FEATURED ARTICLES AND LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Outdoor Guide: The Wild Ride of AR Sales
It's no secret that political controversy has been one of the key catalysts driving AR sales through the roof for the past two years.  Since the expiration of the Assault Weapons Bill during the Bush Administration, sales of ARs, AR accessories, and the ammo to feed them have hit an all-time high.  Here's a little history on the AR Rifle. (From Military.com)

2010 COLA for Retired Pay
Each year military retirement pay is adjusted to meet the increased cost of living.  This Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) varies from year to year based on the previous year's Consumer Price Index (CPI).  Here's 2010 Update: The CPI dipped below 4 percent in the first two quarters of FY2009 and was still in negative numbers at the end of the fiscal year.  Due to the negative CPI in FY2009 there will be no COLA increase for retirees in 2010. ... More (From Military.com)

Eye Glasses for Retirees
All retirees, even TRICARE for Life recipients, may receive one pair of standard issue glasses each year from the Naval Ophthalmic Support and Training Activity.... More (From Military.com)

PTSD Vets Win Retirement Deal
More than 4,300 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who were diagnosed in service as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but got low military disability ratings, have won an agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD) to upgrade those ratings retroactively to 50 percent....More (From Military.com)

MHS Committed to Advancing Regenerative Medicine
By Gabrielle Kirk | Health.mil It may sound like science fiction to many, but the science of regenerating tissues and organs is a reality.

Regenerative medicine is happening now and improving the lives of service members and veterans, said Army Col. (Dr.) Robert Vandre of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM).

"Regenerative medicine will change the way we practice medicine in the future," Vandre said during a session at the 2010 Military Health System Conference Jan 27.

While researchers cannot yet regenerate limbs, the biomaterials engineered so far can help injured service members heal and recover by forming new bone, skin, nerves, tendons, muscles, and blood vessels to replace damaged tissues and organs.

Vandre explained that although organ transplants have been occurring for more than 50 years, people can die waiting for an organ match and there is always the possibility of organ rejection after a transplant.

"Regenerative medicine is the way to solve that problem," said Vandre.  Along with new techniques that reduce rejection and a patient's dependence on anti-rejection drugs, scientists can now create or repair organs using a patient's cells and a biodegradable material called scaffolds that create the organ's shape.

Another area where regenerative medicine could make a difference is in preventing limb amputation.  If muscle or nerves are destroyed, but a limb is still intact, many patients will first choose surgeries and therapies and then often decide to amputate years after the injury because of pain or limitations, said Vandre.  "If you can grow the muscle back, then you wouldn't have to amputate."

With more than $250 million in funding for the next five years, AFIRM is made up of two civilian research consortia working with the U.S. Army Institute for Surgical Research in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.  Rutgers University and the Cleveland Clinic lead one consortium and Wake Forest University and the University of Pittsburgh lead the other.

In 2009 a hand transplant for a Marine that took place at the University of Pittsburgh utilized a new technique of implanting some of the donor's bone marrow cells into the recipient to decrease the likelihood of rejection.  Speaking to the success of the procedure, Vandre said, "Now he is an apprentice electrician, and he could never be an electrician with one hand."

AFIRM's top areas of emphasis are facial reconstruction, scar-free healing, salvage, and reconstruction of limbs and digits, burn repair, and muscle repair.

Vandre encouraged military doctors in the audience to consider their patients for clinical trials in 2010, which include hand transplants, face transplants, burn treatments, scar revision, and skin grafts.  Information on how to apply for any of these clinical trials is available at www.afirm.mil. (From Military Health System)

Gates: No Tricare Hike in 2011 Budget Request
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Tricare recipients will see no increase in their premiums next year, if Congress approves that provision of the fiscal 2011 defense budget request, as expected.

However, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters yesterday he wants to work with Congress to find ways to help control escalating military health-care costs that are consuming an ever-increasing chunk of the budget.

Noting the skyrocketing costs of the military health-care system - from $19 billion in 2001 to $50.7 billion in the fiscal 2011 budget request - Gates questioned during yesterday's Pentagon briefing how sustainable the program can remain without cost controls or higher premiums.

"It's only going to go up," he said, with Military Health System officials estimating 5 to 7 percent annual cost increases through fiscal 2015.  "And it is absorbing an increasing percentage of our budget."  Officials predict that the program will grow from 6 percent of the defense budget to more than 10 percent by fiscal 2015.

"We absolutely want to take care of our men and women in uniform and our retirees," Gates said, "But at some point, there has to be some reasonable tradeoff between reasonable cost increases or premium increases or co-pays or something and the cost of the program."

There's been no Tricare premium increase since the program was founded in 1995, Gates said, noting that Congress has rejected recent Pentagon proposals for "very modest" increases.  Expecting the same action this year, the Defense Department recommended no increase this year, he said.

"I ask anybody to point me to a health insurance program that has not had a premium increase in 15 years," Gates said.  Tricare benefits, he said, are "generous, as they should be for our men and women in uniform."

But Gates compared the $1,200 average out-of-pocket costs for a family of three under Tricare to about $3,300 for the same family under a health maintenance organization plan in the Federal Employees Health Care Program.

"We see a lot of people coming back into Tricare because the benefits are so good and the costs are so low," he said

The Military Health System has 9.5 million eligible beneficiaries, including active-duty military members and their families, military retirees and their families, dependent survivors and certain eligible reserve-component members and their families.

Military Health System officials expect more eligible beneficiaries to continue returning to the Tricare system as costs of programs offered through their employers or spouses continue to increase.

The General Accountability Office recently found that more than 85 percent of retirees ages 45 to 49 and half of retirees between ages 60 and 64 had access to other group health insurance, but chose Tricare instead.

As Tricare usage increases, so does the number of health-care visits that beneficiaries make, officials noted.  Between fiscal 2005 and fiscal 2008, the average number of outpatient visits per enrollee increased from 8.7 to 9.97.  Pharmacy use increased 5.5 percent over the timeframe. (From Military Health System)

Last living U.S. World War I Vet Turns 109
By Beth Henry - The (Martinsburg, W.Va.) Journal via AP

America's last surviving World War I veteran marked his birthday Monday with family and close friends, noting that he has much to be thankful for as he blew out 109 candles.

Frank Woodruff Buckles, who lives on Gap View Farm near Charles Town, was born Feb. 1, 1901, in Harrison County, Mo.

He's often said that he knew he would have a long life, but he never expected to become the very last "doughboy" - after all, there were 4,734,991 Americans who served from 1917 to 1918 during the Great War.  Now there is one left.

Family spokesperson and biographer David DeJonge said Buckles was excited about his birthday party, and he is looking forward to at least a few more.

"He said, 'I don't think 115 is any different from 109,' " DeJonge said.

Buckles has a birthday wish that he's waiting for Congress to do something about - he wants to see the dedication of a World War I memorial in Washington, D.C.

