Military Life News

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How to File an Appeal or Grievance with Tricare

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There are options for your family to reach out to Tricare if you have any issues with medical care received or are hit with an unexpected bill.

How to File an Appeal or Grievance with Tricare

Tricare has 4 types of appeals.

Health emergencies can happen at any moment. Typically, things go way too fast for our thought process and there isn’t the luxury to think things through like, “wait, will this decision eventually bite me back with a huge medical bill?” We go to the doctor without question, so ourselves or our loved ones can get treated.

What do we do when that happens?

Your family can file an appeal with Tricare.

How to file an appeal

In Tricare’s words, an appeal is “the action you take if you don’t agree with a decision made about your benefit.” Because it’s particular to decisions, there are separate appeals you can file. Tricare offers 4 different types of appeals: factual, medical necessity, pharmacy and Medicare-Tricare.

Factual appeal: when payment gets denied or stopped for services or supplies that have either been received or authorized already.

Medical necessity appeal: when Tricare denies previous authorization because they assessed that it isn’t medically necessary anymore. The website outlines:

to be medically necessary means it is appropriate, reasonable, and adequate for your condition.

Pharmacy appeal: when your pharmacy prescriptions gets denied when you deem it necessary

Medicare-Tricare appeal: when you qualify for both, you may need to file with Medicare separately with their terms.

With the exception of the Medicare-Tricare appeal, the others require a written letter within 90 days of the decision. Along with that letter, add all your supporting documents that you have and the decision letter itself. For a pharmacy claim, you need to be specific on why you disagree.

The letter needs to be mailed to your contractor’s address (depending on where you are located). Tricare outlines the addresses in this link. You can also take your case a step further by requesting a formal review, reconsideration of decision or an independent hearing, depending on your type of appeal. That’s why I also encourage you to read more about each separate claim on Tricare’s website. That way you can assess your situation better: factual, medical necessity, pharmacy, and Medicare-TRICARE.

There are ways to continue the process when a decision doesn’t come back in your favor.

How to file a grievance

Also, we expect our medical practitioners to be diligent and appropriate when they work. When you are disappointed with your care, there are steps you can take to file a grievance with Tricare, so that your voice is heard.

Similarly to filing an appeal, you must write down your complaint and send it to your Tricare contractor’s address. The letter should outline the description of the event in question (date, time, name of practitioner, location, etc.). I suggest you be as detailed as possible and don’t forget to include any supporting documents.

Also, if you have any issues with dental care with your Tricare Dental plan, that is included too. It’s not limited to situations within medical care facilities.

In addition to your letter, share your sponsor’s Social Security number and all your information as well (name, address, phone number, date of birth, and sign it!). Tricare has a special website for grievances and I urge you to read it here.

If you’re filing an appeal or grievance for a dependent, include all the dependent’s information including your own. It’s good to share more during an appeal or grievance process that way they have the most comprehensive information. The whole family is covered, whether it’s the service member sponsor, spouse and children.

Have you filed an appeal or grievance with Tricare? What was your experience with the process?

Commissaries Set Recycling Record

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Did you know that every year the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) sets a recycling goal for commissaries around the globe?

Programs are in place to make sure that all commissaries reduce the amount of landfill waste by recycling appropriate items. It’s dependent on the management of each commissary location to work together to fulfill these goals.

DeCA announced that their commissaries achieved an 83 percent recycling efficiency rate in 2015 compared with 75 percent in 2012. Wondering what that equals in terms of tonnage?

It is 60,000 tons of cardboard, 1,900 tons of plastic and 108+ tons of paper. That is pretty awesome!

There are 245 commissaries worldwide, so you can imagine the amount of diligence it takes to implement change on that level. It’s evident how important is it to help the environment to DeCA because of the hard work they put in from the commissary level.

According to DeCA’s press release, they even had 7 commissaries achieve net zero status through their organic contracts. That means they were successful in turning their organic waste material into compost!

A big congrats goes to the Hawaii commissaries in Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hickam Air Force Base and Schofield Barracks. The other 2 commissaries that did net zero status are Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and Los Angeles AFB in California.

