Military Learning Center » Benefits

Tricare Help: Is retiree stuck with bad plan, or can he switch to Tricare for Life?

Angel — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:21:48 +0000

Q. I have a friend who is an aging, retired Army colonel. After his long military service, he worked for an insurance company from which he is also now retired — with truly lousy retirement benefits. My wife and I told him about the benefits we get from Medicare and Tricare For Life. Can he “renounce” that other retirement health plan that has such skimpy benefits, and enroll in Tricare For Life?

Senators team up to fight Tricare increases

Angel — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:20:03 +0000

Two senators have reached across the aisle to fight Tricare fee increases, introducing a bill that would cap enrollment fees, deductibles and pharmacy copayments for military retirees.

Some TFL users would stay with mail-order drugs

Angel — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:20:02 +0000

If forced to use the military’s mail order pharmacy for maintenance drugs for at least one year, some Medicare-eligible retirees would stick with the option of getting prescriptions sent directly to their home, according to preliminary analysis of the 2013 … Continue reading →

Tricare Help: Can I keep Tricare after I get out?

Angel — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:20:05 +0000

Q. I’ve been in the Navy for four years and am getting out this summer. After I get out, can I still use Tricare? Would my family be eligible as well?

VA will not defend DOMA in benefits cases

Angel — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:20:02 +0000

The Veterans Affairs Department is following the Justice Department’s lead in refusing to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, according to a legal memo released by VA on Wednesday, a few hours after President Obama publicly announced his support for … Continue reading →

On-base families should be able to choose public school, lawmakers say

Angel — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:20:10 +0000

Military parents living on base should be able to select which local public school their child attends, a House panel suggests.

Plan: Mail-order drugs under Tricare for Life

Angel — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:20:04 +0000

A House Armed Services Committee proposal to cap pharmacy co-pays for active-duty dependents, retirees and their families has a string attached for Medicare-eligible retirees in the Tricare for Life program.

House panel likely to block Tricare fee hikes

Angel — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:20:02 +0000

The House Armed Services Committee is poised to block the Defense Department’s proposal to dramatically increase pharmacy co-pays by imposing a cap that would allow fees to rise much more modestly — by no more than the annual cost-of-living adjustment … Continue reading →

Panel to vote: Shield vets spending from cuts?

Angel — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:20:03 +0000

The House Budget Committee is poised to pass two measures on Monday to avoid across-the-board federal budget cuts in January and also restore $8 billion in previously approved defense cuts.

Navy vet, 101, seeks gold at VA games

Angel — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:20:06 +0000

Navy veteran Jack Faust has won nine gold medals and two silvers the past five times he’s competed at the National Veterans Golden Age Games.