Legislative Update 12/22/04

1. Help us develop our legislative focus for FY 2006.

Details:

1. Legislative Goals for FY 2006.The 109^th Congress convenes on January 4, 2005, please review these goals, and give us your suggestions on what we should focus on for FY 2006. The below are pending Legislative Goals for the Naval Reserve Association and those approved legislative goals the Naval Reserve Association is seeking in conjunction with other coalitions.

• Health Care for RC Members and Their Dependents. We are seeking permanent legislation to provide seamless healthcare coverage to service members and their families in the Reserve Components (RC).
  • Full participation in TRICARE for members of the Selected Reserve on a cost-share basis when not on active duty.
  • Allow the option of an equivalent offset to civilian plan premiums during activation.
  • Further strengthen rights under USERRA to permit RC members to retain employer sponsored insurance if coverage is terminated due to TRICARE benefits provided 90 days prior to mob.
  • Extend TRICARE Dental coverage to RC members for 120 days post mobilization at no cost.
• Family Support Programs and fully funded family readiness.Promote adequate funding for a core set of family support programs and benefits that meet the unique needs of RC families with uniform access for all service members and families.We will promote legislative and policy initiative to maintain a well-funded family readiness and support structure to enhance family well-being and to improve retention and morale.This access would include:
  • Web-based programs and employee assistance programs such as Military One Source and www.GuardFamily.org
  • Enforcement of command responsibility for ensuring that programs are in place to meet special information and support needs of families or those geographically dispersed.
  • Enhanced education for RC family members about their rights and benefits.
  • Innovative and effective ways to meet the RC community’s needs for child care, preventive respite care, volunteering, family readiness group meetings, and drill time.
• MGIB-SR Enhancements.RC members experience many problems when mobilized.Education benefit eligibility, student loans, tuition refunds, and degree standing policies vary widely and many result in increasing hardships for mobilized members. Specifically work for Congressional action on:
  • Begin eligibility period when military member elects to use the program upon first application to use the benefit.
  • Reduce the obligation period from 6 years to 4 years for Selected Reserve.
  • Increase the benefits to the authorized 47 per cent rate.
  • Stipulate that RC can use their education benefits when mobilized.
  • Require college refund provisions for RC personnel who lose tuition expenses when they cannot complete the school term due to mob/recall.
  • Adjust interest rates on federal student loans when the market drops below 6 per cent.
• Employers Tax Credits.Authorize tax credits for employers of RC members.RC member’s employers often shoulder the burden of extra costs to support the national defense through the participation of their employees in the military.Today’s increased OPTEMP makes employer support more important than ever.
• Reduce Retirement Age.Currently the RC members are the only federal entity that does not receive their earned retirement annuity at the time they have completed their service. RC members often are sacrificing 401K payments, and promotions.With the increase in deployments of 1 in 6 years or less, we are urging Congress to address this issue.There are cost neutral options that can implemented.
• Commission on the Guard and Reserve.The FY05 National Defense Authorization Act created the Commission on the Guard and Reserve. We will seek every opportunity to present to this commission briefing on multiple pay and compensation issues, transformation and rebalancing issues, roles and missions for the Reserve Components, equipment reconstitution for the Guard and Reserve components.This commission can make lasting recommendations that can be translated into legislation for 21^st Century Guard and Reserve Components.
• Regenerating/ reconstitution of the Reserve Components.
  • Naval Reserve Force mission transformation and integration.Recent GAO reports indicate that integration efforts have been without documentation of the criteria and analysis used. An additional GAO investigation is required to evaluate current integration.As we have in the past, we will seek every opportunity to provide input to the GAO and ensure Congress is engaged on this effort.
  • Transformation and rebalancing changes have been presented piece-meal which has made implementation impact hard to determine. We are supporting better fidelity and rigorous analysis of transformation initiatives and rebalancing planning.With the level of RC contribution to the total force on a continuous and increased pace, we are encouraging Congress to maintain force end-strength, and to properly equip the Reserve Forces.Recent downsizing has been the results of cost avoidance.We support full support for training requirements and increased support for equipment for Reserve Components.
  • Naval Reserve Equipment.We will fully inform Congress of those equipment shortages that are required for the Naval Reserve Force.Congress is very concerned about this issue, and intends to address equipment shortages during the 109^th Congress.
• Full Funding of Military Health Care System. We are working with Congress to provide full funding of the Military Health System budget to meet readiness needs – including full funding of both direct care and purchased care.
• Pharmacy Benefits.Work with Congress to develop and maintain a comprehensive uniform pharmacy benefit for all beneficiaries.
• Tax Exemption for wounded service members.Extend Combat tax exemptions to hospitalized service members.We are encouraging Congress to ensure a member of the armed forces who is wounded or injured in a combat zone continues to receive tax-free exemptions while being hospitalized for injuries.
• Pre-tax treatment of Child Care expenses for Military members.We are seeking legislation to allow member to pay child care expenses on a pre-tax basis as is already permitted for Federal civilian and private sector workers.
• Pre-tax status for payments for premiums on Health Insurance.We are seeking legislation to allow military members to pay health insurance premiums for TRICARE supplements or DoD sponsored TRICARE Dental plans, on a pre-tax basis as is already permitted for Federal civilian employees.
• Adequate Personnel strengths.We support initiatives to ensure adequate personnel strengths and associate funding in order to meet national security strategy requirements and evolving homeland security strategy requirements.
• Military Construction Programs.We are supporting a military construction program that modernizes working facilities and enhances Quality of Life for members of the armed services and their families.
• MWR Programs.We support programs that will provide recreation, education, and morale building facilities that promote high Quality of Life for all beneficiaries.
• Retirees and VA goals.
  • Full funding for VA Health Care. Demand still outpaces the capacity to deliver care in a timely manner.
  • We support implementation of a seamless transition system for separating combat and future Veterans.
  • We will continue to seek timely and comprehensive implementation of legislation which authorizes the concurrent receipt of uniformed services retired pay and VA disability compensation for those disable retirees not eligible under the current statue.
  • We will assist the DoD with efforts to reach disabled retirees who are not aware they are eligible for Combat Related Special Compensation (SRSC).
  • Protect retiree entitlements and closely monitor any attempts to degrade benefits.
• Survivor Benefit goals.
  • We support legislation to allow survivors a full month’s pay in month the retiree dies.
  • We support death benefits enhancements including the DoD report on death benefits required in the FY 2005 NDAA, raising SGLI to $500,000 (vice the $350K currently authorized), and payment of 1 or 2 years lump sum pay and allowances to survivors.

             These are the issues that we will be considering throughout the 1^st Session of the 109^th Congress.  With your input and assistance we will focus our attention on certain issues.  Along with our alignment with The Military Coalition and the National Military Veterans Alliance we will make improvements on behalf our membership and those service members of the Naval Reserve Force.  Please provide your suggested focus to these goals to legislat@navy-reserve.org.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas

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