This Week In Congress: Budget Season In Full Bloom On Capitol Hill
Congress returns from a two-week break with a full slate of budget hearings in advance of appropriations and authorization bill drafts expected in coming weeks. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will all testify before congressional committees this week to answer questions about the president's fiscal 2023 budget request.
Dozens Of Air Force And Space Force Jobs Now Eligible For Reenlistment Bonuses
The Air Force and Space Force announced Thursday that there would be reenlistment bonuses available for 63 job fields, a substantial increase in the number of career specialties eligible for more money to continue serving. For the Air Force, there are 51 career specialties ranging from Chinese and Russian language analysts to dental hygienists and military working dog handlers.
Sexual Assaults In Military Continue To Rise, But Major Legal Reform Won't Take Effect For Years
Sexual assault has always been illegal under Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice -- Rape and Sexual Assault. Rather than being made illegal by their own article, cases of sexual harassment were instead broadly covered under Article 134. Otherwise known as the General Article, it criminalizes "all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, [and] all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces."
In the Winter Edition of the AFSA Magazine, our Military and Government Relations Team reported on efforts to provide for increased access to affordable housing.
Over the past couple of months, AFSA's Policy Advisor, Matthew Schwartzman, has met with Hill staff to discuss a series of topics in this arena, including:
Restoring BAH to 100%
Reinstating full coverage of renters insurance as a part of BAH
Further separating BAH categories by a service member's number of dependents
Enhancing data collection on service member consumer trends in the housing market
Construction of additional government-issued housing units to offset systemically increasing housing costs in the local market and issues surrounding capital generation for military families
For those who are unfamiliar, supporting a more adequate BAH was one of the 20+ calls to action our Team organized for the 2021 Legislative Awareness Week (LAW). Thousands of letters and e-mails on this issue alone were sent to elected officials by our members throughout the week.
Following the LAW, we reaffirmed our commitment to continuing our advocacy efforts on this issue and stated we were "cautiously optimistic that the conversations held will be complemented by decisive legislative action in the coming months, as the soon-to-be expected President's budget submission will kick off the FY23 appropriations process."
In this edition of the AFSA M&G-B, we are proud to report that decisive action was taken this past week when Congresswoman Strickland introduced the Ensuring Every Servicemember Has a Home legislative package.
This package contains four separate but connected bills - all of which were drafted with input from the AFSA and are supported by the AFSA.
"With rising housing costs and supply shortages in the South Sound and across the nation, many of our servicemembers and their families are unable to access safe and affordable housing," said Congresswoman Strickland. "The Ensuring Every Servicemember Has a Home package focuses on four components to address this housing crunch and give our servicemembers options. Through their courageous service, our nation's servicemembers have a right to be safely and adequately housed. It is Congress' responsibility to ensure we can provide them with that opportunity."
The bill titles and summaries are as follows:
BAH Restoration Act
In FY2015, Congress changed BAH so that the Department of Defense (DoD) could impose cost-sharing on servicemembers. This bill will restore BAH to 100%.
BAH Calculation Improvement Act
Directs DoD to examine the current BAH rates' efficiency and efficacy, determine if BAH should be calculated more often, if school districts can be included in BAH calculations, and if there is an algorithm the Department can develop that would be more effective.
Increasing Homeownership for Servicemembers Act
Directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study to study the barriers to ownership for members of the Armed Forces.
Building More Housing for Servicemembers Act
Works to incentivize private developers and on-base housing providers to build more housing designed for servicemembers, particularly those who have a lower income.
"Maintaining the vitality of BAH is crucial to sustaining financial readiness and improving military quality of life," said Air Force Sergeants Association Chief Executive, Keith A. Reed. "Especially during this past PCS season, service members and their families were negatively impacted due to volatile market conditions and a lack of available and affordable housing. The various measures championed by Congresswoman Strickland would restore BAH to its just coverage of 100% and provide increased access to affordable housing in underserved areas. The AFSA is proud to support each of these bills and calls on all members of Congress to support their expeditious codification in public law."
Now, our Team concentrates its efforts on advancing this recently introduced package through the legislative process with finality. As more updates unfold, our Team will keep you posted.
If you have any questions about the Ensuring Every Servicemember Has a Home legislative package, please reach out to Matthew Schwartzman at mschwartzman@hqafsa.org.
