Keeping Up...with Current Information for Navy Reservists and/or Retirees

NRA News, March 2009

By CAPT Tom McAtee

DoD Wants to Increase Fees But Bill Would Freeze Retiree TRICARE Fees

For three consecutive years, the Defense Department has asked Congress to increase TRICARE fees for retirees and to revise pharmacy copayments for Active- Duty families and retirees in order to reduce costs. Congress has rejected the idea every time. Now, again, a bill has been reintroduced that would freeze TRICARE fees for military retirees. As before, this is a preemptive strike as the Defense Department tries again to raise deductibles, copayments, and enrollment fees in an effort to hold down military health care costs. The Military Retirees’ Health Care Protection Act is important because of its chief sponsor, Rep. Chet Edwards D-TX, and because of the timing. Edwards, is Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee responsible for military quality-of-life programs and veterans health care. Overcoming Edwards’ opposition would be difficult. Edwards’ move to drop a bill even before the Obama administration has announced its plans for military health care is a warning sign to the White House and Defense Department that it might be a mistake to assume that TRICARE fee increases could be used to help cover health care costs in the 2010 defense budget.

Reserve Component Officer Ready Mobilization Pool

Effective 1 April 2009, the RC Officer Ready Mobilization Pool goes into effect. The URL Officer Ready Mobilization Pool Listing has been promulgated and is out to the field.

Mobilization Methodology

Determining Navy’s Mobilization Requirements is performed by the Active Component (AC). RC Officer Ready Mobilization Pool is a tool to improve stability, decrease fallout rates, and efficiently and effectively execute mission.

Officers on the RC URL Ready Mobilization Pool list comprise the RC URL Ready Mob Pool (RCRMP) for 01 April 2009 through 31 March 2010 and can expect to be mobilized during this timeframe.

Business Rules

1. Medical/Dental: Discrepancies delaying or preventing mobilization shall be corrected or resolved immediately. Submit MRR and update MAS codes as required.
2. Retirement/IRR: Requests for retirement or transfer to the IRR will be considered. Mobilization orders generated prior to date of request for IRR transfer or retirement will take precedence. Submit requests through appropriate chain of command.
3. Volunteers: Volunteers will continue to be accepted from the general officer population as well as officers on the RCRMP. Volunteers will be placed in billets that best match their preference for timing, location, job type, etc., as available.
4. ADSW: Members on the RCRMP are not authorized to accept ADSW orders without prior coordination with their OSO and approval from CNRFC.
5. Transfer to Priority Units: Members who subsequently transfer from a nonpriority unit to a priority unit will be removed from consideration for mobilization via the RCRMP. Members will mobilize per the rotation schedule of their assigned PRI Unit.
6. Order of mobilization: Members on the RCRMP are listed in random order. List will be frozen in this order. RCRMP requirements for each mobilization billet differ and there is no guarantee mobilization will occur sequentially. Every effort will be made to work from top down where members are qualified for next billet.
7. Exchange: An officer on this list may be replaced with another similarly qualified officer from the same unit. NR Unit CO or OSO may request an officer swap from CNRFC N35 via NOSC Commanding Officer.
8. Delay/Deferral/Exemption: RCRMP members identified for mobilization who cannot report as ordered must request adjudication by Delay, Deferment and Exemption (DD&E) process as outlined in OPNAVINST 3060.7b. Per this instruction, members must be under mob orders to request DD&E. Members delayed or deferred from mobilization will be mobilized at the next available opportunity immediately following delay/deferral period. Subject to qualif ications, members who are identified for mobilization but who fall out will be replaced by a member on this list from the same unit or gaining command.
9. Unless absolutely required due to specific NOBC or other skill requirements, officers not appearing on the 2009 RCRMP should not expect to be mobilized during the timeframe covered.
10. Unless absolutely required due to specific NOBC or other skill requirements, officers on the list who were not mobilized during the year will be exempted from mobilization for the following year.