MOAA Silver Strand Chapter

Military Spouses Scholarship now open

This Fellowship Helps Military Spouses Earn a Free Financial Credential Learn how a MOAA staffer took advantage of the program, and find out how you can apply.

The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation is proud to launch an unprecedented public input campaign inviting the public to share design insight for the National Global War on Terrorism Memorial, which will be built on the National Mall.

The campaign will run for 22 days, representing 22 years of America’s ongoing fight against terrorism. As part of this campaign, Americans have an opportunity to design history by providing their thoughts, inspiration, and dreams for the Memorial that will honor all those impacted by the Global War on Terrorism, including uniformed and non-uniformed military personnel, civilians, their families, and everyday men and women who have sacrificed to protect our freedom.

https://www.gwotmemorialfoundation.org/helpdesignhistory/?fbclid=IwAR2u8ZW6ULqBYWr5CRCd8kK6sIz-ItKFI2aqIM9NksoDhqi0-ACzsvMofP8_aem_Acp2HcBMccXIG2To-VJxb_ctLgL23TCkt_ikRjIXxpKRbYmzVvnJSLNQftIpCqCL9XU&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Help Design History Participate in designing the Global War on Terrorism Memorial. Share your voice and contribute to a tribute honoring those impacted by the GWOT on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

It is open season for SBP. Retirees can opt in or out of SBP. Surviving spouses cannot enroll in SBP or upgrade if enrolled. Please share. (Copy and paste to your page or email)

NDAA 2023 Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Proposed Open Season

Congress provided for a Survivor Benefit Plan Open Season in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The SBP Open Season began on December 23, 2022 and ends on January 1, 2024.

The SBP Open Season allows for retirees receiving retired pay, eligible members, or former members awaiting retired pay who are currently NOT enrolled in SBP or RCSBP (Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan) to enroll. For a member who enrolls during the SBP Open Season, the law generally requires that the member will be responsible to pay retroactive SBP premium costs that would have been paid if the member had enrolled at retirement (or enrolled at another earlier date, depending on the member’s family circumstances).

The SBP Open Season also allows eligible members and former members who are currently enrolled in either SBP or RCSBP to permanently discontinue their SBP coverage. The law generally requires the covered beneficiaries to concur in writing with the election to discontinue. Previously paid premiums will not be refunded.

DFAS is working to prepare the forms, policies, and processes required to facilitate this SBP Open Season. We will not be able to answer specific questions until we obtain official DoD guidance on the new law, policy, and processes. It will take some time for all of the details to be determined. We appreciate your patience as we work through the preparation.

We will post information and instructions on this webpage as they become available.

In the meantime, once the law is publicly available, you may review it by visiting web sites such as GovInfo at https://www.govinfo.gov (which provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government).

Retirees can help by ensuring their information is up to date in myPay. If you are not yet using myPay or need to reactivate your account, start with our “New to myPay?” guide at https://dvidshub.net/r/vbx6su.

Please continue to check this webpage for updates.

www.dfas.mil

Naval Base CORONADO is in danger of losing our Catholic Community after Father Jose Pimentel’s retirement on October 1, 2022. We are working and praying hard to hire another contract priest for our community. In that effort, please email Capt. Clemons, the C.O. of the bases. Let him know how important Sunday Mass is to our active duty and their families. The retirees provide CCD classes, music ministry, alter servers and daily care of the alter & church.
[email protected]

What Will Military Health Closures and Realignments Mean for Your Care?
By:
Karen Ruedisueli
AUGUST 03, 2022
What Will Military Health Closures and Realignments Mean for Your Care?
Prapass Pulsub/Getty Images
With the recent release of the Section 718 report on military treatment facilities (MTFs) to be downsized or closed, MOAA continues its advocacy work to ensure impacted beneficiaries maintain access to quality health care.

[SEE THE LIST: Facilities Affected by MTF Realignment]

The report provides details on Defense Health Agency (DHA) plans to downsize 31 MTFs and close two military clinics. The changes will impact up to 155,000 beneficiaries, including retirees and active duty family members.