Buckles serves as the honorary chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization, which would raise private funding to support the national memorial.  He joined U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and other senators on Capitol Hill in early December to support the Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act.  The bill would dedicate a National and District of Columbia World War I Memorial to honor the sacrifices made by American WWI veterans.

It would rename an existing structure, the District of Columbia War Memorial, which was dedicated in 1931 to D.C. residents who served in the Great War, including those who lost their lives.

Rockefeller is still pushing for the bill's passage, and he sent a birthday message to Buckles on Monday.

"I wish a very happy birthday to my friend Frank Buckles - a true patriot, a proud West Virginian and the last surviving veteran of World War I - who turns 109 on Feb. 1.  On this special occasion, I am enormously proud to recognize Frank's leadership as honorary chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation," Rockefeller said in a news release.  "I share the foundation's unwavering commitment to rededicating the existing ... memorial as a national monument honoring every one of our nation's WWI veterans.  And I will continue to champion the Senate legislation [Senate Bill 2097] that will make it possible."

DeJonge, president of the World War I Memorial Foundation said the bill doesn't seem to be moving forward much yet.

"We haven't heard really a whole lot," he said.

In the meantime, DeJonge has been working on a documentary about Buckles' life, as well as updating the veteran's Web site.

"Mr. Buckles is an international icon, a true patriot and the embodiment of the American 20th century," he said.

DeJonge anticipates the film production will take approximately 12 months to complete with a targeted release in late 2011 or early 2012, he hopes in the United States and Great Britain.  The team is seeking a corporate sponsor for the film and is in discussions with broadcast outlets.

Buckles certainly has plenty of stories to share for the film.

After working as a banker at the age of 15, he decided that he wanted to enlist in the military when World War I propaganda posters caught his eye.

He enlisted on Aug. 14, 1917, when he was 16 years old, after fibbing about his age to an Army recruiter.

Buckles sailed to Scotland aboard the Carpathia before serving two years overseas during World War I, in England and France.  He worked as an ambulance driver, and after Armistice Day he was assigned to a prisoner-of-war escort company to help return prisoners back to Germany.

Buckles returned to the United States in 1920 as a corporal.

Years later, he was captured as a prisoner of war at the beginning of World War II, when he was working as a civilian for a shipping company in the Philippines.  He spent more than three years in Japanese prison camps in Santo Tomas and Los Banos, and he was rescued on Feb. 23, 1945.

After recovering and returning to the States, he met and married his wife, Audrey, in California.  They lived in San Francisco for a few years before they bought Gap View Farm near Charles Town in January 1954 and had their daughter in 1955.

His daughter, Susannah Buckles Flanagan, and her husband live with him on his farm.

Genetics, healthy eating and exercise are vital for a long life, Buckles said during an interview when he was 106, but one more thing ranks higher.

"The will to survive is what's most important," he said. (TRICARE Management Activity (TMA))

VA Claims Expected to Take Longer in 2011
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted: Tuesday Feb 2, 2010 11:41:28 EST

The 2011 Veterans Affairs Department budget unveiled Monday by the White House includes what VA officials called an "unprecedented" 27 percent funding increase for the Veterans Benefits Administration, some of which will be used to hire 4,000 permanent employees to process benefits claims.

The increase does not mean disability; pension and survivors claims will be processed faster, however.

In an admission that comes as no surprise to few who have been watching VA struggle with a backlog of benefits claims, Michael Walcoff, VA's acting undersecretary for benefits, said veterans should be prepared for the average claims processing time to be longer in fiscal 2011 than it is today.

The reason?  Even though more workers are being hired, VA officials expect a big jump in the number of Vietnam-era veterans filing Agent Orange-related claims due to newly expanded eligibility.

It takes an average of 158 days to process a benefit claim today, Walcoff said.  He expects that will rise to 190 days in 2011, at least for the first few months of the year, as new employees are hired and trained and a flood of complicated claims requesting retroactive benefits are received from Vietnam veterans.

"Dealing with the claims backlog is complicated," Walcoff said.  "There is more involved than just the number of people we have handling claims."

VA officials expect to receive 1.3 million claims in 2011, part of a two-year, 30 percent jump that is greatly hampering VA's efforts to achieve its goal of bringing the average claims processing time down to 125 days.

In a statement, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said there are long-term plans to harness technology to speed claims, such as establishing a paperless processing system and changing procedures to reduce steps as part of promised transformation.  But in the short term, there is no quick solution.

In addition to the 27 percent increase in benefits funding, the proposed 2011 VA budget includes an 8.5 percent increase in medical funding.

At a Monday press conference, VA Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould called the 2011 budget a "watershed moment" for veterans, citing the big funding increases and the fact that the budget includes, for the first time, advance funding for health care for the following fiscal year.

The budget calls for 5,715 additional permanent employees, a 2 percent increase over the current workforce.  This includes the 4,000 claims processors, about 1,300 medical care workers and a smattering of additional workers in other departments.

The 4,000 claims processors are not necessarily new employees; about 1,800 are currently temporary employees whose positions would be made permanent, said W. Todd Grams, acting VA assistant secretary for management.

VA expects big increases in patient loads in 2011 and 2012 as the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking treatment rises.

About 382,500 recent combat veterans use VA today.  A 15 percent increase is projected for 2011 and an additional 13 percent increase is expected in 2012, Grams said. (TRICARE Management Activity (TMA))

Budget Plan Has Money for Concurrent Receipt
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted: Tuesday Feb 2, 2010 14:44:59 EST

A new call by the Obama administration to give full payment of retired and disability pay to all disabled military retirees by Jan. 1, 2015, is very similar to a proposal that was rejected last year, with one major difference:

This time the White House has put some money behind its plan.

President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget request seeks to add $408 million to the military retirement trust fund in order to begin phasing in so-called "concurrent receipt" benefits in 2011 for severely disabled veterans who spent less than 20 years in the service.

But because nothing involving concurrent receipt is ever simple, the plan may not satisfy congressional budget rules.

The $408 million is part of almost $5 billion earmarked in the budget for the military retirement trust fund to pay for future retired pay specifically as a result of concurrent receipt legislation.

But the House of Representatives has strict rules covering changes in mandatory spending, which require that an increase in one place must be offset by either a cut somewhere else or a revenue increase - a budgeting process known as "pay-go" that has been the nemesis of supporters of allowing disabled retirees to concurrently receive full military retired pay and veterans disability compensation if they are eligible for both.

"We see the increase in the military retired pay trust fund in the budget.  We don't see any offsets, and that could be a problem," said a congressional aide who has followed the concurrent receipt issue.

The first sign of whether the Obama proposal might work will come in April when the House and Senate budget committees prepare a 2011 spending and revenue guide, known as a concurrent budget resolution, which paves the way for allocation of funds to various congressional committees.

If the budget resolution includes language adopting the concurrent receipt funding, that would be sufficient for the House and Senate services committees to include the Obama plan in the 2011 defense budget.

