March 14, 2023 Share this on: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
  Breaking News  
   
 

Preschool Program Looks To Help Military Families Facing Educational Gap That Widens With Each Move 

Military families are no stranger to the phrase “force readiness.” But swap “force” with the words “social,” “emotional” or “academic,” and readiness can be a struggle for military-connected children preparing to begin kindergarten.

To read more, please click here.


 

Vets Employment Improves As National Jobless Rate Worsens

The unemployment rate among veterans improved last month even as the national jobless rate slightly worsened, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday.

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Troops Would See Biggest Pay Raise Since 2002 Under Biden Budget Plan 

Service members would see their largest pay raise in 22 years under a defense budget proposal unveiled by the White House on Thursday, which also includes increased support for military families and continued implementation of military sexual assault prevention and response reforms.

To read more, please click here.


 
  AFSA on the Hill  
   
 

Recap On The President’s Budget For Fiscal Year 2024

By: Vanessa Lee  | AFSA's Legislative Communications & Administrative Assistant

On Thursday at the Finishing Trades Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, President Joseph Biden discussed the 2024 fiscal year budget. 

The proposed budget for fiscal 2024 calls for a flood of additional spending to improve child care, build more easily accessible housing, reduce home energy costs, support college affordability, and other goals. But it increasingly depends on tax increases for people with higher incomes in order to pay for these programs and limit escalating deficits. 

The proposal includes measures such as increasing the corporate income tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent and imposing a 25 percent minimum tax on the wealthiest 0.01 percent of households. It also calls for double the 1 percent levy on corporate stock buybacks.

The president's budget for fiscal year 2024 was made public by the Biden-Harris administration. In order to help VA serve all Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors as well as those who have served their country, this budget suggests essential resources.

For veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors, this budget proposal is the largest in American history. The total amount requested for VA in FY 2024 is $325.1 billion, an increase of $16.6 billion (+5.4%) over the FY 2023 budget level.

This includes a $142.8 billion discretionary budget request, an increase of $3 billion (+2.1%) from FY 2023. The obligatory funding request for 2024 is $182.3 billion, a $13.6 billion (+8.1%) increase over the 2023 request. The budget will do the following at the Department of Veterans Affairs: 

  • Expand health care and benefits for toxic-exposed Veterans: The PACT Act, landmark legislation which President Biden signed into law last year, expands VA health care and benefits to millions of Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxins. The budget requests $20.3 billion in 2024 for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund — $15.3 billion above 2023 — for health care, research and benefits delivery associated with exposure to environmental hazards for Veterans and their survivors.

 

  • Invest in preventing Veteran suicide: Suicide prevention is VA’s top clinical priority and a top priority of the Biden-Harris administration. This budget provides $16.6 billion in 2024 for mental health efforts, including suicide prevention — up from $15.0 billion in 2023. As a part of that, the budget includes $559 million for Veteran suicide prevention outreach programs and an estimated $2.5 billion in suicide-specific medical treatment. Among other efforts, these funds will support VA’s initiatives to provide free emergency health care to Veterans in suicide crises at VA or non-VA facilities help fund local organizations that provide or coordinate suicide prevention services for Veterans and other eligible individuals and their families.

 

  • Bolster efforts to end Veteran homelessness: Veteran homelessness has decreased by 11% since 2020 and VA permanently housed more than 40,000 homeless Veterans in 2022, but VA and the Biden-administration will not rest until every Veteran in America has a good, safe home. The budget invests $3.1 billion in providing homeless Veterans — and Veterans at-risk of homelessness — with permanent housing, access to health care and other supportive services.

 

  • Support women Veterans’ health care: More women Veterans are choosing VA health care than ever before, with the number of women Veterans using VA services tripling over the last 20 years — growing from 160,000 in 2002 to more than 627,000 today. The budget invests $257 million in women’s health and childcare programs to increase access to infertility counseling and assisted reproductive technology, eliminate copayments for contraceptive coverage, and support full-time women veteran program managers at all 172 VA medical centers. These investments support providing comprehensive specialty medical and surgical services for women Veterans, including $1.0 billion for women’s gender-specific care.

