Military Life News

Military Life News, Commissary Rewards and Military Discounts

Switch to Tricare Standard When You’re Pregnant?

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If you’re a pregnant military spouse who is considering switching from Tricare Prime to Standard, you’re not alone.

Google the words “pregnant and Tricare” and you’ll find numerous community posts similar to this question:

I’m 17 weeks pregnant with Tricare Prime and currently being seen at a Naval Hospital. I haven’t had any appointments since 11 weeks where there did an ultrasound and pap. I don’t have another doctor’s appointment until 22 weeks. I’m worried and feel like I’m not getting the care I need or deserve at the Naval Hospital. I was thinking of switching to Tricare Standard but don’t know how long that process takes if it would even be worth it.

The responses range from “Yes, you should definitely switch. I switched to Standard and I’m so much happier” to “You need to call your PCM and make another appointment. They’ll get you in if you explain your situation.”

I’ve given birth twice using my Tricare Prime health insurance as a military dependent. The first time I received my prenatal care from a PCM (prime care manager) and delivered at an overseas military hospital as a Tricare Prime Overseas patient.

The second time, I received a referral to an obstetrician and delivered in a civilian hospital because we were stationed more than 50 miles (actually it was 52.1) from a military treatment facility. In my case, I was pleased with the medical care in both situations.

Was my prenatal care prefect? Hardly. Was I upset about some medical decisions that were influenced by Tricare coverage policies? Of course.

Insurance isn’t perfect. But it helps pay for your medical care. And having a baby isn’t cheap. In fact, the average American delivery costs $8,000 and considering I paid nothing to have 2 healthy children, in the end, I’m pleased with Tricare.

What about you? Are you a pregnant military spouse with Tricare Prime insurance? Are you frustrated or pleased with your prenatal care? Are you thinking about switching from Tricare Prime to Standard? Are your military spouse friends recommending that you switch to Standard?

Here are 5 things to consider if you’re thinking about switching from Tricare Prime to Standard during your pregnancy.

Here are 5 things to consider if you’re thinking about switching from Tricare Prime to Standard during your pregnancy.

Before switching to Tricare Standard take time to research your options so you fully understand your decision and the outcome of your decision.

Picking Your Doctor Provides Peace of Mind for Many

With Tricare Standard you get to pick your doctor instead of being assigned one. When I was at a military medical treatment facility, it seemed like my doctor was PCSing every 2 months and a new one was assigned to me. For consistency, it would be nice to see the same doctor for your entire pregnancy. With Tricare Standard you don’t need a referral to see a specialist, so you can see an obstetrician during your prenatal care without waiting for referral through Tricare Prime.

Tricare Standard May Mean More Regular Appointments

Many military medical facilities are crowded and busy. There are lots of military spouses and active duty service members having babies which means that the scheduling can get pretty tight. Many people prefer seeing an off-base doctor through Tricare Standard so that they know they will see their doctor every month. At many military medical facilities, pregnant (who aren’t having complications or considered high-risk) military spouses are seeing their doctors every 6 weeks instead of 4 weeks.

Tricare Standard May Lead to Medical Bills

With Tricare Standard, you will have an annual deductible for outpatient services and cost-shares for most services. In general Tricare Standard covers 80 percent of medical costs (you pay the remaining 20 percent) and in many cases, it’s 100 percent if you use an in-network doctor. Review this cost shares chart for more information.

If you have health insurance through your employer, you can use that insurance and Tricare can be your secondary insurance.

If you don’t have a second insurance plan, you may want to purchase one. You can purchase a Tricare Standard supplement insurance through MOAA (Military Officer’s Association of America), Air Force Association, Uniformed Services Benefits Association or Association of the U.S. Army. Before purchasing a policy, Tricare recommends that you consider several aspects of the available coverage. You can compare Tricare supplement companies with this chart.

Tricare Doesn’t Cover Routine Ultrasounds (Standard or Prime)

I noticed many small differences between Tricare prenatal care coverage and other health insurance companies. One of these differences deals with ultrasounds. When I was seeing my Tricare Prime-approved obstetrician, he complained to me at EVERY appointment about Tricare’s ultrasound policy. He wanted to do a 20-week ultrasound because “it’s routine” in his opinion.