A White House statement describing the concurrent receipt initiative does not clearly explain the details.  It includes just two sentences: "For the first time, highly disabled veterans who are medically retired from service will be eligible for concurrent receipt of disability benefits from VA in addition to DoD retirement benefits.  All medically retired service members will be eligible for concurrent receipt of VA and DOD benefits by 2015."

Congressional aides and administration sources said they expect the concurrent receipt plan, which will be included in legislative initiatives provided to Congress by the Defense Department, will be modeled on last year's proposal that died for the lack of funding.

That initiative is aimed, at first, at providing retired pay and disability pay without any offsets to retirees who served less than 20 years and are receiving military disability retired pay under Chapter 61, Title 10 of the U.S. Code.  Those people are not now eligible for concurrent receipt, although Chapter 61 retirees who served 20 or more years have been covered.

Here is how the plan would work:

• Beginning Jan. 1, 2011, concurrent receipt would be provided to all Chapter 61 retirees whose retired pay is based on a disability rating of 90 percent or more.

• On Jan. 1, 2012, concurrent receipt would be extended to all Chapter 61 retirees with retired pay based on a disability rating of 70 percent or more.

• On Jan. 1, 2013, concurrent receipt would be extended to all Chapter 61 retirees with retired pay based on ratings of 50 percent or more.

• On Jan. 1, 2014, concurrent receipt would be extended to Chapter 61 retirees with retired pay based on a rating of 30 percent or more.

• On Jan. 1, 2015, all disabled veterans drawing both military retired pay and veterans disability benefits would be eligible for concurrent receipt of both payments.  This final phase of the plan would, for the first time, provide full concurrent receipt to retirees whose disabilities are not related to combat or combat training and are rated at less than 50 percent.

(TRICARE Management Activity (TMA))

Lt. Col. Lee Archer, Tuskegee Airman, Passes

Lt. Col. Lee Archer died Jan. 27, 2010, at age 90.  He was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and flew 169 combat missions during World War II.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Christine Jones)

Lt. Col. Lee Archer, a World War II fighter pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen, died Jan. 27 at age 90.  He died of coronary complications at New York Hospital in New York City.

Colonel Archer entered the Army in November 1941 and received training as a telegrapher and field network-communications specialist.  In December 1942, he was accepted into aviation cadet training and reported to the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Tuskegee, Ala.

On July 28, 1943, after graduating No. 1 in his class and receiving his commission as a second lieutenant, he was assigned to the 302nd Fighter Squadron under the 332nd Fighter Group.  The group was transferred to Italy during World War II.

Colonel Archer flew 169 combat missions, flying cover and escorting long-range bombers over more than 11 countries, as well as strafing missions against enemy landing zones and troops on the ground.

The colonel held numerous post-war leadership and staff positions including chief of protocol for the French Liaison Office, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe; and White House Air Force-France project officer.  He also served as chief or executive officer of three international military organizations including the SHAPE Liaison Office, the 36th North American Air Defense Division and Headquarters U.S. Air Force Southern Command in Panama.

Colonel Archer enjoyed continuing success in civilian life, as vice president for urban affairs at General Foods Corporation; CEO of North Street Capital Corp.; and chairman of Hudson Commercial Corp.  He was on the Board of Directors of Beatrice International Foods and the Institute for American Business, a General Motors Venture Capital Subsidiary.

He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and received special citations from Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson, along with the director of the CIA.  Colonel Archer retired after 29 years of service and resided in New Rochelle, N.Y. (With permission of the Air Force Retiree News)

White House Seeks $125 Billion for Veterans in 2011
Homelessness, Claims Increases and Access - Priorities for VA Budget

To expand health care to a record-number of Veterans, reduce the number of homeless Veterans and process a dramatically increased number of new disability compensation claims, the White House has announced a proposed $125 billion budget next year for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"Our budget proposal provides the resources necessary to continue our aggressive pursuit of President Obama's two over-arching goals for Veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.  "First, the requested budget will help transform VA into a 21st century organization.  And second, it will ensure that we approach Veterans' care as a lifetime initiative, from the day they take their oaths until the day they are laid to rest."

The $125 billion budget request, which has to be approved by Congress, includes $60.3 billion for discretionary spending (mostly health care) and $64.7 billion in mandatory funding (mostly for disability compensation and pensions).

"VA's 2011 budget request covers many areas but focuses on three central issues that are of critical importance to our Veterans - easier access to benefits and services, faster disability claims decisions, and ending the downward spiral that results in Veterans' homelessness," Shinseki said.

Reducing Claims Backlog

The president's budget proposal includes an increase of $460 million and more than 4,000 additional claims processors for Veterans benefits.  This is a 27 percent funding increase over the 2010 level.

The 1,014,000 claims received in 2009 were a 75 percent increase over the 579,000 received in 2000.  Shinseki said the Department expects a 30 percent increase in claims - to 1,319,000 - in 2011 from 2009 levels.

One reason for the increase is VA's expansion of the number of Agent Orange-related illnesses that automatically qualify for disability benefits.  Veterans exposed to the Agent Orange herbicides during the Vietnam War are likely to file additional claims that will have a substantial impact upon the processing system for benefits, the secretary said.

"We project significantly increased claims inventories in the near term while we make fundamental improvements to the way we process disability compensation claims," Shinseki said.

Long-term reduction of the inventory will come from additional manpower, improved business practices, plus an infusion of $145 million in the proposed budget for development of a paperless claims processing system, which plays a significant role in the transformation of VA.

Automating the GI Bill

The budget proposal includes $44 million to complete by December 2010 an automated system for processing applications for the new Post-9/11 GI Bill.  VA also plans to start development next year of electronic systems to process claims from other VA-administered educational programs.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill authorizes the most extensive educational assistance opportunity since the passage of the original GI Bill in 1944.  Over $1.7 billion in regular Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments have been issued since the implementation of the program on Aug. 1, 2009.  In 2011, VA expects the number of all education claims to grow by 32 percent over 2009, going from 1.7 million to 2.25 million.

"To meet this increasing workload and process education claims in a timely manner, VA has established a comprehensive strategy to develop industry-standard technologies to modernize the delivery of these important educational benefits," Shinseki said.

Eliminating Homelessness

The budget proposal includes $4.2 billion in 2011 to reduce and help prevent homelessness among Veterans.  That breaks down into $3.4 billion for core medical services and $799 million for specific homeless programs and expanded medical care, which includes $294 million for expanded homeless initiatives.  This increased investment for expanded homeless services is consistent with the VA secretary's established goal of ultimately eliminating homelessness among Veterans.

On a typical night, about 131,000 Veterans are homeless.  They represent every war and generation, from the "Greatest Generation" to the latest generation of Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.  To date, VA operates the largest system of homeless treatment and assistance programs in the nation.

Targeting Mental Health, Preventing Suicides

"The 2011 budget proposal continues the department's keen focus on improving the quality, access and value of mental health care provided to Veterans," Shinseki said.

