Armed Forces News Issue: Friday, October 29, 2004 FEDweek is the largest information resource in the federal government with now over one million weekly readers. To Subscribe, Go to http://www.fedweek.com/subscribepopup.htm
Valued Added Service to Our Readers: Federal Job Search http://www.fedweek.com/content/cc/index.php Job Bulletin Board http://www.fedweek.com/content/cc/index.php Unlimited Internet Access for as low as $10.90 http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294969084/821891/148/0/ Our Readers Will Get Special Discounted Travel Rates Including, Airfare, Hotels, RV's, Car Rentals, and Special Weekend Getaways--Anywhere in the world http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294969084/821891/339/0/ In This Week's Issue *********************************************************** 1. Most Military Retirees Get 2.7 Percent COLA 2. On-Line Write-In Absentee Ballot Okayed 3. U.S. Troop Increase in Iraq Mulled 4. Legion Commander Excoriates Senate Leaders 5. Now, All Our Subscribers Can Get Broadband DSL-Like Speed http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294969084/821891/148/0/ 6. Wanted: Female Soldiers for Combat 7. Report: Almost 1.7-million Vets Lack Health Coverage 8. DoD Launches Anti-Flu Health Campaign 9. JINSA Calls Draft Rumors �Cynical Creation� 10. Former Spouse Lawsuit Dismissed 11. The Brand New 2005 Retired Military Personnel Handbook *********************************************************** 1. Most Military Retirees Get 2.7 Percent COLA The 2004 cost of living adjustment (COLA) for military retired pay will be 2.7 percent, with some exceptions. Retirees who entered service on or after Sept. 8, 1980 and who retired between Jan. 1, 2004, and Oct. 31, 2004, will receive COLAs based on the calendar quarter in which they retired, as follows: 1st quarter - the full 2.7 percent; 2nd quarter � 1.8 percent; 3rd quarter - 0.3 percent; and 4th quarter � none. All service members who retired during 2004 will receive full COLAs in future years. COLAs for 2004 will begin Dec. 1 and will show up in January checks. 2. On-Line Write-In Absentee Ballot Okayed The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) has made available an official On-line Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (OFWAB) for federal offices in general elections. The OFWAB, like the paper version, can serve as an emergency ballot for overseas citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act who do not receive their requested state absentee ballot. To be eligible for the ballot, a U.S. citizen must: (1) be located outside the United States; (2) have applied for a regular ballot early enough so that the request was received by the appropriate local election official at least 30 days before the election; and (3) not have received the requested regular absentee ballot from the state. For more information, contact the FVAP through the DoD Voting Information Center, using the toll-free numbers listed on t he FVAP website at http://www.fvap.gov, or sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 3. U.S. Troop Increase in Iraq Mulled With security for the Iraqi elections in January in mind, officials of the Defense Department are evaluating a possible increase of total troop strength in Iraq by up to 22,000, according to officials. The increase could be effected by delaying some rotations from Iraq while speeding up some deployments from the U.S. One possibility, for example, would be to delay the planned January rotation to the States of the 1st Cavalry Division while accelerating deployment of elements of the 3rd Infantry Division. Another would be to deploy U.S. troops now in reserve in Kuwait, or to deploy elements of the 82nd Airborne, said officials. A decision is expected by December after Iraqi forces are evaluated. Meanwhile Army chief of staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker has said that 12-month combat tours will not be shortened, at least through 2005. 4. Legion Commander Excoriates Senate Leaders American Legion commander Thomas P. Cadmus has sent an open letter to the Senate majority and minority leaders, saying he was �bitterly disappointed� that the Senate recessed without acting on S.J. Res 4, which would authorize Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States. �Your inaction sends a message: The flag you are willing to drape over the caskets of our heroes, military and civilian alike, isn�t important enough to protect on our own soil,� he wrote. �Senator Daschle, you know that 80 percent of the American people support passage of this amendment, and all 50 state legislatures, including your own, have asked the Congress to send it back for ratification,� he added. In closing, he stated �Whether you support the amendment or not, we are asking you to bring S.J. Res. 4 to the floor for a vote, as promised and as expected.� 5. 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This is a special offer to all our readers only, just another value added benefit for being a FEDweek reader. 