VFW National Legislative Service Deputy Director Matthew Doyle participated in a virtual press conference hosted by Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA). The purpose was to urge Congress to add bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and Parkinsonism to the list of presumptive conditions associated with Agent Orange exposure. A provision to add these conditions is currently included in S. 4049, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. Doyle stated, “Many of our Vietnam veteran members believe that VA thinks it’s too expensive to care for them. The evidence regarding these conditions is conclusive – no more studies are needed. Any additional, unnecessary delay is a breach of our nation’s promise to care for its veterans.”
Military Family Members and Retirees to Receive New ID Cards
Active-duty military family members, retirees and their family members will get new ID cards as they renew or replace their IDs over the next five years. It will be similar to the common access card used by military personnel and DOD civilian personnel, without the chip. Unless your ID card is about to expire, there is no need to rush to get the new card, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
TRICARE Select Enrollment Fee to Start Jan. 1
DOD announced that TRICARE Select Group A retirees will be required to pay an enrollment fee beginning on Jan. 1, 2021. Congress directed the Defense Health Agency in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 to implement TRICARE Select retiree enrollment fees, but delayed the implementation. Group A is comprised of retirees and their family members if the sponsor’s initial enlistment or appointment occurred before Jan. 1, 2018. The enrollment fee is waived for medically retired individuals and their family members, and for survivors of active-duty deaths. During TRICARE Open Season, which will run from Nov. 9 to Dec. 14, beneficiaries must set up an allotment with their regional contractors for the enrollment fee to begin on Jan. 1, 2021. Beneficiaries who do not set up their allotment by the deadline will be un-enrolled due to nonpayment, and will have 90 days from the termination date to request reinstatement.
Important Dates in September 2020
The month of September is National Suicide Prevention Month
Sept. 2 – V-J Day Victory Over Japan: The treaty was signed aboard The Battleship USS Missouri BB 63 in Tokyo Bay, Japan.
Sept. 11 – Patriot Day
Sept. 18 – U.S. Air Force birthday
Sept. 18 – Air National Guard birthday
Sept. 18 – National POW/MIA Recognition Day
Sept. 27 – Gold Star Mother’s Day
POW/MIA Update
Navy Seaman 1st Class Carl S. Johnson, 20, was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits. Interment services are pending.
Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class George Gilbert, 20, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Interment services are pending.
Navy Coxswain Layton T. Banks, 20, of Dallas, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Banks will be buried Oct. 24, 2020, in Plano, Texas.
Navy Fireman 1st Class Frank E. Nicoles, 24, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Nicoles. Nicoles’ family has yet to decide on a funeral date or location.
Till next week, praying for all.
– Charles Castelluccio
