washingtonscene
federal law, designed to manage money that has been set aside for assisting a disabled person. Once created, an SNT is irrevocable. On Dec. 31, 2015, DoD finally issued guidance to the services and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) on how to implement the authority to make SBP payments to a legally established SNT. Affected servicemembers and military retir- ees will need a practicing attorney to estab- lish an SNT and certify it is in compliance. Prior to this change, DFAS required pay- ments go to an actual person. Without the ability to use an SNT, DFAS used a “rep- resentative payee” to accept payments on behalf of the adult child. Allowing SBP to be deposited in an
SNT allows permanently disabled chil- dren of servicemembers to avoid having SBP counted against means-testing re- quirements for certain state and federal assistance programs. Before enactment of the recent law, military children suffered financial penalties not imposed on other similarly disabled nonmilitary children, who could have assets placed in a trust for them.
Retail (30-day supply)
Generic Brand
Non-formulary
Mail-order (90-day supply)
Generic Brand
Non-formulary
Military Pharmacies
38 MILITARY OFFICER MARCH 2016 $0 $16 $46 $0 $0
$20 $49
$0
2016 TRICARE Rx Copayments 2015 rates
$8
$20 $47
$10 $24 $47
MOAA worked with Congress to in- clude this much-needed provision in the FY 2015 defense bill.
“The ability to use an SNT for a dis- abled child provides important protection for the child after the servicemember par- ent has passed away,” says Col. Phil Odom, USAF (Ret), a MOAA deputy director of Government Relations.
New Year, New T 2016 rates
TRICARE Fees Two TRICARE programs see cost increases for 2016.
RICARE is taking center stage this year, with Congress promising reform. Already, costs have increased
for two TRICARE programs: the pharmacy program and TRICARE Young Adult. The chart below left shows how much
retail copayments increased Feb. 1 under the TRICARE Pharmacy Program, as re- quired by the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) — the Military Health System’s benefit plan that covers adult children between the ages of 21 and 26 — increased premiums as of Jan. 1. The chart on the following page
shows the new rates, and the (hefty) percentage increase. The TYA program is required to
charge its young-adult beneficiaries pre- miums that cover the full government cost of coverage. Unlike most other insur- ance plans in the country, TYA is legally not able to spread its costs over the larger pool of insured beneficiaries. This year’s premiums represent — for
the first time — the actual cost of pro- viding care to the TYA population. The result for military families, many with more than one child who needs coverage,
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