 

  • Invest in Veteran medical facilities: Veterans deserve world-class health care facilities, but the median VA’s hospital was built nearly 60 years ago – compared to just 13 years ago in the private sector. The budget makes a historic investment of $4.1 billion (discretionary and mandatory) for construction to begin restoring VA’s aging infrastructure and providing Veterans with state-of-the-art health care facilities, as well as a $5 billion investment in medical care funding (discretionary) for non-recurring maintenance to improve medical facility infrastructure.

 
  Legislative Action Center  
   
 

Introduced By The 118th Congress 

Several historic events occurred on Jan 3rd 2023, 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:

  • S.344 -The Major Richard Star Act, to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for concurrent receipt of veterans’ disability compensation and retired pay for disabled retirees with fewer than 20 years of service and a combat-related disability, and for other purposes.
  • Sponsor: Jon Tester [Sen-D-MT]
  • Committees - Senate Armed Services

 

  • 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.
  • Sponsor: Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon [R-PR-At Large]
  • Committees – House Armed Services

 

  • 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.


 
  AFSA Membership Information  
   
 

Have You Read The Latest AFSA Magazine?

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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For questions, please contact AFSAHQ Member & Field team at 800-638-0594 x 288.


Please Update Your Contact Information Today!

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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: 

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  And that's the way it is...  
   
 

In sum, families of active service personnel frequently move every three years.
Children under the age of five are hindered in their development by the frequent moves, which leave holes in what ought to be a strong foundation.

According to Tessa Davis, Early Education Director for ASYMCA, the program was created because no two preschool programs are the same across state boundaries and school readiness is not a term that is widely agreed upon. 

The Interstate Military Compact Act, approved by Congress in 2009, assures that a child of an active duty service member is enrolled in classes that are compatible with the instruction they were receiving at their former school. For instance, if a student was enrolled in an advanced placement course, the new school must immediately enroll them in a course that is either similar to or equal to it.

The initiative aims to educate parents just as much as it does kids. A parent or guardian must attend all 13 weeks of Operation Little Learners with their child, serving as his or her personal instructor, even if each session is guided by a volunteer facilitator. 

 

In addition, Veterans who were looking for a full-time job last month had a 2.5% unemployment rate but were unable to secure stable employment. That represents the official metric's lowest reading since last October and is a decrease from the 2.8% in February. The monthly employment estimates can be unpredictable due to the small sample sizes and low participation rates, economists have warned.

The unemployment rates for veterans, however, have improved steadily over the past two years and have now been at 3.0% for 12 straight months. 

A 2.5% unemployment rate was experienced last month among the 221,000 veterans looking for full-time employment. This is the lowest reading for the federal metric since last October and is down from 2.8% in February.

Due to the small sample sizes and participation rates, economists have advised caution when using the monthly employment data. Nonetheless, over the past two years, the unemployment rates for veterans have improved steadily, and they have now been below 3.0% for a whole 12 months. 

 

And lastly, the $842 billion Defense Department budget estimate for fiscal 2024 marks a 3.2% increase over current levels for military operations, according to administration officials, allowing the nation to stay up with challenges to national security.
The full $1.7 trillion government budget plan's detailed military goals and acquisitions won't be made public until next week. 

The Biden administration's budget, which was unveiled on Thursday, is essentially a wish list for spending and marks the beginning of months of negotiations with Congress, the body that approves official budgets. Republican control of the House gives them the ability to veto most of the proposed spending.

Yet, including a significant pay increase for all troops beginning in January 2024 is expected to have support from both parties. Congress has generally supported the president's earlier recommendations for military pay increases, and numerous times in the past 20 years, lawmakers have voted to raise pay even higher. 

 

And that's the way it is for Tuesday, March 14, 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!