MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- RETIREE COUNCIL
The Malmstrom Military Retirees Council will hold their first meeting for the coming year Aug. 12 at 11:30 a.m. at the Elkhorn Dining Facility. The Council meets monthly on the first Thursday, August through May, at the same time and place. All retirees, their spouses, widows, widowers are encouraged to join us. We are a low pressure, low key organization that just stays involved with the military community. We are starting now to plan for the 2011 Annual Military Retiree Appreciation Weekend held the last weekend of April and are always open to suggestions to improve the event. If you are interested in joining us, please come to the meeting, or call Denis Miller at 866-0683 for more information.
TRICARE
National Guard and Reserve members who may not live near a military treatment facility or TRICARE Service Center no longer have to rely on printed publications as a main source of TRICARE benefit information. The TRICARE SMART (Standardized Materials and Research Technology) website is a one-stop, online information portal full of accurate, up-to-date information about TRICARE benefits that members and their families can easily access in the comfort of their homes. By using the TRICARE SMART website, National Guard and Reserve members can stay informed about the latest TRICARE programs created just for them and their families.
A new TRICARE requirement means that skilled nursing facilities will have to preauthorize care provided to Medicare-eligible TRICARE beneficiaries once Medicare benefits are exhausted and TRICARE becomes the primary health coverage. Preauthorization is only required for skilled nursing facility care when medically necessary skilled nursing services extend beyond Medicare's 100-day limit and TRICARE becomes the primary payer for a beneficiary. Since medical documentation must be submitted, the preauthorization is requested by the skilled nursing facility and should not be a burden to beneficiaries or their families. For more information, contact TRICARE at www.tricare.mil or 1-888-874-9378.
KOREA
On July 27, 2009, President Obama signed H.R. 2632, the Korean War Veterans Act, which added National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day to the list of days on which flag display is especially encouraged.
To acknowledge the sacrifices made by Korean War veterans for its country, Samsung established a multimillion dollar scholarship fund for veterans' direct descendants, and partnered with the American Legion to distribute the money. For more information on the Samsung American Legion Scholarship Program, contact www.legion.org/scholarships/samsung.
AF CLUB AND DINING FACILITIES
The Air Force Services Agency recently changed club policies to extend member benefits to all U.S. armed forces personnel with a valid dues-paying club membership card. The Army and Navy have also agreed to provide reciprocal privileges commensurate with the member's rank to all U.S. armed forces presenting a valid dues-paying club membership card. Meanwhile, non-members, DOD civilians and their family members may also utilize Army and Navy club facilities, but non-member pricing applies in these situations. For more information on reciprocal privileges, contact the Air Force membership office at (800) 433-4834.
Many Air Force base dining facilities have seen use rates drop below 50 percent. Instead of closing these facilities, Air Force plans to open some facilities at six bases to retirees. Retirees will pay the same market price as everyone else, and there will not be an added surcharge on top of the menu price. The six Air Force bases participating in the initiative are Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Patrick AFB and MacDill AFB, Fla.; Fairchild AFB, Wash.,;Little Rock AFB, Ark.; and Travis AFB, Calif. This pilot program not only opens food establishments to all members of the base community, but customers will see an overall increase in the variety and availability of healthy menu options. The Wing Commander at Malmstrom opened the Elkhorn Diner to all retirees as of March of this year. Retirees can enjoy any meal, any day at the Elkhorn Dining Facility.
VA BENEFITS
The Department of Veterans Affairs' 2010 guide to "Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors" is now available online. To access the booklet go to the VA website at www.va.gov , select Veteran Services and then Benefits Booklet.
Few veterans are aware of the Aid and Attendance benefit that may be available to them through the Department of Veterans Affairs. For those who qualify, up to $23,396 in annual funding could be awarded to a veteran or the veteran's spouse, in cases where the following conditions are met: (1) the veteran must have 90 days of active military service, with one day during wartime; (2) any nondishonorable discharge; (3) age 65 or older, or disabled; and (4) a need for assistance in activities of daily living. Funding for veterans who qualify for Aid and Attendance has already been set aside by the government, but so few veterans have taken advantage of the benefit because of lack of information. For more information, visit the Military.com website.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is warning veterans not to give credit card numbers, bank routing information or any personal and financial information, over the phone to callers claiming to update, confirm or verify VA-related information. VA does not call veterans and ask them to disclose personal financial information over the phone. A veteran targeted by scammers alerted VA, saying that someone called claiming to be with the VA pharmacy and asking a lot of questions. VA has not changed its process for dispensing prescriptions or for enrollment. Veterans with questions about VA services should call (877) 222-8387 or the nearest VA medical center.