The Lastest Document The Military Is Hiding Behind Handling Rules: Parental Leave
By the end of January, the Pentagon was due to brief Congress on whether the military had been abusing a set of document rules, a categorization known as Controlled Unclassified Information, or CUI, to shield nonsensitive information from public scrutiny.
Making Sure Vets Get PACT ACT Benefits Is New House Veterans Affairs Chairman's Top Priority
Ensuring the Department of Veterans Affairs does not get overwhelmed by the influx of new patients and claims coming from the sweeping toxic exposure law passed last year will be a priority of the new House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, the lawmaker told Military.com in an interview.
Health Care Enrollment Up 17% At VA Since Passage Of Toxic Exposure Law
By: Patricia Kime | Military.com
More than 144,000 U.S. veterans have enrolled in Department of Veterans Affairs health care since last August, an increase of 21,000 patients over the year before that may be related to landmark legislation that broadened health care and benefits for up to 1 million of the nation's veterans.
VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal said Thursday that the department has had an uptick in applications for VA health care and is determining whether the new patients are the result of the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT, Act. That law, signed last year, bolstered benefits to veterans sickened by exposure to battlefield pollutants, including open air burn pits, Agent Orange and more.
The PACT Act provided a special enrollment period for veterans who served from Sept. 11, 2001, to Oct. 1, 2013, and did not previously enroll in VA care. The period ends Oct. 1.
Elnahal said the VA is focusing as "diligently as it can" on reaching these veterans and informing them of the benefits and the enrollment deadline.
"We have that critical one-year period if they had previously expired from being able to apply and qualify and are now in the middle of this one-year period," Elnahal said during a media roundtable with reporters Thursday.
During the period from Aug. 1, 2021, to mid-January 2022, roughly 123,000 new patients enrolled in VA care, according to Elnahal. A year later, post-PACT Act, that number by 17%.
Elnahal said improvements are needed to the VA's health care eligibility system to understand the impact of the PACT Act provisions on VA care and expects that information this spring.
"Nonetheless, we're not waiting in terms of the outreach mission to those vets who qualify in this critical one-year window," Elnahal said. "We are constantly trying to reach out locally. That's the most important way to do it."
A common complaint among veterans centers is access to care and wait times for primary and specialty care medical appointments at VA medical centers and clinics. While 9 million veterans have enrolled in VA health care, about two-thirds actually use that care.
Elnahal said the 22% boost the VA received in its health care budget for fiscal 2023 -- $118.7 billion of the department's total $303.8 billion budget -- should contribute greatly to ensuring that veterans can access care.
The Veterans Health Administration plans to hire 52,000 employees to prepare for demand and keep up with retirements or those who leave VA for other jobs, an increase of 3%. Elnahal said that in six months, the agency has been able to increase its staffing by 1.5%.
The PACT Act also requires VA medical personnel to screen all patients for possible exposure during their time in service to toxic substances. According to the VA, 1.4 million veterans have been screened, with roughly 40% saying they may have been exposed to environmental pollutants.
Elnahal said that, of those who reported exposures, about 35% said they were exposed to burn pits and another 30% reported exposure to Agent Orange.
The VA will be analyzing the data to understand other trends in exposure, which he said would dictate future services and care.
"Health care might change for the better because we now have comprehensive knowledge about these exposures for the patients we serve," Elnahal said.
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.
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Please Update Your Contact Information Today!
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In sum, The Army finished creating its new parental leave policy on Tuesday, January 30, designating it CUI. The 12 weeks of parental leave required by Congress are outlined in all other services' rules, which have been published during the previous month and are accessible to the public.
It serves as an illustration of how the CUI label is being arbitrarily and inconsistently applied to prevent some documents from being widely disseminated, according to opponents. Soldiers were informed of the new parental leave policies via an All Army Activities, or ALARACT, bulletin. Those are essentially the guidelines that are given to the force in that way. All of the recently published ALARACTs, including new guidelines permitting soldiers to wear nameplates on formal uniforms, were flagged by CUI, according to a study of dozens of them by Military.com.
There are alternative ways to communicate guidance to the rank and file, according to a review of Army policy on posting ALARACTs, but it was not mentioned that they are to be tagged CUI by default.
In addition, Rep. Mike Bost, a Republican from Illinois, claimed there are currently no indications that the VA is overburdened, stressing that the PACT Act also provided the agency with the resources and flexibility to hire additional claim processors and medical personnel. He did, however, add that as the implementation process moves on, it will be crucial for Congress to monitor the situation.
Millions of veterans who were exposed to harmful substances while serving their country received more VA health care and compensation thanks to the PACT Act, which was passed into law in August. This included warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan who inhaled smoke from burn pits.
And lastly, patients with end-stage renal disease, or ESRD, need either three times-weekly dialysis treatments to filter their blood or a kidney transplant, since their kidneys no longer function adequately to keep them alive.
Up until now, ESRD facilities' Tricare coverage paid for patients to obtain certain services, such as the dialysis itself (officially known as hemodialysis). However, associated services that are generally invoiced separately, including nursing care, have not been reimbursed by Tricare.
The additional expenses related to undergoing dialysis are now permanently covered by the new rule, which took effect on January 12. The conclusion of the COVID-19 federal public health emergency designation, which is scheduled to occur this spring, won't have any impact on the shift in coverage.
And that's the way it is for Thursday, February 2, 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!
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