costs of ensuring readiness.
Improve the transparency of readiness funding.
Reprogram appropriate apportionments of funds from year-end savings back into the TRICARE program or to beneficiaries to lower their health care costs
To read the Annual Resolution in its entirety, please click here.
If you have any questions about any of the documents aforementioned, please reach out to AFSA's Policy Advisor, Matthew Schwartzman, at mschwartzman@hqafsa.org.
We are pleased to share the AFSA Set-It-Forever/Auto Pay procedures and marketing materials to help share the process with our members, your membership and potential new recruits.
The Set-It-Forever/Auto Pay program creates an opportunity to JOIN AFSA or RENEW a membership by making a $36 once-a-year/every-year auto payment, or a $4-each-month/every- month auto payment. The $36 once-a-year option is set at $36, and the $4-a-month option includes a bank processing fee of $1 each month.
Review the two ways to enroll, the benefits to using the auto-pay option, and the marketing materials to help share the details of this program and ensure its success.
For questions, please contact AFSAHQ Member & Field team at 800-638-0594 x 288.
Please Update Your Contact Information Today!
Dear Air Force Sergeants Association Member,
In order for the AFSA to effectively communicate with our members, it is essential to ensure we have your current and / or valid e-mail address. We are in the process of updating our records and need your help! Please take a moment to ensure that we have your most current mail and email address (no .mil's); and accurate membership listing information.
We've made it easy, as you can update your information in either one of three ways:
Call Member & Field Relations team directly at 800-638-0594 x 288 (Mon. - Fri. 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST)
Email to: msvcs@hqafsa.org
Visit www.hqafsa.org and select the UPDATE button on the right
We thank you in advance for your support and prompt updates.
In sum, our Military and Government Relations Team has finalized thoroughly analyzing all the NDAA materials publicly available thus far. As we move through the NDAA process together, we will make sure to keep you posted.
And that's the way it is for Tuesday, August 17, 2021.
Stay tuned for our next M&G-B, where we will continue to keep you in the loop on all things pertinent to the coronavirus, veterans, active-duty members, guard and reservists, and military family members. Stay happy, and stay healthy!
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