By Al
Garcia
Our
Chapter summer picnic was a great success and we had a wonderful time at
Don and Eleanor Castle's residence. We owe them hearty thanks for sharing
their beautiful home with us. We were blessed with gracious hosts, 50 some
attendees, good food, good weather, and members generosity at our attempt
to have an auction. Our funds came up by almost $400.00. Furthermore,
several prospective members attended the picnic and our membership has
increased to fifty. Not a bad summer.
By
the way, Joe and Irene Ziems won the beautiful Stained Glass piece of art
donated by Peggy Johnson. They could not join us at the picnic, but boy
were they surprised when Heidi and I delivered the beautiful item. We
definitely need to thank Peggy and Larry for their wonderful contribution.
To all of you that donated items for the auction, a mighty THANKS and the
same for those who bought the items. We all had a great time.
More Photos taken by DeVere Walker:
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By David
Stock
JROTC comes to San Juan County in a big way!
When school started this fall, three new US Army JROTC
programs started for the first time. Bloomfield High School, Kirtland –
Central High School and Piedra Vista High School. These three schools join
Farmington High School to give us four US Army programs and the one USMC
program at Shiprock High School. This gives us the highest concentration
of JROTC programs in the state of New Mexico. We now have a combined
enrollment of over 520 Army cadets and 200 plus USMC for a total of nearly
750 cadets in San Juan County. We have a big job in TROA to support this
many cadets.
Let us welcome the instructors.
LTC Tom Oetjen, wife Chrisy and 2 sons. He is the SAI
at Piedra Vista High. A USMA, West Point graduate, he comes to us from
Florida where he has been teaching JROTC for the past five years. I am
glad to have a voice of experience to keep me in check. He is by himself,
so if any of you know of a good Army NCO looking for a great job, let Tom
know. His enrollment starts at 58.
LTC Larry Renfro and his wife Sharon take the reins at
Kirtland – Central High. Also, a graduate of USMA West Point, he
recently retired from an AGR career, last assigned at Travis AFB in Calif.
He is joined by 1ST SGT John Warner, wife Cindy and 6 children.
A recently retired Army Ranger from Ft. Bragg, NC. They have over 175
cadets enrolled.
MAJ Scott Smith, a native of Bloomfield, heads the
program at Bloomfield High. He is excited to be back home and not working
in the oilfields. He is joined by New Mexico National Guard CSM Craig
Frost. CSM Frost is a retired Farmington police officer. They have over
170 cadets.
This has been a busy summer, bring these new programs
on line and ready for start up. But for the most part everything is going
well and all of us are excited about the programs and the opportunity to
touch the lives of these cadets. We in TROA have a big job ahead of us to
support these programs. We need to hold high the banner of support and
show the other organizations we are serious about helping. The Military
Order of Purple Heart has pledged $2500 in scholarships. Can we at least
match this? The greatest need is to have operating funds for the cadets to
attend drill meets. As JROTC has come to town BIG TIME, so must our
commitment to support them be in a big way.
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Sep 7-8—NM Council of Chapters meets at San Juan Country Club
in Farmington
Sep 10—Junior ROTC unit activations at Piedra Vista, Kirtland
and Bloomfield. Contact Dave Stock for more information (325-2748)
Sep 21—General Membership Meeting to be held at the San Juan
Country Club, 6:30 P.M.
Sep 21—POW/MIA Day
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From TROA
National Legislative Update E-mail
Let’s Dispel Those TRICARE For Life (TFL) Myths
On October 1, military Medicare-eligible beneficiaries
will become eligible for TRICARE For Life, under which TRICARE will
provide second-payer coverage to Medicare. Unfortunately, such major and
expensive benefit changes are frequently accompanied by rumors and
misinformation, often spread by well-intentioned but worried people. While
one can never fully protect against Murphy’s Law, everything we see
indicates TFL will be implemented and funded as planned on October 1. So
it’s time to put the kibosh on those exasperating TFL myths.
