Thomas McAtee posted on January 01, 2009 22:04
January 2009 NRA News
by Tom McAtee
TRICARE Reserve Select Premiums Officially Reduced
Effective 1 January 2009, TRICARE will reduce the rates for TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS). Monthly premiums for TRS individual coverage will drop 44% from $81.00 to $47.51, and TRS family coverage will drop 29% from $253.00 to $180.17.
Unpaid Leave Benefit Improves for Reserve Families
The Labor Department has issued new rules that dramatically expand unpaid leave benefits for family members of Reserve and National Guard personnel and seriously injured troops. One benefit, which applies immediately, allows up to 26 weeks of unpaid time off, without fear of losing a job, for spouses, parents, siblings, children, or other blood relatives taking care of seriously injured or disabled service members. The one catch is that it applies only while the injured service member is still in the military and ends after separation or discharge. The second benefit, which employers have until mid-January 2009 to implement, gives family members of mobilized Guard and Reserve personnel up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, with their jobs fully protected.
4,000 IRR Navy Personnel Will Muster This Summer
Nearly 4,000 Individual Ready Reserve personnel will be required to muster in the summer of 2009. Muster dates will be 6 June and 11 July 2009, for anyone in the 55,000-strong IRR holding one of 13 officer designators or 19 enlisted ratings that are considered critical to the Global War on Terrorism. Normally, while in the IRR, personnel are not required to drill regularly, but they can be called to muster in person once a year. The in-person musters are held to test whether IRR personnel are fit for recall to active duty. Only those who live within 100 miles of one of the 128 Navy Operational Support Centers will be required to muster in person. The remainder will be allowed to muster on-line. The muster duty pay is $190.
In-person IRR muster will be required for those in the following specialties:
Enlisted
Construction/Seabees (BU, CE, CM, EA, EO, SW, UT)
Intelligence/linguists (IS/CT)
Law enforcement/security/legal (MA/LN)
Medical (DT/HM)
Religious program specialists (RP)
Supply/storekeeper (SK)
Special warfare/special operations (EOD, ND, SO, SB)
Officers
CEC/Seabees (5105)
Chaplains (4105)
Information professional (1605)
Information warfare (1615)
Intelligence (1635)
JAG (2505)
Medical (2105, 2205, 2305, 2905)
Supply/contracting specialists (3105)
Special warfare/special operations (1135/1145)
FAQ: What Type of Orders Are Eligible for Early Retirement Credit
First things first, regardless of the eligible type of orders, only days on active duty commencing or performed on or after 29 January 2008 are eligible. Order types eligible for calculating qualifying 90-day periods of active duty include: 1) Mobilization orders (whether involuntary or voluntary); 2) Contingency ADSW orders; 3) ADSW orders; 4) ADT orders; and, 5) AT orders. Only eligible 90-day periods within a federal fiscal year qualify. Attempts to legislate eligible active duty service performed on or after 11 September 2001 have been unsuccessful to date. Legislative lobbying continues on your behalf.