National Military Family Association Newsletter, 22 November 2005
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Since 11-23-05

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Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 4:13 PM
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Subject: National Military Family Association Newsletter, 22 November 2005
November 22, 2005

To view the complete November 22, 2005 Government and You E-News click here.

Please feel free to forward this news to others who might be interested and encourage them sign up to receive the Government and You E-News at the NMFA website http://www.nmfa.org/enews_signup.

Questions regarding the content in this newsletter should be sent to: families@nmfa.org.

Thank you for your interest in military families.

Topics in this Week’s News Include:

1. What Event/Program Made a Difference for Military Families in 2005? Last Chance to Tell Us! Amid the concerns about the availability of support services to help military families deal with the challenges of military life, we also know there are many shining examples of ways the Department of Defense, installations, and communities support military families. To submit your story, go to: www.nmfa.org/surveys.

2. How Much for Military Construction and VA Programs? Late last week a House and Senate Conference Committee completed work on the Conference Report for the FY 2006 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriation Act. Both the House and Senate quickly approved the report on November 18. For more information click here.


3. Senate Committee Urges End to Sales of Certain Financial Products to Servicemembers: A study released last week by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the latest in a series of media and government reports confirming that thousands of servicemembers have fallen victim to the unscrupulous sales people pushing high cost financial products and life insurance. For more information click here.

4. How Important is Impact Aid? When military or other federally-connected children arrive in a school district, that district is obligated to educate them even though the federal activity with which those children are associated (military, Indian reservation, federal land, federal public housing) does not pay local taxes. Impact Aid is the federal program that provides funding to these school districts to support the education of all children in those districts in lieu of the lost tax revenue due to the federal presence. For more information click here.

5. House Gets Chance to End DIC Offset to SBP Congressman Chet Edwards (D-TX, 17th) introduced a discharge petition on November 16, 2005 to force a House floor vote on H.R. 808, a bill that would eliminate the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offset to Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). For more information click here.

6. 2005 Survey of Active-Duty and Reserve Component Spouses Rolls Out. The military demands a lot of military spouses. In order to learn how families are making military life work for them, as well as hear about how they could use some help, DoD is rolling out the 2005 Survey of Active-Duty Spouses along with the 2005 Survey of Reserve Component Spouses. For more information click here.

7. Medications Approved for Basic Core Formulary: Last week’s Government and You E-News listed the most recent medications that the Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and Director of the TRICARE Management Activity, approved to be included on the first and second co-payment tiers (formulary) and those to be placed on the third co-payment tier (nonformulary). In addition, recommendations were made by the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee on which medications are to be on the DoD Basic Core Formulary (BCF). Medications on the BCF are to be available at almost all Military Treatment Facility (MTF) pharmacies. For more information click here.

8. Military OneSource to host LifeWorkshop Children and Military Life: Making the Best of the Holidays. The December 8, 2005, Military OneSource LifeWorkshop will focus on children and military life and will have a special emphasis on making the best of the holidays. LifeWorkshops are free workshops available to anyone who has access to Military OneSource Online. For more information click here.

9. Massachusetts Legislature Passes “Welcome Home” Bill: The Massachusetts Legislature is sending an omnibus bill to Governor Mitt Romney (R) that would provide veterans, servicemembers, and their families with greater compensation and additional benefits. The so-called “Welcome Home Bill" would establish a state Military Family Relief Fund through an income tax check-off box to help military families in need. For more information click here.

10. “America Supports You” Celebrates First Anniversary: One year ago this week, the Defense Department launched "America Supports You," a program to showcase the nation's support for its men and women in uniform and the many ways citizens are expressing that support. The program highlights the many public and private initiatives to support military servicemembers and families sponsored by individuals and organizations around the country. For more information click here.

11. Navy Updates Household Goods Move Information for Sailors Affected by Hurricanes: An update to the frequently asked questions (FAQs) about household goods (HHG) for Sailors affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been published and is now available on the Task Force Navy Family website (www.navy.mil/tfnf.html). For more information click here.
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Contributed,
YNCS Don Harribine, USN(ret)