Here’s what Tricare’s maternity care fact sheet says:

Some providers offer their patients routine ultrasound screening as part of the scope of care after 16–20 weeks of pregnancy. Tricare does not cover routine ultrasound screening. Only medically necessary maternity ultrasounds are covered by Tricare.

Because I wasn’t a high-risk pregnancy I didn’t get a 20-week ultrasound. Later I was measuring small and then it was medically necessary to have an ultrasound, so I did. I think it was around 30 weeks and it confirmed that my baby was small, but still growing at a healthy rate.

Choose What’s Best for You and Your Baby

You can switch to Tricare Standard at any time. Here is a link with by step-by-step instructions for how to leave Prime and enroll in Standard. You can start using Tricare Standard on the day after your Tricare Prime coverage ends.

But let’s say you want to go back to Tricare Prime? You may not be able to re-enroll in Tricare Prime for up to one year after you disenroll. So consider your options carefully before making the switch.

Every baby is a unique individual and every pregnancy is a unique experience. No two pregnancies are created equal. You may have a smooth sailing 9 months followed by a difficult delivery. Your sister may be the opposite. That’s why in every pregnancy you need to be your own advocate and listen to your body.

Before switching to Tricare Standard take time to research your options so you fully understand your decision and the outcome of your decision.

Now it’s your turn. What’s been your experience with Tricare and its prenatal care?

Search Charity Navigator Before Donating Through the CFC

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My elderly neighbor handed me the solicitation paperwork she received in her mailbox and asked me

Is this a legit veterans organization?

My neighbor wants to donate her money to a veterans organization and she gets many requests through the mail for her donations. But she is worried that this organization might be a scam and frankly, she should be concerned. These scams target senior citizens and the donation paperwork often looks very similar to legit nonprofit organizations.

Did I know if this nonprofit organization was telling the truth? No, but I used the website Charity Navigator to find out.

Search Charity Navigator Before Donating Through the CFC

The Charity Navigator takes the confusion out of the donation selection process. Use it before making a donation through the Combined Federal Campaign.

Charity Navigator is a nonprofit organization that aims to give donors information so that they can make informed giving decisions. It’s an independent charity evaluator and the best way to research thousands of charities easily.

“By guiding intelligent giving, we aim to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace, in which givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome our nation’s and the world’s most persistent challenges,” according to Charity Navigator’s mission statement.

Charity Navigator has a comprehensive search tool and rating system. Charity Navigator also has interesting Top Ten Lists (10 Charities Worth Watching and 10 Charities in Deep Financial Trouble) that are worth browsing along with a specific Support Out Troops page.

The Support Out Troops page cautions donors “to look carefully before choosing one of these charities to support as not all operate with equal efficiency.”

“Donors can be confident that contributions made to the higher rated charities will be spent efficiently as these charities have low overhead and fundraising costs enabling them to use more of their resources in carrying out their mission.

“On the other hand, the low rated charities do not operate efficiently. Much of the money donors give to those organizations ends up in the hands of for-profit fundraisers, not the brave women and men of the United States’ military and their families,” said the Charity Navigator’s Support Out Troops page.

Search Charity Navigator Before Donating Through the CFC

That’s the reason why I search Charity Navigator before making a donation through the Combined Federal Campaign.

I want my donation to go to help veterans, not toward a 6-figure salary for a nonprofit’s CEO. I always look very closely at the percentage reported for the organizations’ program expenses (percent of the charity’s total expenses spent on the programs and services it delivers) within the financial performance metrics provided by Charity Navigator.

My goal is to donate to a nonprofit that is 90 percent or higher in that category. That’s my personal benchmark. You can pick your own.

I also use Charity Navigator to take the confusion out of the Combined Federal Campaign. The Combined Federal Campaign, available to federal employees and service members, is the largest workplace giving campaign.

