VA To Cover New Drug For Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease
The Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to cover a new biologic treatment for some veteran patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to an announcement Monday from the manufacturer.
Facing Recruiting Struggles, Air Force Seeks More Money For Pay Incentives
The Air Force is seeking increases for retention and recruitment bonuses in its 2024 budget request as the service grapples with a pilot shortage and struggles to fill its ranks with new airmen.
VA Plans To Deploy New Health Records To More Sites In June
Veterans Affairs officials said they plan to resume deployment of their controversial new electronic health records system in June, but a government watchdog warned that the effort is likely to fail if leaders can’t first restore faith in the software among staff and patients.
VA Announces Goal To House 38,000+ Veterans Experiencing Homelessness In 2023
By: VA Office Of Public Affairs | VA.Gov
Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced its 2023 goals for preventing and ending Veteran homelessness. Specifically, in 2023, VA will:
Place at least 38,000 Veterans experiencing homelessness into permanent housing.
Ensure that at least 95% of the Veterans housed in 2023 do not return to homelessness during the year. And of those who return to homelessness, VA will ensure that at least 90% are rehoused or on a path to rehousing by the end of 2023.
Engage with at least 28,000 unsheltered Veterans to help them obtain housing and other wraparound services. This goal represents a more than 10% increase in the number of unsheltered Veterans reached during 2022.
Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority of VA and the entire Biden administration. The number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has fallen by 11% since early 2020 and by more than 55% since 2010. Additionally, during 2022, VA placed more than 40,000 homeless Veterans into permanent housing — exceeding VA’s 2022 goal by more than 6%.
“We are making real progress in the fight to end Veteran homelessness, but even one Veteran experiencing homelessness is one too many,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “We will not rest until every Veteran has a safe, stable place to call home in this country they fought to defend.”
VA also announced specific goals for 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. In 2023, VA will build on that progress by:
Providing at least 1,500 permanent housing placements for formerly homeless Veterans.
Conducting at least 1,888 engagements with unsheltered Veterans to help them obtain housing and other wraparound services.
VA’s efforts to combat Veteran homelessness are grounded in reaching out to homeless Veterans, understanding their unique needs, and addressing them. These efforts are built upon 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.
Of the 40,401 Veterans housed by VA in 2022, 2,443 returned to homelessness at some point last year. With the help of VA staff and community partners, 86% of those Veterans were rehoused or on a path to rehousing by the end of the year. There are several reasons why Veterans may return to homelessness after being placed in permanent housing, such as financial hardship and illness — and VA works to return them to stable housing as quickly and sustainably as possible.
This initiative is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s broader efforts to reduce homelessness for all Americans by 25% by 2025. President Biden also released his Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Proposal last week, which 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.
IMPORTANT TO REITERATE: 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.
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.
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:
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We thank you in advance for your support and prompt updates.
In sum, Leqembi, a monoclonal antibody therapy produced by Eisai and Biogen, will be covered by the VA for veterans with early-stage disease, making the agency the first and biggest health program in the nation to do so.
Leqembi, also known as lecanemab, received fast approval from the Food and Drug Administration in January after studies revealed that the drug, given intravenously every two weeks, reduced the physical and mental decline in certain individuals with early Alzheimer's by as much as 27%.
The medication is among the first to show that it lowers beta amyloid, the harmful protein that contributes to the onset of Alzheimer's disease, in the brain. However, study into the treatment's efficacy is still underway. A fraction of the 168,000 veterans with Alzheimer's who receive treatment from the VA are still in the early stages of the disease.
Officials from the VA stated on Tuesday that the formulary committee decided to cover Leqembi because its members thought that some VA patients would benefit from the medication.
In addition, according to information provided by the military, the Air Force is requesting more than $648 million in bonuses and retention initiatives for 65 specialist positions as part of its more than $185 billion fiscal 2024 budget request, which was revealed on Monday.
These bonuses include $250 million for aviation-related careers, $45 million for new airmen's first recruitment bonuses, and $12 million for cyber-related jobs' retention incentives. The budget request provides an overall 4% increase above the department's total allocation for 2023.
The request for the 2024 budget comes one week after Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall revealed that the service anticipated missing its recruiting targets for the active-duty, reserve, and Air National Guard this year by around 10%.
And lastly, the project has seen multiple setbacks and delays over the last 18 months, and members of Congress have expressed similar doubts about its viability. Only five sites have started utilizing the program since it was originally introduced in late 2020, despite the 10-year, $16 billion project's intention to put VA medical information on the same system as the Defense Department.
However, representatives from Oracle Cerner, the maker of the new medical records software, and the VA maintained that recent developments have improved the modernization project's standing and allowed new deployments to resume this summer.
And that's the way it is for Thursday, March 16, 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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