Pharmacy capacity at downsized MTFs will remain unchanged – retirees and other TRICARE beneficiaries still will be able to use the MTF pharmacy to fill prescriptions even if they receive medical care from civilian providers.

While the report includes details on implementation and communication plans, and “serves as a certification to the congressional defense committees that affected beneficiaries will be able to access health care services through the purchased care component of the TRICARE program”, MOAA remains concerned about potential barriers to accessing care in surrounding communities.

The report indicates 20 of the MTFs facing restructuring are in areas of high or very high risk based on TRICARE network capacity and new beneficiaries per network primary care manager (PCM). In the very high risk category, each PCM would have to accept more than 200 new patients to accommodate the MTF realignment. DHA has addressed this with transition periods of up to four years, and has offered assurances in the report that no beneficiary will be transitioned until a provider with availability has been identified.

[RELATED: ID Card Update: New Deadline for Some Military Retirees, Dependents]

While MOAA appreciates the transition period and the assurances, concerns remain regarding uncertainty across the civilian health care workforce and the difficulty in accurately projecting future provider availability. These factors may put beneficiaries’ access to care at risk.

MOAA already has reached out to staffers on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees with these concerns. We will also be contacting member offices in impacted districts to get their reactions to MTF restructuring plans. They will likely be concerned not only for military families but also non-military constituents who will be affected when thousands of TRICARE beneficiaries are released into the civilian health care systems in their communities.

Do you receive care at an MTF slated for restructuring? Please share your perspectives on TRICARE network care availability or unique considerations about your community with us at [email protected].

Affected Facilities
These outpatient clinics, listed by historic service alignment, will transition to active duty only; some may continue to enroll active duty family members as appropriate for provider skill sustainment. All will maintain current pharmacy capacity.

Army
Army Health Clinic (AHC) Kirk – Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
AHC Fox – Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
AHC Barquist – Fort Detrick, Md.
AHC Rock Island Arsenal, Ill.
AHC SOUTHCOM – Fort Gordon, Fla.
AHC Kenner – Fort Lee, Va.
AHC Fillmore – New Cumberland, Pa.

Air Force
87th Medical Group (MEDGRP) – Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
42nd MEDGRP – Maxwell AFB, Ala.
45th MEDGRP – Patrick AFB, Fla.
78th MEDGRP – Robins AFB, Ga.
66th MEDGRP – Hanscom AFB, Mass.
6th MEDGRP – MacDill AFB, Fla.
17th MEDGRP – Goodfellow AFB, Texas
436th MEDGRP – Dover AFB, Del.
7th MEDGRP – Dyess AFB, Texas
2nd MEDGRP – Barksdale AFB, La.

Navy
Naval Health Clinic (NHC) Patuxent River, Md.
Naval Branch Health Clinic (NBHC) Groton, Conn. (will continue to enroll active duty family members)
NBHC Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South, Tenn.
NHC Corpus Christi, Texas
NBHC Portsmouth, N.H.
NBHC Naval Air Station Belle Chasse, La.
NBHC Dahlgren, Va.
NBHC Indian Head, Md.
NHC New England, R.I.
NBHC Meridian, Miss.
NBHC Albany, Ga.
Earle Branch Health Clinic (BHC) – Colts Neck, N.J.

These inpatient hospitals will transition to Ambulatory Surgery Centers/Outpatient Clinics. Current pharmacy capacity will be maintained.
633rd MEDGRP – Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va: Inpatient care likely to transition to three local TRICARE network hospitals (Sentara CarePlex, Riverside, and Bon Secours Mary Immaculate, per DHA Use Case.)
Naval Hospital Beaufort (serves Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.): Beaufort Memorial can likely absorb inpatient care from NH Beaufort, but there are also several additional hospitals within a one-hour drive, per DHA Use Case.)

These outpatient clinics will close:
Community Based Medical Home North Columbus – Fort Benning, Ga.
Sabal Park Clinic – MacDill AFB, Fla.

More Members Mean More Influence Over Our Health Care
Get involved and make sure your interests are addressed. Because the larger our voice is, the greater our impact will be.