It’s a convenient way to donate money to your favorite charity. The CFC takes place once a year. It’s not required that service members donate money to a nonprofit organization, but the CFC gives everyone the option and opportunity to make a donation.

The CFC has thousands of charities in its system and sometimes I have difficulty deciding which to give my money to. The Charity Navigator takes the confusion out of the donation selection process and allows me to make an informed donation.

Want to research your favorite charities? Visit Charity Navigator today.

When the Time Comes to Pick Our Forever Home

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My forever home. For years, I never said those words aloud. I occasionally thought them when unpacking 300 boxes in a new-to-us rental with its oddly shaped kitchen and drab white walls.

My forever home will definitely have a basement. It will have an attic and a screen door. My forever home will be painted bright colors. My forever home must have a large backyard with a healthy lawn for the dog that I promised my daughters we can have in our forever home.

But lately, I’ve been thinking in more concrete terms about the location of our forever home. Maybe it’s because my husband has made it over the hump of 10 years of military service and we are committed emotionally and financially to his military retirement at the 20 year mark.

Maybe it’s because my parents, sisters, in-laws and hometown friends are asking, “Where are you planning to live once you aren’t in the Navy anymore?”

Right now, the Navy decides where we live and we love that we don’t need to make this decision. Truthfully we haven’t decided where we want to live when the time comes to make this decision.

  • Will our forever home be in his home state?
  • Or in a former duty station that we fell in love with 7 years ago?
  • Or will we make our forever home in a city that we’ve only visited?
When We Pick Our Forever Home

How will you decide where you will live once your service member is no longer in the military?

Here are 3 factors that I’m considering when thinking about the location of my family’s forever home.

Job Opportunities. The No. 1 thing we are taking into consideration when deciding where to live after military life is job growth. We are currently researching cities and states where there may be potential jobs for my husband and I. So articles like this one, 2015’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees tend to catch our eyes. This study ranked North Dakota as the No. 1 state for job opportunities for veterans. It ranked Maryland as the worst state for job opportunities for veterans.

Military Installation Amenities. The transition from military to civilian life is a challenge for anyone, but for me, I think the biggest change would be not living on base anymore. I can’t imagine not shopping at the commissary or working out at the base fitness center. Personally, these military installation amenities are perks that I’m not willing to give up once my husband retires from military service. For that reason, I would prefer it if my forever home is located in a military town. Then I can continue to buy our Sunday steaks at the commissary and daughter’s running shoes at the PX. Plus it would be really awesome to take advantage of Space-A travel with my husband when we have the time to travel.

Community Involvement. As a military spouse, I am accustomed to a life of insta-friends. I know my neighbors’ names, along with the names of their children and their dogs. Every 2 years, I put down roots in a new community and find ways to volunteer both inside and outside the gate. For my forever home, I want to live in a neighborhood where I can ask my neighbor for a cup of sugar. I want to be friends with the people who live down the street. I want my forever home city to have nonprofit organizations that I’m passionate about and want to dedicate time to volunteering with this organization.

Right now, my sister is trying to convince me to live down the street from her and my best friend wants me to live around the corner from her house. But I’m not ready to make a commitment about the location of our forever house. Not yet at least.

I prefer to dream about it. I’ll make that decision with my husband when the time comes…about 5 minutes after his military retirement ceremony.

How will you decide where you will live once your service member is no longer in the military? Will your forever home be located near your family? Near a military base? What factors should you take into consideration when deciding where to live after military life?

Commissary Rewards Card Helps Military Families Save Money

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I’m always on the hunt for ways to save money when grocery shopping for my family. The desire to spend less and get a bargain is the reason that I shop at my military commissary.

When I want to shave a little more money off my grocery bill, I use my commissary rewards card. I use it every time I shop at my commissary as a convenient way to save money without the hassle of clipping paper coupons.

What is the Commissary Rewards Card?

Commissary Rewards Card Helps Military Families Save Money

How much money have you saved with your commissary rewards card this year?