VA Establishes Presumptive Service Connection for 9 Rare Respiratory Cancers
By: Matthew Schwartzman, AFSA Policy Advisor, Legislative Affairs
Yesterday, April 25, 2022, the VA announced it would add the following rare respiratory cancers to its list of presumed service-connected disabilities (due to military environmental exposures to fine particulate matter):
Squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
Squamous cell carcinoma of the trachea
Adenocarcinoma of the trachea
Salivary gland-type tumors of the trachea
Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung
Large cell carcinoma of the lung
Salivary gland-type tumors of the lung
Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung
Typical and atypical carcinoid of the lung
According to a press release from the VA, this decision was determined through "a focused review of scientific and medical evidence" that proves a "biological plausibility between airborne hazards and carcinogenesis of the respiratory tract."
"Veterans who suffer from rare respiratory cancers associated with their service deserve the very best America has to offer-but they've had to wait for the care and benefits they deserve for far too long. That ends now," said Secretary Denis McDonough. "With these new presumptives, Veterans who suffer from these rare respiratory cancers will finally get the world-class care and benefits they deserve, without having to prove causality between their service and their condition."
VA will begin processing disability compensation claims for Veterans who served any amount of time in the Southwest Asia theater of operations beginning Aug. 2, 1990, to the present, or Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Syria or Djibouti beginning Sept. 19, 2001, to the present.
In a statement from the White House, President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to "keeping our promise" to veterans suffering from toxic environmental exposures.
"We learned a horrible lesson after Vietnam, when the harmful effects of exposure to Agent Orange sometimes took years to manifest, and too many veterans were left unable to access the care they needed. I refuse to repeat that mistake when it comes to the veterans of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," said President Biden.
While the AFSA is pleased that the VA continues to take action on adding to the list of presumptives, we maintain that these efforts must not detract from the need to pass the Honoring Our PACT Act.
On March 3, 2022, the House of Representatives passed the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act Of 2021 by a bipartisan vote of 256-174. In its simplest form, this legislation would provide potentially lifesaving health care and benefits for more than 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans.
For a more in-depth summary of this bill, please click here.
Prior to its passage, the AFSA signed onto a letter of support addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging the House to expeditiously consider and pass the Honoring Our PACT Act into law.
As it stands, the two leading toxic exposure measures pending before the 117th Congress are the Honoring our PACT Act and Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act. However, as explicitly stated in the letter of support, the AFSA firmly believes that the former is "the only bill that provides a truly comprehensive solution."
On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, the Team proudly attended a congressional press conference held by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spotlighting the Honoring Our PACT Act. Also in attendance were U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representative Raul Ruiz, Jon Stewart, allying VSOs, and veterans and their loved ones.
While at the press conference, we unveiled a Legislative Time Sensitive Target (LTST) urging our members to urge their Senators to support the Honoring Our PACT Act.
To join the fight for quality of life, please visit our Legislative Action Center and write to your Senators asking for their support of the Honoring our PACT Act. The link is as follows: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/93508/respond
If you have any questions on this AFSA supported bill, or the interim rule pbulished by the VA, please don't hesitate to reach out at milgov3@hqafsa.org. As more updates unfold, our team will keep you posted.
The Blueprint: Roadmap to Enlisted Force Development
Published April 23, 2022
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
It is critical to equip Airmen with accessible tools and resources, and to cultivate an environment for deliberate development, so Airmen remain the strongest competitive advantage for the Air Force to outpace emerging threats, according to Air Force leaders.
The Air Force released The Blueprint April 21. It serves as a foundational document to link enlisted development - from entry to departure. This new document is one of 28 Enlisted Force Development Action Plan (EFD-AP) objectives focused on developing tomorrow's enlisted Airmen ... today.
"We need Airmen who understand the complexity of the strategic environment, think critically through challenges, and provide real-time solutions across the air, land, sea, space, cyber and information domains," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass. "The Blueprint consolidates resources otherwise populated in various electronic locations to highlight pathways, resources and opportunities for all Airmen to be successful during their career."
The 32-page document was created with the assistance of subject matter experts, diverse ranks and specialties - with representation from across the Total Force - and captures concepts in a visually appealing way. Importantly, it will help Airmen better understand how they fit into the bigger picture and allows them to appreciate what other wingmen bring to the fight.
It falls under the EFD-AP Front-Line Leader Development focus area, which is dedicated to creating deliberate leadership development for Airmen as they take on increased responsibilities supervising others at the tactical edge.
It also serves as a guide for open dialog among supervisors and peers and may be used during feedback sessions, professional development, goal setting and career planning.
"Front-line supervisors play a crucial part in developing the Airmen that will replace them," Bass said. "New supervisors deserve proactive coaching, mentorship, and quality resources to support the growth of both them and their people.