6. Wanted: Female Soldiers for Combat The Army is exploring a possible end to a 10-year-old prohibition against co-locating mixed-sex, support companies with ground combat units. Despite the legal bar, the Army already has included such co-location in plans for a transformed force of 10 active divisions, according to Defense Department sources. Officials point to ongoing warfare in Iraq as an example of all soldiers, support and combat, being subject to attack regardless of their location. This is confirmed by the 24 female soldiers who number among the 793 combat deaths incurred since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The 3rd Infantry Division, scheduled to return to Iraq early next year, would be the first division to contain the new mixed-sex, forward support companies. The Army is not planning to place women in direct combat units, such as infantry or armor. 7. Report: Almost 1.7-million Vets Lack Health Coverage In 2003, 1.69 million veterans did not have health insurance and were not receiving ongoing care at Department of Veterans Affairs medical hospitals or clinics, according to a report released October 19. The findings, published by the Harvard/Cambridge Hospital Study Group on Veterans� Health Insurance, noted that �Many of the 1.69 million uninsured veterans in 2003 were effectively barred from VHA (VA medical) care because they had incomes above the eligibility threshold, or because of waiting lists at some VHA facilities, unaffordable co-payments for VHA specialty care, or the lack of VHA facilities in their communities.� The report, which varies significantly from estimates by the VA that the number of uninsured veterans is under 900,000, emanated from a doctors� group that favors federally financed health care. 8. DoD Launches Anti-Flu Health Campaign Facing a shortage of flu vaccine, Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials are asking many healthy Americans to forgo getting a flu shot this year. In the Defense Department, this means service members who are not deploying, and healthy family members not in the high-risk groups, will not get the shot. Dr. William WInkenwerder, assistant defense secretary for health affairs, said "This is a very manageable problem, a very manageable situation.." He added, "there's some chance we could have a low influenza season" because of the efforts to target the vaccine for higher-risk individuals. He also mentioned preventive practices of washing hands and covering mouths when coughing or sneezing. If people get sick, he said, they should "stay away from other people. In fact, if you really feel bad, don't come into work. Don't spread an illness." 9. JINSA Calls Draft Rumors �Cynical Creation� The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit, non-partisan think-tank focusing on national security interests of the United States, has weighed in against �the urban legend of a �secret plan� to reinstitute the draft.� On Oct. 19, JINSA stated: �There are those who oppose America�s presence in Iraq, and hope that by raising the specter of sending everyone�s child off to war, they will force the government to withdraw our troops. Or at least, by raising the specter, they will frighten people into voting for the candidate most likely to withdraw those troops.� The organization charged that �It is a cynical creation and exploitation of unfounded fears.� JINSA noted that, instead of using draftees, �offering the right incentives to the right people has given us probably the finest armed force ever assembled and made the US the single country with worldwide power projection capabilities.� 10. Former Spouse Lawsuit Dismissed On Oct. 10, the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., dismissed a lawsuit by the USFSPA Litigation Support Group (ULSG) to overturn a federal law that enables ex-spouses to share in retainer or retirement pay of retired service members. Essentially the court ruled that, since divorce proceedings fall under state jurisdiction, lawsuits such as that by the ULSG should be handled, at least initially, by state courts. The ULSG wants to return to the policy that applied before 1981, the year that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in McCarty v. McCarty that divorce courts could not touch veterans' retainer or retirement pay. The Uniform Services Former Spouses' Protection Act undid that Supreme Court ruling. The ULSG is expected to appeal this latest ruling. 11. To: All Armed Forces News Readers and Their Military Colleagues ************************************************************* The Brand New 2005 Retired Military Personnel Handbook http://www.fedweek.com/pub/index.php just Published--Only $9.95! Everone who orders the 2005 Retired Military Personnel Handbook will receive a FREE Special Report: Preserving Your American Dream. Here's a partial look at this special report's table of contents: Investments Strategies for the Months Ahead Keep Your Balance With Bonds Taxing Matters and Tips Cash Flow Go on Scam Alerts and Identity Theft Retirement Planning With a Safety Net Education Reform Acts Protecting Your Property and Loved Ones For Retirees and Pre-Retirees Reinvestment Rules Estate Planning ***************************************************** Dear Armed Forces News Reader: For 2005, The Retired Military Personnel Handbook has been COMPLETELY REVISED AND EXPANDED AND IS STILL ONLY $9.95! 