washingtonscene The goal is to continue reducing the
widows tax, not just continue it at the current level. Making the SSIA permanent at $310 a month actually would remove any strong incentive for Congress to take further ac- tion to ease the SBP-DIC offset. After all, the only reason Congress acted this year was be- cause legislators didn’t want to take the heat for letting the SSIA expire and having mili- tary survivors lose another $3,700 a year. And permanently extending the $310
Legislative UPDATE
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allowance would come at the price of mak- ing the entire military community pay for it through higher pharmacy copayments. MOAA strongly believes it’s the gov-
ernment’s responsibility — not military beneficiaries’ — to fund the needed com- pensation for survivors whose sponsors died from military service. Given the choice between the two cur-
rent options, MOAA prefers the one-year extension rather than a permanent SSIA freeze plus high pharmacy copayments.
Report Proposes
Care Changes Commission on Care posts much-awaited report.
A
fter 10 months of intense deliberations, public meetings, testimony, and extensive input
from a range of experts, including MOAA, the federally directed Commission on Care issued its final report in early July on transforming veterans’ health care. “The report provides bold recommen- dations that set a foundation for ensur- ing our nation’s veterans receive the care they need and deserve, both now and in the future,” says commission chair Nancy Schlichting, CEO of the Henry Ford Health System.
34 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2016 After reports of secret waiting lists at
the VA medical center in Phoenix, MOAA urged President Barack Obama to establish an independent commission to look at how best to organize and deliver health care in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the 21st century. This subsequently led to passage of the Veterans’ Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 and the estab- lishment of the Commission on Care. VA Secretary Bob McDonald, MOAA, and other veterans’ organizations are pleased the report focuses on reforming and enhancing the specialized and inte- grated aspects of the VHA rather than on privatizing or dismantling a system so many veterans rely on. Many of the recommendations are in line with McDonald’s MyVA transforma- tion efforts, currently underway and sup- ported by veterans’ organizations. The report cited the quality of VA health care as comparable to, or better than, care in the private sector, though it varies greatly from facility to facility. It also identified a number of deficien-
cies requiring urgent reform, including staffing, facilities, information systems, health care disparities, and procurement. The report’s recommendations include:
establishing high-performing, integrated community-based health care networks; credentialing community providers to ensure appropriate education, training, and experience; allowing veterans to choose primary care providers and/or specialty care pro- viders in the VHA care system; retaining existing VA specialty care re- sources and expertise in fields like spinal cord injury, blind rehabilitation services, mental health care, and prosthetics; ensuring coordination of care and pro- viding support for veterans; improving data collection and manage- ment;
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