Col (Dr.) Marilyn Ray, USAFR Ret - MOAA Florida Council of Chapters

NEWSLETTER of the PALM BEACH AREA CHAPTER of the MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION of AMERICA
P.O. Box 741144, Boynton Beach, Florida 33474-1144
March / April 2013 Issue
President’s Message
By Major Evelyn Henry USAF, President
Our 2013 Officer Installation Ceremony
took place on 12 January at the Holiday
Inn in Highland Beach. There was
dancing and singing and general
merriment…Well maybe not dancing, but
many of the 41 attendees did sing along
from time to time to some of the catchy
tunes performed by musical stylist Gene
Fabian at the keyboard.
The
ceremony
was
presided
over by
Florida
Council
of Chapters (FCOC) President, Lt Col
Jim Conner, USAF Ret (pictured), and we
are extremely grateful that he and his
wife, Dorothy, were able to attend this
special occasion (coming all the way
from Cape Coral). Also attending, were
FCOC VP, LTC John Morrison (USA
Ret), and SE Area VP, LTC Marc Oliveri
(USA Ret), and their respective spouses.
(Luncheon photos are located on pp. 4-5)
Lt Col Conner briefed attendees on
MOAA’s recent accomplishments on
veterans’ behalf, noting the many battles
the organization still faces on the
legislative front. (For a complete
overview of MOAA’s legislative gains &
goals, see pages 3 & 7 of this issue).
Lt Col Conner then talked about the end
of the “Give Me Ten” program (MOAA’s
8 year-long incentive program for
recruiting new members to its national
organization), and the start of a new
initiative - i.e. to recruit and retain
members at the “grassroots” or chapter
level (where it’s sorely needed). For
example, new national MOAA members
are now being offered a free, one year
chapter membership. Chapters are
reimbursed by MOAA, once the
prospective members are contacted and
they engage in activities with their
community-based chapter. (The Palm
Beach Area Chapter recently welcomed
several new members, recruited through
this new national incentive program.)
Incentives for chapter recruitment and
retention are also being planned by
MOAA’s state councils. At a recent
FCOC Leadership Conference I attended
in Sarasota, chapter presidents met with
their respective ‘Area VPs’ to discuss
strategies for encouraging local
membership. One possibility discussed,
was to have FCOC-subsidized (if
required) recruitment events, such as
regular “Officer Calls” for prospective
chapter members. Another possibility
considered (that also speaks to retention),
was to hold joint venues - so that several
chapters in a geographical area (e.g. from
bordering counties) could pool resources
when planning larger social events.
Speaking of large events, please consider
attending the 2013 FCOC Conference in
1
Sarasota, FL 7-9 June. For more info go
to http://www.moaafl.org/
Officers’ Installation 12 January 2013
16 March Luncheon Speaker:
Col (Dr.) Marilyn Ray, USAFR Ret
Dr. Marilyn (Dee) Ray is a long time
PBAC member and a distinguished
Professor Emeritus @ Florida Atlantic
University. A renowned nursing
educator, she has extensively studied
the effects of culture on the delivery of
health care. She has authored and edited
multiple texts on transcultural nursing,
and has won national and international
awards for her work in healthcare.
Always in demand, Dr. Ray is often
requested as a guest speaker. Just in the
last 2 years, she has spoken at 3 major
international healthcare conferences-in
Hanoi, Vietnam, in Hiroshima, Japan
and in the Philippines. She also recently
took part in seminars at the School of
International Relations & Diplomacy in
NY, reviewing UN millennium goals as
they relate to world health & healing.
Please join us on 16 March, as Dr. Ray
shares her ideas and experiences about
her trips to Asia, about bridging cultural
differences and about the art and science
of healing.
Your Chapter at Work
March Birthdays
Lt Col Charles Breslauer/USAF Ret
Mrs. Mary Brewer/Aux
Mrs. Barbara Daum/Aux
COL Arthur DeRuve/USA Ret
Mrs. Dorothy DeRuve/Aux-1
Mrs. Beverly Gralla
Col Charles Helton/USAF Ret
Mrs. Barbara Lea
CWO4 Doug MacArthur/USCG Ret
LT Jerome Malek/USNR Ret
April Birthdays
Mrs. Eileen Augustyn
