Mid-March of 2023, the Department of Defense (DOD) released the Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies, Academic Program Year 2021-2022. The report is available online at the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response website.

The DOD found that while in 2012-2014, there were efforts made to reduce sexual assault, there was actually an increase in prevalence between 2014 and 2018. Congress mandates that the DOD collect and submit an annual report for each of the Academies. The report includes sexual harassment and sexual violence involving academy personnel at the United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, and United States Air Force Academy.

The 44-page report is in addition to a memorandum on actions to address and present sexual assault in the military service academies and self-assessment reports by the academies themselves.  The report demonstrates a continued increase in prevalence rates of unwanted sexual contact, sexual harassment, and “other readiness-detracting behaviors.” The total number of sexual assault reports among the academies was 206, with 114 restricted reports and 92 unrestricted reports. As compared to the 2019- 2020 school year of 129 total reports.   

Sexual harassment complaints also increased, with 15 formal complaints, 20 informal complaints, and 5 anonymous complaints. In total, the United States Naval Academy received 9, the United States Military Academy received 20, and the United States Air Force Academy received 11.

The survey also demonstrated that the students perceived that academy leadership did try to prevent sexual assault or harassment.

Due to these findings and more, the DOD listed that they would conduct on-site installation evaluations, provide outcome evaluation assistance to determine which prevention programs to continue, and work on climate assessments at each of the Academies.

The report outlined further actions for the military departments and academies to incorporate up-to-date sexual assault prevention and response policies, develop a prevention implementation workforce, ensure military justice reform, and implement a return to health policy assisting cadets in balancing their academic goals and needs after a sexual assault. In addition, the Military Service Academies were advised to address the physical separation of survivors and alleged perpetrators. It is noted the Deputy Secretary of Defense will assess the progress made on the programs.

The Secretary of Defense closed out his guidance for addressing the memorandum by stating, “I expect you to reverse the harmful trends at our MSAs. Now is the time to employ the resources with which we have been entrusted and advance our common way forward. Our future leads are counting on you. We must lead the change we require.”

If there is one thing military life has taught us, it is to hurry up and wait. Prepare for orders, but wait for them. Call TRICARE and be on hold for goodness knows how long. Need to pick up medication for the sick kid, wait in the pharmacy waiting room for at least an hour. Military life seems to have a lot of waiting. Waiting at the ID office for a new ID may not be one of them much longer.

The Uniformed Service ID (USID) care system now has an online capability to renew ID cards. Cards will be printed by the Government Publishing Office and mailed to the card recipient.

Requirements:

• Sponsor much have a Common Access Card (CAC) and request the renewal of an active USID card (aka not expired)
• The Sponsor and the card recipient must have an email address listed in DEERS, and it is noted that the DOD has the authorization to contact them
• The Sponsor’s personnel status must extend at least 30 days from the renewal request date
• The card recipient has a photo in DEERS taken in the last 12 years
• The card recipient’s mailing address is in DEERS and is in within the United States, including Hawaii or Alaska

How To Renew:

• GO to the USID Card Office Online
• Select “Family ID Cards”
• Select “Renew Family Member ID Card”
• The card will be mailed, and an email will be sent to the sponsor and card recipient to acknowledge receipt of the card.
• Once the card is acknowledged, the new card will be active, and the prior card will be inactive
• The prior card should be returned but to a RAPIDS ID card site
• If the card renewal is not approved, the card recipient will receive an email

How smoothly will this process be? Who knows. But hopefully, it leads to a little less waiting in line.

Some military bases have rolled out ID renewal kiosks. The requirements are the same as online renewals. Is there an ID renewal kiosk near you?

After the DOD issued new guidance in regards to the COVID vaccination requirements, the military service branches are working to adjust their policies on separation and promotion for those who refused the COVID-19 vaccine. The Pentagon specifically notified the service branches to tell them by March 17^th how they would implement the changes.