The commissary rewards card program has been available in all commissaries since August 2012. Its main purpose is to give commissary patrons a hassle-free way to redeem coupons electronically. It’s an e-coupon program specifically for the commissary and can only be used at the commissary.

If you don’t already have a commissary rewards card, ask your cashier for one the next time you’re buying groceries. Then go online to register it. After creating your account, download the commissary rewards application for iPhone or Android. For busy moms, the free mobile app is key to getting the most out of your commissary rewards card.

Next comes the fun part: loading your coupons on your commissary rewards card.

Once your card is registered, you can log in and digitally clip the coupons easily. I usually start by comparing available e-coupons with my shopping list.

For example, Barilla angel hair pasta is my go-to family-friendly meal on hectic nights. Right now, there’s a coupon to save $1 on any 4 boxes of Barilla pasta. I’ll digitally clip that coupon. Then it’s ready for my next trip to the commissary. When commissary cashier scans my ID card, I also hand her my commissary rewards card. You want the cashier to scan the commissary rewards card before any groceries.

As a discount double check, I use the commissary rewards app on shopping day. Before getting in line, I’ll pull up the app and double check the items in my grocery cart with the current e-coupons. (This is why I’m super excited about DeCA’s plan to improve the Wi-Fi inside their stores.)

Let’s face, I don’t always stick to my grocery list. But by using my commissary rewards card, I don’t feel so guilty about my impulsive purchase of Chex Mix. I saved $0.50 with my commissary rewards card.

Keep in mind that these digital coupons have expiration dates just like paper coupons. If you have an e-coupon on your card and a paper coupon, you can’t use both because it’s against DeCA’s double coupon policy.

The system is set up to accept the commissary rewards card coupon first so if you have a paper coupon that expires earlier and you want to use that one, don’t use your card on that commissary trip. Save it for your next trip.

Or you can buy enough to cover both items. For example if I have a Barilla paper coupon and an e-coupon, I buy 8 boxes of pasta. That’s enough to fulfill the requirements for both coupons.

DeCA said that “new digital coupons are posted two to three times weekly,” so be sure to log in regularly so that you don’t miss any savings. I also recommend subscribing to the commissary rewards card email alert. These emails remind you when new coupons are available.

Curious about your savings with your commissary rewards card? Look at the bottom of your receipt. Your total savings is printed there.

Do you have a commissary rewards card? How much money have you saved with it?

Hot Topic: Should the Military Pay for Tributes at NFL Games?

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The defense budget is getting slimmer. Spending cuts, in some form, are expected to hit the military this year. Congress is looking at retirement reform, cuts to housing allowances and Tricare prescription fee increases. And don’t forget about the sad proposed pay increase of 1.3 percent.

Combine all this doom and gloom funding discussions with this headline,

“The Pentagon paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million to ‘salute troops’ ”

and many military families, including myself, are left shaking their heads in disbelief.

Should the Military Pay for Tributes at NFL Games?

The NFL was paid to provide salutes to service members. Do you think this type of advertising is effective for recruiting? Or is it a waste of taxpayer money?

The Pentagon reportedly signed contracts with 14 NFL teams stipulating that teams would be paid sums ranging from $60,000 to $1 million each. These 2011-2012 contracts required professional football teams to pause before kick-off and to salute the city’s “hometown heroes.”

What I thought was a kind gesture for our men and women in uniform was basically one giant recruiting poster.

But these patriotic promotions may be prohibited in the future. Arizona Sen. John McCain, along with fellow Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal presented legislation that would “stop NFL teams from receiving recruiting or advertising money from the Defense Department to honor American soldiers at games.” This amendment also encourages teams “to donate profits from these efforts to charitable organizations that support members of the U.S. military, veterans and their families.”

“Our amendment would put an end to that shameful practice and ask the NFL to return those profits to charities supporting our troops, veterans and their families,” McCain said on the Senate floor.

Related: America’s Support for the Troops is Lip Service

In response, the National Guard and the NFL has defended this relationship. A statement from the NFL said that McCain’s proposed amendment paints a “distorted picture.”