The spending request seeks $5.2 billion for mental health, an increase of $410 million (or 8.5 percent) over current spending, enabling expansion of inpatient, residential and outpatient mental health services, with emphasis on making mental health services part of primary care and specialty care.

The secretary noted that one-fifth of the patients seen last year in VA's health care facilities had a mental health diagnosis, and that the department has added more than 6,000 new mental health professionals since 2005, bringing to 19,000 the number of employees dedicated to mental health care.

The budget request will enable the department to continue expanding its programs for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), along with the diagnosis and treatment of depression, substance abuse and other mental health problems.  Shinseki called PSTD treatment "central to VA's mission."

The proposed spending will continue VA's suicide prevention program.  Since July 2007, the department's suicide prevention hotline has received nearly 225,000 calls from Veterans, active-duty personnel and family members.  The hotline is credited with saving the lives of nearly 7,000 people.

Reaching Rural Veterans

For 2011, VA is seeking $250 million to strengthen access to health care for 3.2 million Veterans enrolled in VA's medical system who live in rural areas.  Rural outreach includes expanded use of home-based primary care and mental health.

A key portion of rural outreach - which shows promise for use with Veterans across the country - is VA's innovative "telehealth" program.  It links patients and health care providers by telephones and includes telephone-based data transmission, enabling daily monitoring of patients with chronic problems.

The budget provides an increase of $42 million for VA's home telehealth program.  The effort already cares for 35,000 patients and is the largest program of its kind in the world.

Serving Women Veterans

The 2011 budget provides $217.6 million to meet the gender-specific health care needs of women Veterans, an increase of $18.6 million (or 9.4 percent) over the 2010 level.  Enhanced primary care for women Veterans remains one of the Department's top priorities.  The number of women Veterans is growing rapidly and women are increasingly using VA for their health care.

Shinseki said the expansion of health care programs for women Veterans will lead to higher quality care, increased coordination of care, enhanced privacy and dignity, and a greater sense of security among women patients.

Among the initiatives for women in the 2011 budget proposal are expanded health care services in Vet Centers, increased training for health care providers to advance their knowledge and understanding of women's health issues, and implementing a peer call center and social networking site for women combat Veterans.  This call center will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Delivering World-Class Health Care

During 2011, VA expects to treat 6.1 million patients, who will account for more than 800,000 hospitalizations and 83 million outpatient visits.

The total includes 439,000 Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, for whom $2.6 billion is included in the budget proposal.  That's an increase of $597 million - or 30 percent - from the current budget.

The proposed budget for health care includes:

* $6.8 billion for long-term care, an increase of $859 million (or 14 percent) over 2010.  This amount includes $1.5 billion for non-institutional long-term care;

* Expanding access to VA health care system for more than 99,000 Veterans who were previously denied care because of their incomes;

* $590 million for medical and prosthetic research; and

* Continuing development of a "virtual lifetime electronic record," a digital health record that will accompany Veterans throughout their lives.

VA is requesting $54.3 billion in advance appropriations for 2012 for health care, an increase of $2.8 billion over the 2011 enacted amount.  Planned initiatives in 2012 include better leveraging acquisitions and contracting, enhancing the use of referral agreements, strengthening VA's relationship with the Defense Department, and expanding the use of medical technology.

Preserving National Shrines

"VA remains steadfastly committed to providing access to a dignified and respectful burial for Veterans choosing to be buried in a VA national cemetery," Shinseki said.  "This promise requires that we maintain national cemeteries as shrines dedicated to the memory of those who served this nation in uniform."

The requested $251 million for cemetery operations and maintenance will support more than 114,000 interments in 2011, a 3.8 percent increase over 2010.  In 2011, the department will maintain 8,441 acres with 3.1 million gravesites.  The budget request includes $37 million to clean and realign an estimated 668,000 headstones and repair 100,000 sunken graves.

Building for the Future

$1.15 billion requested for major construction for 2011 includes funding for medical facilities in New Orleans; Denver; Palo Alto, Calif.; Alameda, Calif.; and Omaha, Neb.  Also budgeted for 2011 are major expansions and improvements to the national cemeteries in Indiantown Gap, Pa.; Los Angeles; and Tahoma, Wash., and new burial access policies that will provide a burial option to an additional 500,000 Veterans and enhance service in urban areas.

A requested budget of $468 million for minor construction in 2011 would fund a wide variety of improvements at VA facilities. (From VA NEWS)

VA Statement About 2010 Benefits and Programs
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) wants to inform Veterans and other beneficiaries of the following changes that will take effect in 2010:

· VA will Freeze Increase in Prescription Copayments:

Any increase in Veterans out-of-pocket payments for pharmaceuticals will be delayed until June 30, 2010.  This means the department will delay a scheduled $1 increase - to $9 - in the copayments facing Veterans for each 30-day supply of medicine for the treatment of conditions not related to military service.  During this period, VA will also keep $960 as the maximum, annual out-of-pocket payments for pharmaceuticals for non-service-related conditions.  The $960 cap will not apply to Veterans in priority groups seven and eight.  The yearly maximum out-of-pocket payment was scheduled to increase to $1,080.  There are no copayments associated with the treatment of conditions related to military service.

· VA will Distribute Insurance Dividends:

Approximately 900,000 Veterans are in line to share $286.4 million in annual insurance dividends during 2010.  VA operates one of the nation's largest life insurance programs, providing more than $1 Trillion in coverage to seven million servicemembers, Veterans, and family members.  These payments will be made to insurance policy holders on the anniversary date of their policies.  Payments will be sent automatically through different payment plans and the amounts will vary based on the age of the Veteran, the type of insurance, and the length of time the policy has been in place.  Consistent with private mutual insurance company practice, the VA is returning a portion of premium payments back to policyholders because the agency had strong financial results.

Veterans who have questions about their policies may contact the VA insurance toll-free number at 1-800-669-8477 send an email to VAinsurance@va.gov.  They may also visit the Internet at www.insurance.va.gov.

· No Adjustment in COLA for Disability Compensation + Pension Benefits:

As a result of negative inflation and the consumer price index going down over the past year the Social Security Administration has announced there will be no COLA this year for Social Security recipients.  Under federal law VA's COLAs cannot exceed the Social Security COLAs.  Therefore, VA is barred from making a COLA increase for recipients of its benefits.

VA provides compensation and pension benefits to over 3.8 million Veterans and other beneficiaries.  Presently, the basic monthly rate of compensation paid to Veterans ranges from $123 to $2,673.  Annual income limits for disability pension begin at $11,830 for a Veteran without dependents and increase for Veterans who have dependents, who are housebound, or who need regular aid and attendance.

Veterans who have questions about their benefits may contact the VA's financial benefits toll-free number at 1-800-827-1000 or go to www.vba.va.gov/VBA. (From VA NEWS)

Preventive Services Come Standard with TRICARE
Maintaining good health is just as important as seeking treatment for an illness.  When TRICARESM Standard beneficiaries practice healthy habits and use preventive medical services, these can add to their apple a day to keep the doctor away.

