Reconstitution of Navy Equipment

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

Navy Equipment
Surface and Undersea platforms: At least $17 Billion (using Navy estimates) to $20 Billion (using CBP estimates) annually is needed for development and/or delivery of CVN, LPD-17, 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, E-2C/D, P-8, C-130J, HH-60, and Joint Strike Fighter development.

• Navy is severely behind the power curve on reconstitution of equipment and reaching the right level of Ships and Aircraft for a National Maritime Strategy! We need the right balance of equipment and people. Acquisition reform and cost cutting needs to be realized, but we are delaying reconstitution through the wrong pressures. Navy and Navy Reserve needs equipment as much as any component due to being called on constantly in a world wide operation and OIF/OEF!
• At this time, Navy has a serious shortage of Tactical Aircraft (estimated at 250), that must be solved now. We support the continuous buy of F/A-18E/F to relieve this shortage, and the acquisition of the F-35.

NGREA
Reserve Components are 40+% of deployed forces in OIF/OEF, AFRICOM and world wide operations 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.

Health Care

Health Care Reform
Monitor health care reform and ensure that TRICARE and VA health care programs are not adversely impacted by unanticipated consequences during implementation.

Oppose TRICARE Enrollment Fee Increases
The Defense Department must sufficiently investigate and implement other options to make TRICARE more cost-efficient as alternatives to shifting costs to TRICARE beneficiaries.

Support Funding for Defense Health Programs
Ensure adequate funding for the Defense Health Program in order to meet readiness needs, fully fund TRICARE and improve access and awareness of benefits for all beneficiaries, regardless of age, status or location, including Reservists participating in TRICARE Reserve Select and TRICARE Retired Reserve. Ensure adequate funding for Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) health care resource sharing in delivering seamless, cost effective, quality services to personnel.

Health Care Options for Retirees Under Age 65
Expand health care alternatives including TRICARE Standard, TRICARE Prime Remote and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP) as options for active duty, reserve components retirees, and military retirees under age 65 who do not have access to military treatment facilities.

Allow Military Retirees to Pay for Healthcare with Pretax Dollars
Secure authorization for military retirees to pay health insurance premiums on a pretax basis and to allow for a tax deduction for TRICARE supplemental insurance premiums.

Remote Access
Ensure AD in Remote Areas 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 separation from active duty service in a theatre of operations.

Personnel Programs and Protection of Personnel Programs

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.
• Navy and Navy Reserve has taken a host of personnel and end-strength cuts based solely on balancing the Navy TOA and Budget. This has to stop! We need people more than ever, the Navy and Navy Reserve mission has not declined, and ships with less manpower has not been realized, cutting manpower to save money is not prudent during war time or expanded contingency operations.

Pay
Secure additional annual pay increases that are at least one-half percent (0.5%) above the Employment Cost Index (ECI) along with targeted increases for mid-career and senior enlisted personnel to help close the pay gap between active duty and private sector pay.

Commissaries & MWR Programs
Oppose privatization and ensure adequate funding for the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) to preserve the value of the current benefit for all patrons, protect the exchange benefit and ensure adequate funding for MWR programs.

PCS
Track the Permanent Change of Station (PCS) process; ensure adequate funding of the Transition and Relocation Assistance Programs, and authorization of increased PCS mileage rates and higher household goods weight limits for senior enlisted personnel.

Individual Augmentees
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.

Sea Services Recruiters
Work to ensure that recruiters have unrestricted access to secondary schools, colleges and universities on the same basis as private sector employers.

Wounded Warrior Family Programs – AUSN Goals

• 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.
• Authorize and fund 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.

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) Protections
Active Duty and Reserve activated members often find it difficult to meet their personal financial and legal obligations as a result of military orders. The SCRA was created to ease this burden. The changing nature of civil law and the conditions of service today indicate that the SCRA must be continuously reviewed to protect service families.