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Here's a look at just some of what's NEW in the 2005 edition: TRICARE Plus program--A complete, down-to-earth explanation of the eligibility requirements and the covered benefits Federal LTC Insurance program--Contains the eligibility, benefit choices, and premium considerations, including how the program differs for active employees versus retirees, tax considerations and other aspects of the program Tax Policies--The latest information affecting your retirement accounts, estate tax treatment and long-term care premiums New Retirement Lifestyle Information--Including how to evaluate continuing care communities and nursing homes Incapacity Planning--New important information on protecting your heirs Pay and Benefit Policies--The latest on COLAs, health and life insurance, Medicare and Social Security, Veterans Affairs and Defense Department programs, and a look at key legislative initiatives affecting retirees Important Points of Contacts--Just updated points of contact, benefit rates, addresses, tax treatment of annuities, status of important legislation and other vital material The new SGLI family coverage option--What it will cost you and what it will provide Survivor Benefits--The latest information on survivor benefit policies and rates Moving in Retirement--Special considerations for those moving in retirement PLUS, COMPLETELY REVISED INFORMATION ON: Retired pay and benefits--how the latest changes affect you and your family Disability retirement--qualifying, compensation, implications Medicare and Social Security benefits--eligibility and requirements Re-employment with the Government--the veterans' advantage Financial planning--maximizing your military retirement income Taxes in retirement--minimizing your tax burden A plain-English explanation of TRICARE for Life--what it does and doesn't cover, eligibility rules and how to make in prescription drug policies The new Senior Pharmacy Program--who is eligible, and how you can use it to save money on your prescription drugs Tricare dental benefits--what's covered and what's not VA health benefits--eligibility and facilities Survivor benefits--spouses and family members, divorce VA retirement compensation--types and how much Life insurance--USGLI, VSLI and other Government plans Other VA programs--assistance with loans, income, education, etc. And much, much more! "The 2005 Retired Military Personnel Handbook gives you the absolute latest information available on your military retirement and is a perfect tool to be used as a reference guide whether you are just nearing retirement or are already retired." Don Mace Publisher, Armed Forces News http://www.fedweek.com Special FREE Special Report to Our Readers: Everyone who orders the 2005 Retired Military Personnel Handbook will receive a FREE Special Report: Preserving Your American Dream. Here's a partial look at this special report's table of contents: Investments Strategies for the Months Ahead Keep Your Balance With Bonds Taxing Matters and Tips Cash Flow Go on Scam Alerts and Identity Theft Retirement Planning With a Safety Net Education Reform Acts Protecting Your Property and Loved Ones For Retirees and Pre-Retirees Reinvestment Rules Estate Planning ***************************************************** *********************************************************** HOW TO GET "The 2005 Retired Military Personnel Handbook It's Available only at FEDweek! Go to http://www.fedweek.com/pub/index.php or see Below. *********************************************************** The 2005 Retired Military Personnel Handbook is only $9.95 (plus $4 s&h) and you can place your order online at http://www.fedweek.com/pub/index.php under our Military Interest section. You may also call our 24 hour toll-free order line at (888) 333-9335 and place your order or send your order with payment ($13.95) to: FEDweek, PO Box 5519, Glen Allen, VA 23058. *********************************************************** Don't Forget to Ask for Your FREE Copy of "Preserving Your American Dream When You Place Your Order! (This offer is only good while inventory lasts) Armed Forces News 11541 Nuckols Rd. Suite D Glen Allen, VA 23059 Publisher, Don Mace Website: http://www.armedforcesnews.com Published weekly by Armed Forces News, LLC * A 100% VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS ** [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are subscribed to armedforcesnews as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