In September 2009, to increase access and lower the cost of preventive medical services for Standard beneficiaries, TRICARESM eliminated the cost shares for several preventive medical services including some cancer screenings, immunizations and well-child care.  Because the early discovery and treatment of disease usually leads to better health outcomes, beneficiaries are always encouraged to discuss their individual and family medical histories and concerns about preventive screening with their health care providers.

The screenings that follow are available to TRICARESM Standard beneficiaries without cost shares.

Prostate cancer screening
Men 50 and older should get annual prostate exams and prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests.  Men in their 40s are advised to have annual prostate exams and PSA tests if they have a family history of prostate cancer.

Breast cancer screening
TRICARESM covers annual mammograms and breast exams for women over 40.  Women younger than 40, but with risk factors for breast cancer, should ask their health care provider when they should have a mammogram and physical exam and how often.

Cervical cancer screening
Cervical cancer-screening Pap tests, along with pelvic exams, are recommended at least every three years for women 18 years of age and older, those who are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases or who smoke cigarettes.

Colorectal cancer screening
TRICARESM covers colon exams for beneficiaries 40 years and older.  Beneficiaries 50 and older should have annual fecal occult blood testing, a proctosigmoidoscopy or sigmoidoscopy every three to five years and colonoscopy every 10 years. Beneficiaries as young as 25 with a higher risk of colorectal cancer - for example, those with a close relative who had the disease - should talk to their doctor about earlier screenings.

Well-child care
It's important to get children in the preventive care habit, and with TRICARE'sSM well-child benefit, children up to age 6 are covered for routine care.  These well-child checks include comprehensive health promotion and disease prevention exams, immunizations, and developmental and behavioral appraisals.  TRICARE'sSM well-child care also covers eye and vision screenings at birth and 6 months, and two eye exams between the ages of 3 and 6.

Immunizations
TRICARESM beneficiaries are covered for all immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  This includes routine immunizations such as measles-mumps-rubella, diphtheria-pertussis-tuberculosis, chicken pox (varicella), flu, H1N1, and the more specialized immunizations for shingles or human papillomavirus (HPV).

Normally, the immunizations must be administered in the office of an authorized network provider, however there are some exceptions.  TRICARESM covers seasonal flu, H1N1 flu and pneumonia vaccines from non-network authorized providers and participating retail network pharmacies with no out-of-pocket expense to the beneficiary.  This expanded coverage is available to all TRICARESM beneficiaries eligible to use the TRICARESM retail pharmacy benefit.

To receive the seasonal flu, H1N1 flu or pneumonia vaccines, beneficiaries can call their local TRICARESM retail network pharmacy to make sure it participates in the vaccine program and has the vaccine in stock.  To locate a participating retail network pharmacy, go to http://www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE or call Express Scripts at 877-363-1303. (TRICARE Management Activity (TMA))

Tricare Official Explains Plans for Future
To balance increasingly complex responsibilities at home and overseas, Military Health System officials have adopted the Quadruple Aim model of care, Rear Adm. Christine Hunter, deputy director of the Tricare Management Activity, told a standing-room only crowd of military medical leaders Jan. 27.  The Quadruple Aim, she explained, supports readiness, population health, a positive patient experience and responsible management of health care costs.

During the 2010 Military Health System conference, key speakers described the scope and complexity of military medical operations and the Tricare program.  The MHS is becoming increasingly complex, Admiral Hunter said, and must create a learning culture to develop the next generation of leaders ready to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.  MHS leaders, she said, are adopting a learning culture to share knowledge.

The MHS is responsible for the care of 9.6 million people.  In a single week, 1.6 million outpatients are seen, 2.48 million prescriptions are filled and 3.5 million claims are paid.  Admiral Hunter congratulated all of the providers who have supported the ongoing relief efforts in Haiti while they handled Tricare's regular workload.

"Active, reserve, civilian and network partners came together immediately in an inspiring demonstration of teamwork," Admiral Hunter said of the effort.

Admiral Hunter discussed the Quadruple Aim, which she began implementing in July 2009 soon after her arrival at TMA, explaining how it is designed to help achieve near-term goals and guide long-range planning.

"The MHS has been successful in achieving three parts of the Quadruple Aim: readiness, population health and cost management," she said.

Ending her speech, Admiral Hunter impressed upon the more than 3,000 MHS professionals in attendance the importance of their jobs and urged them to continue the great work they do.  She closed by emphasizing how attendees can help achieve MHS goals by promoting individual and family readiness, a healthy population, positive patient experiences and responsible management of health care costs.

"You personally can help us achieve the Quadruple Aim," Admiral Hunter said "by ensuring that patients with an acute minor condition contact their primary care manager or visit an urgent care center rather than the emergency room, transfer brand name prescriptions from retail pharmacy to home delivery and that patients get the right information the next time they interact with us." (From Air Force Link)

Stimulus Package Changes Income Tax Withhold
Feb. 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law, providing a refundable credit for many working individuals.

In accordance with the new IRS tax tables, most single taxpayers' Federal Income Tax Withholding decreased by $400 for the year, and most married taxpayers' withholding decreased by $800 for the year.

Please keep in mind that tax tables do not account for individual circumstances.  Some recipients of retired and annuity pay, especially those who are married filing jointly and those who worked in 2009, may owe taxes or receive a smaller refund in April 2010. (Defense Finance and Accounting Service)(DFAS)

Customer Service Call Menu Changes
DFAS' Retired and Annuity pay call center has streamlined menu options for the Integrated Voice Response System and has broadened the scope of the system's speech functionality.

The system consists of a pattern of menus designed to match the most common reasons a retiree or annuitant would call.  The caller listens to a menu, chooses an option either by voice or touch-tone and is lead to another list of choices, which provide additional topic-related information.

Helpful messages are also available in the Main, Annuitant and Retired option menus.  These headline messages contain the most current information regarding important policies relevant to each menu's listener and are updated regularly.  Please be advised the menu options are subject to change and may do so without notice. (Defense Finance and Accounting Service)(DFAS)

Retired, Annuitant Pay returns to DFAS operations
As many of you know, DFAS is returning Military Retired and Annuitant Pay to government operation and management on February 1, 2010.  While Lockheed Martin has provided excellent service over the past eight years, an independent analysis determined that the transition could improve customer satisfaction by enhancing flexibility and responsiveness.

DFAS is working diligently to ensure a smooth transition of all functions.  This change should not affect you.  Should you have any questions or experience any difficulties, you may continue to use the same customer service telephone number: (800) 321-1080.