DeCA doesn’t stop there. They have a food bank program that has been helping with their environmental efforts as well as making a local impact. More commissaries (from 110 to 134) participated in the food bank program than last year. As the commissaries rotate out food that is still edible, they were able to donate the items to more food banks (from 77 to 117!) than last year too. Their press release quoted the deputy director of DeCA’s logistics directorate, Randy Eller and he said,

Our food bank program resulted in just under 2.4 million pounds of food diverted from ending up in landfills and being used to feed the hungry.

I love his comparison in pounds. It puts things in perspective.

Your family can jump on the bandwagon and become efficient recyclers like the commissaries too! My husband and I try our best to recycle when we can.

Here are some small ways that helped us manage our disposables:

Separate!
We have separate receptacles for our paper and plastic items. Our housing area has large bins that we place our paper and plastic trash. Separating from the beginning helps us efficiently throw away what we don’t need anymore. Don’t forget to recycle your electronic goods. There can be some harmful material in old TVs and laptops. Also, batteries can be recycled too.

Reuse!
If we need a plastic bag at the grocery store, we save it for additional use. A great example is that we use the plastic to bag up litter from our cat. Also, we use the plastic bags to collect trash from our rooms too. Local commissaries also have plastic recycling bins. Before you start your shopping trip, you can drop off used bags there.

You can also go one up and utilize reusable bags for your grocery shopping! My hometown actually has a plastic bag ban. If you do want to use plastic bags, you pay a fee.

Buy Recycled!
There are goods out there that are made from recycled materials, so buy those items when you can. You can buy recycled paper, plastics and batteries (that’s why don’t forget to recycle them!).

Also, repurposing items are a great way to reduce waste. If you can’t repurpose, donate what you don’t need anymore because your trash can be a treasure for someone else (we’ve heard that before, right?).

See if your family can set a new record with your recycling this year!

Service Members Sue for Medical Malpractice?

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For the Ortiz family, a scheduled Cesarean section delivery at a military treatment facility was supposed to go smoothly. Somehow, medication that was properly documented as an allergy was given to Air Force Capt. Heather Ortiz and it resulted in an unexpected antihistamine dose to counteract the allergy. That deprived her daughter, Isabella of oxygen when her blood pressure went down to troubling levels.

Now, 6-year-old Isabella suffers from brain and nerve damage that is directly related to her birth. Isabella will have to endure special treatment for the rest of her life and her parents have valid concerns with all the financial responsibilities that will and have been coming their way. That’s why Isabella’s father filed a lawsuit against the Army hospital.

Unfortunately for the Ortiz family, there is a doctrine in place that keeps service members from suing the government for medical malpractice.

It’s called the Feres doctrine. According to the Cornell University Law School website, the Feres doctrine

prevents people who are injured as a result of military service from successfully suing the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

It was enacted in 1950 and since then the Feres doctrine has stopped countless military medical malpractice cases in its tracks.

Should Service Members Be Able to Sue for Medical Malpractice?

Do you think service member should be able to sue for medical malpractice?

The Ortiz family and supporters recently pushed their medical malpractice case to the Supreme Court. An Air Force Times article reported that the original petition was filed on October 13 and it currently has a 30-day extension from the initial December 18 deadline to respond.

Military medical malpractice has a long history since the Feres doctrine was formed and was actually the reason it was enacted in the first place. In recent years, the unfairness of the doctrine is becoming more evident. A similar case in 2011 was never heard by the Supreme Court after months of waiting. After what was supposed to be a routine appendectomy, left Staff Sgt. Dean Witt in a vegetative state. Medical malpractice was the culprit because the hospital utilized improper gear and gave him harsh treatment, according to his legal petition.

In my opinion, it doesn’t even make sense, especially for the Ortiz and Witt medical malpractice cases. That’s the tip of the iceberg because there are so many other medical malpractice cases out there that would benefit from reform.

The Ortiz family argues that the use of the Feres doctrine to military children is unfair because they have never worn a uniform. Their daughter wasn’t injured as a result of being in the military. Isabella is a military child, not a service member.

The medical malpractice problem for military families isn’t black and white.