The Army and Air Force, who also issues guidance for the Space Force, stated that they would remove or correct adverse actions in records related to vaccine refusal. This includes counseling sheets, recorded individual counseling, nonjudicial punishments (NJPs), and current discharge proceedings. The Department of the Air Force further delineated that “promotion records will be corrected to remove or redact all adverse actions related to vaccine refusal.”

While the policy change has occurred, the Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth, stated in the press release that they are encouraging vaccinations, stating “We will continue to promote and encourage COVID vaccination for all personnel to ensure readiness, facilitate mission accomplishment and protect the force.”

The Coast Guard stated they would remove adverse administrative remarks in regard to the COVID-19 vaccination by March 31.

The Navy has now lifted the requirement for COVID-19 vaccination for deployment. The policy does allow commanders to “implement Health Protection Measures at any time,” and this could include restriction of movement when in port. There are countries that military members travel to that have vaccination laws, particularly for COVID-19, so those service members not vaccinated may not be able to attend joint exercises within those countries.

The Marine Corps, a branch within the US Department of the Navy, no longer requires vaccination for deployment. Capt.Ryan Bruce, a Marine Corps spokesperson, told Military.com that “Marines will defer to Combatant Command policies regarding deployments.”

Nothing has been said about the service members who were separated during the period since the COVID-19 vaccine was mandated. The Navy separated 2,089 active-duty sailors over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to USNI.

Spring cleaning for a military family hits a little differently. It’s a time to clean, and as the cleaning occurs, purge. Purge because a PCS or PCA is in the very near future. And while military families worldwide may not actually know when the move is happening, or even where the end destination will be, the reality is that preparing earlier is better. This is for all the military families that may move this summer, and even if you don’t move, this is a great time to spring clean the PCS/PCA way.

Keep

– Sentimental items – while it may be difficult to move great-grandma’s champagne flutes or your uncle’s cigar box in terms of packing and moving around the world that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep them. Family momentos aren’t items you can purchase later, so worth keeping.

– Photos – this might be a no-brainer, but worth mentioning.

– Basics – don’t toss things you need to purchase later. This might be easier at the moment, but it adds to your personal cost burden. Don’t toss or donate your dishes and pots and pans just to buy new ones so you don’t have to pack or move them. Inflation is not your friend in this.

– Clothes for different seasons – if you have clothes in sizes that you or your family members will wear in the coming years for the winter season and you are living in Hawaii, you may not want to keep them. However, replacing those items could add up in cost if you move to New York next year. The needs and desires of the military always supersede family members’ desires.

–  Sports equipment – if there are items you are still using seasonally – keep them.

Donations

Always have a donation bag or bin ready to go.  Clothes the kids have outgrown, dishes no longer used – these can be used by others. Consider these other items to donate:

– DVDs – if you are streaming it all anyway, you probably don’t need to cart those movies worldwide. Libraries gratefully take these donations.

– CDs – same goes for DVDs; if you are streaming music on an audio service, you may not need to keep all the CDs. Keep a few that are meaningful but it might be time to donate the rest to the library.

– Books – This category also weighs a ton, depending on the books. Consider donating books you may not reference or read frequently to the local library. You can always borrow a book if you have access to a library. Keep those books that you will use, re-read, or reference or are sentimental. If the library won’t take the books, look for a book recycler.

– Food You Won’t Eat or Use – If you have any food you won’t use before a move, don’t wait until the day you are leaving to toss it; donate it now to a local food pantry.

– Clothing – this is an easy one for children who have outgrown clothes. It is difficult to do when you don’t know what clothing type you will need for the next duty station. Whatever you do find, donate to the local base thrift shop or local Veterans organization.

– Stuffed Toys – If you have reached a time in your life that it is time to let go of some stuffed animals, donate them to your local animal shelter.

– Old towels – another donation item that animal shelters need are towels, and they will happily take old towels.

– Linens – Animal shelters often take linens as well to line crates.

– Kitchenware – gently used kitchen appliances like toaster ovens, blenders, and dish sets are welcome at local thrift shops and Goodwill. Check with the local military base thrift shop as well; many new families look to purchase kitchen items at the on-base thrift shops, especially if they don’t have a vehicle.

