EANGUS staff meets with Representative Wittman (R-VA)
On Thursday, January 7, met Representative Rob Wittman (R-TX) at the Fleet Reserve Association’s National Office. Representative Wittman is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and chairs the powerful Readiness Subcommittee. During Q&A, Scott asked Rep. Wittman about Congressional plans to review and make changes to TRICARE, based on the findings of last year’s Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Report. Representative Wittman admitted that the House Armed Services Committee is looking at making changes to military health care access and that changes could come as early as this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. In tune with previous EANGUS Congressional testimony, Scott expressed the continuity of care challenges EANGUS members face when called to Title 10 orders and reminded Representative Wittman that many members of the National Guard live in rural areas where care is hard to find. In response, Representative Wittman shared his desire to create mobile health units that can be deployed to assist rural areas to combat the access issue.EANGUS staff meets with Senate Armed Services Committee
On Wednesday, January 6, met with Senate Armed Services Committee Professional Staff to discuss a tax issue related to the blended retirement system set to start in 2018. Scott is advocating for members of the National Guard to contribute to their Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) accounts and their employee matched retirement accounts beyond the $18,000 annual threshold afforded by the Internal Revenue Service. Once set into motion, Members of the National Guard, who max out their employer based 401K accounts, could potentially lose out on the 5% government match on their TSP accounts because they would hit the $18,000 annual limit. To date, Scott has met with the House Ways and Means Committee Professional Staff and staff from the office of Representative Sam Johnson (R-TX). During the week of January 11, 2016, Representative Johnson plans to introduce legislation to increase the dollar amount members of the National Guard can invest in their retirement accounts so they can maximize the government match on their TSP accounts. Once introduced, the EANGUS National Office will issue its first legislative Call-to-Action to all members.
Suicides Report
Last week, the Department released its attached Quarterly Suicide Report (QSR) for the Third Quarter of Calendar Year 2015. The QSR is intended to communicate the Department’s suicide data on a routine basis. The QSRs do not contain the deep demographic analysis that is provided in the annual DoD Suicide Event Reports. In the third quarter of 2015, there were 72 suicides among service members in the active component, and 70 suicides in the reserve component, which includes 38 suicides among reserve service members and 32 suicides among service members in the National Guard.
***Members and their families who need support can reach out to Military OneSource, which offers free and confidential support 24/7 for those in crisis. The number is 1-800-340-9647 and EANGUS members can also click here. DOD has also partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs to promote a confidential crisis line staffed by caring, qualified responders, many of who have served in uniform. The number is 1-800-273-8255, press 1 for anyone facing a crisis. ***
GI Bill Changes Coming?
EANGUS members should be aware that big changes could be coming to the transferability of GI Bill benefits. Please read “Big Cuts, Changes Coming to GI Bill Transfers”. The Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs are running out of money needed to pay for the educations of traditional students. Typically, when a servicemembers uses their GI Bill benefits to pay for their own college education, they are non-traditional students who do not require on campus housing and on campus food plans. When GI Bill benefits are transferred, servicemembers’ sons and daughters us the funds as full-time, traditional students causing costs to increase beyond what DOD and VA originally anticipated. If EANGUS members do not intend to use their GI Bill benefits, it would be beneficial to transfer those benefits now, in case major changes are set in motion.
Commissary and Exchange Update
The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing “Views on Commissary Reform” on January 13 at 10:30 AM ET. Four EANGUS Coalition partners will testify: American Logistics Association (ALA), Armed Forces Marketing Council (AFMC), National Military Family Association (NMFA), and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). EANGUS members can follow the hearing online by clicking here.
Commissaries in the news
Need to know, 2016: Potential military commissary changes
New commissary pricing models to be tested
Commissary Facts
What Are Commissaries?
Commissaries are one of the most significant and long-lasting benefits of military men & women and their families. Commissaries provide access to modestly-priced healthy groceries. By law, commissaries are required to sell items at “cost”, that is with no profit or markup to the commissary as well as a 5 percent surcharge. Surcharge funds are invested back into the commissaries to pay for the cost of building new stores and renovating or repairing existing ones.
Who Can Shop at Commissaries?
- Active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces (and their dependents)
- Members of the Reserve, and National Guard (and their dependents)
- Retired members of Active Duty, Reserves and National Guard (and their dependents)
- Honorably discharged veterans with a 100% service-connected disability
- Recipients of the Medal of Honor
- Spouses of fallen Service members in combat
How Are Commissaries Funded?
Commissaries receive an annual appropriation of about $1.4 billion that support 246 stores worldwide. The 5 percent surcharge allows commissaries to rely less on Congressional appropriations, while still investing in the infrastructure of the commissary system.
How Do Commissaries Benefit Military Personnel and Their Families?
On average, commissary customers save about 30 percent on their grocery bills. According to a 2010 U.S. Department of Agriculture Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average family of four saves more than $4,500 per year shopping regularly at a commissary. Commissaries aren’t a subsidy, they are an earned benefit.
Commissaries are Job Creators & Economic Engines
Commissaries are the largest employers of military families in the world. More than 64% of commissary employees are military connected and nearly 30% are military spouses. They are also the leading employer in the nation for veterans. Commissaries support more than 1,800 small businesses.
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