In fact, I think the process is so convoluted, I welcome you to read further about the messiness from a piece in the Atlantic.

All in all, I believe a change is needed to protect our military families. If the Supreme Court hears the Ortiz medical malpractice case, it would be followed by many more cases.

What should we do? We could encourage Congress to step in.

Luckily, there are lots of advocates out there lobbying to reform or amend the doctrine like the American Legion, the National Organization for Women and a handful of members of Congress. With that said, we could all contact our congress members to show our support for military families that have endured medical malpractice.

Now it’s your turn: Do you think service members should be able to sue for medical malpractice?

I Don’t Qualify for MyCAA, Now What?

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Since graduating with my bachelor’s degree in 2008, I’ve been thinking about going to a graduate school. First, I wanted to work a bit to see what kind of education would be best for my career path. In addition, there were so many programs out there, I was hoping the right one would come my way eventually.

After getting married and adjusting my career journey a smidge, I started feeling like now is the right time to pursue that graduate degree I’ve been dreaming about for years. The hunger to learn and educate myself more began to affect me.

In my free time, I researched programs that would add to the knowledge I’m already gaining in my career and found the perfect one. I kept my application process a secret mostly because I was scared to be overly excited. I only focused on a program at one school. Then I started researching ways to pay for my graduate degree.

Can't Use MyCAA? Other College Tuition Resources

Are you a military spouses, like myself, that doesn’t qualify for MyCAA? Here are some other resources that may help you pay for college.

I came to this conclusion:

College is so gosh darn expensive.

Last August, I mentioned that military spouses have a wonderful program to utilize for higher education called MyCAA. MyCAA does have limitations though. Only military spouses of active duty service members (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force) at the following pay grades: E1-E5, W1-W2 and O1-O2 can use MyCAA. There are additional factors that might place you out of obtaining the MyCAA program like your choice of study. It needs to be an approved course by your academic institution.

Related: Military Spouses Unaware of MyCAA Scholoarship Program

To my excitement and fear, I received my acceptance letter to grad school a few weeks after I applied. My spouse’s military status pushes me out of the MyCAA program, so I needed to figure out other options pronto.

For those military spouses that don’t qualify for MyCAA like myself, now what?

I began looking into other options to make sure I can pursue my dream degree. I hope my efforts could help you as you navigate through the financial aid process, especially if you can’t use MyCAA.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The FAFSA should be one of your first stops as you start your educational journey. Don’t be intimidated at the lengthy process because it can open doors to grants and other applicable programs that would give you money for college.

Also, don’t be afraid of qualified student loans. They are the type of loans you want because they have extremely low interest rates and forgiving payback programs. My financial advisor calls it “good debt” and it can be deferred until you find a job. Here is a special link for military spouses and families to search through by the FAFSA folks.

Post-9/11 GI Bill

The military members in our lives should consider all higher education opportunities, whether it be the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill Military or tuition assistance.

Out of the three, the Post-9/11 GI Bill is one that could be transferred to military dependents, including military spouses as long as certain qualifications are met.

In the same conversation with my financial advisor about funding my graduate degree, she mentioned that using the Post-9/11 GI Bill might be a good route for us. My husband is currently using tuition assistance to finish his bachelor’s degree and my graduate degree wouldn’t even need the whole contribution. There would still be funding there to supplement any additional education my husband would want after the military.

Plus, the transferability might go away for military spouses and children, so it would be beneficial to do a transfer now because it could always get transferred back to the service member.

School Scholarships and Grants

When you apply and submit your FAFSA, a majority of schools piggyback opportunities that are available to their applicants. If you’re pursuing an undergraduate degree, you can qualify for a Pell Grant, which doesn’t need to be paid back.

Military spouses should visit their on-post Education Center because counselors could share institutions that have special military-affiliated tuition pricing.

I know in Washington, D.C., certain classes that are held on base have lower pricing than the online program or off-base locations. They could also pass along location-based opportunities, you never know!

Scholarships and Grants from Military-Affiliated Organizations

There are so many wonderful opportunities from a number of military-affiliated organizations out there! One that comes to mind for all military spouses is National Military Family Association’s Spouse Scholarship program. Hurry though because the deadline is at the end of this month! It’s held annually, so if you miss it this time around you have another chance next year.

