washingtonscene
child. Premiums will be set to cover the full cost of the coverage, based on his- torical claims for TRICARE-eligibles in the same age group. This expanded coverage will be avail- able to eligible dependents who are un- married, who have aged out of TRICARE at age 21 (age 23 if they’re in college full-time), and who don’t have access to their own employer-sponsored coverage. The initial benefit will be in the form of TRICARE Standard/Extra health care coverage on a month-to-month basis. It is anticipated TRICARE Prime will be offered as a benefit with a separate pre- mium later in 2011. DoD officials said enrollees will have the option of purchasing retroactive cov- erage back to Jan. 1, 2011. What can you do now in preparation if
you plan to enroll your child(ren)? Save those health care receipts! MOAA also has urged TRICARE offi- cials to consider beneficiaries already en- rolled in the existing — and significantly more expensive — Continuing Health Care Benefits Program as preenrolled in the TYA program and provide retroac- tive premium rebates for those enrollees once the program is implemented. MOAA will provide updates on this
new TRICARE program as more infor- mation becomes available.
Bills of Interest Key legislation is reintroduced.
H 42 MILITARY OFFICER MARCH 2011
ouse champions of the mili- tary and veterans' commu- nities have wasted no time in
reintroducing several MOAA-supported bills in the new 112th session of Congress — including a number offered by new Military Personnel Subcommittee Chair Joe Wilson (R-S.C.).
H.R. 115 (Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif.)
would increase the maximum age to 26 for dependent children to be covered by the Civilian Health and Medical Program for the Department of Veterans Affairs. H.R. 178 (Wilson) would repeal the
Survivor Benefit Plan/Dependency and Indemnity Compensation offset for mili- tary survivors. H.R. 179 (Wilson) would restore TRICARE eligibility for guardmembers and reservists whose active service earns them early retirement (under current law, they start receiving retired pay early but must wait until age 60 for TRICARE coverage). H.R. 181 (Wilson) would authorize early Guard/Reserve retirement credit for all active service performed since Sept. 11, 2001 (under current law, only service after Jan. 28, 2008, qualifies). H.R. 186 (Wilson) would phase out
the VA disability offset for all Chapter 61 (disability) retirees, regardless of years of service. H.R. 333 (Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.)
would end the disability offset of retired pay for all disabled retirees, including those with less than 20 years of service and those with disability ratings of less than 50 percent. H.R. 333 has more than 70 original bi- partisan cosponsors. H.R. 303 (Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla.)
would end the disability offset of retired pay for servicemembers with 20-plus years of service and disability ratings of less than 50 percent. As this article was being written in
mid-January, no bills had been introduced in the Senate.
MO
— Contributors are Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF- Ret., direc tor; Col. Mike Hayden, USAF-Ret.; Col. Bob Norton, USA-Ret.; Cmdr. René Campos, USN- Ret.; Capt. Kathy Beasley, USN-Ret.; Col. Phil Odom, USAF-Ret.; Kelly Cotton; Bret Shea; and Matt Mur- phy, MOAA’s Government Relations Department.
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