A partial listing for Government Relations/Legislation Department

4 January 2010

Health Care Issues/Active and Reserve

Protection of VA and DoD Health Care programs. Continue to work for protection of VA and Servicemenbers health care in any national health care reform.

Support Funding for Defense Health Program. Continue working with Congress and DoD to ensure adequate and full funding for the Defense Health Program.

Oppose TRICARE Enrollment Fees. The Defense Department has not sufficiently investigated other options to make TRICARE more cost-efficient as alternatives to shifting costs for any TRICARE program and other healthcare benefits to retiree beneficiaries under age 65, or Reserve component members.

Wounded Warrior & Seamless Transition for Active Duty and Mobilized Reserve Component members/Their Families & Separating Active Duty members; Active Duty and Reserve members that depart the service need transition assistance when they return to their home of record. We strongly encourage full funding for Yellow Ribbon program.

PTSD and TBI. Ensure Active Duty and Reserve members have adequate access and treatment in the DoD and VA health systems for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury following return/separation from active duty service in a theatre of operations

Active Duty & Reserve Duty Personnel Issues

Ensure Adequate Personnel Strengths and associated funding in order to meet national security strategy requirement and CNO Maritime Strategy.

Manpower/End-strength Active Duty Personnel End Strengths & Reserve Component.

• Track manpower levels to ensure there are an adequate number of personnel available to meet the demands of operational requirements, including current OIF/OEF and contingency operations.
• Sustain adequate recruiting and retention resources to enable the uniformed services to achieve required optimum-quality personnel strengths.

Support a defense budget of at least 5% of GDP to fund both people and weapons needs.

Active Duty/Reserve Component Pay. Secure additional annual pay increases that are at
least .05% above the Employment Cost Index (ECI) along with targeted increases.

• Oppose initiatives to "civilianize" the military pay and retirement system in ways that reduce the value of the current military compensation system and undermine long-term retention.

Commissaries/MWR. Oppose privatization and ensure adequate funding for the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) to preserve the value of the current benefit.

Navy Equipment

Navy Equipment; Surface and Undersea platforms – At least $20 billion annually is needed for development and/or delivery of CVN-21, LPD-17, DDG-1000, LCS, CG(X), LHA-R, and SSN-774. We support modernization of our Aegis fleet assets. Aircraft: We support funding for aircraft to sustain at least 10 carrier air wings through multi-year procurement of F/A-18E/F, and E-2C/D and Joint Strike Fighter development.

NGREA: Reserve Components are 40+% of deployed forces in OIF/OEF, to maintain an operational Reserve Component, and respond to US Navy tasking, maintain training and readiness we support C-40A, EF/A-18 (Growler), C-130J, and P-8A for Reserve Component assignment and utilization as well as full funding for Navy Expeditionary Forces equipment.

Navy Reserve Issues

Reserve Retirement Compensation Under 'Operational Reserve' Policy; We must provide those Reserve component members since 9-11 that have performed Active Duty this benefit. We support upgrading the reserve retirement system to reflect today’s Operational Reserve policy.

Active and Reserve Component Education Enhancements. Improve education benefits for Reservists and family members plus survivors of disabled or deceased veterans who died of a service-connected disability or were killed on active duty. 

• The new Post 9-11 GI Bill left many reserve members behind. We will push for a Total Force Approach to the Montgomery GI Bill.
• Review and update Joint Professional Military Education Requirements for Reserve members

SPB Paid-Up equitable provision for RCSBP. As the SBP Paid-up provision passed by Congress in 1999 became effective October 1, 2008 it did not provide any corresponding provision for Reserve Component members who pay both a SBP premium and a RCSBP premium. Total outlay would be 360 payments of the standard 6.5% for SBP and 3.5% for RCSBP. This would equate to approximately 9.5% of gross retirement pay over the 360 months.

Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Reemployment protections for our nation’s “operational reserve” warriors cannot be over-emphasized. AUSN goals: clarify that USERRA disputes are not subject to employer-employee binding arbitration agreements, require that States which accept federal funds for any state programs or activities must waive their sovereign immunity in cases of USERRA actions, give reservists the right to bring their cases against either a State or private employer in their choice of State or US district court.

Yellow Ribbon Programs. Fund and field “yellow ribbon” programs by modeling best practices in states like Maryland and Minnesota and ensure that Federal Reserve veterans have access to services and support that are available to National Guard veterans.

Family Support Programs to Meet the Unique Needs of Guard and Reserve Families. AUSN notes considerable progress in outreach and services for returning G-R warriors and their families. But much more needs to be done. Family support programs promote better communication with service members, specialized support for geographically separated Guard and Reserve families and training and back-up for family readiness volunteers.

