Very Few Low-Income Troops Eligible For Basic Needs Allowance So Far
In the few weeks since the Basic Needs Allowance for low-income military families took effect Jan. 1, the services have identified only 85 service members who may be eligible.
Millions Of Tricare Users Must Approve Mail-Order Prescription Refills Starting Now
Tricare users who receive prescriptions by mail now need to confirm their refills before they are sent, a change that could cause disruptions for millions of beneficiaries if they don’t immediately respond to the confirmation messages and take the needed steps.
Troops Booted Over COVID Vaccines Would Get Jobs Back Under GOP Plan
Republican lawmakers are renewing calls for the Department of Defense to reinstate thousands of troops dismissed from the service last year for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, calling it a matter of fairness and readiness.
VA Housed More Than 40,000 Homeless Veterans In 2022
By: VA Office Of Public Affairs | VA.gov
During 2022, the Department of Veterans Affairs permanently housed 40,401 homeless Veterans, providing them with the safe, stable homes that they deserve. This exceeded the department’s goal to house 38,000 Veterans in 2022 by 6.3%.
Nationally, the total number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has decreased by 11% since January 2020. In total, the estimated number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in America has declined by 55.3% since 2010.
This success is a result of VA efforts to reach out to every Veteran experiencing homelessness, understand their unique needs, and address them. These efforts are grounded in the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then provides the Veteran with the wraparound support they need to stay housed — including health care, job training, legal and education assistance and more.
“There are thousands of formerly homeless Veterans who are going to sleep tonight in good, safe, stable homes – and there’s nothing more important than that,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “This is great progress, but it’s just the beginning: we at VA will not rest until the phrase ‘homeless Veteran’ is a thing of the past.”
Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority of VA and the Biden-Harris Administration. Earlier this year, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness released All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, which set forth President Biden’s ambitious goal to reduce all homelessness by 25% by 2025. As a part of that effort, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which closely partners with VA in the fight to end homelessness, announced today that through HUD and USICH’s House America initiative, communities have housed over 100,000 households since September 2021.
Throughout 2022, VA staff helped Veterans find permanent housing such as apartments or houses that Veterans could rent or own, often with a subsidy to help make the housing affordable. VA staff also helped some Veterans end their homelessness by reuniting them with family and friends.
VA also continues to focus on combating Veteran homelessness in the Greater Los Angeles area. During 2022, VA provided 1,301 permanent housing placements for formerly homeless Veterans in LA, the most of any city in America.
If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838). Visit the VA Homeless Programs websiteto learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
AFSA 2023 Total Force Survey!
The Total Force 2023 survey is now available on the HQAFSA.org website, just in case you missed it or haven't caught up. Please take the time to complete the survey so that our Military and Government Relations Team can best assist you. The survey this year is thorough and covers a variety of vital subjects for our members, such as an Active Component, Reserve Component, and more! Have any inquiries? Contact our M&G team by sending an email to milgov3@hqafsa.org.
Several historic events occurred on Tuesday, the first day the 118th Congress met. Despite being a long list, these legislation addresses a larger variety of public policy objectives that fall under the purview of the seven main emphasis groups of our legislative platform. The bills are currently being introduced, and AFSA is striving to provide more details on the following:
H.R.254 – To amend title 10 United States Code, to improve the administration of the TRICARE program in Puerto Rico, and for other purposes.
