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Legislative/Chapter News>
Top Issues
September 19, 2008
2007-2008 AFSA LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
This platform of legislative targets will be used as a “blueprint” for testimonial and lobbying efforts, in addition to responses dictated by day to day events. Each area designates association-approved initiatives.
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MILITARY PAY AND COMPENSATION/TAX INCENTIVES
• Pursue further targeted pay increases for mid-career and senior enlisted personnel.
• Establish a standard, minimum reenlistment bonus at the time of each reenlistment for all enlisted members regardless of component, rank, time-in-service, or AFSC.
• Reform Basic Allowance for Housing to more fairly provide for the family/personal needs of enlisted members.
• Allow one-week, non-chargeable paternity leave for each birth of military families.
• Expand areas eligible for CONUS COLA by lowering the eligibility threshold.
• Enhance financial education initiatives and services for Airmen and their families.
• Provide a tax exemption for enrollment fees, deductibles, co-payments, and supplemental policies for TRICARE, dental care, and Long Term Care.
• Provide a tax exemption for child care expenses.
• Permanently allow application of combat (tax-free) zone pay toward Earned Income Tax Credit eligibility.
• Protect service member’s parental rights.
• Allow amended income tax returns more than three years back in certain military/VA-related cases.
• Provide approval to categorize military married-to-military members as a dependent of each other for the purpose of funded Emergency Leave travel.
• Provide postage-free mailing to service members deployed to combat zones.
• Establish an implementation date of hazardous duty pay for military firefighters.
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HOUSING/PERMANENT CHANGES OF STATION
• Increase the PCS household goods weight allowance for all enlisted members.
• Allow military members to ship two POVs during all PCS moves.
• Provide all military members being assigned to OCONUS locations the option of government-funded POV shipment or storage.
• If advantageous to the government, reimburse transportation expenses for PCSing members to take their POVs to a location other than a commercial storage facility.
• Authorize reimbursement of house-hunting expenses commensurate with programs now supporting federal civilian personnel.
• Ensure DoD implements the “full replacement value for loss or damage” provision (FY 2004 NDAA) for government-sponsored moves.
• Establish a professional goods PCS weight allowance for spouses of military members.
• Continually monitor the upgrades to the quality of housing/dormitories, and monitor/scrutinize privatization efforts to preclude any adverse impact on all military members.
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MILITARY HEALTH CARE
• Prevent DoD plans to establish a TRICARE Standard enrollment fee and significantly increase Standard annual deductibles.
• Prevent DoD plans to significantly increase annual TRICARE Prime enrollment fees for military retirees.
• Limit beneficiary costs for TRICARE network and mail order prescription drugs; ensure DoD formularies accommodate all beneficiaries; prevent beneficiary cost shares for military clinic-provided medicines.
• Increase provider reimbursement levels and education to ensure sufficient participating providers to support TRICARE programs.
• Exempt those military retirees who entered service prior to December 7, 1956, from the obligation of Medicare Part B payments.
• Mandate that TRICARE cover doctor-recommended oral surgery procedures.
• Provide chiropractic care and annual physicals for military members, retirees, and their dependents.
• Establish a full optometry benefit for military retirees.
• Enhance G&R health care programs and ensure prompt implementation of existing programs/coverage.
• Upgrade the dental benefit programs for active duty, Guard, and Reserve members, retirees, and their families.
• Ensure military dental care program reimbursement rates are adjusted to each area of the nation to ensure participation of civilian dental care providers.
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EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS
• Allow members who declined enrollment in the Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program or the Montgomery G.I. Bill (MGIB), a second enrollment opportunity.
• Consolidate Active Duty and Selected Reserve MGIB programs under one authority, and standardize the MGIB program for all enrollees.
• Allow the “spending” of the MGIB benefit during and after service to cover all educational expenses (including books), to “pay-off” student loans, to support dependent education, or cover the cost of accelerated educational programs.
• Increase the MGIB value to cover the full costs of tuition, books, and fees at an average 4-year college or university, and annually index it to educational inflation.
• Allow MGIB enrollment at a career point later than at Basic Military Training or eliminate the $1,200 MGIB enrollment payroll reduction.
• Provide military members and their families in-state tuition rates at federally supported state universities and colleges–immediately upon arrival at the gaining station.
• Remove the MGIB 10-year benefit-loss provision which begins after service.
