your views
Failure to Communicate
After reading [“Implementing Health Care Efficiencies,” October 2013] and seeing that “San Antonio military treatment facilities plan to recapture 20,000 beneficiaries over five years from civilian providers,” I stopped
by the [San Antonio Military Medical Center] TRICARE admissions office to enroll.
I explained to the admissions clerk that I’m currently on Medicare and TRICARE For Life and would like to change my primary care physician from a civilian agency to military care. The clerk told me, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Our management hasn’t mentioned anything like that.” She gave me a handout titled Important Phone Numbers showing the Managed Care Department number … and said to call back about once a week to see if the enrollment process had changed.
—Maj. Michael A. Minerva, AUS (Ret)
Life Member
via email
MOAA’s Government Relations experts reply:
We understand from our meetings with Lt. Gen. Douglas J. Robb, director of the Defense Health Agency, that one of DoD’s overarching goals is to maximize capacity of military treatment facilities. However, we remain concerned that DoD lacks a true recapture plan. We will continue to observe closely and press key leaders for progress in this area.
”Many career compensation programs like TRICARE, and even the military retirement program itself, are at serious risk."
—Col. Chuck Winn, USA (Ret)
Disability Compensation
Congratulations to Sara VanderClute for expanding on Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s exposure of VA disability compensation abuse in her essay “Disabled? Or Dissembling” [in “In Their Words”] in the November 2013 edition of Military Officer. The “I served, so I’m entitled” mindset that she critically examined is a major factor that has overloaded the VA disability process, causing our wounded warriors and their families needless hardship over the past decade. The myth of the “disabled veterans’ tax” that concurrent receipt advocates also aggravates this situation.
The Combat-Related Special Compensation program, which was enacted in 2002, provides comprehensive coverage of service-connected disabilities that were caused by combat wounds or performing operation military duties. Concurrent receipt seeks to elevate VA disability ratings awarded for conditions that were merely coincidental to, but that had no causal relationship to, performing military duties to the same status and compensation levels. The current federal income tax break on the amount of VA disability compensation that is deducted from monthly military retirement pay is more than fair to those who have these types of fair-wear-and-tear or hereditary conditions.
Many career compensation programs like TRICARE, and even the military retirement program itself, are at serious risk. Policies and legislation preserving these legitimate force readiness-enhancing programs must be the exclusive focus of MOAA’s leadership in these tough fiscal times.
—Col. Chuck Winn, USA (Ret)
Treasure Coast (Fla.) Chapter
via email
[“Disabled? Or Dissembling”] repeats a recurrent theme, “Those VA-rated disabled veterans are getting too much compensation!” … The author goes on to state without supportive citation, “burgeoning numbers of veterans who receive disability compensation while resuming full and normal lives.” My observation is quite the opposite. Those who receive VA disability compensation are the tip of the iceberg, with the majority of Korean frostbites, Guadalcanal fungus infections, B-52 tail gunner vertebrae fractures, Vietnam Agent Orange presumptive [conditions], and all war PTSD cases never being claimed. I’m surprised the author did not also raise the classic “only compensate disabilities incurred in combat” suggestion.
—Col. John W. Tilford, USAR (Ret)
Life Member, Bloomington (Ind.) Area Chapter
via email
18 MILITARY OFFICER JANUARY 2014
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