“This amendment paints a completely distorted picture of the relationship between NFL teams and our military. We agree that no one should be paid to honor our troops. Military spending on recruiting efforts should not be confused with programs that support our nation’s active military and veterans,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a written statement.

Should the Military Pay for Tributes at NFL Games?

Army Maj. Gen. Roger Mathews, U.S. Army Pacific deputy commander, looks on during the ceremonial coin toss at the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl game at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. (U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth)

But then there’s this:

“What makes these expenditures all the more troubling is that at the same time the Guard was spending millions on pro sports advertising, it was also running out of money for critical training for our troops,” McCain said.

Wait, what?

McCain said that in 2014, the National Guard “was facing a shortfall of more than $100 million in the account used to pay its soldiers and potential delays in training.” It should also be noted that last year, the Guard discontinued its sponsorship of NASCAR after spending $88 million over 2 years.

For a complete list of teams that received money to salute the military, click here.

Now it’s your turn: What do you think of DOD spending money on military tributes at sporting events?

What Veterans Need to Know About Predatory Debt Collection

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It’s not a secret that military families tend to be mobile. We move more often than the general population (I cringe every time I’m asked to list my mailing addresses from the past 10 years). We may buy a car in Georgia, a house in Virginia and work in California.

This mobile lifestyle combined with a steady paycheck is why military service members, their spouses and veterans are frequent targets of predatory debt collection.

What Veterans Need to Know About Predatory Debt Collection

Service members need to know that predatory debt collection is against the law.

When I use the term, predatory debt collection, I’m not talking about legitimate student loans that you refuse to pay each month. When I use the term, predatory debt collection, I am referring to cases where the service member already paid the loan or never took a loan out in the first place.

For example, let’s say the service member went to a payday loan or payday advance for a short-term unsecured loan. This soldier, Marine or sailor needed fast cash and they needed it that day. So they decided to use this service. Then, according to the loan’s agreement, they repaid the loan and its interest.

Then 6 months later, this service member gets a phone call in the middle of the night saying he still owes money on the loan. The bill collector doesn’t provide any information about the source of the debt, how old it was and whether it was paid or not. By this time, the service member may be stationed in a different state or serving on a deployment. In that case, the spouse is contacted and left wondering “do we owe money on that loan?” The debt collector threats to contact the service member’s commanding officer. The debt collector mentions that the unpaid debt will result in the loss of a security clearance. This scenario is the type of situation discussed during Senate hearings on predatory debt collection.

This is abusive, aggressive or predatory debt collection. And predatory debt collection is against the law.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) “prohibits debt collectors from using abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices.” Under the FDCPA, a “debt collector is someone who regularly collects debts owed to others. This includes collection agencies, lawyers who collect debts on a regular basis, and companies that buy delinquent debts and then try to collect them,” according to the National Association of Consumer Advocates.  The FDCPA applies to personal and household debt. This means it applies to your mortgage, your car loan and your credit card.

Senators have discussed cases of predatory debt collection that include lenders sending illegal foreclosure notices, overcharges on their mortgages and notices that credit cards weren’t properly canceled. Congress is working to strengthen the laws regarding abusive debt collection, but until then service members, veterans and their families need to be aware of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Here are 3 things you need to know about predatory debt collection.

Don’t Talk. Ask for a Written Notice. A debt collector must send a written “validation notice” telling you how much money you owe within 5 days after first contacting you. In this written notice, you will find the name of the creditor and how to dispute the debt if you don’t think you owe the money.

Don’t Ignore It. Dispute It. These phone calls and notices can be annoying and inconvenient. If you know that you don’t owe any money to this debt collector, don’t ignore it. Send the debt collector a letter stating that you don’t owe this money and request that they stop contacting you. You must send this letter within 30 days after receiving the validation notice mentioned above. Keep a copy of your letter.

Don’t Be Afraid to Report Abuses. If you believe that a debt collector is targeting you and your spouse, report the problem to your state Attorney General’s office and the Federal Trade Commission. Be prepared to give them a copy of your dispute letter and documentation about any phone calls.

