washingtonscene
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
THAT AFFECTS YOU
Budget Details
The formal defense budget announcement in May offered
no major surprises but brought clearer details on manpower,
health care, concurrent-receipt proposals, and more.
D
oD and VA officials House and Senate Armed Services com-
Want the Latest on
telegraphed the big-picture mittees had endorsed the higher fi gure.
Health Care?
contents of the FY 2010 troop shifts from Iraq to Afghanistan — ■ Check out MOAA’s
president’s budget in Febru- Hale said the budget assumes the 130,000
“Health Care Happen-
ary, but the details weren’t troops in Iraq (as of Oct. 1, 2008) will
ings” blog at
www.moaa
.org/healthcarehappen
fi nalized until early May. Thankfully, there shrink to 50,000 a year later, offset in part
ings for daily updates on
were no unpleasant surprises. The defense by planned increases in troop levels in Af-
legislative and policy is-
budget formally lists taking ghanistan. For FY 2010, the sues and questions.
care of military people as budget assumes the cost of
the topmost priority — stat-
The de-
operations in Afghanistan will
ing it’s a “long-term com-
fense bud-
exceed the cost for Iraq.
mitment by the department
get poses a
The FY 2010 VA budget
to take care of our people.” of $113 billion is a more than
The budget includes:
“long-term
15-percent increase over
manpower plus-ups —
commit-
current year spending, due
It fully funds planned
ment ... to
in large measure to enact-
increases to Army and
Marine Corps troops and
take care of
ment of increased GI Bill
benefi ts and increased num-
would halt planned reduc-
our people.”
bers of disabled veterans
tions for the Air Force and qualifying for VA benefi ts.
Navy, according to Under- Specifi cs include:
secretary of Defense (Comptroller) ■ gradual expansion of VA health care
Robert Hale. eligibility to up to 500,000 category-8
full TRICARE funding — This is the fi rst veterans (nondisabled veterans whose
time in four years the budget hasn’t in- incomes currently are above regional
cluded formal proposals for big hikes in ceilings) by 2013;
TRICARE fees for retirees under age 65. ■ $144 million to begin implementing a
concurrent receipt progress — The ad- paperless claims-processing system;
ministration’s proposal would phase in ■ additional staff, improved procedures,
eligibility for new recipients over fi ve and use of technology to reduce claims
years. See “Obama Plan Unveiled,” page backlogs and claims processing to 150 days
30, for details. (versus an estimated 168 days for FY 2009);
2.9-percent military pay raise — MOAA ■ nearly $6 billion to expand long term
supports a modestly larger 3.4-percent care services; and
raise to continue to shrink the military ■ $4.6 billion to expand mental health
pay gap and, at press time, both the programs.
JULY 2009 MILITARY OFFICER 29
JJul_scene.indd
29ul_scene.indd 29 66/10/09 5:49 PM/10/09 5:49 PM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80