Fleet Reserve Association

FRA Staff Discuss VA Budget Shortfall with VA DLP John Davis participated in a conference call with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget staff regarding the budget shortfall noted in last week’s Newsbytes. The chief financial officers from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) informed the House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC) that they anticipate a $2.88 billion shortfall for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2024 related to compensation and pension and readjustment benefit payments, and an $11.97 billion shortfall in FY 2025 primarily related to increased hiring and pharmaceutical costs. This represents by far the largest budget shortfall the VA has experienced. VA staff noted that the shortfall was largely due to more benefits being paid to more veterans than anticipated. The VA staff assured FRA that the VA is in communication with Hill staff and White House staff to provide the VA with supplemental appropriations for the current fiscal year (FY 2024) and FY 2025. Without additional funding, benefits will be delayed as early as October 1, 2024. The VA claims that there has been a 39% increase in claims since FY 2022 and that 1.9 million claims have already been processed in FY 2024. In addition, VA staff has increased by 33% since October 2023. Other contributing factors to the budget shortfall include the implementation of the comprehensive veteran’s toxic exposure law (PACT Act), increased cost of drugs, and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision (Rudisill v. McDonough) expanding education benefits noted in the May 3, 2024 Newsbytes. Read more @ bit.ly/3LGfXZq

Scammers Targeting TRICARE For Life Beneficiaries The Defense Health Agency (DHA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and TRICARE For Life (TFL) contractor want to warn beneficiaries of a text message phishing scam (also called “smishing”). Some beneficiaries reported getting a text message from 888-763-0248 claiming to be WPS-TFL. The message states their healthcare is going to expire due to nonpayment and to call the toll-free number. DHA wants to remind all beneficiaries to: Not open links from unknown numbers or unsolicited, unexpected texts. WPS TFL doesn’t send text messages or collect money. Never give PHI/PII to an unknown number or person. Not reply to unsolicited text messages. Beneficiaries should report fraud or scams to their TRICARE contractor or DHA OIG. Read more @ bit.ly/3ShirRU

Put Concurrent Receipt in Senate NDAA Please use the FRA Action Center to ask your Senators to support a Senate floor amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that includes the Major Richard Star Act. We need your help now at this critical stage of the NDAA process to end an unjust pay offset, one that costs tens of thousands of injured veterans a dollar of DoD-earned retirement pay for every dollar of VA disability compensation. More than three-quarters of lawmakers have co-sponsored this concurrent receipt bill, but funding concerns and budgetary rules have so far kept it from moving forward as an amendment to the must-pass NDAA. With 74 Senators in support of the Major Richard Star Act, it deserves a vote. Link to FRA Action Center. Read more @ bit.ly/3S4f519

When the U.S. found itself in need of experienced ship-boarding teams and qualified oil-mapping personnel during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, who did it call? The Coast Guard! In this issue of FRAtoday, Bethanie Hestermann brings you the scoop on how the Coast Guard deployed its reservists overseas for the first time since WWII to secure key ports, uphold the shipping embargo against Iraq, and monitor an unprecedented oil spill. You can also find Dawn Klavon’s look beyond the NBA championships and Olympic medals of star San Antonio Spurs player David Robinson to the decades of service the MVP has given to his country and community, beginning with his service in the U.S. Navy. FRA members can read it all for free at www.fra.org. Not a member yet? Join thousands of your fellow sea service members in the Fleet Reserve Association at https://lnkd.in/gdRh3cXZ.

Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸✨ This year, we’re also celebrating a century of excellence with the FRA Centennial! Cheers to freedom, innovation, and 100 years of progress! 🎆🎇 #4thOfJuly #FRACentennial #CelebrateFreedom

Comparing House and Senate NDAAs The House passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the Senate Armed Services Committee has approved its version of the bill. Once the Senate approves its bill, a conference committee will be appointed to resolve the differences between the two bills. This final bill will be submitted to the House and Senate for approval. If approved, the bill will be sent to President Biden to be signed into law or vetoed. Neither bill addresses concurrent receipt reform. Also, despite a recommendation from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), neither bill provides for any new TRICARE fee increases. The CBO recommended increasing current enrollment fees and introducing a new TRICARE-for-Life enrollment fee. Read more @ bit.ly/4cIDwfx

Active Duty Pay Increase in the NDAA The House passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the Senate Armed Services Committee has approved its version of the bill. Once the Senate approves its bill, a conference committee will be appointed to resolve the differences between the two bills. This final bill will be submitted to the House and Senate for approval. If approved, the bill will be sent to President Biden to be signed into law or vetoed. Much of the focus this year has been on active duty benefits. Both House and Senate versions of the NDAA provide a 4.5% pay raise, which keeps pace with the Employment Cost Index. However, the House NDAA calls for servicemembers E-1 to E-4 to receive an additional 15% pay raise beyond the 4.5% for all active duty members. This proposal is opposed by the White House. The Senate bill has a much less robust increase, calling for an additional 1% increase for servicemembers E-1 to E-3 (beyond the 4.5% raise). Furthermore, the House version would restore BAH to 100% just for FY 2025. The FRA has strongly opposed cuts in BAH benefits and has been working to restore BAH benefits to 100% of housing permanently. The Senate version does not address the issue and leaves BAH at 95% of housing costs. Read more @ bit.ly/4eAvnvC

Amazing display of discipline by the U.S Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon.

Amazing display of discipline by the U.S Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon.

Senate NDAA Approved by SASC The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) approved an $878.4 billion FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an amount that surpasses the White House request and the cap set as part of debt-ceiling negotiations by about $25 billion. The panel voted 22-3 behind closed doors to advance the legislation, with Chairman Jack Reed (D-R.I.) voting against his committee’s bill because the topline authorization increase goes against the spending caps in law. The bill does the following: No TRICARE fee increase; Provides a 4.5% annual active duty pay raise; Increases junior enlisted (E-1 through E-3) pay by an additional 1% (totaling 5.5%); Authorizes service members without dependents who live in military unaccompanied housing to be paid higher rates of partial BAH; Increases funding to repair and improve barracks; Requires the registration of women for Selective Service; Establishes the Commission on Quality of Life for the All-Volunteer Armed Force to assess quality of life considerations for the military and civilian workforces. The bill will now go to the Senate floor for further consideration. Members can refer to last week’s Newsbytes for the provisions of the House-passed bill. The SASC bill is woefully inadequate compared to the House-passed bill pertaining to active duty pay and benefits. Members are urged to use the FRA Action Center to weigh in on this legislation at: https://lnkd.in/e88H4EmW Read more @ bit.ly/3VrFmKY