MAJ Angelo Cassaro/USA Ret
Lt. Harrold Chaney/USAF Ret
Mrs. Patricia Chaves/Aux-1
Mrs. Joyce Lunsford/Aux
Dr. Gloria Mihalik/Aux-1
Col. James Vick/USAF Ret
Mrs. Lillian Wagner-Dykhuis/Aux
Mrs. Mary Whalen/Aux
March Anniversaries
Colonel Margaret and
Lt Col Ron Brown /USAF Ret
LTC John and
Kay Dunn / USA Ret
April Anniversaries
CDR Eugene and
Beverly Gralla / USN Ret
CDR Larry and
Zella Linn / USN Ret
LT Jerome and
Rosalyn Malek / USN Ret
LCDR Claire Parsons and
Mr. Mike Riley / USN Ret
We would like to welcome our most recent
new members & their spouses to the Chapter:
LT George Allerton, LTC (Dr.) Martin Alpert,
LTC Frank Bonelli, CAPT James Lea Jr.,
CPT Lewis Green, CDR Eric Stein,
LTC Philip Stein, CDR Robert Smith,
and COL Jerome Subkow.
Your chapter is busily engaged in the
support of several community
organizations. These activities include
the support of patient programs at the
WPB VA Hospital and support for the
JROTC units at four local high schools.
As a community-based organization, we
are always looking to ways to become
more involved in local programs that
support our military and its service
members. (Your ideas are welcome!)
Capt. John Chaves (USMC, Ret), is our
representative to the WPB VA Medical
Center (VAMC). Below is a photo of
John in 2012 presenting an annual
check from the Chapter for $350.00*
(in support of the hospital’s many
patient centered programs) to Ms.
Christy McKillop, Associate Director
of Volunteer Services.
Palm Beach Area Chapter Military Officers Association of
America
************************
Vol. 19 No. 2
March /April 2013 Issue
In Step is published bimonthly in
January/February, March/April, May/June,
September /October &November/December by
PBAC-MOAA
P.O. Box 741144
Boynton Beach, FL, 33474-1144.
The chapter is a not-for-profit organization
affiliated with National MOAA and the Florida
Council of MOAA Chapters.
The views expressed in this publication do not
necessarily reflect those of National MOAA or
the Florida Council of MOAA Chapters.
Editor
CAPT Allan Nirenberg, USN (Ret)
Assist. Editor/Distribution Manager
Maj. Evelyn Henry, USAF (Ret)
Chapter Officers (2013)
During the past winter holiday season,
we asked if chapter members would
consider making an extra contribution
in support of our chapter’s outreach
activities. Because of the generous
response of many PBAC members,
we were recently able to make an
additional donation to the WPB VAMC
Patient Fund.
The picture below shows Capt. Chaves
presenting an additional donation from
the chapter for $250.00* to Ms.
Charleen Szabo, Director of Volunteer
Services. According to Ms. Szabo, these
donated funds will be used to help
provide patients with a ‘personal
hygiene kit’ upon hospital admission.
*Editor’s Note: The above figures are a
correction to lower amounts mentioned
in an article on page 1of In Step’s last issue.
*Editor’s Note: If we have missed listing your
Birthday or Anniversary dates, please contact
Membership Chair CAPT Sonny Barber@
[email protected] to update your
information in our PBAC files.
2
President
Maj. Evelyn Henry, USAF (Ret) 350 4872 Cell
1st Vice President / Membership Chair
CAPT Sonny Barber, USNR (Ret) 362-5206
2nd Vice President / Personal Affairs
Capt. John Chaves, USMC (Ret) 865-0920
Treasurer / Luncheon Coordinator
LTC John Mihalik, USA (Ret) 483-9125
Secretary / Program Coordinator
CDR Larry Linn, USN (Ret) 487-7063
Board of Directors (2013)
BG Michael Calhoun, USARNG 436-4901
CAPT Allan Nirenberg, USN (Ret) 395-6214
Col. Larry Vick, USAF (Ret) 714-6287
All area codes are 561
Directors Emeritus
MAJ Angelo Cassaro, USA (Ret)
Mrs. Irene Krell (Aux), Past President
Meetings
Board of Directors meetings are held monthly
on the third Tuesday of each month.
Membership luncheon or dinner meetings are
held in January, March, May, September and
November as announced by the board of
directors in the In Step newsletter, with 30
days prior notice to the member’s last known
address. The November meeting is for the
election of officers and directors. The January
meeting features installation of officers and
directors elected at the prior the November
meeting.
(All rights reserved)