Unfortunately service members often are pressured with predatory debt collection. But knowing the law and your rights can prevent you from becoming a victim of predatory debt collection. Take time to study the law so you aren’t caught off-guard when predatory debt collectors call you.

Want more information about predatory debt collection, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website.

Be Food Safe When Grilling This Summer

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Grilling dinner is a fast and easy way to get food on the table during the hot summer months. But while serving dinner, you want to take precautions to make sure that you aren’t accidentally serving a foodborne illness to your family members and friends.

The Be Food Safe program aims to prevent foodborne illnesses caused from improper food handling through an education and awareness campaign. The program was created through a collaboration of several government agencies–U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria are all potential party crashers if people don’t pay heed to proper food handling,” said Chris Wicker, DeCA’s public health advisor in a Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) press release.

DeCA wants its patrons to know that these “potential party crashers” can be easily prevented with proper food safety. Remember those food safety rules from home economics class? Here’s a quick refresher.

5 Food Safety Tips You Need to Remember When Grilling This Summer

1. Start Clean. The first step in food safety is working with clean hands on a clean surface. Always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (hum the Happy Birthday song in your head) before handling food. Always. The Be Food Safe program also recommends cleaning your grill before preparation. When was the last time you cleaned your grill?

2. Keep Marinating Meat in the Fridge. The Be Food Safe program advises that “any food that is marinating should be covered and kept in a refrigerator until ready to cook.” Don’t thaw meat on the kitchen counter. Another food safety no-no is reusing marinade containing raw meat.

3. Don’t Cut Corners When Cooking. Grilled meat must be thoroughly cooked before consuming. Don’t try to rush the process and don’t serve food that isn’t completely cooked. Unsure if your hamburgers are ready? Always use a meat thermometer and then compare the interior temperature reading with this handy dandy chart from FoodSafety.gov.

4. Eat Hot Off the Grill. Keep the food hot by wrapping it in aluminium foil and placing it in a insulated container. The goal is to eat food that is 140 degrees or warmer. Once the food is taken off the grill, be sure to eat it within 2 hours. The Be Food Safe program recommends that you eat hot take-out food within 2 hours of purchase.

5. Keep the Cold Side Dishes and Desserts Cool. Food safety isn’t only for the person manning the grill. Keep those chilly side dishes, such as potato salad and macaroni salad, cool. The Be Food Safe program says that these types of salads and certain desserts need a constant temperature at or below 40 degrees. Always put them on ice inside a cooler when traveling to a picnic and keep them in the cooler when you aren’t eating.

For more information on eating food outside or handling food safely outdoors, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.

Are you looking for recipes for grilled food? Search MilitaryShoppers’ recipes page.

How to Hide Your Private Information Found Online

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In today’s world it seems like nothing is private anymore. Scrolling through a friend’s Facebook profile can tell you a lot about that person, probably more than he or she realizes. It tells you where they sleep, where they ate lunch and their children’s and mother-in-law’s birthdays.

Cybersecurity, while not a new concern, is a growing concern for many military families. In March, a “kill-list” was circulated by the self-described hacking division of the Islamic State group that included photos, names and addresses of 100 U.S. troops. That same month, several military spouses’ Twitter accounts were hacked and the Department of Defense asked military families around the world to be mindful of operational security.

Are you concerned about cybersecurity? Wondering what you can do to prevent your private information from being found online?

Marine Corps' Public People Search Database Removal Guide Helps Military Service Members and Spouses Hide Their Private Information

When was the last time you Googled your name? What private information was found in that search?

The Marine Corps’ cybersecurity division recently published a 11-page handbook, titled “Public People Search Database Removal Guide.” This handbook, available for download, describes methods “to get sensitive or personal information removed from easy access points online, including top search engine Google.”

This guide highlights 10 people search database websites, such as WhitePages and PeopleFinders. These database websites gather information from existing public records and are operated using “implicit consent, which means individuals have to explicitly opt out of each website in order to discontinue access to personal data from the online records.” For each database website, the handbook explains how to opt out and provides a link to these online requests.