Research organizations that support your spouse’s branch for military spouse scholarships too. That’s a great place to start with military spouse directed opportunities.

What other resources besides MyCAA have you used to help plan for college?

The Do’s and Don’ts of the Tricare Nurse Advice Line

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We should always take our health seriously, but sometimes we’re on the fence about what to do. For example, what if it’s been a week and you can’t beat that terrible cough. Do you need to go to the doctor?

When and How to Use the Tricare Nurse Advice Line

Is this fever too high? Should I take her to the doctor?

For those that need more guidance, Tricare beneficiaries have the opportunity to reach out to a health care professional no matter what time of day on any day of the week with the Tricare Nurse Advice Line. To reach the Nurse Advice Line, call 1-800-TRICARE (874-2273) and press option 1.

The team of registered nurses at the other end of the line are ready to help families with whatever health concerns you have and can lead you in the right direction for self-care or assist you in scheduling an appointment at the correct medical facility.

The Tricare Nurse Advice Line supports a majority of Tricare beneficiaries, including Alaska and Hawaii. Eligible Tricare beneficiaries include:

  • Tricare Prime
  • Tricare Prime Remote (TPR)
  • Tricare Prime Remote for Active Duty Family Members (TPRADFM)
  • Tricare Standard
  • Tricare Extra
  • Tricare Reserve Select (TRS)
  • Tricare Retired Reserve (TRR)
  • Tricare Young Adult (TYA)
  • Tricare For Life (TFL)

Please keep in mind that those enrolled in the US Family Health Plan can’t utilize the Nurse Advice Line. Also, if you’re on Tricare Overseas Program (TOP) traveling to the United States, you can call the Nurse Advice Line for medical advice, but if in-person care is recommended, you need to call your TOP Regional Call Center first.

I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to keep your information updated in DEERS. That will help the staff of the Nurse Advice Line to either, make sure you qualify, give you sound medical advice and to direct you to the proper care at your current location.

My suggestion above is a great example on how the Tricare Nurse Advice Line can help guide you to care for yourself appropriately. I don’t know what it is, but I routinely acquire a cough at the change of seasons. Typically, it goes away after a handful of days, but every once in a while it evolves to a sinus infection. Before making the effort to schedule an appointment with my PCM, I can call the Advice Line to discuss my symptoms with a nurse.

How else can the Tricare Nurse Advice Line help you?

The Tricare Nurse Advice Line is not only wonderful for you to get the guidance for any ailments that come your way, you can call it to discuss any questions regarding your children’s health too. Children seem to come up with all kinds of different issues that parents may not know how to handle, especially if it’s never came up before.

For example, your toddler has lice and you have no idea what to do. The Nurse Advice Line can pass along the tools needed to combat this new and acute annoyance. If there is anything else bugging your little ones, the Nurse Advice Line can assist you.

It’s requested that your child be present at the time of the call. That will allow the nurse to get the most accurate information. Also, you can request the nurse to check in on your child to make sure things are progressing positively.

When shouldn’t you use the Tricare Nurse Advice Line?

If it’s really something that needs immediate attention, call 911 or get yourself or your family member to the emergency room at your nearest medical facility. Most of the time, those situations can be gauged at the moment.

For example, you believe your child broke a bone. Don’t pick up the phone, take them to the ER as soon as possible. Since the Nurse Advice Line is 24/7, they could also encourage you to head to the emergency room ASAP, but don’t hesitate.

Have you used the Tricare Nurse Line in the past? What was your experience with it?

4 Positive New Year’s Resolutions for MilSpouses

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With the New Year less than a week away, resolutions are one of the first things that come to mind. It gives us a reason to start something new or get back on track with something that has been a project of ours for awhile.

The New Year is the perfect opportunity for us to reevaluate our lives. Resolutions aren’t for everyone and can be argued that military spouses should ditch it because our lifestyle is so fluid. It could be difficult to stick to a big commitment, especially if an unexpected PCS comes along or deployment.

