Nearly Half Of Junior Enlisted Spouses Coped With Food Insecurity
Nearly half of junior enlisted spouses say they have experienced food insecurity, according to results of a new survey released by the Defense Department.
VA Benefits Nominee Promises More Free Help For Veterans Filing Claims
The nominee to lead Veterans Affairs benefits operations said he plans to improve outreach and support programs to ensure that veterans don’t feel forced into paying for legal assistance to obtain disability payouts and other services.
Vice Adm. John Wade Is Face Of Navy's Red Hill Response
The officer the Pentagon has tasked with overseeing the defueling of the Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility has for Hawaii residents in many ways become the face of the Navy.
The Total Force 2023 survey will expire soon 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.
IMPORTANT TO REITERATE: VA And NFFE Reach Key Agreements To Better Serve Vets And Support VA Employees
By: VA Public Affairs | VA.Gov
This month, VA reached three key Agreements with the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) that will help VA better serve Veterans and support VA’s employees. Specifically, VA and NFFE agreed to memorandums of understanding that will:
Significantly expedite the hiring process for NFFE’s bargaining unit employees, which will help VA implement The PACT Actand deliver toxic exposure-related care and benefits to millions of Veterans;
Allow NFFE’s bargaining unit employees to use an additional 160 hours of unpaid leave related to the birth of a child, adoption, or foster care;
Allow the President of NFFE to delegate official time, which will help NFFE grow and develop future leaders and successors.
These new Agreements are part of VA’s broader efforts to support bargaining unit employees and execute President Biden’s Executive Order on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. More than 9,000 of VA’s public servants are represented by NFFE, including VA nurses, medical officers, pharmacists, and social workers.
“These new Agreements provide critical support for VA’s public servants – which, in turn, helps us better serve our nation’s Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “A unionized VA workforce is a strong VA workforce, and we at VA are proud to work with NFFE to continue delivering for Vets.”
More than 79% of all VA public servants are bargaining unit employees, and VA is committed to supporting them as they serve our nation’s Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Over the past two years, VA has taken several key steps to support these employees, including 1) reestablishing the National Partnership Council, a forum for open communication between labor leaders and VA leadership; 2) restoring official time for Doctors, Nurses, Physician Assistants, and other Title 38 employees, meaning that these employees can use work hours to conduct union business and advocate on behalf of their coworkers; 3) reestablishing yearly and Semi-Annual Labor Management meetings with VA union partners; and 4) including the unions in the decision-making process for critical employee-centric decisions, such as the creation of the VHA REBOOT Task Force to address employee burnout.
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, according to the findings of the 2021 Survey of Active Military Spouses, one in four active duty spouses reported having food insecurity. Nonetheless, 3% of spouses said they had used Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, benefits in the preceding year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's definition and six-question food security measure, which were incorporated into the spouse survey, revealed that 45% of spouses of service members in paygrades E-1 to E-4 are food insecure.
10% claimed "extremely low food security" and 15% reported "low food security" of the 25% of spouses who are overall food insecure. Low food security, according to the USDA, is defined as diminished dietary quality, diversity, or desirability with little to no evidence of decreased calorie consumption. "Very low food security" is defined as having numerous signs of disturbed eating habits and decreased calorie intake. 75% of all active duty spouses who replied, indicated they are "food secure," which means they always have access to enough food for all family members to lead active, healthy lives.
In addition, in response to legislators' worries that veterans seeking compensation under the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (better known as the PACT Act), may be turning to outside firms that charge fees in order to understand the comprehensive law, Joshua Jacobs, the White House's choice to lead the Veterans Benefits Administration, made the remarks while serving in an acting capacity as the undersecretary for benefits.
More than 3 million veterans countrywide are anticipated to receive increased health care and disability payments thanks to the PACT Act, which was passed last summer. According to the new law, the department has already handled around 180,000 claims.
Yet processing those claims can take months, and if paperwork and procedures aren't finished, VA staff members frequently need to ask for more details. Outside veterans organizations can help with the claims submission, but detractors have complained that there aren't enough free options to meet the anticipated demand.
And lastly, at Joint Task Force Red Hill, Vice Adm. John Wade is in charge of a group of service members from the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard as well as federal employees and contractors. The group is working to remove 104 million gallons of fuel that are just 100 feet above a vital aquifer that supplies water to most of Oahu.
The Navy's Oahu water system, which provides 93, 000 people with drinking water, including military families and civilians residing in old military housing zones, was contaminated by gasoline from the plant in November 2021. In order to stop the spread of contamination, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply permanently closed a number of wells, which made the water scarcity Oahu already faced worse.
Since taking on the post in September, Wade has been shouted down at town hall meetings and subject to harsh criticism from community leaders.
And that's the way it is for Tuesday, February 21, 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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