H.R.236 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a week as “Battle Buddy Check Week” for the purpose of outreach and education concerning peer wellness checks for veterans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sheila Lee Jackson [D-TX-18]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.234 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide a burial allowance for certain veterans who die at home while in receipt of hospice care furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sponsor: Jack Bergman [R-MI-1]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.228 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to include a single comprehensive disability examination as part of the required Department of Defense physical examination for separating members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – House Armed Services, House Veterans Affairs
H.R.226 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to promote and encourage collaboration between the Department of Veterans Affairs and nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher learning that provide administrative assistance to veterans.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.221 – To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand eligibility for participation in the Federal Pell Grant program to certain trade schools.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – Education and Labor
H.R.214 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide eligibility for TRICARE selected for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Gregory W. Steube [R-FL-17]
Committees – House Armed Services, House Veterans Affairs
H.R.196 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modify the information technology systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for the automatic processing of claims for certain temporary disability ratings, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Matthew M. Rosendale Sr. [R-MT-2]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.129 – To require the Secretary of Defense to ensure drop boxes are maintained on military installations for the deposit of unused prescription drugs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Vern Buchanan [R-FL-16]
Committees – House Armed Services
H.R.105 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Sponsor: Andy Biggs [R-AZ-5]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.104 – To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to formally recognize caregivers of veterans, notify veterans and caregivers of clinical determinations relating to eligibility for caregiver programs, temporarily extend benefits for veterans who are determined ineligible for the family caregiver program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Andy Biggs [R-AZ-5]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.41 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure the timely scheduling of appointments for health care at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: James R. Baird [R-IN-4]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
If you have any additional questions on this specific issue, please e-mail our Military and Government Relations team at milgov3@hqafsa.org.
This edition features Port Mortuary and America’s Missing Heroes, Living with Bipolar Disorder in the Military, Fly-By Wire Defense and AFSA’s American Award Recipient – Don Ward. Read, download, print and share: https://www.hqafsa.org/fallmagazine.html
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, these figures include personnel from the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force, and they amount to less than 0.000167% of the 507,800-strong active enlisted force of those four services as a whole.
The Army has conducted only a small amount of screening and hasn't given any data because it hasn't yet published its implementation guidance. However, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth advised soldiers to apply for the allowance right now if they think they qualify during a town hall meeting in Hawaii on January 24.
The Air Force finished initial screening late last year, while the Navy and Marine Corps issued their recommendations and finished initial screening. The military must prescreen every member of their brigade to see if they are eligible, and then inform them of how to apply for the additional compensation. In general, screenings continue each month.
Navy officials identified 44 sailors who were potentially eligible for the new Basic Needs Allowance, said Lt. Rachel Maul, a spokeswoman for the Chief of Naval Personnel. Five out of the 12 sailors who have applied so far have been determined to be ineligible and the remaining seven are pending audit and certification, she said.
Five Marines have been screened as being potentially eligible, said Yvonne Carlock, a spokeswoman for Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Air Force officials previously told the Military Times they identified 36 airmen in their initial screening last year.
In addition, patients were informed by Express Scripts, Tricare's pharmacy benefits manager, in December that the program's automated refills would no longer be sent out without prior authorization. According to a Defense Health Agency spokesman who talked to Military.com, the modification was made in part to "avoid superfluous waste."
Express Scripts is currently being sued by the federal government for allegedly dispensing excessive amounts of medication. In one lawsuit, it was alleged that the system delivered 90-day refills every 60 days, giving patients 73% more pills than were recommended over the course of a year.
Now, notifications are sent via the beneficiaries' preferred form of contact, whether it be phone call, text message, or email, prior to the planned shipping date for a prescription. If you need to alter your preferred method, you can go into your account or contact customer care for assistance.
And lastly, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., announced new legislation on the subject in a statement that read, "Over 8,000 servicemembers were fired because of the administration's arbitrary COVID vaccine demand, and many were denied the rewards of honorable service." This is a complete slap in the face to the brave people who have offered to defend our country, they said.
Defense Department authorities removed the requirement that all service members take the COVID-19 vaccination earlier this month. Congressmen pushed the move by including it in the bipartisan defense authorization bill that was enacted in December.
Officials from the White House opposed eliminating the vaccine requirement but also claimed that the matter was mostly immaterial because the majority of troops accepted the doses with no issues. However, approximately 8,000 soldiers were expelled from the army last year for refusing immunizations; many of them cited religious objections as their reason.
And that's the way it is for Thursday, January 26, 2023.
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!