In addition to The Blueprint, the Air Force is developing a validation process for new supervisors, creating a modern toolkit for front-line leaders and creating a standardized Air Force writing guide - all of which are scheduled to be accomplished by December 2023.
The Blueprint will evolve and be updated when needed; the living document can be found here.
Updates the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by requiring the VA to continue providing assistance to a family caregiver for at least six months after the death of a veteran participating in the program.
Requires the VA to establish a process by which veterans who are determined to have the most significant need for caregiver assistance are permanently eligible for such assistance.
Requires the VA to standardize the criteria used across all facilities in its required evaluations of the needs of the veterans and the skills of the family caregiver.
Standardizes criteria used in accepting and evaluating applications for participation in the program across all facilities.
Support the CHAMPVA Children's Care Protection Act!
This bill provides that a child shall be eligible for medical care under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) until the child's 26th birthday, regardless of marital status.
Support the AUTO for Veterans Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92795/respond
Legislation Summary
The Advancing Uniform Transportation Opportunities for Veterans "AUTO" Act would reduce the financial burden incurred by virtue of military service by ensuring severely disabled veterans receive a grant from the VA's Automobile Assistance Grant program to purchase a specially equipped vehicle once every ten years - as opposed to only once.
Support the Aid and Attendance Support Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92792/respond
Legislation Summary
The Aid and Attendance Support Act temporarily increases eligible disabled veterans' and surviving spouses' Aid and Attendance (A&A) allowance by 25%.
Support the Ensuring Survivor Benefits during COVID-19 Act!
The Ensuring Survivor Benefits During COVID-19 Act requires the VA to solicit a medical opinion to determine if a service-connected disability was the principal or contributory cause of death in situations where a veteran's death certificate identifies COVID-19 as the principal or contributory cause of death, the certificate does not clearly identify any of the veteran's service-connected disabilities as the principal or contributory cause of death, and a claim for dependence and indemnity compensation is filed with respect to the veteran.
Ensures Reservists and National Guard members have no-fee healthcare through TRICARE Reserve Select that covers medical and dental coverage.
Fixes the parity gap for Reserve Component retirees receiving early retirement pay due to deployment credits making them eligible for TRICARE upon receipt of retirement pay.
Provides an incentive for small businesses to hire Reserve and National Guard members by ensuring their healthcare costs are covered.
Ensures service members can access physicals needed to be ready for no-notice deployments (which have increased over the past year).
Eliminates the statutory language that excludes Federal Employees Health Benefits Program eligible service members from TRICARE Reserve Select eligibility.
Support the Advancing Toward Impact Aid Full Funding Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92818/respond
Legislation Summary
The Advancing Toward Impact Aid Full Funding Act would:
Split Impact Aid's $1.1 billion request evenly over five years, across three main categories for funding: Basic Support, Federal Property, and Children with Disabilities.
Increase Basic Support funding by $190 million annually, meeting Impact Aid's 2019 funding requests.
Increase Federal Property funding proportionally to Basic Support (BSP) by allocating an additional $11 million annually.
Increase funding for Children with Disabilities by $9 million annually, funding $2,000 per eligible student.
Advance national K-12 school systems to become more equitable and meet educational needs.
Support military families that are especially impacted by federally tax-exempt land.
Support the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92815/respond
Legislation Summary
Modifies the extension of dependent coverage under TRICARE by allowing a dependent at the age of 26 to be covered without an additional premium.
Authorizes such coverage of dependents without a premium regardless of whether they are eligible to enroll in an employer-sponsored plan.
Support Expanding TRICARE Cranial Remolding Helmet Coverage!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92802/respond
AFSA urges our nation's elected officials to support legislation that would expand the scope of TRICARE's coverage of the DOC Band Post-Op device if your baby:
Is three to 18 months old; and
Is diagnosed with craniosynostosis or nonsynostotic positional plagiocephaly (to include torticollis)
Support the Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92799/respond
Legislation Summary
Allow an employer a work opportunity tax credit for hiring the spouse or domestic partner of a member of the Armed Forces.
Specifically, an employer may receive a tax credit equal to 40% of a new employee's first-year wages if the employer hires a service member's spouse or domestic partner (as recognized under state law or by the Armed Forces).
Create programs for service members to pay for childcare on a pretax basis.
Specifically, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard) must implement flexible spending arrangements that permit members of the Armed Forces to use basic pay and compensation to pay on a pretax basis for dependent childcare.