As military spouses, I encourage exploring unique New Year’s resolutions that are perfectly tailored for the military lifestyle. Instead of focusing on what to “fix” with our lives, let’s create resolutions that bring out the best of military life.

4 Positive New Year’s Resolutions that Military Spouses Should Make in 2016

4 Positive New Year's Resolutions for Military Spouses

What’s your New Year’s resolution for 2016?

Revisit or create your duty station bucket list.

My husband and I made a huge Washington, D.C., bucket list when we first arrived. We were excited for the opportunity to go around and see all the history in our nation’s capital. Flash-forward almost 2 years now, we’ve only scraped the surface. It was just a month ago that my husband was able to visit the National Mall as a tourist, instead of quickly passing it by.

We’ve also gotten comfortable with our favorite places and would continue to go to them when we had free time (i.e. Shenandoah National Park) but there are so many other wonderful parks nearby too! Really, we should take our free time to cross off more points on our duty station bucket list.

In 2016, we’re going to revisit this list and make sure we’re on track to finish it completely before orders come our way. With that said, military spouses should take a look at their duty station bucket lists too.

Try a new activity.

I’ve met lots of truly amazing military spouses in my journey that have opened my eyes to some new activities. I recently participated in a painting party that was arranged by a local military spouse. It sounds silly, but I was nervous going into it at first because I don’t have much artistic ability. I had so much fun painting though!

Whether it’s a painting party or playing a new sport, a new activity is a wonderful way to engage with your local friends and maybe add another hobby to your list. Next time a military spouse invites you to a new activity, say yes and give it a shot!

Volunteer for something you are passionate about.

Military spouses love to give back to the community. I’ve witnessed that as a military kid and now as a military spouse. There are so many wonderful organizations out there that benefit our community.

It’s a natural addition to a military spouses’ resolution list.

I spend my free time volunteering at the local spouses’ club fundraising for dependent scholarships. It really gives me fulfillment to dedicate my time to help military spouses and children achieve higher education.

Travel to someplace new or unexpected.

I advocate for traveling. I blame my parents for giving me wanderlust as a military kid. It’s really opened my eyes to the world and has given me an appreciation for other cultures, even within the United States.

Yes, the military helps your wanderlust by stationing you at new locations every handful of years. Another great opportunity for military spouses to travel is tagging along for a TDY for at least part of the time (that’s how we saw the Grand Canyon).

But, don’t take your spouse’s leave time for granted either! Plan time to visit family and friends and take time off for a much needed vacation too.

My husband and I have been planning at least a week away at a new location every year we’ve known each other. This past year we went to Alaska, the year before that the Caribbean and we’re planning to go to New Zealand in 2016.

What’s your New Year’s resolution for 2016?

A Guide for Returning Items to the Commissary

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My husband and I had a major commissary run a couple weeks back where we stocked up on personal care items. Shampoo, conditioner, lotion and shaving items were among the big purchases. Because it was a slew of our most commonly purchased items, I didn’t think twice about holding onto the receipt.

I started using the shaving cream that I bought during that recent commissary raid and a couple days into it, the canister stopped dispensing the shaving cream. It was so unusual because I could feel the bottle was full, but somehow it wouldn’t pump out appropriately.

I thought I was out of luck because I tossed the receipt, then I remembered an amazing perk for commissary patrons. You don’t need a receipt for returning items.

That’s when I brought the bottle back to the commissary and explained my situation. Together with the customer service representative, I showed her how the bottle wouldn’t work and in the next second, we did an even trade and good news, the new bottle worked!

The commissary’s return policy is one of the best out there and I think it’s one that is underutilized too. Your local commissary is really there to be helpful. In addition, they are always working on enhancing the customer experience with programs like Click2Go and biannual case lot sales.

After my positive experience with returning an item at the commissary, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight the commissary’s return policy, so you’re not left questioning if you could return something or not.

Here’s your guide to returning items to the commissary:

You can return items without a receipt.

I already mentioned this amazing detail above. It’s so wonderful that I had to reiterate it here. I was thankful to be able to trade my defective shaving cream for another one. It was an even trade, so the transaction was simple and fast.

