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Al Garcia has been re-elected as President of the Totah Chapter. Jack Lee was elected as the new Vice-President replacing Terry Fredericks. Steve White will replace Earl Mealer as the Secretary/Treasurer.
The newly elected officers will be installed during the General Membership meeting on January 18, 2002.
The election was supervised by Jack Morgan, Chairman of the Election Committee. The election of the new officers was done by a unanimous vote of the members present at the November 16, 2001 meeting. All of the officers-elect agreed to serve.
From TROA National
This is TROA’s legislative update for Wednesday, November 21, 2001.
House and Senate Armed Services Committee conferees are not quite finished with deliberations on the FY 2002 Defense bill and have now departed on Thanksgiving break. Deliberations will resume next week.
Both the House and Senate included language in their respective versions of the FY 2002 defense bill that would authorize concurrent receipt of retired pay and VA disability compensation. TROA, The Military Coalition and other military and veterans groups have pushed hard in these final hours to convince conferees to adopt the Senate version of the FY 2002 defense bill, which would end the disability offset to retired pay as of Oct. 1, 2002. The House provision would make the change contingent on the Administration identifying necessary funding.
While the outcome is uncertain, we applaud all the members of TROA and other organizations who have taken time to call, write or e-mail their legislators on this important equity issue. In the last 60 days alone, over 55,000 messages have been sent via TROA’s Web site to lawmakers urging them to enact concurrent receipt legislation this year.
If you haven’t yet done so, or wish to reemphasize a previous contact, you can still participate via TROA’s Web site at http://capwiz.com/TROA/home/.
Issue 2: Coalition Meets New DoD Health Czar
Dr. William Winkenwerder, Jr., the new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, held his first meeting with military association representatives Oct. 19 to discuss his goals for military health care programs and his hopes for a continuing dialogue with associations representing military beneficiaries.
Among his most important priorities, he listed:
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Improving force health protection and medical readiness; |
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Improving TRICARE (he listed examples as improving customer satisfaction, quality of care, financial predictability, successful implementation of TFL and the new retiree health care trust fund, and successful negotiation and smooth implementation of the next generation of TRICARE contracts); |
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Improving coordination, collaboration and communication with military associations, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Congress; |
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Recruiting, retention and development of military health care personnel. |
Dr. Winkenwerder comes to the Defense Department with a broad variety of experience in the healthcare industry. His most recent position was Executive Vice President of Health Care Services for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
We at TROA extend our congratulations to Dr. Winkenwerder and look forward to continuing the mutually productive working relationship that has evolved between the associations and Health Affairs while working TFL issues over the past year.
Issue 3: TRICARE For Life Claims Processing on Track
Almost ninety percent of TRICARE For Life (TFL) claims have been paid promptly, according to information provided by Defense Dept. officials. So far, 278,000 TFL claims have been processed, and 249,000 have been paid electronically to Medicare-approved providers. Approximately 29,000 claims were denied payment because the beneficiary had other Medicare supplemental insurance, or because the service was not a Medicare- or TRICARE-covered benefit. At last count, 74,000 claims were still in process.
Considering that 89 percent of the claims were paid, it appears from these early reports that the claims processing is working as intended. As the TFL system matures, we should be able to get better and more timely reporting information. That will allow us to better understand how well TFL is working for providers and for beneficiaries. We will keep you apprised in future updates.
The TF was created to identify ways to improve benefits and services for military retired veterans dually eligible for healthcare services from both the DoD and VA healthcare systems through “better coordination of the activities of the two departments”. It also is charged to examine barriers that impede DoD and VA coordination and identify ways to improve resource sharing through partnering activities.
In opening remarks, TF Co-Chair Gail Wilensky noted the passing of former Rep. Jerry Solomon (R-NY), who had been appointed to head up the commission with her.
The second meeting featured testimony from DoD and VA officials comparing and contrasting healthcare benefits available to TRICARE beneficiaries under Title 10 and to veterans at large under Title 38. TRICARE benefits are an entitlement under the law, but VA health care is not an entitlement program, since it is contingent on annual VA healthcare appropriations. Only veterans who meet criteria for “mandatory” care such as disabilities or low incomes are assured access. Neither DoD nor VA facilities are allowed to be Medicare providers.
In the afternoon session, a panel of executives from the TRICARE managed care contractors presented information on their initiatives to improve access for TRICARE beneficiaries to VA hospitals and clinics. All emphasized that they were eager to expand relationships with local VA hospitals and community-based clinics, but access was hampered due to a variety of factors. All four executives noted the lack of access standards at most VA facilities. Thus, although 80% of VA facilities are partnered with TRICARE, very few can meet the stringent TRICARE access requirements. Another challenge is capacity. The VA increasingly is moving to community-based clinics; many of those are operating at capacity, so TRICARE-referred patients often can’t be seen.
Panelists in both the morning and afternoon sessions pointed out enduring challenges to improved collaboration on information technology and other business processes between the two systems. Enabling the huge VA system to meet TRICARE access standards for all veterans -- including those dually eligible for both TRICARE and VA care -- could greatly enhance cooperative activity, but the price tag could be high.
The task force’s ongoing work is being divided among seven working groups, focusing on issues such as pharmaceuticals, procurement, information technology, and facilities.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to TROA’s legislative update, send a request to legis-update@TROA.org (Provide your TROA membership number if you are a member, OR, your full name and full mailing address including city, state and zip code with a note stating NON-member if you are not a TROA member. Without this information we CANNOT process your request.) Any requests received after Tuesday will not be processed until the following week.
If you have questions regarding the update, please address them to legis@TROA.org
Copyright © 2001, The Retired Officers Association (TROA), 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-TROA publication (other than that of a TROA affiliate, or a member of The Military Coalition) without the written permission of TROA. All retransmissions, postings, and publications of this message must include this notice.
By a Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan (from the Internet)
‘Twas the night before Christmas,
He lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of
Plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney
With presents to give,
And to see just who
In this home did live.
I looked all about,
A strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents,
Not even a tree.
No stocking by mantle,
Just boots filled with sand
On the wall hung pictures
Of far distant lands.
With medals and badges,
Awards of all kinds,
A sober thought
Came through my mind.
For this house was different,
It was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier,
Once I could see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping,
Silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor
In this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle,
The room in such disorder,
Not how I pictured
A United States soldier.
Was this the hero
Of whom I’d just read?
Curled up on a poncho,
The floor for a bed
I realized the families
That I saw this night,
Owed their lives to these soldiers
Who were willing to fight.
Soon round the world,
The children would play,
And grownups would celebrate
A bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom
Each month of the year,
Because of the soldiers,
Like the one lying here.
I couldn't help wonder
How many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas eve
In a land far from home.
The very thought
Brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees
And started to cry.
The soldier awakened
And I heard a rough voice,
"Santa don't cry,
This life is my choice;
I fight for freedom,
I don't ask for more,
My life belongs to my God,
My Country, my Corps."
The soldier rolled over
And drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it,
I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours,
So silent and still
And we both shivered
From the cold night's chill.
Among
those who participated in the annual Veterans Day parade in Aztec on
the 10th of November were: Alfonso and Heidi Garcia, Larry Johnson, Jack
Lee, Terry and Betty Fredericks, Jack Morgan, Paul Brinkley, Harold Hanhardt,
and Steven White.
that he’d forgotten how “primitive” cars of that era
were.