• Require institutions of higher education to refund to activated members of the Reserve tuition and other fees paid for the program of education the member did not receive academic credit for as a result of a mobilization.
• Permit employers and employees to contribute to defined contribution retirement plans (401(k) – 403(b)) during a period of active duty service performed by Reserve servicemembers.
• Forbid discrimination based on a member being in the Reserve Component.
• Amend to include protections on leases and contracts impacting active duty members and mobilized small business owners.
• Broaden the types of insurance that the service member is entitled to reinstate after returning from active duty.
• Override agreements to submit future disputes to binding arbitration.

Veterans' Issues

Veteran’s Benefits
Advocate for benefit enhancements for Sea Service veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs with special attention for VA health care to ensure access and care for all beneficiaries.

Agent Orange Disability Claims
Seek to reverse the VA’s policy that prevents “blue water” military retirees and veterans from claiming disability benefits for diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange.

Improve VA Claim Processing
Work to eliminate backlog of claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs and supports reform of the antiquated Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) paper claims system.

Education Benefits
Ensure full and timely implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and work to improve other education benefit programs for veterans and survivors of disabled or deceased veterans who died of a service-connected disability, were killed on active duty or while on drill status.

Reserve Retirees' Veteran Status
Seek full veteran status for Reservists with 20 years or more of service, who do not otherwise qualify for full veteran's benefits under current law.

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.

Safeguard Retiree Benefits

Protect Military Retired Pay
Fight efforts to reduce military retired or retainer pay and ensure equitable cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for all military retirees commensurate with their service and sacrifices, and oppose efforts to civilianize the military retirement system.

Reserve Retirement Age
Support extension of authority for early retirement (90 days active duty for 3 months reduction) for all Reservists who have served since 9/11/01, and the elimination of fiscal year-specific rules that penalize mobilized reserve members.

Concurrent Receipt
Support legislation authorizing the immediate concurrent receipt of full military retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation for all disabled retirees.
 
SBP/DIC Offset
Support legislation to repeal the Survivors Benefit Plan/Dependency Indemnity Compensation (SBP/DIC) offset for surviving spouses of personnel who die of service-connected causes.

Paid-Up SBP at Age 67 for ADD & Seek RSBP
Work to change the minimum age for paid-up SBP from 70 to 67, and served 20 years to only be required to pay SBP premiums for 30 years and for reserve members pay into the RSBP for 30 years.

Navy Reserve Specific

Reserve Retirement Under 'Operational Reserve' Policy
AUSN urges further progress in revamping the reserve retirement system in recognition of increased service and sacrifice of Reserve Component members, including at a minimum, extending the new authority for a 90 day retirement reduction for the initial, three months and each succeeding month to all Guard and Reserve members who have served since 9/11 following commencement of orders. The nation is committed to increase utilization of Reserve Components and to maintain and retain a viable Operational Reserve Force we must move forward to provide a reduced retirement pay age entitlement for all Reserve Component members, that is an age / service formula or outright retirement at age 55 to include provisions for 'gray area' retirees, and to include TRICARE access. AUSN Goals:

• We strongly urge Congress to authorize early retirement credit to all Guard and Reserve members who have served on active duty tours of at least 90 days retroactive to September 11, 2001.

Wounded Warrior and Seamless Transition for Activated Reserve and Their Families
Over 750,000 members of the Guard and Reserve have been activated since 9/11. Congressional hearings and media reports have documented the fact that at separation, many of these service members do not receive the transition services they and their families need to make a successful readjustment to civilian status. AUSN goals:

• 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 veterans.
• Speed development and implementation of bi-directional, standards-based electronic medical records between DoD-VA systems.
• Oppose distinguishing between disabilities incurred in combat versus non-combat in determining military and veterans’ disability compensation.
• Authorize "Flexible Spending Account" claims filing for a prior reporting year after return from active duty for mobilized Guard and Reserve members.