You’re able to get a full refund of the current cost of the item without your receipt via DeCA gift cards in increments of $25 or $50. If your total return costs less than $25, you’ll receive that in cash. Another way to get the credit from the return is just to apply it directly to a purchase, especially if the credit uses the whole refund amount.

The only goods that have a limitation are tobacco products and baby formula. Those items can be exchanged for another tobacco product or baby formula.

You can return items after trying it.

As I was waiting for the customer service representative, the woman in front of me was returning a cleaning item that she wasn’t happy with. She had her receipt, so she was able to get a full refund right then and there, even after using the product.

Be sure to pocket this refund policy because it’s typically one you don’t think about. I would think that after opening and using a product, that’s it. Luckily, that’s not the case.

Don’t feel like you have to keep something that didn’t work for your family.

You can return items to any commissary.

This is wonderful because the military moves us around so much that there might be a circumstance to return an item at a completely new location. I live in the Washington, D.C., area, so I have opportunity to visit more than one commissary depending on where I am (or my husband is) for the day. The same goes with how you receive credit back when you’re returning to another commissary too, especially if you don’t have your receipt.

What questions do you have about your commissary?

Dear Santa, Military Spouses Really Want…

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This year, I’m having a very difficult time putting together my Christmas wish list and the same goes with my husband. We had the “what do you want for Christmas?” conversation as we were putting together our tree over the Thanksgiving weekend and couldn’t pinpoint anything specific to get one another.

What Military Spouses Really Want for Christmas

What do you want for Christmas?

In reality, we both already have what we truly want, especially for this holiday season. I get to see my family and spend it with my husband. I’m the happiest of campers!

That brought me to think about what us, military spouses, actually want for Christmas.

Sometimes, it’s not something that our families can buy for us. Instead, it’s a feeling, desire or something we can’t really grasp with our hands that we want for the holidays. It’s those certain things that military spouses value more than a new gift wrapped under the tree.

Military life presents circumstances that other families don’t get to endure. Despite some of the things that we may not actually get this holiday season, there is always a silver lining to our wishes that we have to remember.

Here is a short list of true desires that I feel like are on military spouses’ minds during the holiday season.

Dear Santa, this Christmas I really want…

…to locate that significant item lost from your last PCS.

We had a winter PCS to northern Virginia that took place in January 2014. My husband was coming back from an overseas assignment and spent some time in Texas before he had to report in early February 2014. When we were settling into our new home, I realized that the very first Christmas present my husband gave me when we were dating was missing. It’s a silver tennis bracelet that I adored.

I pretty much turned our new home inside out without avail. Ironically enough, my mom wrapped up a special present for me for Christmas 2014. She found that bracelet in my old bedroom as she was preparing for my holiday arrival.

Military spouses may not always find that trinket lost, so those memories become what we treasure. I was so happy it was found, but the moment that my husband gave me that gift is what I take with me.

…to spend the holidays with family from far away.

The holiday season brings joy to us and also inflated airline prices for travel! Military families have to pick and chose their battles as far as spending a great deal of time and possible money to see their extended family. Thank you supply and demand.

Despite the monetary challenge that military spouses face for travel, we have wonderful tools that help keep us connected for virtually no money. The Internet is amazing and we can practically see each other no matter where we are located. I was able to “be in the room” when my dad blew out his candles in September for his birthday.

…to have my service member home for the holidays.

Deployment rears its ugly head more times than we’d like, which can take away our loved one from us for Christmas. It stinks when it does. I don’t think I’ve ever met a military spouse that thought otherwise.

My husband was overseas for the 2014 holiday season and I’ll admit I might have complained about it more than once. But, military spouses really do have it nice with technology. When duty calls for our service member, there are ways military spouses can connect with them, similarly to our separated family members.

My father would tell me stories of him having to wait in the USO to use the phones there to call my mom when he was away. Also, he would have to wait for snail mail of Polaroids to keep track of my growth as a child.

Military spouses can use smartphones to email photos to their service member and vise versa. I was lucky to get to see my spouse on Christmas and New Year’s Day, while he was away.

What do you think military spouses really want for Christmas?