We want to assure you that taking care of the men and women who have served this country is our top priority.  We understand that you rely on us to ensure your financial stability, and we will continue to provide excellent customer service and timely, accurate pay. (Defense Finance and Accounting Service)(DFAS)

One Year Filing Deadline for TRICARE Claims
By Tyler Patterson and Shari Lopatin: TriWest Healthcare Alliance

PHOENIX - When you visit the doctor, you probably pay your co-pay, then leave.

But what if you visit an out-of-network doctor or have other health insurance?  You might need to file your own TRICARE claim, something your TRICARE network provider is required to do for you.

That's why you should know this important rule: You have one year, from the date of your medical visit or discharge for inpatient services, to file that claim.  Once you do that, TRICARE will process your claim and send you any applicable reimbursement, depending on your plan.

To file your own TRICARE claim, follow these steps:

• Ensure your information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) is current.  This can be done in several ways:

• In person at a military personnel office or uniformed services ID card-issuing facility

• Online through the DEERS Web site by visiting www.tricare.mil/deers

• By mail by sending the required information to Defense Manpower Data Center Support Office, Attention: COA, 400 Gigling Road, Seaside, CA 93955-6771

• Via Fax, 1-831-655-8317, or

• By Phone, 1-800-538-9552.

Once you update DEERS, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, who administers TRICARE throughout the West Region, will be notified of any changes.  Verify with TriWest the changes have been made before proceeding.

Complete and sign the Beneficiary Claim Form, DD Form 2642.  If you were injured at work, home, or in an accident, you may need to complete the Statement of Personal Injury - Possible Third Party Liability Form, DD Form 2527.  Both forms are available by clicking on "Find a Form" at www.triwest.com.  Please note that if you were injured and go to a hospital, hospitals file your claims for you.  Yet some emergency room doctors, urgent care doctors, radiologists or ambulance companies may not file claims.

Attach a copy of the doctor's bill to the claim form (DD Form 2642).  Make sure the billing information includes the name and address of the person who treated you, the date and place of each service, a description of each service, the charge for each service, and the diagnosis.  If the diagnosis is not on the bill, remember to complete "Block 8a" on DD Form 2642.  After that, mail the information within the one-year deadline to: West Region Claims, PO Box 77028, Madison, WI 53707-1028.

If you have primary health insurance, other than TRICARE or Medicare, your provider needs to submit your claim to that company first.  After your primary insurance company pays its portion, some providers will then file the secondary claim with TRICARE.  If they don't, you will send in the claim.  Make sure to attach your Explanation of Benefits showing the amount to be paid to the provider.

Registered users of www.triwest.com receive QuickAlert notifications when their claims status changes.  You can also learn how to Go Green with statements on www.triwest.com/gogreen.  For more information and exceptions to the one-year filing deadline for claims, visit: www.triwest.com/beneficiary/claims.aspx (From Military Medical System)

President Rolls Out Proposed Budget for FY2011: NO Proposed TRICARE or VA Healthcare Fee Increases
On Monday the White House rolled out its proposed budget for the federal government for FY2011.  Happily, I can tell you that there are NO proposals to increase TRICARE enrollment fees or co-payments in it.  The MHS (Military Health Systems which is both the direct care system and the TRICARE programs) proposed budget is 5.8% higher than it was last year and it is fully funded.  There is no hole in the funding that would need to be filled by increases in TRICARE enrollment fees, deductibles or co-pays.  This is very good news.

The Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO) reached the same conclusion TREA did when reading the budget.  In his statement he said: "Our nation is protected by the finest military the world has ever seen, but we must support our service members and their families because the strength of the U.S. military is in our people.  This budget proposal invests in our people by providing a military pay raise, a housing allowance increase, a funding boost for family support programs, and by preventing any increases in health care fees or copayments." (Emphasis added)

The VA's healthcare budget also was fully funded and had no proposed co-pay, deductibles or enrollment fee increases.  Of course this does not mean that the Administration cannot request increases throughout the year- indeed Secretary of Defense Gates said, again, that he wishes to have a dialogue on the subject with Congress.  And congressional staffers are constantly telling us that we have to accept that this is coming.  However, they have not budgeted for it.  So it seems clear that they don't expect to be successful this election year. (The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA))

Medicare Doc Fix Not Yet Achieved
Yesterday many of you may have seen that the House of Representatives passed the Senate's legislative version of the debt limit increase which also included PAYGO rules and a 5 year exemption for PAYGO offsets for a potential Medicare Doc Fix.  (That means they could stop the payment cut for Medicare Doctors mandated by present law without finding offsets.)  However, this does not mean that they HAVE passed a bill ending or delaying this pay cut.  Again, please realize how important this is for BOTH TRICARE for Life (TFL) Beneficiaries and beneficiaries of other TRICARE programs that this cut be stopped.

Remember, if you are a TFL beneficiary, Medicare is first payer to TRICARE.  Such a cut is likely to make it much harder to find a doctor willing to take new Medicare/TFL patients.  And if you are a beneficiary of another TRICARE program your payment schedules are based on the TRICARE rates so it could make it much harder to find a doctor willing to take new TRICARE patients.

Congress only has until the end of this month to either craft a permanent solution or another temporary correction of this problem.  Otherwise this crippling cut will immediately go into effect.  It is important for our members of Congress to focus on this critical issue immediately.  Please go to our website, and click on the Capwiz shield.

Send the message about this issue to your Senators and House Representative. (The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA))

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Releases its 2010-2012 Plan for Veterans Employment in the Federal Government
The OPM has released its 20 page report "Governmentwide Veterans' Recruitment and Employment Strategic Plan FY 2010-2010."  You can find it at: www.fedshirevets.gov/pdf/Vets_Initiative_Strategic_Plan.pdf.  This is a government wide project to both recruit and hire new veterans for the federal government and to help veterans who are already working in the federal government.  The OPM developed the plan with senior leaders from the Departments of Defense, Labor, Veterans Affairs, Commerce, Homeland Security, Treasury, and Transportation.

OPM Director John Berry said: "This is America's first strategic blueprint to increase and support the hiring of Veterans throughout the Federal workforce.  This plan aggressively dismantles barriers for Veterans seeking Federal employment.  Additionally, it provides ongoing career support to Veterans working within the Federal workforce and specifically looks to support new veterans as they adjust to civilian work life."  At the end of FY2008 there were 480,000 vets working in the Federal Government.  Hopefully, with a push from the Administration this number will grow. (The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA))

Take Action On Medicare and Tricare Cut
Tell Congress to Stop the 21 Percent MEDICARE/TRICARE Cut!

ACT NOW to reverse the 21% payment cut and preserve essential health care access for millions of seniors and military families. (The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA))

Three Weeks Until 21% Medicare/TRICARE Cut
Last week's report that H.J. Res. 45 (passed by the Senate last week and the House this week) would fix the 21% cut in Medicare and TRICARE payments to doctors (now scheduled for March 1, 2010) proved premature.

While it would let Congress reverse that huge cut without requiring specific cost offsets; separate legislation is still needed to make the fix.  And only three weeks remain before the cuts kick in.