Continuum of Health Care Insurance Options

AUSN goals:

• Expand DoD fiscally responsible for medical and dental care to Reservists beginning with the issuance of an alert order and 180 days post mobilization to ensure service members meet readiness standards when DoD facilities are not available within a 50 mile radius of a member's home.
• AUSN believes Congress should establish a moratorium on TRS premium increases and direct DoD to make a determined effort for the most efficient use of resources allocated and to cut waste prior to the consideration of any adjustment in such premiums. TRS is an earned benefit and AUSN believes the regulation governing TRS premiums should align with any adjustment applied to covered services for the overall TRICARE population.
• Allow the option of an equivalent offset of civilian plan premiums during activation - similar to the provision of up to 24 months of FEHB premium coverage for mobilized federal workers.
• Allow eligibility in Continued Health Care Benefits Program (CHCBP) for Selected Reservists who are voluntarily separating and subject to disenrollment from TRS.
• TRICARE RETIRED RESERVE (TRR) PROGRAM
  • Require DoD to recalculate TRICARE Retired Reserve (TRR) premiums and methods for enrollment for remote or rural beneficiaries to ensure the program is implemented for this population.
  • Increase access to health and dental care for those residing in rural areas through the use of innovative technologies.
  • Require a GAO audit of the implementation of TRR, premiums rates, and enrollment methods.
  • Recalculate premiums to provide for single, couple, and family rates of TRR.
  • Permit members of the IRR who qualify for a reserve retirement at age 60 to participate in TRR as an incentive for their continued service (and higher liability for recall to active duty).
• Allow beneficiaries of the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan who are Selected Reservists the option of participating in TRICARE Reserve Select.

Out-of-Pocket Travel Expenses of and Reserve Members

Restoration of full tax-deductibility of non-reimbursable expenses related to military training was accomplished by the FY04 NDAA using a distance of 100 miles.

• Title 10 should be revised so that "the deductions allowed for any non-reimbursed expenses for training away from home in connection with such services.

Single System Pay System for Reserve Components
AUSN believes that the Navy Reserve and all Reserve Components mush have a single system pay system in order to realize the Operational Reserve policy. Reserve Components still suffer loss of income due to a multitude of pay problems and issues.

Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
Reemployment protections for our nation’s “operational reserve” warriors cannot be over-emphasized. At the same time, AUSN sees a need to expand employer incentives – enacted in 2008 -- for retaining Guard-Reserve employees. AUSN goals:

• Extension of USERRA protections to servicemembers working in domestic response operations, such as hurricane or wildfire missions.
• Make unenforceable binding arbitrations agreements between employers and Reserve Component members.
• Require that States which accept federal funds for any state programs or activities must waive their sovereign (11th Amendment) immunity in cases of USERRA actions.
• Provide punitive damages in the worst cases of reemployment discrimination.
• Make the award of attorney fees mandatory rather than discretionary.
• Amend USERRA to require documentation, confirming military service during a period of absence.
• Make a single entity accountable for overseeing USERRA complaint resolution process.
• Amend USERRA to preclude an exclusion or waiting period for reinstatement of employer health care.
• Extend reemployment rights to military spouses who must suspend employment to care for dependent children due to a military sponsor’s deployment.
• Monitor the DoL Office of Special Counsel pilot program for enforcement of USERRA for Federal Agencies.

Family Support Programs to Meet the Unique Needs of Remote AD, and Reserve Families
AUSN notes considerable progress in outreach and services for returning 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.
• 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 veterans.