AUSN goals:

• Authorized Travel and Transportation Allowances for a family member or designated representative at Yellow Ribbon Events.
• Ensure that programs are in place to meet the special information and support needs of families of individual augmentees or those who are geographically dispersed. 
• Fund programs between military and community leaders to support service members and families during all phases of deployments
• Provide robust preventive counseling services for service members and families and training so they know when to seek professional help related to their circumstances
• Enhance education for Guard and Reserve family members about their rights and benefits.
• Authorize and fund occasional child care, including preventive respite care, family readiness group meetings and drill time
• Improve the joint family readiness program to facilitate understanding and sharing of information between all family members

Veterans Issues

VA Disability Claims System

AUSN goals:

• monitor hiring / training of additional VA claims adjudicators,
• compensate adjudicators at a level that will reduce chronic staff turnover,
• support continued investment in state-of-the-art technology and information management support.

VA Health Care - Monitor implementation of advance 2 year funding authority, urge routine comprehensive review of VA’s increased appropriation, ensure VA is made accountable to meet its published access standards, continue to expand and upgrade polytrauma and other specialty care services for OIF / OEF veterans with multiple trauma injuries.

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) - The changing nature of civil law and the conditions of service today indicate that the SCRA should be continuously reviewed and updated as needed to protect service families.

AUSN goals:

• Confirm a right of private cause of under the SCRA statute so that service women and men may protect their SCRA rights in federal court,
• eliminate “early termination fees” that landlords may impose on servicemembers who terminate a lease due to an overseas deployment or PCS move,
• require institutions of higher education to refund tuition and fees to activated members of the National Guard or Reserve for a program of education for which the member was unable to receive academic credit.

Retired Affairs

Concurrent Receipt – Continue to seek timely and comprehensive implementation of legislation that authorizes the concurrent receipt of uniformed services retired pay and VA disability compensation, by: Expanding Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP) to disabled retirees not eligible under the current statute, to include vesting of earned retirement credit for chapter 61 retirees with less than 20 years of service;

Disability Retirement Reform – Reform the DoD disability retirement system to require inclusion of all unfitting conditions and DoD acceptance of the VA ratings for those conditions. Ensure any restructure of the DoD and VA disability and compensation systems does not inadvertently reduce compensation levels for disabled service members. Oppose distinguishing between disabilities incurred in combat vice non-combat when determining benefits eligibility for retirement.

Full Veteran Status for Guard/Reserve Retirees – Seek full veteran status for members of the Guard and Reserve components with 20 years or more of service, but who do not otherwise qualify under current law as veterans

Direct Congressional Inputs

• Testify before Congressional committees:
  • HVAC, 
  • Personnel Subcommittee – SASC, HASC
  • HAC-D, SAC-D 
  • Senate Defense Appropriations
• Provide Written Testimony – for all Personnel (SASC, HASC), Equipment (HAC-D, SAC-D) Hearings, and HVAC, SVAC hearings

Lobby Congress in Support of AUSN Goals and Alliance Goals

• Alliance for Military and Overseas Voters – Coalition: actively engage in subcommittees
• Initiate and participate in numerous Congressional meetings, staff meetings, and receptions on behalf of Navy and AUSN legislative/ government relations goals.
• Increase AUSN Congressional reception appeal and reach 
• Present four legislative awards to members of Congress and staffs, or Executive level staffs.
• Attend as many Congressional Receptions as possible 
• Law of the Sea – Coalition; Lobby for the UN CLOS Treaty

Leadership through Coalitions and Alliances

• Hold AUSN Symposium with CNO/VCNO – 2010
• Increase relationship with CNO/SECNAV Staff, CNO OLA and CNO CHINFO
• The Military Coalition;
  • Co-Chair of TMC Guard and Reserve Committee (elected position)
  • Co-Chair of TMC MWR, MILCON, BRAC Committee (elected position) 
  • Join the Health Committee – and, participate
• Alliance for Military and Overseas Voters
  • Increase participation with subcommittee
• National Military Veterans Alliance
  • Co-Chair of Reserve Committee
• Law of the Sea Treaty Coalition
• Establish Coalition Friends of the Navy Committee (CFNC) 
• Participate in Veterans Day, Memorial Day, December 7th events
• Increase VA involvement
  • Attend VSO training
• Formalize AUSN Internship Program
• Join the National Health Council for military 
• Recruit 50 new members for AUSN

These AUSN legislative-government relations goals are achievable. Members are a critical part of the efforts to move AUSN forward in legislative accomplishments. Our legislative-governmental relations goals are established in an endeavor to improve Sailors lives and protecting those issues they and their families have earned through sacrifice and service. For questions; ike.puzon@ausn.org