Myth # 1: “TFL is not a permanent program and
Congress is looking at cutbacks because of its high cost.”
Reality: TFL is set in permanent law, in the
same way as Social Security, Medicare, and military retired pay. As such,
annual action by Congress to re-authorize TFL is not required. Public Law
106-398 established a DoD Medicare-Eligible Health Care Trust Fund, to be
effective October 1, 2002. The Fund will be resourced with annual
mandatory contributions from the Department of Defense and the U.S.
Treasury. Congress certainly has the power to change any program,
including Social Security, Medicare, military retired pay, or TFL, but
that would take another law change. There has been no discussion in
Congress of any TFL cutback. Congress and the Defense Department are
committed to bringing TFL on line, on time, as promised.
Myth #2: “TFL has not been funded for FY 2002
so the program can’t begin on October 1, 2001.”
Reality: It’s technically true that Congress
has not yet passed the FY 2002 Defense Appropriations Act, but this is
merely a formality as far as TFL is concerned. First-year TFL funding of
$3.9 billion was included in the President’s Budget and in the FY2002
Budget Resolution, which set Congress’s spending agenda. Therefore,
funds are already earmarked for inclusion in the FY 2002 Defense
Appropriations Bill when Congress takes it up next month. If this
defense-spending bill is not passed by October 1st, Congress will approve
a Continuing Resolution (CR) to sustain funding for previously authorized
initiatives. TROA has confirmed with the House and Senate Appropriations
Committees and the Defense Department’s General Counsel that, since TFL
authority is already on the law books, it will still be implemented and
funded on Oct 1 under the terms of the CR, even if no Defense
Appropriations Act has been enacted by that date.
Myth #3: “My doctors will not accept me as a
TFL patient because they don’t participate in TRICARE.”
Reality: Under TFL, all Medicare-approved
providers are automatically "TRICARE-approved providers." If
Medicare pays the doctor, TRICARE will too – automatically. There is no
requirement for the doctor to formally participate in TRICARE. In the
worst case, a skeptical doctor may ask you to pay the Medicare co-payment
up front until he can be sure TFL will pay on time. Next month’s TROA
magazine will be accompanied by two copies of TROA’s new TRICARE For
Life Handbook for Providers. TROA designed this 8-page handbook
specifically to show doctors how TFL will work, and persuade them that
they won’t need to require such upfront co-payments.
Myth #4: “Doctors who treat TFL patients will
have to file a secondary TFL claim for the supplemental coverage that my
Medigap insurance now pays.”
Reality: For the vast majority of cases, all the
doctor has to do is file the claim with Medicare, with no extra paperwork
for TFL. Most providers already bill Medicare. Medicare will process the
primary claim and send the Medicare payment directly to the provider. The
paid Medicare claim will be automatically forwarded to TRICARE, which will
generate a TRICARE co-payment directly to the provider. You will get an
Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement from both Medicare and TRICARE
showing that both programs have paid their share of the bill and that you
owe nothing. (Note: This automatic payment system will be in place for
beneficiaries age 65 and over as of Oct 1, but won’t be available until
sometime next year for disabled Medicare-eligibles under 65. In the
interim, a separate paper claim to TRICARE will still be necessary for the
under-65 Medicare-eligibles.)
Myth #5: “Before I can get any benefits under
TFL, I must have a new Uniformed Services Identification Card that shows
eligibility for health care.”
Reality: A new ID card is not required.
Eligibility for TFL is based on your having correct information in DEERS,
the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. Even if the back of
the Military ID Card indicates, “No civilian medical care is authorized”
(after a stated date), TFL benefits will be paid so long as your DEERS
information is accurate. In addition, TRICARE contractors mailed out a
letter in late July and early August to all uniformed services
beneficiaries 65 and older with a wallet-size “Information Card” that
can be shown to a provider. The card states the provider should “file
claims (for reimbursement) in the usual manner to Medicare.” It also
shows that the patient has no co-pay or deductible for TRICARE and
Medicare-covered benefits and provides contact numbers for TFL
information.