• Ensure continued provision of 100 percent Tuition Assistance (TA).
• Increase the Tuition Assistance cap from $4,500 to $9,000.
• Provide a 10-year portability for Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) benefits.
• Provide an accruable month per month Active Duty rate for mobilized members of the Selected Reserve.
• Ensure full funding of the Impact Aid Program.
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RETIREMENT BENEFITS
• Provide concurrent retirement and disability pay (CRDP) regardless of VA service-connected disability level.
• Provide CRDP and Combat Related Special Compensation to medically retired (Chapter 61) retirees with less than 20 years of service.
• Repeal the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act (USFSPA).
• Provide eligible beneficiaries over 65 years of age with a permanent ID card.
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AFRC AND ANG
• Reduce the earliest G&R retirement age from 60 to 55.
• Provide employer and self-employed tax credits.
• Eliminate “1/30” rules for special pays where appropriate.
• Reimburse travel expenses going to/from Unit Training Assemblies (UTA)s
• Set Air Reserve Technicians’ retirement eligibility for unreduced benefits to age 50 with 20 years of service (YOS), or at any age with 25 YOS--if honorably, involuntarily separated.
• Eliminate the annual cap on inactive duty training points creditable for retirement.
• Enhance Selected Reserve MGIB (SR-MGIB) benefits.
• Provide hazardous duty or equivalent special pay for those performing Mission Essential Ground Personnel (MEGP) duty.
• Protect Single Home Owners Insurance Coverage.
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MILITARY STORES
• Resist DoD efforts to reduce the benefit, negatively alter current pricing policies, or provide the benefit to non-military beneficiaries.
• Monitor the Base Exchange merger process to prevent degradation of the benefit.
• Where available, provide full overseas retiree exchange and commissary benefits.
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CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS (CDCs)/BASE REALIGNMENTS AND CLOSURES (BRAC):
• Pursue CDC changes to (1) minimize CDC expenses for enlisted members (2) adjust hours of operation to accommodate mission requirements, and (3) allow 30 days each year during which the military member may remove their child from the CDC without having to pay for the period of unused service--to facilitate taking annual leave without losing their CDC slot.
• Mitigate the impact of BRAC decisions on the quality-of-life for all beneficiaries.
• Codify the requirement to continue TRICARE Prime benefits and assistance in localities affected by BRAC actions.
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SURVIVOR BENEFITS
• Accelerate the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) “paid-up” provision for participants who have reached age 70 and paid into the program for at least 30 years.
• Allow Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) widows to remarry after age 55 without losing their entitlement.
• Allow the full concurrent receipt of DIC and SBP without an offset in either.
• Permit the designation of multiple SBP beneficiaries with a presumption that such designations and related allocations of SBP benefits must be proportionate to the allocation of retired pay.
• Allow survivors of retirees to draw a full month’s retired pay for the month in which retirees die.
• Provide space-available travel opportunities for survivors of military retirees.
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VETERANS’ PROGRAMS
• Provide mandatory annual funding for VA health care.
• Limit user fees and prescription co-pay increases at VA medical facilities.
• Require the VA to accept licensed civilian medical/dental provider prescriptions.
• Require the VA to allow/accept chiropractic care.
• Allow the use of Medicare in VA facilities for enrolled Medicare-eligible veterans for their non-service connected care (known as “VA-Medicare subvention”).
• Improve the veterans’ disability evaluation, benefits claim, and appeals process.
• Closely monitor the Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission as they evaluate the basis for awarding future VA service-connected disability payments.
• Ensure treatment of medical conditions resulting from the military service environment—including Agent Orange exposure from all past military operations.
• Ensure sufficient capacity and full funding at national cemeteries.
• Award full veterans’ benefit status to G&R members who complete 20 qualifying years of service, but do not otherwise qualify as veterans under title 38.
• Ensure implementation of “Seamless Transition” for those separating due to combat and others completing their military service, with particular emphasis on the transfer of veterans from DoD to VA and VA to VA facilities.
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POW/MIA
• Provide a full accounting of POW/MIAs from all past and future military actions, and promote international compliance in recovery efforts.
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VOTING/PATRIOTISM
• Ensure that no state or locality abridges the right of military members to vote in federal, state, or local elections (in person or by absentee ballot).
• Investigate and support alternative, secure methods of voting such as on-line/electronic balloting.
• Protect the American flag from purposeful acts of physical desecration.
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