Legislative News

Selected MOAA
Legislative Gains
in 2012
Active / Reserve Force Issues

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Delayed implementation of
sequestration-driven cuts to
defense budget for two
months
Won 1.7% military pay raise
to match private sector pay
growth
Blocked proposal to shortcircuit legislative process to
make military retirement cuts
Won limitations on force
reductions to preserve dwell
time between deployments
Defeated proposal for two
additional rounds of Base
Realignment and Closure
(BRAC)
Won extension of voluntary
separation/early retirement
authorities to ease force cuts
Won enhancements of
consumer credit protections
for service and family
members
Enhanced transition services
for separating service
members
Won provisions to strengthen
sexual assault and hazing
protections for military
members
Broadened reemployment
rights protection for Guard –
Reserve members
Health Care Issues


Blocked disproportionate
TRICARE Prime fee increase
Blocked new enrollment fees
for TRICARE For Life (TFL)
and TRICARE Standard

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Blocked proposal to meanstest TRICARE Prime and
TFL fees
Prevented proposed tripling
of TRICARE pharmacy copays in return for requiring
one-year trial of mailorder/MTF maintenance
drug refills for TFL
eligible’s
Capped future annual Rx
co-pay hikes at the
percentage increase in
military retired pay
Won a one-year TRICARE
pilot program authorizing
applied behavior analysis
(ABA) therapy services for
all active and retired family
members diagnosed with
autism
Prevented 27% cut in
Medicare and TRICARE
payments to doctors
Blocked implementation of
strict cap on Medicare
payments for
physical/speech therapy
Won statutory
acknowledgment that
military healthcare is an
earned benefit in
recognition of retired
members’ and families’
service and sacrifice
Enhanced suicide
prevention programs for
service members
Upgraded mental health
access for Guard/Reserve
members, families, and
caregivers
Won authority for
behavioral health
professionals to conduct
pre-separation exams
Retiree / Survivor Issues


Won Combat Related
Special Compensation
calculation correction
Won SecDef discretionary
authority to expand Space3
A travel to gray-area reserve
retirees and other groups (e.g.,
survivors) SecDef may deem
appropriate
Military Family/Veterans /Other




Won 43 states’ participation
in Military Children’s
Educational Compact
Won provision authorizing
states to issue commercial
driver’s licenses for military
drivers
Won counseling, reporting
and oversight improvements
to GI Bill programs
Won tax credits for employers
who hire recent vets,
unemployed vets and disabled
vets
*New Bills of Interest
In addition to the trying not to “Fall
off the Cliff” debates, members of the
House of Representatives reintroduced
several bills of interest to MOAA and
its members last week.
H.R. 333 — Disabled Veterans Tax
Termination Act. Rep. Sanford
Bishop’s (D-Ga.) bill would authorize
the full concurrent receipt of retired
pay and veterans' disability
compensation for military retirees
regardless of disability rating,
including those with Chapter 61
medical retirements.
H.R. 241 — Veterans Timely Access to
Health Care Act: Rep. Dennis Ross’s
(R-Fla.) bill would ensure veterans
seeking treatment at a VA facility get
appointments within 30 days.
H.R. 357 — GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act:
Rep. Jeff Miller’s (R-Fla.) bill would
let all student veterans enroll in any
public college and pay in-state tuition,
even if they had not established
residency in the state.
S. 6 — Putting our Veterans Back to
Work Act: Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.)
bill would provide grants for hiring
veterans as first responders, a single
unified employment portal, job
training benefits for older veterans,
and upgraded transition services for
service members leaving active duty.
Many more bills will be added over
the next few weeks as the 113th
Congress settles in.
12 January 2013 PBAC Officers’ Installation Luncheon
Photos courtesy of CAPT Sonny Barber
Mrs. Shirley Ritchie, with CDR Larry and Zella Linn
Mrs. Doris King
LCDR David D. and Estelle Chernow
LTC David Fiedler
LTC Frank Bonelli
CWO4 William and Rossella Gibson
COL Eileen Watson
4
Gwen Drake, Lt. Harrold Chaney, Dorian Trauger
12 January 2013 PBAC Officers’ Installation Luncheon
Mrs. Lillian Dykhuis, with MWO George and Marie Perry
COL Arthur and Dorothy DeRuve
(FCOC SE Area VP) LTC Marc and Jenine Oliveri
(FCOC VP) LTC John and Myra Morrison
(FCOC President) Lt Col Jim and Dorothy Connor
CAPT Allan and Pauline Nirenberg, Col (Dr.) Marilyn Ray
5
TRICARE Payments to Providers
and the “Doc Fix”
CAPT Kathryn M. Beasley, USN, Ret.
(14 Feb. 2013/ MOAA Blog: Health care)
What will it take to put a “fix” into the “Doc
Fix” for real Medicare payment reform?
For doctors, seniors and TRICARE
beneficiaries, the nail-biter has become
familiar. Lawmakers invariably defer the
cuts in Medicare payments to providers,
commonly referred to as the “doc
fix” which was originally a payment
reimbursement formula developed back in
1997. Everyone agrees this formula
is broken and beyond repair. But
these ”kick the can” deferrals are always
temporary due to the difficulty of finding
offsetting funds, or cuts, to pay for a
permanent fix. (This payment issue is
important to TRICARE beneficiaries
because TRICARE’s reimbursement rate to
its providers is tied to the Medicare
payment rate).
In 2010 alone, Congress delayed the
cuts with temporary patches five times with the longest patch lasting one year.
Now to this year. The Congressional
Budget Office (CBO) on Tuesday (Feb. 5)
lowered its estimated 10-year cost of
freezing Medicare physician pay by a
whopping $100 billion-plus. This is a move
viewed by many as a potential “game
changer.” In that this may help to create an
opening for Congress to pass a permanent
Medicare “doc fix” perhaps this year.
CBO’s latest estimate is $138 billion, which
is down considerably from its August 2012
estimate of $245 billion to replace
the current doc fix formula.
The current physician payment patch
doesn’t expire until Dec. 31 of this year, but
lawmakers have said they want to tackle the
issue as part of a broader budget discussion.
The new CBO estimate makes that task a
little more manageable, though still
difficult, according some lawmakers during
this week’s hearing on the subject.
Although it is vexing as to how best to
move into a new payment model, there is
broad consensus that any new model must
reward quality and value, reward efficiency,
and reward collaboration for a beneficiary
centered approach to care.
We have long advocated for a permanent fix
to this flawed formula. A repeal of the
current formula would provide a stable
payment system to providers - and most
importantly, will protect access to care for
seniors and TRICARE beneficiaries,
now and into the future.
We hope Congress and the
administration can take advantage of the
fact that the cost of repealing the doc fix
is lower than it has been in many years
and will replace this formula with a new
system that encourages quality of care
while reducing costs.
What New Law Changes
Mean to You