– Gifts – this one is tricky as it can be a gift from a family member, but if your grandma made a sweater you will never wear, it might be time to donate it.

– Infant care items – if you are out of the baby-raising stage of life, it is time to let go of those infant items.

Discard

While it is difficult to throw away things, especially when they have memories attached to them, it is pertinent before a PCS to discard broken, holey, falling apart items. Toss any expired pantry goods. If your couch is falling apart, or the mattress is only being held together by its fitted sheet, it’s probably time to bulk trash those items too.

Don’t forget outdated electronics. Depending on where you live, you may have to pay for e-recycling, but it is better than moving it to another state and having to dump it then.

Any loose papers you no longer need – shred any items with personal information, but recycle the rest.

A Note about Yard Sales

Yard sales used to be common practice, but sitting out and selling your items takes time. People haggle so you may sell the Osh Koshs your child first walked in for 25 cents. Is that worth it? While the tax write-off may not reach the amount required to write off donating may be the better way.  It will save you time and energy and help others in the community.

The key to moving preparations is the earlier, the better. While you may get last-minute orders, it is important to prep in the spring whether you are moving or not.  Doing an annual prep means less stress and less work on PCS years.

The Defense Department issued the Warning Regarding Poppy Seed Consumption and Military Drug Testing memorandum on February 21, 2023.

Drug testing is a common test performed among military units. They are performed at random, and not every member of a unit is tested at the same time. This is completed to ensure the safety and readiness of the military service members.

Poppy seeds have been a concern for drug testing in the past. The poppy seeds come from the poppy plant, which is utilized in the food and drug industry. Poppy seeds are utilized to make morphine and codeine, and poppy seeds can lead to a positive drug test for codeine.

Per the memorandum, recent data demonstrated that poppy seeds have a higher content of codeine than previously reported, so ingestion of poppy seeds can lead to a false positive test due to the poppy seeds. However, there is no test to determine the origination of the positive codeine test. Eating poppy seeds could lead to a positive urinalysis and its consequences within the military service.

Because of these concerns, the memorandum advises service members to avoid the consumption of poppy seeds in all food products, including baked goods that contain poppy seeds. Baked goods include bread, rolls, cookies, cakes, pastries like Hamantaschen and a kolache.

Service members are advised to work with their local legal office for urinalysis results concerns.

When the pandemic led to a lockdown, life as we know it became very different. Medical appointments were only for emergencies, masks were required to be worn within a medical office or hospital, and the necessary measure of telehealth became more commonplace. Some measures have continued despite the lockdown lift. Telehealth allows those unable to leave a certain state or area due to illness or travel restrictions to continue to receive their medications, even across state lines. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ ability to provide care was bolstered by telehealth visits.

The COVID-19 healthcare measures put in place, especially for those utilizing telehealth, will expire May 11^th per an announcement by President Joe Biden in January. The end of these measures means the end of federal allowances for hospitals treating patients with COVID-19 and the end of free COVID-19 home testing or vaccines.

The telehealth measurement has been extended until December 2024. The extension also included audio-only telehealth coverage, which is key, especially for older patients who may not have a smartphone or laptop to utilize audio-video telehealth websites or applications. The extension of telehealth capabilities allows for a time period for Congress to assess and provide a more permanent solution for telehealth.

In May, the extension of the ability to initiate controlled substances like opioids, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication, and benzodiazepines for anxiety will require an in-person medical evaluation. In addition, medications within the VA system will have to be prescribed within the state. Within the COVID-19 measures, medications could be prescribed across state lines. This is a concern for Congress as many veterans are older and may be in rural locations with mental health needs that would require medication. For instance, a veteran in rural Kentucky may have been receiving care from a VA clinic in Indiana due to distance. If the measures end, the veteran would have to change care from their long-time provider.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough cited that a veteran living in rural Colorado receives prescription renewals from a VA Clinical Resource Hub in Boise, Idaho, and further stated that the VA was working to preserve the cross-state prescriptive authority.