So it's more important than ever to (again) urge your legislators to act immediately to stop the 21% cut, and keep thousands more doctors from dropping military and Medicare patients. (c) 2008, The Military Officers Association of America. Used with permission.

DoD Budget on Pay Raise, Concurrent Receipt, TRICARE Fees
The Pentagon rolled out its FY2011 defense budget this week, proposing a $549 billion base budget (a 3.4% increase over 2010) and $159 billion more to support war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During testimony before the House and Senate Armed Services Committee this week, Secretary of Defense Gates outlined three major priorities in the DoD base budget:

* Strengthening the nation's commitment to the all-volunteer force

* Rebalancing America's defense posture to prevail in current conflicts

* Continuing DoD's commitment to reform, especially in acquisition

Highlights of initiatives proposed in the new budget include:

Pay Raise - A military pay increase of only 1.4%.  This would match private sector pay growth between 2008 and 2009.  But it would be the lowest military raise since 1963.  If enacted, it would be the first year since 1999 without at least some progress in reducing a basic pay raise gap that still stands at 2.4%.

Concurrent Receipt - The budget again proposes a five-year plan to phase out the disability offset to military retired pay for all members whose service-caused conditions forced them into medical retirement.  Congress failed to enact a similar proposal last year after being unable to identify cost offsets.

Family Support - The budget provides $8.8 billion - an increase of $450 million from last year - to emphasize the importance of child support and youth programs, spouse employment, commissaries, and schools.

Health Care -The budget proposes $50.7 billion to fully fund the Defense Health Program without any TRICARE fee increases for retirees.

When asked about rising health costs, Secretary Gates made it clear he thinks retiree fees should rise.  "There has not been an increase in the premium for TRICARE since the program was founded in 1995," he said.  "I ask anybody to point me to a health insurance program that has not had a premium increase in 15 years…We absolutely want to take care of our men and women in uniform and our retirees, but at some point, there has to be some reasonable tradeoff between reasonable cost increases or premium increases or co-pays or something and the cost of the program."

Gates said that when DoD previously proposed fee hikes and cut the budget to reflect that, Congress refused to make the increases, so the funding shortfall had to be made up.  Rather than facing that scenario again, DoD has proposed full program funding, and looks to Congress for any action on TRICARE fees. (c) 2008, The Military Officers Association of America. Used with permission.

Pentagon Settles PTSD Lawsuit
The Government, in order to stay a final ruling, negotiated a deal in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims - the result will provide disability retired pay and family TRICARE coverage, at least temporarily, for thousands of veterans previously separated from service after suffering PTSD.

The arrangement stems from a class action lawsuit brought by the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP).  The NVLSP, representing seven veterans, claimed that the veterans' Military Service Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) violated their legal rights, by assigning a disability rating for PTSD below the minimum 50% as required by the Veterans Administration Schedule of Rating Disabilities (VASRD).

The seven veterans have asked the Court to order the military services to give them all of the military retirement benefits to which a veteran with at least a 50% PTSD rating would be entitled.

According to the NVLSP, the federal court has allowed the lawsuit to be a class action suit on behalf of the following individuals:

All individuals who:

(a) served on active duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force;

(b) were found by a Physical Evaluation Board to be unfit for continued service due, at least in part, to the individual's PTSD;

(c) were assigned a disability rating for PTSD of less than 50%; and, as a result,

(d) were released, separated, retired, or discharged from active duty after December 17, 2002, and prior to October 14, 2008 (regardless whether such release, separation, retirement, or discharge resulted in the individual's placement on the Temporary Disability Retirement List).

There are over 4,300 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with PTSD who could potentially be eligible for increased benefits.  NVLSP is in the process of mailing to these veterans' "opt-in" forms.

For those who "opt-in" to the class action suit, the military services agreed to prioritize applications to the records corrections boards requesting an increase of their PTSD ratings.  In most cases, any such correction will be effective retroactively to the date of the action taken on the report of the Military Service PEB.

Veterans who choose to opt-in have until July 24, 2010 to return their form by either fax or postmark.  The lawyers involved with the lawsuit have agreed not to charge any service fees to veterans who agree to join the lawsuit.

Veterans who feel they may be eligible and have not received a notice can find more information at www.ptsdlawsuit.com. (c) 2008, The Military Officers Association of America. Used with permission.

Copyright (C) 2009, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), all rights reserved. Part or all of this message may be retransmitted for information purposes, but may not be used for any commercial purpose or in any commercial product, posted on a Web site, or used in any non-MOAA publication (other than that of a MOAA affiliate, or a member of The Military Coalition) without the written permission of MOAA. All retransmissions, postings, and publications of this message must include this notice.

COMMUNITY AND LOCAL BASE - POST NEWS

The Fort Eustis Wheel Website Newspaper is Retiring After 46 Years of Service, But There Will Still Be a Newspaper
By Zack Shelby, Editor

Today's paper marks the last time our weekly print news product will be called The Wheel.

We are about to make a new friend - the Air Force - and a new name for our Joint Base paper. We have now settled on the Peninsula Warrior.

So The Wheel isn't necessarily being driven away.  It's just being modified to include our Langley counterparts.

Some wise soul somewhere said that all good things must come to an end.  The Sentinel came to an end in April 1964 and that era was replaced by what we've all come to know and love as The Wheel.  But aside from that and more color, not much really changed with the newspaper.  And not much should really change with The Peninsula Warrior.  The biggest difference now is that half the news will be Air Force, but it's not replacing Army news - it's an addition.

I'm not saying this change will be easy though.  The process will definitely take some getting used to for the personnel at our joint newspaper and for the communities of both Langley Air Force Base and Fort Eustis.

My point is though, at the end of the day, news is still news, and so that in itself means a lot of things will stay the same.  We'll still have a newspaper.  We won't be strictly Web-based or anything like that for now.

Our paper will still be weekly, but will come out every Friday instead of Thursday.  That will be an adjustment our office will have no problem getting used to.  Hopefully, you the readers will embrace the change as well.

Maybe the best way to look at it is like a change of command.  There will be some different personnel, but the day-to-day operations shouldn't change too much.  Think about what many new commanders say during their remarks at their change of command ceremony.  A lot of them say something along the lines of "all policies and procedures will remain in effect."  The same concept will apply - at least with our new newspaper.

But, I think this will ultimately be a case of "the more things change, the more they stay the same."  And it should be treated with the cliche "take it one day at a time."  Cliches are cliches because they usually make sense, and they withstand the test of time.

Free Concert at Jacobs Theater
Fort Eustis Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation will sponsor a free concert at Jacobs Theater Feb. 6 at 7 p.m., starring Leigh Jones with Live Band Animate Objects comedians/Mc's Jessi Campbell and Drew Thomas.

For more information, call 878-4396.

Fort Eustis Legal Assistance and Claims Offices
The Fort Eustis Legal Assistance and Claims Offices will have limited hours Feb. 9 between 3 to 4 p.m. due to an Article 6 visit.