Support the Retired Pay Restoration Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92798/respond
Legislation Summary
Allowsthe receipt of both military retiredpay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability.
Extends full concurrent receipt eligibility to individuals who were retired or separated after at least 20 years of military service due to a service-connected disability.
Call To Action:Share How TRICARE's coverage of the Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty (DOC) Band Post-Op device negatively impact your family's quality of life!
For the past year, our Military and Government Relations Team has been working with AFSA military families on getting legislation introduced that would expand the scope of TRICAR's coverage of the DOC Band Post-Op device if a baby:
Is three to 18 months old; and
Is diagnosed with craniosynostosis or nonsynostotic positional plagiocephaly (to include torticollis)
Despite unsuccessful efforts (via FOIA request) to obtain important data for the purpose of quantifying the need of this issue in the aggregate, our Team is looking to hear from the field to share your story and help have your voice heard by members of Congress.
Issue Background
Helmet therapy is used to gently correct the shape of babies' skulls over time.
Newborn babies' skulls are soft plates with spaces between them. As the baby grows, these plates grow, gradually harden, and knit together.
Unfortunately, there are circumstances under which the soft plates may develop a flat spot or uneven appearance. This condition is called plagiocephaly.
Today, almost one in two babies (47%) is affected by some form of plagiocephaly.
When the baby's skull joins together too early, or in an abnormal way, this is called craniosynostosis. There are several types of craniosynostosis, depending on when the baby's skull joins together.
Today, it is estimated that 1 in every 2,500 babies has craniosynostosis.
Positional skull deformities and/or abnormalities - whether diagnosed as a form of plagiocephaly or craniosynostosis - can have short and long term health effects on a child.
However, despite this, TRICARE only covers the Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty (DOC) Band Post-Op device, synonymously referred to as a "molding helmet," if your baby:
Is three to 18 months old; and
Has had craniosynostoris surgery;
But still has a misshaped skull.
In other words, cranial molding helmet(s) are not covered for the treatment of nonsynostotic positional plagiocephaly or for the treatment of craniosynostosis before surgery; despite medical evidence that suggests the presence or absence of congenital or acquired plagiocephaly (to include torticollis) can, at the very least, increase the risk of gross motor development.
In fact, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics school-aged children with moderate to severe plagiocephaly scored lower than controls on cognitive and academic measures.
As a result, military families - who face unique challenges given the sacrifices that come along with serving our country - have been put in the tragic position to either front the hefty cost of the helmet (approximately $2,000), seek alternative forms of treatment that may not be preferred, or forego treatment altogether.
AFSA Int'l Convention ONLY (Arrive Saturday, August 7) This Registration Fee includes the following: Access to discounted hotel room rates, seminar/briefings, refreshments, Info Expo, Convention Theme Party, Welcoming Ceremony, and the AFSA International President's Dinner. However, if you are NOT an AFSA member, this registration fee does NOT grant you access to the AFSA's Member Appreciation Hospitality Room(s). This Convention Registration DOES NOT include hotel reservations.
Greetings AFSA Division and Chapter Leadership,
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, before the Congress was in recess, Defense Secretary Austin made several appearances on Capitol Hill in reference to the President's FY23 budget request. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have scheduled additional hearings with service leaders to discuss their priorities for the next year. Of note, lawmakers have stated that they expect to complete their appropriations and authorization work before the November mid-term elections.
In other news, last year, only 40 occupations were eligible for enlistment bonuses. This year, that list has expanded to 63. According to the list of qualified vocations, compensation can reach upwards of $100,000, but the amounts received will ultimately be determined based on experience and years of service.
This new wave of reenlistment bonuses comes as the Air Force works to recruit and retain service members in the face of a crippling economy and labor shortage, in which private companies have an advantage in retaining talent due to fewer eligibility requirements and the ability to raise salaries quickly.
The Air Force revealed earlier this month that it was providing significant bonuses to recruits who joined the ranks and shipped out to training fast, up to $50,000 for some of the service's most risky jobs. The Air Force announced retention bonuses for pilots ranging from $15,000 to $200,000 on April 6.
Also, in the realm of military compensation, AFSA influenced and supported legislation has been introduced that would restore BAH to 100% and provide for increased access to affordable housing. For more information, please review the article written by AFSA's Legislative Communications & Administrative Assistant, Vanessa Lee, in the AFSA On the Hill Section of this M&G-B.
And that's the way it is for Tuesday, April 26, 2022.
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, guards and reservists, and military family members. Stay happy, and stay healthy!
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