Key Bills:
Congress worked long hours before
Christmas on the FY 2013 National
Defense Authorization Act and returned
after a quick holiday break leading to a
dramatic New Year’s Day showdown
on legislation to avert the fiscal cliff.
The Defense Bill the president signed
into law this week includes many
changes to military pay and benefits.
The most notable ones you’ll see in the
next few months:




1.7-percent military pay
raise, effective Jan. 1, 2013;
TRICARE retail pharmacy
copayments: Brand-name
and non-formulary
medications will rise from
$12 and $25, respectively,
to $17 and $44 effective
Feb. 1. Generic drug
copayments will stay at $5;
TRICARE mail-order
copayments: Brand-name
and non-formulary
medications will rise from
$9 and $25, respectively, to
$13 and $43. Generic drugs
will continued to be
provided by mail at no cost;
Maintenance medication
refills: Sometime later in the
spring, probably no sooner
than April 1, TRICARE For
Life beneficiaries will be
required to begin a one-year
trial of using either the
mail-order system or
military pharmacies for
6
refills of maintenance
medications. Provisions in the
law ensure no one will be
turned away from a retail
pharmacy without enough
medication to last until the
alternate refill is available.
Many generic medications
likely will be exempt from the
mail/military pharmacy refill
requirement; and
Combat-Related Special
Compensation (CRSC): Some
combat-disabled military
retirees will see a correction
(increase) in their CRSC
payments. DFAS will do the
new calculations and make
corrected payments retroactive
to Jan. 1, 2013. There’s no
provision to provide corrected
payments for prior years.
The fiscal cliff legislation the
President also signed into law earlier
this week means:



Medicare/TRICARE payments
to your doctors didn’t suffer a
27-percent cut Jan. 1;
$50 billion in threatened
additional defense cuts have
been fended off for 60 days;
Working Americans will see an
extra 2-percent payroll tax bite
from their 2013 paychecks (the
special 2-percent windfall relief
during the past several years
has expired).
Unfortunately, all the congressional
can-kicking means a new “triplewitching crisis” looms just around the
corner.
During the next 60 to 90 days, the new
Congress must:


Start considering a whole new
set of proposals when the
administration delivers its
proposed FY 2014 budget in
February;
Find a way to avoid an
additional $50 billion cut to this


year’s defense budget that
could devastate procurement,
maintenance, health care, and
support funding;
Appropriate funds to keep the
government running for the
second half of the current fiscal
year (the six-month continuing
resolution it’s now operating on
will expire); and
Provide relief from the statutory
ceiling on the national debt that
we’re projected to hit in two
months or so.
MOAA Selected
Legislative Goals for
2013
Active/Reserve Force/Family Issues
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Sustain active duty, Guard and
Reserve force sizes to meet
mission requirements
Sustain military pay
comparability with private
sector
Protect currently serving and
retiree benefits against
significant degradation based
on sequestration’s arbitrary cuts
Credit all post-9/11 active duty
service toward Guard/Reserve
early retirement
Restore tax deduction for
reservists’ out-of-pocket
expenses for military travel of
50 miles or more
Create new incentives for
employers to hire and retain
drilling Guard/Reserve
members
Provide incentives for
employers/government/contract
ors to hire military spouses
Protect funding for
commissary/exchange,
dependent schools and family
support programs
Improve access to affordable
child care
Require better education on
serious financial disadvantages
of the REDUX retirement
option

Improve professional
licensure transferability for
service members and
military spouses


Health Care Issues

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Avert 27%
Medicare/TRICARE
payment cut and fix
statutory formula to
improve access to care
Protect against
disproportional increases in
TRICARE fees
Oppose enrollment fee for
TRICARE For Life or
curtailment of TFL
coverage
Allow three years of activeduty-level TRICARE
coverage for disability
retirees/families
Improve seamless transition
and protect Defense and VA
health/benefits/support
systems budgets
Authorize option to
subsidize retention of
operational reservists'
civilian family health
insurance
Increase orthodontia
payment cap under active
duty dental plan
Authorize TRICARE
coverage for Applied
Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
for active and retired
members of the uniformed
services
Retirement/Survivor Issues
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Oppose military benefit
changes that are
inconsistent with service
career sacrifices
Preserve full-inflation costof-living adjustments
(COLAs)
End deduction of VA
disability compensation
from military retired pay
End deduction of VA
survivor benefits (DIC)
from military Survivor
7
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Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities
Implement a more equitable
military disability retirement
system
Restore VA DIC compensation
for qualifying survivors who
remarry after age 55
Reform same SBP calculation
for a reservist who dies
performing IDT as for active
duty deaths
Authorize survivors to retain a
deceased retiree’s full finalmonth retired pay
Authorize SBP annuities to be
paid to Special Needs Trusts for
permanently disabled children
Reform the Uniformed Services
Former Spouse Protection Act
(USFSPA)
Authorize Space-A travel for
‘gray area’ Guard-Reserve
retirees and qualifying
survivors
Veterans and Other Issues

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Improve quality, efficiency,
transparency, and timeliness of
VA claims-processing system
Establish Post-9/11 GI Bill
benefits for surviving spouses
of Iraq and Afghanistan
conflicts
Improve VA health services
and access for women veterans
Authorize pre-tax payment of
health, dental and long-term
care premiums
Reduce Social Security
penalties for certain civil
service and state
retirees/survivors
Prevent disproportional Social
Security/Medicare penalties for
any population segment
*********************
Luncheon Calendar 2013
PBAC Luncheons are held bimonthly
(except during the summer) at the Holiday
Inn, Highland Bch (1130) - See you there!
March 16th
May18th
st
September 21 November16th
*Any questions, last minute reservations or
cancellations, call Lunch Coordinators,
LTC John & Gloria Mihalik (see pg.2)
Happy Spring!
Palm Beach Area Chapter of the
Military Officers Association of America
P.O. Box 741144
Boynton Beach, FL 33474-1144
March 2013 PBAC Luncheon-Meeting Reservation Form
Saturday, 16 March, 2013 at 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Holiday Inn, 2809 Ocean Blvd. (A1A), Highland Beach
Menu
*(Please select one entrée and one dessert per person)*
_____ Norwegian Salmon – Poached Salmon Fillet with Delicate Dill Sauce, with Seasonal Veggies and Herb Potatoes
_____ Roasted Turkey Stack – Apple-Smoked Bacon, Tomato, Lettuce and Fontina Cheese on a Bakery-fresh Pizza
Style Flatbread with Mayo
_____ Corned Beef Reuben – Corned Beef Stacked on Grilled Marbled Rye, with Swiss Cheese, Fresh Sauerkraut and
Russian Dressing
Dessert: Chocolate Kahlua Mousse _____________or Fresh Fruit Cup ___________
Cost: $25.00 pp.
Name ______________________________ Guest Name ___________________________
Make checks payable to PBAC of MOAA and mail with reservation to:
*Reservations should be received NLT Thurs.14 March
PBAC – MOAA / Attn: Secretary
P.O. Box 741144
Boynton Beach, FL 33474-1144