Myth # 6: “Because I am enrolled in a Medicare
HMO or have other health insurance (OHI) coverage, TFL will not benefit
me.”
Reality: We believe you won’t need other
health insurance under TFL, but if you decide to keep it anyway, you will
not get all the benefits of your premium-free TFL coverage. That’s
because TFL will be third-payer after Medicare and your other insurance.
TROA recommends that all TFL eligibles should review their situation to
assess whether it still makes sense to pay premiums for coverage that TFL
provides at no cost. But even if you retain a Medicare HMO, Medigap
insurance or a former employer’s plan after October 1, TFL may still be
of some value. If you pay co-pays under your other plan, you can file a
TRICARE claim and be reimbursed for those costs. Also, if your plan has
limited coverage, you can file a TRICARE claim for the out-of-pocket
expenses, but you must enclose proof that your other plan’s benefits
have been exhausted. In order to submit a claim, the receipt or
explanation of benefits form from your other insurer must show the patient’s
name, date of care, and type of service. If you are in a Medicare HMO, you
should indicate that the receipt is from a Medicare Plus Choice HMO and is
for your cost-share. The receipt and a claim form may then be submitted to
TRICARE for adjudication. For more information, call the DOD Customer Call
Center at 888-DoD-LIFE (888-363-5433).
Myth #7: “For retirees who travel or live
outside the United States (its possessions or territories), Medicare will
not pay. Thus, TFL offers no benefits overseas.”
Reality: While Medicare doesn’t provide
benefits outside the United States, TRICARE does. If you are a TFL
beneficiary (enrolled in Medicare Part B) and become ill while traveling
or residing outside the United States, TFL will be the first payer for
TRICARE-covered benefits. In this case, you’ll be responsible for paying
the TRICARE co-payments and deductibles, up to the catastrophic cap of
$3,000 per family per year plus any excess charges. You also will be
responsible for paying any billed charges above what TRICARE allows. For
more information, call DoD’s TFL Call Center toll-free at
1-888-363-5433.
Myth # 8: “TRICARE For Life will pay for
long-term nursing care services, so I won’t need long-term care
insurance.”
Reality: TFL does not cover long-term custodial
care. Medicare and TRICARE cover certain “medically-necessary” skilled
nursing care either in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) or at home. Such
services are very different from long-term care services. SNF care may be
needed following a period of hospitalization for rehabilitation or for
stabilization of a condition. Long-term care, also called “custodial or
personal care”, is for people who require permanent assistance in
activities of daily living, such as eating, bathing, dressing and physical
movement. Beneficiaries are solely responsible for paying for custodial
services. Beneficiaries desiring such coverage may want to purchase
long-term care insurance, but they will have to meet certain “medical
underwriting conditions” as determined by an insurance carrier.
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From the
September 2001 TROAGRAM
After an exacting review of all chapter award nominee
submissions, a committee comprised of three members of TROA's Board of
Directors selected the following chapters for the awards indicated. To
make things a little fairer this year, new category was created - Large -
for chapters with 900 or more members.
Chapter of the Year
Large (900 or
more): Cape Canaveral Chapter, Fla.
Category I (500
- 899): Miramar Chapter, Calif.
Category II
(200 - 499): Heart of America Chapter, Mo.
Category III
(75 - 199): Mid-Florida Gulf Coast Chapter
Category IV
(less than 75): Totah Chapter, N.M.
Outstanding Chapters
Large
Winner:
Pikes Peak Chapter, Colo.
First Runner-Up:
Ark-La-Tex Chapter, La.
Runners-Up: New
Hampshire Chapter; Sacramento Chapter, Calif.
Category I
Winner.
Riverside Chapter, Calif.
First Runner-Up:
Tampa Chapter, Fla. Runners-Up: El Paso Chapter, Texas; Mount Vernon
Chapter, Va.; ROC of Sarasota Chapter, Fla.
Category II
Winner:
Mojave Desert Chapter, Calif.
First Runner-Up:
Sandhills Chapter, N.C.
