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An Idea Too Long in Coming…share with those who might be interested!
In-State Tuition Set for Military Families 
As of July 1, military members, spouses and their college-aged youth are now guaranteed in-state tuition at public colleges and universitie
s in the state where they reside or are permanently stationed. A MOAA-backed initiative, the in-state tuition directive, was approved by Congress as part of the Higher Education Act and became effective for enrollments after July 1, 2009.
Most states already offered military families in-state tuition, but many did not allow for continuation of the in-state tuition rates once the military member relocated. This change takes care of that. Military families should no longer be subject to rate hikes if the military member PCSes from that state. If they have enrolled at a public college or university, then they will be able to pay in-state tuition rates as long as they remain continuously enrolled, even if the military member moves.
It’s possible though that some institutions may not be aware of the change. Service men and women who have questions should see the institution’s registrar or the campus-based Veterans Affairs office, if there is one. Service members may also contact the Department of Education’s Ombudsman’s office (toll-free at 877 557-2575).
Source: MOAA Legislative Update, July 2, 2009.
Little Known Veteran’s Benefit! 
In accordance with PL 110-111 Veterans, who because of a service-connected disability, wear or use a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance (including a wheelchair) which tends to wear out or tear clothing, and veterans, who because of a service-connected skin condition use a medication that causes irreparable damage to outer garments, are eligible for payment of an annual clothing allowance. Qualifying appliances/medications include:
1. An artificial limb, rigid extremity brace, rigid spinal or cervical brace, wheelchair, crutches or other appliance prescribed for the claimant’s service-connected disability. Soft and flexible devices, such as an elastic stocking are not included.
2. Any medication, prescribed by a physician for a service-connected skin condition, that causes permanent stains or otherwise damages the veteran’s clothing.
The allowance as of 1 DEC 08 for 2009 was $716 per year. The clothing allowance increase, while effective the date of the law, is not payable until the following August 1st. (Example: PL 97-306 effective October 1, 1982, increased the clothing allowance to $327.00. This rate was payable August 1, 1983.) It is recommended that you mark your calendar and apply for your 2009 allowance by 1 JUN 09 to allow ample time for VA to process it and avoid missing the 1 AUG cutoff date. To qualify for annual payment, eligibility must be established as of 1 AUG of the year for which payment is claimed. If you have previously submitted a claim for disability compensation, send your application on VA FORM 21-8678 May 03 to the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (121), at your local VA Medical Center. If you have not made application for disability compensation, send the form to the VA regional office nearest your home. The form can be downloaded from www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-8678-fill.pdf, you can ask VA to send you one, or you can pick one up at your VA clinic. If your support device wasn’t issued by VA, you will need to get your VA doctor to do a certification for you that the support is necessary for you. [Source: www.va.gov Jun 09 ++]
And a New TriCare Benefit (for those under 65)
Starting September 1, DoD will waive copayments for some preventive services for TRICARE beneficiaries under age 65. Specifically, co-pays will be dropped for screenings for colorectal, breast, cervical, and prostate cancer. Immunizations and well-child visits for children under age six also will be free of any co-pays.
This change comes as a result of MOAA-supported legislative guidance in the FY2009 Defense Authorization Act. The intent of the law-change was to ensure that fee structures don’t discourage beneficiaries from obtaining needed preventive care.
The hope is that encouraging greater use of preventive services will lead to earlier detection and treatment of certain conditions. This should result in reduced reliance on high-cost treatments and help beneficiaries live healthier and longer lives.
Although the implementation date is September 1, 2009, the law makes the free coverage retroactive for qualifying services received on or after October 14, 2008.
Beneficiaries who were charged a copayment or deductible for any of those services since Oct. 14, 2008 can file a claim for reimbursement through their TRICARE contractor – but any such retroactive claim can’t be filed before September 1st.
Unfortunately, despite MOAA’s best lobbying efforts, the final law-change didn’t include Medicare-eligible’s in this initiative. Armed Services Committee leaders tried to include them, but were prevented from doing so by congressional budget rules that require a dollar in program reductions for each additional dollar spent on care for Medicare-eligible’s. Their creative efforts to try to get around that requirement were frustrated in the end. Our hope is to rectify that situation in the future.
Source: MOAA Legislative Update for July 10, 2008
Legislative News
This seems like a strange piece of legislation: With the summer travel season here, the Senate is expected to vote on a bill this month that’s designed to promote tourism in the United States by raising fees on foreign tourists. The bill, S. 1023, would create a nonprofit corporation to promote U.S. travel, targeted to people in foreign countries who are thinking of visiting here. It would authorize $10 million in initial federal funding and would match travel industry contributions of up to $100 million annually by imposing a $10 fee on every foreign traveler to the U.S. (I’m not sure what purpose this bill serves other than to create a government funded ‘non-governmental’ (read the bill summary) organization to promote tourism and charge foreign tourists a fee to use the corporation’s products. Pork, maybe??? )
- This week Louisiana became the 24th state to join the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The Compact helps ease school transition for military children when their parents are reassigned. Check here to see if your state has signed the Interstate Compact.
On Leadership
I came across this interview with ADM Mullen, the CJCS, on military leadership although the principles and advice can apply equally to non-military leadership. And we need to remember that ‘Leadership’ is not ‘Management.’ More leadership videos are here…Enjoy!
Tech Tips
Tuesday, July 14th is Microsoft’s ‘Patch Tuesday’ (again) and there are a few critical updates to Windows XP and Windows Vista in the mix so remember to watch for these updates to be loaded or, if you download them yourself be sure to do so on Wednesday.
Headed for the Hospital Soon…Check Out This Website 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated its Hospital Compare Web site, which reports how frequently patients return to a hospital after being discharged, a possible indicator of how well the facility did the first time around. On average, 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries who are discharged from a hospital will re-enter the hospital within a month.
With the update, Hospital Compare will provide better data on the previously posted mortality rates for individual hospitals, as well as the new data on 30-day readmissions for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. Previously, Hospital Compare had provided only mortality rates for these three conditions. Using the three-year data method, CMS estimates that the national 30-day mortality rate for patients originally admitted for heart attack care is 16.6 percent. For heart failure patients, the national 30-day mortality rate is 11.1 percent, and for pneumonia patients the national rate is 11.5 percent.
Hospital Compare also includes 10 measures that capture patient satisfaction with hospital care, 25 process of care measures, and two children’s asthma care measures. The site also features information about the number of selected elective hospital procedures provided to patients and what Medicare pays for those services. In 2008, Hospital Compare had over 18 million page views; it has received about 1 million page views each month of 2009 thus far.
Have a good week!
The OFMeister
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Disclaimer
This newsletter and blog is solely for the enjoyment of its readers. None of the information contained in this newsletter or on the blog is to be considered as legal or financial advice as the author is neither a lawyer or financial advisor. In so far as it is possible to determine the material is correct but has not necessarily been fully researched or verified; here’s the bottom line – you use it at your own risk. Wherever possible the source of the information for a particular article is displayed as a reference.
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