Reserve Readiness

• As DoD considers a series of defense spending cuts, AUSN believe the ESGR program is critical to the support and readiness of our and Reserve Component, therefore AUSN supports fully funding the ESGR Program.
• Seek proper funding for NGREA accounts for Navy Reserve

Expand Incentives Credits for Employers of the Guard and Reserve
AUSN is very grateful to Congress for passage in 2008 of a first-ever tax credit for certain small businesses that pay a wage differential to G-R members called to active duty (P.L. 110-245). The new authority expired on 31 December 2009. AUSN is pleased to note that this employer benefit recognizes the enormous burdens that America’s employers bear under operational reserve policy. Today's increased OPTEMPO makes employer support more important than ever. Employer pressure is listed as one of the top reasons members of the Guard and Reserve quit. AUSN goal:

• Congress should make permanent and expand employer tax credits as a means to help offset costs associated with employees' Guard or Reserve activities and reinforce employer support.
• Seek authority to direct DoD to pay TRS premiums as an incentive for employers to recruit and/or retain Guard and Reserve members.

Reserve specific Compensation System
Increasing demands of qualifications, mental skills, physical fitness, and training readiness on the Guard and Reserve to perform national security missions at home and abroad and increased training requirements indicate that the compensation system needs to be improved to attract and retain individuals into the Guard/Reserve. The added responsibility and the reality of returning to active duty multiple times over the course of a reserve career require improvements to the compensation package and to make it more equitable with the active component. Securing additional annual pay increases that are at least one-half percent (0.5%) above the Employment Cost Index (ECI) for all components is essential. AUSN Goals:

• Allow full-retirement credits for all inactive duty training points earned annually (annual IDT points are capped at 130 presently).
• Provide parity in special incentive pay.
  • Career enlisted/officer special aviation incentive pays.
  • Diving special duty pay.
  • Special duty assignment pay.
  • Pro-pay for reserve component medical professional.
• Eliminate BAH II, and provide full BAH for any active duty service.
• Improve Space-A Travel policy for Guard and Reserve member and their spouse.
• Recalculation of Retirement Points after 1 Year Mobilization. Certain recent provisions allow flag and general officers to recalculate retirement pay after one year of mobilizations. AUSN believes this opportunity should be made available to all ranks.
• Change USC to permit all ranks, officer and enlisted who are recalled from retirement to have their retired pay recomputed after one year of mobilized – recalled active duty.
• Renew Reserve Income Replacement program for mobilized reserve components. Sustained and continuous long term activations of Operational Reservists make a civilian income replacement insurance or tax incentive program necessary to maintain readiness and retention.
• Seek legislation to allow equal Space A travel benefit that is allowed to Active Duty members for Reserve Components.
• Carry over leave of members of the reserve component. A member of a reserve component who accumulates leave during a period of active service may carry over any leave accumulated to the member's next period of active service, without regard to separation or release from active service, if the separation or release is under honorable conditions. Carried-over leave may be sold prior to separation or retirement.

GI Bill – Selected Reservists Left Behind
AUSN is most grateful to Congress for passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Post 9-11 GI Bill incorporates a number of major AUSN goals for the GI Bill including benefits that match the cost of education, extension of the post-service usage period to 15 years, and cumulative credit for G-R service on active duty. However, volunteers who join the Selected Reserve were left behind in this legislation. Benefits for joining the Selected Reserve were not upgraded or integrated in the Post-9/11 GI Bill as AUSN has long recommended. Moreover, these benefits are not just about the principle of “proportional equity” but also are essential to successful recruitment programs for the Guard and Reserve. AUSN goals:

• Restore basic reserve MGIB benefits for initially joining the Selected Reserve to the historic benchmark of 47-50% of active duty benefits. That would raise current rates under Chap. 1606, 10 USC from $329 per month to $621 to $660 for full time study.
• Ensure all reserve members utilized in post 9-11 in support of contingency operations on active duty orders of any type are afforded opportunity to participate in the GI Bill improvements.
• Integrate reserve and active duty MGIB laws in Title 38.
• Enact academic protections for mobilized Guard and Reserve students including: refund guarantees; and, exemption of Federal student loan payments during activation.
• Exempt earned benefit fro GI Bill from being consider income in need based aid calculations.
• Re-examine qualification basis for yellow ribbon program, rather than first come first serve.