Runners-Up:
Fort Rucker Chapter, Ala.; Hilton Head Chapter, S.C.; Kingdom of the Sun
Chapter, Fla.; Lancaster Chapter, Pa.; New Jersey Lakes & Pines
Chapter; Northeast Florida Chapter; North Palm Beach County Chapter, Fla.;
Southwest Illinois Chapter; Toledo Chapter, Ohio; Luke Chapter, Ariz.;
Wichita Chapter, Kan.
Category III
Winner:
White River Chapter, Ind.
First Runner-Up:
Sunflower Chapter, Kan.
Runners-Up:
Aloha Chapter, Hawaii; Cape Coral Chapter, Fla.; Flagler County Chapter,
Fla.; West Central Chapter, Fla.
Category IV
Winner: Santa Cruz Chapter, Calif.
Excellent Chapters
Category I:
Hawaii Chapter; ROC of St. Petersburg Chapter, Fla.
Category II
: Genesee Valley Chapter, N.Y; Greater Milwaukee Chapter, Wis.
Category III:
Lake Area Chapter, Fla.; Pen-Mar Chapter, Pa.
Category IV:
Greater Antelope Valley Chapter, Calif.; Space Coast Chapter, Fla.
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By Al
Garcia
New Mexico Council Of Chapters Meets in Farmington, NM
on 7 & 8 September. The Council is composed of the officers of the
eight New Mexico TROA Chapters and selected members from throughout the
state making up the elected officers. The Council also has special
committee chairs to coordinate TROA National and State matters. Its
purpose is to coordinate TROA goals and objectives at state level.
This is the first time that the council meets in our
fair city. On Friday evening, at 7:00 p.m. there will be a NO-HOST
cocktail party at the Best Western Inn on Broadway and Scott Avenue. All
members of the Totah Chapter are invited and encouraged to come meet and
mingle with these visitors. The event will be held at the Riverside Lounge
room #2.
On Saturday morning, some of the men will go play golf.
At 11:30 a.m. there will be a luncheon at the San Juan Country Club. The
cost of this luncheon is $8.50, chapter members are invited to attend.
Following the luncheon will be the Council’s business meeting, the
officers and board of directors of the Chapter are invited to attend. At
6:30 p.m. there will be a dinner at the Country Club at $18.00 per plate,
your choice of beef, chicken or fish. Installation of the Council officers
will take place. Colonel Jerry Smith, member of the National Board, from
Colorado Springs, CO will do the honors and will be the guest speaker.
Our Chapter has done well since our charter. We have
earned the right to be considered a viable entity in the TROA
organization. Each member has contributed to making us a great chapter.
Come meet members of the NMCOC and a national leader.
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By Al
Garcia
Fellow Chapter Members: The three month summer break is fast coming to
an end. I hope you all had a great time doing what you do at this time of
year. Heidi and I have visited with children, grand kids and one great
grand child (expecting two in November).
You may recall back in May that I alerted you all of having applied for
a Chapter Award. TROA asks chapters to apply for the Chapter of the Year,
Outstanding Chapters, or Excellent Chapter's Award. Not being one to
"toot" our horn too loud and considering that we are a new
chapter we applied for the Outstanding award. However, I am most happy to
announce that the TROA Selection Committee had us compete for the CHAPTER
OF THE YEAR AWARD and we received that honor. Each of you has played a
very important role in the honors we have received so far. Everything we
do counts towards this recognition, i.e, the Newsletter, recruitment,
community activities (board memberships, guest lecturers at local schools,
volunteerism, etc.). Let's keep up the good work. We shall hear more about
this in the coming days.
One other thing, our Chapter will be helping in any way we can with the
four JROTC programs that have come into being at; Farmington, Piedra
Vista, Kirtland, and Bloomfield High Schools. We'll hear more about this
project later on.
Welcome back to this coming year. Your Board of Directors hope we will
continue to grow in membership, projects, and fellowshipping. We have
graduated to full-fledged CHAPTER status, don't you agree?
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