The handbook also explains which websites require verification to remove the information from the database. In those circumstances, the service members are asked to upload a copy of a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license. Individuals are advised to black out the photo and ID number before submitting the ID copy to the website.

Related: Social Media Do’s and Don’ts for Military Families

The handbook also lists 5 tips for removing your information from the technology search giant, Google. It acknowledges that opting out of Google can be a challenging endeavor, but it isn’t impossible.

The Marine Corps’ guide recommends that service members refuse to take no for an answer and also that they be courteous when making their requests to remove their private information.

Be nice. They are not only busy, but they are under no obligation to help you. If they do help, it is really as a favor. No one will want to help you if you are a jerk, so be nice!

–Public People Search Database Removal Guide

Marine Corps' Public People Search Database Removal Guide Helps Military Service Members and Spouses Hide Their Private Information

Are you concerned about cybersecurity?

Here are 3 other things service members and their spouses should consider regarding cybersecurity:

1. Search Yourself. Is your home address or phone number available online? Not sure. Take the time to Google yourself. Look at the databases mentioned in the Public People Search Database Removal Guide and see what private information is available on you. Then take the steps to have your information removed from that website.

2. Pause Before Posting. Before posting on social media websites or submitting your address, take a moment to think about how that information could be used by others. Ask yourself, is this information that should stay private? What harm could come from this information floating around in the cyberworld?

Take time to think before posting because once it’s out there, it’s out there. Forever. Even if you delete it or edit the information, a digital copy is still online somewhere. The handbook calls this our digital tattoo.

3. Pay for Privacy. You may want to purchase help from a private company to “eliminate access” to your personal information. But beware. “The terms and conditions vary among different service providers and should be carefully examined and evaluated prior to any purchase or subscription to services,” the handbook said.

Want more information about removing your private information from public people searches? Download the Marine Corps’ “Public People Search Database Removal Guide”  today.

What’s the Combined Federal Campaign?

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The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the world’s largest annual workplace charity campaign and it is available to all federal employees, including service members. In 2013, $209.7 million was donated through CFC pledges made between September 1 and December 15 at almost 200 campaigns throughout the country and around the world. The number of participating charities is estimated at more than 20,000 worldwide.

Have you heard of the Combined Federal Campaign? Have you donated to your favorite charities using the CFC in the past?

The CFC is the only authorized giving program for federal employees. Its history dates back to June 1956, when President Dwight Eisenhower formally charged “the President’s Advisor on Personnel Management with responsibility for the development and administration of a uniform policy and program for fundraising within the federal service. In that year, Fund Raising Bulletins No. 1 and No. 2 were issued, identifying the charitable organizations recognized for on-the-job solicitations and designating the times of the year during which their solicitations could take place.”

Prior to the 1950s, federal on-the-job solicitation “was an uncontrolled free-for-all. Agencies, charities, and employees were all ill-used and dissatisfied,” according to the Office of Personal Management.

The first “combined” campaigns happened in 1964. Officially called “Combined Federal Campaigns,” this experiment consolidated fundraising drives from 6 cities into one. The result was a “substantial increase in contributions, ranging from 20 percent to 125 percent and a highly favorable response within the federal community: agency managers were pleased with having to deal only with a once-a-year effort; federal employees responded with favor to the single solicitation.”

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced that the CFC would be the uniform fundraising method for the federal service.

Today, the Combined Federal Campaign provides a convenient and confidential option for service members who want to donate a percentage of their paychecks or make a one-time donation to their favorite charities.

The Office of Personal Management oversees the CFC. Each base has its own CFC agency coordinators who oversee the key workers. The key workers are federal employees who distribute the CFC charity list and pledge forms within their unit. These key workers may also collect pledge forms and donations from contributors. All pledges are transmitted and reported to the agency coordinator.

I was once the CFC key worker for the MCCS Okinawa Marketing office. My main responsibility was to notify each person working in our office about the CFC. There was zero pressure to donate. The CFC doesn’t have a fundraising goal. Instead the target is that 100 percent of federal employees are notified about the campaign and its purpose.

