Springfield Missouri Military Retiree Council

MINUTES OF MILITARY RETIREE COUNCIL OF THE SPRINGFIELD AREA, Jan 10, 2012

Meeting called to order at 1830 hours.  There were 17 members present to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  David Rauch (Sen. McCaskill’s office), David Waddington (Sen. Blunt’s office) and Anna Barbee (Rep Long’s office) were present to assist in anyway.

New members:  We gave a big welcome to CDR Dave Reid and Col Hutchings.  We are glad to have you present and look forward to seeing each month.

Widow’s Group:  See you at our meeting January 16, 2012 at 11:30AM in Meeting Room Three at the Heritage Cafeteria, 1364 E. Battlefield, Springfield.  Please get your lunch at 11AM and join us. It is that time of year for our weather reminder:  please be cautious during inclement winter weather when making plans to attend our meetings, think safety first.  If Springfield public schools are closed due to the weather, we will not meet.

DUANE FIELDS (RET. USAF) BRIEFED ON:

·         Retiree Day at Ft. Leonard Wood will be in September.  The packets should be out in July.

·         Walgreens will no longer be a provider in the Express Scripts net work.  Any questions should be directed to http://www.express-script.com/services/members/networkchange – 1-800-885-3409.

·         The NDAA was sent to the President and signed.  Along with the budget Congress submitted, was a statement of the unique demands of military service.  The intent was to make clear why military healthcare and the military retirement system is necessarily different from civilian programs.  In a nutshell, the military society is characterized by its own laws, rules, customs and traditions, including numerous restrictions on personnel behavior that would not be acceptable in civilian society

·         The National Defense Authorization Act contained a critical imitative to help control spiraling healthcare costs within the Dept. of Defense.  It limits the annual Tricare enrollment fee increases for retirees and their family members to amount equal to the percentage by which retired pay increases that year.

·         Retirees will be receiving some extra documents in their end-of-year mailing from the DFAS.  These extra papers will assist in managing your pay matters through the tax season and beyond.

·         The Tricare Dental Program (trdp.org) invites you to sign up for electronic program updates.  Go to http://www.visitor.constantcontact.com/d.isp.

·         The President, Sec of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are planning $450 billion in defense cuts in the next 10 years.  The specific financial proposals will be released when the Administration releases it proposed budget.  The President stated ‘most importantly, we will keep faith with the troops, military families and veterans who have borne the burden of a decade of war and who make our military the best in the World’.  While the military must make tough fiscal choices, funding will continue to focus on wounded warriors, mental health programs and families.  At a briefing earlier in the week, he stated the need to cut personnel, healthcare and retiree costs.

·         Previously, the Veteran Affairs had ruled that any undiagnosed illness used to establish eligibility for VA benefits had to become apparent by December 31, 2011.  This has now be extended to December 31, 2016

·         The Trust Our Troops Act, which will expedite airport screening for service members and their families traveling on orders, was signed into law by the President.

·         The Dept. of Veterans Affairs has deployed 20 new mobile Veterans Centers.  These Centers will be based at:

Birmingham, AL, Indianapolis, IN, San Diego, CA, Baltimore, MD, Atlanta, GA, Pontiac, MI, Western Oahu, HI, Kansas City, MO, Cedar Rapids, IO, Jackson, Miss, Evanston, ILL, Greensboro, NC, Lakewood, NJ, Reno, NV, Stark County, OH, Lawton, OKLA Ponce Puerto Rico, Nashville, TN, Washington County UT and Green Bay, WI

The meeting was adjourned at 1925 hours.  Our next meeting will be Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 1830 hours at the American Legion Post 69, 149 Memorial Plaza, Springfield.  Please keep passing the word to retirees they are invited to attend our meetings and voice their feelings on the changes recommended by the Administration, DOD and the Armed Services Committee.  As we have a direct line to Congress, by their Representation at our meetings, some changes can be made.

*We need a Co-Chair/Legislative representative on our Council.  I am looking for a volunteer or nomination.  Let this be an item of discussion at our February meeting.

Duane Fields, Chairman

www.luther@trcsystems.com

417-581-6707