National Military Family Assn. - Government and You E-News

For the week of January 22, 2008

1. House Approves Revised Defense Authorization Bill: Last week, the House passed a revised National Defense Authorization bill (H.R. 4986) replacing H.R. 1585, which President Bush vetoed in December. The bills are identical except for changes to a provision which allowed for litigation against the government of Iraq.

The Senate is expected to consider H.R. 4986 this week.

2. Military Children to Benefit from New Interstate Compact: Twenty-five states are considering introducing the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children this year. Interstate Compacts are intended to facilitate a more uniformed approach between states on specific local and state issues. Interstate Compacts become active when 10 or more states adopt the proposed language. This particular compact focuses on military children transferring between school districts and states, and recognizes that no matter how supportive states are of military children they can only control what happens within their borders. By joining together with other states in the compact, each state can help ensure that children have the educational opportunities they deserve even after they move to another state.

States considering this important compact are: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Several of these states have filed bills to enact the Interstate Compact and more are expected within the month. In addition, Committee hearings are anticipated to be scheduled soon since many legislatures are in short sessions. Those states not in session in 2008 are: Arizona, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Oregon and Texas.

NMFA is pleased to have been a member of both the Advisory Group and Drafting Team, and looks forward to the compact becoming law. We urge you to help in this process by contacting your local member of the state legislature. For more information and to track the progress of the compact, go to: http://www.csg.org/programs/ncic/EducatingMilitaryChildrenCompact.aspx

3. New Arizona Tax Law Benefits Military Families: Residents of Arizona can now receive a state tax credit for donations made to the new Military Family Relief Fund. Governor Janet Napolitano signed the new bill into law in December. Not only does it provide a dollar for dollar credit for donations up to $200 for single tax payers and $400 for married couples; it also builds an emergency fund for families of Arizona service members injured or killed in the line of duty. The new law remains in effect for tax years 2008 through 2012.
(Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0120biz-TaxCredit0121.html)

4. TRICARE for Life Goes Digital: TRICARE for Life (TFL) beneficiaries can now print a copy of their Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from the convenience of their own homes. Beginning this January, the only paper EOB's that beneficiaries will receive are monthly summaries. The exception to this new practice is if a claim includes services that are rejected, and those services have appeal rights or if the EOB is mailed with a payment to the beneficiary.

In February, beneficiaries will have the option to receive an electronic notification every time a claim processes. Beneficiaries can then log on to the secure web site at http://www.tricare4u.com/ to view and print their EOB. Beneficiaries will have the ability to access a copy of their benefits for any claim processed during the last 27 months. Once a beneficiary signs up for this option, they will not receive a monthly paper summary.

All TRICARE for Life beneficiaries will receive letters notifying them of the changes, either with their current EOB's or any other correspondence. Beneficiaries having questions regarding the registration process can call toll-free at 1-866-773-0404. Those requiring a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) can call 1-866-773-0405. (Source: TRICARE Management Activity News Release; http://www.tricare.mil/)

5. TBI Army Task Force Released Their Findings: On January 17, 2008, the U.S. Army Medical Command released the findings of the Traumatic Brain Injury Task Force. They studied Traumatic Brian Injury (TBI) issues for five months and completed their work in May 2007. The group was chaired by BG Donald Bradshaw, Commander of the Army’s Southeast Regional Medical Command and consisted of experts from all of the military services and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). They were chartered by the Army Surgeon General to analyze and make recommendations to improve clinical, administrative, and research processes involved with providing health care and services to soldiers and other service members.

The Task Force visited military, VA, and civilian health care facilities; interviewed soldiers, family members, caregivers, and subject matter experts; and reviewed pertinent documents. Several of their recommendations have been implemented:

Standardization of the definition of TBI,
Utilization of a cognitive assessment tool, Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) as part of soldiers readiness processing,
Establishment of TBI Program Site Certification guidelines, and
Development of a standardized template to document Military Acute Concussion Evaluation (MACE) in theater.

Some of the challenges identified were: coordination; incident data recording; inconsistent treatment and documentation; education for service members, families, combat units, providers, and communities; and the ability to understand, diagnose, and treat mild TBI. The report stated the Army has aggressively sought to prevent, diagnose, and treat TBI, but much more remains to be accomplished to better understand and respond to these injuries.
(Source: http://www.armymedicine.army.mil/news/reports/TBITaskForceReportJanuary2008.pdf)

6. Audio Books Program a Great Benefit for Military Families: Military spouses and families are encouraged to take advantage of their access to free audio books, movies, and music now available through the Navy's audio books program.

Popular titles, foreign language lessons, and even children's movies are available for download through Navy Knowledge Online by all active-duty, retired, reserve, and dependent members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Currently, the online library houses over 8,000 audio books, 400 eBooks, 600 videos and 1,400 albums. Educational materials such as foreign language books and manuals, and books on the Chief of Naval Operation's Navy Professional Reading list are also available for download.

To access the audio books program, log into http://www.nko.navy.mil/ click on the link to "Navy Library Econtent" on the right side of the page under the "reference" section. Next, click on the banner that reads "Download eBooks, audio books, music, and video," to access the myriad of titles available. A user account must be established to check out materials.

Over 400 titles were selected specifically for children. New titles are added to the library regularly, in categories ranging from classic literature and juvenile fiction to business and finance or comic and graphic books.

There are several guidelines for using of the library. Titles are served through the Overdrive Media Console, and cannot be downloaded to Navy computers, or used on iPods, Macs or Zunes. While these restrictions may make it difficult for a Sailor at sea to access the library, the families of military personnel can always take advantage of the program. Items may be downloaded to personal computers, non-iPod listening devices or even CD's.

Five items may be downloaded at a time. Due to high customer demand, all audio books and music titles are available to the user for 10 days, and video titles may be checked out for five days; after that period, the title must be checked out again.

For more information or to establish an account, visit Navy Knowledge Online at
http://www.nko.navy.mil/.
(Source: http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34316)

7. FDA Releases Recommendations Regarding Use of Over-the-Counter Cough and Cold Products: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Public Health Advisory for parents and caregivers, recommending that over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold products not be used to treat infants and children less than 2 years of age because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur. OTC cough and cold products include decongestants, expectorants, antihistamines, and antitussives (cough suppressants) for the treatment of colds.

There is a wide variety of rare, serious adverse events reported with cough and cold products. They include death, convulsions, rapid heart rates, and decreased levels of consciousness.

The announcement does not include the FDA's final recommendation about use of OTC cough and cold medicines in children ages 2 to 11 years. The agency's review of data for 2-to-11-year-olds is continuing. The FDA said it is committed to making a timely and comprehensive review of the safety of OTC cough and cold medicines in children. The agency plans to issue its recommendations on use of the products in children ages 2 to 11 years to the public as soon as the review is complete. (Source: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01778.html)

8. Congratulations Perdew Family! Jessica Perdew, Deputy Director of Government Relations for NMFA, gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Andrew, on Tuesday, January 15th. Mother and baby are doing fine. NMFA joins the Perdew Family in welcoming their newest addition.