I also distributed the CFC charity list and answered questions about the CFC. For example, one of the misconceptions of the Combined Federal Campaign is that the charity list is made up of only national nonprofit organizations.

When in fact, the charity list includes national, international and local organizations. This means that the CFC charity list includes a wide range of nonprofit organizations. Think everything from UNICEF to the NRA to Navy Seal Foundation to Guam Girl Scouts.

You can search the charity list easily using the CFC Search Tool found on the CFC website.

What questions do you have about the CFC?

Info About the Combined Federal Campaign

https://www.opm.gov/combined-federal-campaign/

FAQ about the Combined Federal Campaign

https://www.opm.gov/combined-federal-campaign/donating-through-cfc/#url=FAQs

Welcome to the official source for information about the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)

The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee focused, cost-efficient, and effective in providing all federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all.

CFC is the world’s largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, with almost 200 CFC campaigns throughout the country and overseas raising millions of dollars each year. Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season (September 1st to December 15th) support eligible non-profit organizations that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world. The Director of OPM has designated responsibility for day-to-day management of the program and to its CFC office.

This website will be of interest to anyone interested in workplace giving.


http://www.cfctoday.org/_root/

OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN FOUNDATION

Welcome to CFCToday.org, the Web site developed to provide resources for local campaigns and to help Federal employees make informed, educated decisions about giving to charity through the Combined Federal Campaign. The CFC is your campaign, run by Federal volunteers across the nation and overseas, it is the largest employee campaign in the world.

We invite you to learn more about the Combined Federal Campaign, connect with the CFC in your own community, and review the charities that need your support.


http://cfcoverseas.org/news/cfc_overseas_announces_2015_dodds_art_competition_winners

Marine Corps Experimenting with Coed Living

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“Did you know your husband is living with a female?”

That’s what a fellow Navy wife told me when my husband was deployed to Iraq with his Seabee battalion in 2007. When I was told that husband was living with a female sailor, I wasn’t jealous, nervous or upset. Mostly I was just confused. So I asked my husband about it. He quickly explained that yes, technically he was sharing a space with her (because they didn’t have time to build a separate room for a woman), so they put up a wall to divide the space. That reasoning made sense to me. It wasn’t the Hilton. It was a deployment.

Eight years later, I’m amazed with the number of active duty females I see on base. You can see that the military world isn’t a man’s world anymore. And as the Defense Department facilitates the transition of more females into combat roles, the logistics of a coed fighting force are being ironed out with various trials and experiments. One of those gender-integration experiments is taking place in 29 Palms, Calif.

Marine Corps Experimenting with Coed Living

What do you think of coed living for military service members?

Marines assigned to the Ground Combat Element Integrated Task Force are living side-by-side “in tents— regardless of gender— the way a future integrated unit might expect to live during field training or downrange on a deployment.” The Marines chose their tent mate; in this experiment, all the females decided to pair up with another female. There are separate shower facilities.

Related: Carter Says Women in Combat Could Be More Vulnerable to Sexual Predators

Besides completing their typical training, the Marines are also given the opportunity to give feedback about integrated unit cohesion throughout the experiment. These surveys and interviews will be analyzed and published in a study by the Center for Naval Analyses. The study will analyze the “Marines’ perception of the unit as a whole,” according to the Military Times article.

This same article said that “despite the close quarters and privacy challenges, Marines said they settled easily into the arrangement.”

“It was really strange for some people at first,” said Cpl. Kevin Rodriguez, 22, who was directly assigned to a staff position at the artillery unit in the Military Times article. “But now it’s like we’re brothers and sisters. It happened really fast; I was pretty surprised. Now we’re sleeping together on the ground, on the back of the trucks, like it’s normal.”

Normal. As DoD works to incorporate women into combat roles, that’s what we need to strive for, a sense of normalcy. We need to strive for living conditions, coed or not, that feel normal to the service members experiencing these living conditions.

Now it’s your turn. What do you think of coed living for military service members?