For more information, call 878-3031 x222.

McDonald Army Health Center Closures
The McDonald Army Health Center will be closed on Feb. 12 for internal staff training.  All services (including Pharmacy, Lab and Acute Minor Illness Clinic) will be closed.  Additionally, all services will be closed Feb. 15 in observance of Presidents Day.  Patients needing assistance with appointments should call 1-866-645-4584.

February Pay Day Elimination Scramble
The Fort Eustis Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation host February Pay Day Scramble at the Pine Golf Course Building 3518 Feb 5. at 11 a.m.  The following rules apply:

1. DRESS CODE: All shirts must have collars.

2. SOFT SPIKES: No metal spikes allowed.

3. GUEST FEE: $41

4. PINES MEMBER FEE: $21

5. ACTIVE DUTY: Half price E4 & below $16 E5 & above $18

Cost includes golf cart, dinner and prizes.

For more information call 878-2252.

Bacchus Wine and Food Festival at Virginia Living Museum
Taste fine wines from around the world and food selections prepared by area restaurants, enjoy live entertainment and a great silent auction, all in one night, for a great cause at the 6th Annual Bacchus Wine and Food Festival Feb. 5 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Virginia Living Museum, 524 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News.

The evening features tastings of more than 30 wines from nine different countries.

The evening begins with a VIP reception from 6 to 7 p.m. and live music throughout the evening to include:

Chris Basford on classical guitar and Denny Fohringer on acoustic guitar.

Smooth jazz from the Forte Jazz Band and alternative Americana from The Muckrakes

An eclectic mix of bluegrass, gospel, country and rock and roll from the Made from Scratch Bluegrass Band

Tickets are $50 in advance, $60 at the door.  Tickets for the VIP reception are $100 per person and includes entrance to the festival).

A silent auction will also be held with many prizes up for grabs including AirTran tickets and a deepsea fishing trip to eye care and teeth whitening.

Dress is from casual to cocktail.  Guests must be 21 years of age and older to attend this event.

For more information call 757-595-1900 or visit www.thevlm.org.

Tops In Blue
The Air Force Tops in Blue World Tour 09, featuring one of Langley Air Force Base's own, is coming to the Hampton Roads Convention Center on Feb. 9.  The concert is free and open to the public.  Doors open at 5:45 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30.

For more information, call 764-2983.

Heroes Conference
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program is hosting the "Virginia is for Heroes 2010" conference Feb. 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.  This conference is a one-day event addressing combat/operational stress and traumatic brain injury.

For more information visit www.langley.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100113-019.pdf.

Mardi Gras Madness
The Directorate of Family Morale and Welfare Recreation host Mardi Gras Madness at the Fort Eustis Club Feb. 19.  Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.  All events begin at 4:30 p.m. with Black White Rhythm & Blue and DJ Shannon.

For more information contact the Fort Eustis Club at 878-5700

Tops in Blue World Tour
Tops in Blue - an ensemble of the U.S. Air Force's talented musical performers- is coming to the Hampton Roads Convention Center for a one-night only performance, Feb. 9 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Tops in Blue is one of the U.S. military's oldest and most widely traveled entertainment groups.  This year's tour celebrates the group's 56-year history with a musical review to please all ages.

This event is free and open to the public.  Doors open at 5:45 p.m. and show starts at 6:30 p.m.

For more information about this event or Tops in Blue, visit www.topsinblue.com or call 764-2983.

Langley Tax Center Takes the Headache Out of Tax Season
By Senior Airman Sylvia Olson, 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- Filling out tax returns can be confusing, but Langley's Legal Office plans to remedy this by opening a tax center to guide people through the process.

At the tax center, volunteer income tax assistants (VITAs) help people with any questions regarding federal and state tax returns, and even fill out their returns for them.  Last year, VITA representatives, working with the legal office, saved Langley families over $820,000on tax preparation and filing fees.

"Our goal is to provide people with legal ways to reduce their tax liability," said Capt. Javier Farfan, Langley Tax Center officer-in-charge.  "We want to help them save money."

The tax center is free and open to the Langley community.  Active-duty personnel have priority, but retirees and dependents are also welcome.  VITAs are trained to handle simple tax returns; those with complex tax returns, involving rental properties, investments etc. may be referred to a specialist.

"People who are uncomfortable with doing their taxes can come here and talk to someone face-to-face," said Airman Lyndsey Mixon, Langley Tax Center coordinator.  "It takes the headache out of doing your taxes."

Captain Farfan advises people to come prepared, and bring all necessary documentation, including a copy of last year's tax return, forms W-2 and 1098s and 1099s from the 2009 tax year, their dependents' social security card(s), child care provider's tax identification number or social security number and the amount paid in child care for 2009.

For those filing their taxes electronically, bring a voided check or statement from the bank with routing number and account information on it and a Power of Attorney if filing a joint return and one party is unable to make the appointment.

The center's success depends on the number of volunteers recruited; this year they hope to have 50 or more, although 75 or more would be ideal, said Captain Farfan.  VITAs are trained and certified by IRS representatives.  Active-duty personnel, retirees and dependents are encouraged to volunteer.

Volunteers must meet the following requirements: · Have been approved by his or her chain of command to be a volunteer.

· Possess math aptitude or tax experience (preferably).

· Should be eager and willing to help others during the tax-filing season.

· Must commit to a total of 40 hours during the course of the tax season.

· Be available to work a minimum of two consecutive weeks or one day a week for ten weeks.

· Be available for online training.

· Receive a passing score minimum of 80 percent on the test to required to be certified as a VITA.

"Volunteers are given an opportunity to receive intensive, thorough training in a skill they can use for the rest of their life," said Airman Mixon.  "It's also an opportunity for them to serve their community."

The tax center offers services Feb. 1 through April 30 in building 567, adjacent to the marina, Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.  For more information or to volunteer, call Captain Farfan or Airman Mixon at 574-3277.

Ice Skating Returns to Downtown Hampton
The holiday season is merry and bright with Downtown Hampton on Ice, the peninsula's only outdoor ice skating rink.

The rink is open through Feb. 28, 2010 at the Virginia Air and Space Center, 600 Settlers Landing Rd., Hampton.

The rink provides more than 5,000 square feet of icy surface for public skating, special events, themed activities and more.  Skating costs $6 per person, per session.  Visitors are welcome to bring their own skates or rent skates for only $2 more.

Operating Hours

Daily

10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

For more information call 727-0900 or visit www.vasc.org.

CONTENT DISCLAMER
Although every effort is made to verify the information contained on this web site, neither the editor nor the RAO staff can guarantee the accuracy of information received from outside sources.




Asbestos Counter
as of Feb. 2009

Langley AFB Retiree Activities Office
633rd Mission Support Group/633rd MSG/CVR
(757)764-7386
retireeactivities@langley.af.mil
Webmaster, Maj. Harold Carney, USAF (retired)