Pets Feel the Separation During the Deployment Too

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We’ve all heard (and most likely experienced) it before: “Deployments suck.” I might even sound like a broken record at this point.

There are so many different types of stress that can occur when a service member is on deployment or away. But, we often forget about the effect of separation between service members and their beloved pets.

Think about it this way, a deployment or separation is a difficult challenge for all family members. Don’t we all consider our furry, four-legged companions a part of the family?

It’s almost a given for dogs to be very attached to their human counterpart. Did you know that cats can suffer from separation anxiety too?

Felines express it differently, especially because a lot of cats are extremely independent already. Well, leave it to my cat to be the exception to the rule. She is very attached to both my husband and myself. We got her as a kitten when she was about 8 months old. My husband was actually the first of the two of us to hold her.

When Your Pet Feels Separation Anxiety During a Deployment

My husband and Xena.

Since I work from home, I see her a lot more. When 4 to 5 p.m. rolls around, she’s waiting by the door for my husband to arrive. It’s actually really cute.

But, when my husband has TDYs, she stays waiting at the door and it breaks my heart! I can only imagine how she would react during a deployment.

Most pets are sociable creatures and love companionship, whether they are a dog or cat. I believe they can miss and even care for you. Our cat Xena does so by “grooming” or snuggling with us, which can get a little weird at times. Everything said is why it’s important for us to consider our family pets as well as all the other humans in your household that go through a deployment. There are some relatively simple things that can help our furry family members cope with their service members’ absences.

When Your Pet Feels Separation Anxiety During a Deployment

Rewarding your pet is a good way to help their attitude during a deployment.

First, when we know he will be leaving for an extended amount of time, my husband makes sure he spends extra time with her. We call for her and pet her as much as possible.

Then when my husband is away, I mimic the same exact activities that my husband does with Xena. He’s pretty much the person that plays with her everyday with her favorite toy. When he’s away, I grab the toy and play with her until she starts panting and is tired. Keeping to routine is important.

Afterwards, I feed Xena her absolute favorite treats, which I’ve mentioned before, are Purina Whisker Lickin’s Crunchy Tuna Treats. Seriously, she absolutely loves them. My husband feeds her 3 nibblets following a play session. Rewarding your pet is a good way to help their attitude and as a result provide a positive environment for them.

It’s also a benefit to keep your pet distracted and socializing with others. If you have a pup (and if you’re brave with a cat), take them outside for plenty of walks and trips around town at places that are pet friendly.

For service members that need extra help during a deployment, there are organizations out there to assist when deployment orders get drawn and you have no one to watch your pet. Dogs on Deployment is a wonderful group that matches your pet with a loving home for them to board. The organization also considers cats too! Boarding your pet eases the stress of separation by giving them another home to live in the meantime. It also eases the stress for service members as they go through deployment and gives them peace of mind.

Don’t forget about the service member too! I send plenty of pictures of Xena to my husband when he’s away, so he can keep up with what’s going on at home. It’s a great way to keep them interacting with the family no matter where they are.

I can’t end this without sharing some of my favorite pet reunions! I’m a little particular to the unlikely one between a service member and his cat here.

But, you can never go wrong with dogs and their special service member companion here.

What are your tips to help pets feeling separation anxiety during a deployment?

Food Shortages Are Not Standard

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Throughout the year, military families have been experiencing shortages at OCONUS commissaries. It started with a dispute with contracts as well as issues with shipment deliveries at the beginning of this year.

The discrepancies caused a back up and we, at MilitaryShoppers, shared DeCA’s response in April that the commissary shipments to OCONUS locations would still need several more months to catch up to normal levels.

In January, the overseas commissary stock on stores was at a terrible position. Shelves were empty for weeks and DeCA had to make emergency shipments to make sure military families were able to at least get the necessities. DeCA needed time to get the new commissary contract negotiation underway and after the agreement was established, the shipment process also needed time to smooth out.

At this point, the 3- to 4-month timeline that DeCA outlined has expired and OCONUS commissaries should be experiencing similar inventory as years previous.

It’s not common for commissaries overseas to have global shortages. In fact, commissaries are a very important go-to location for families stationed OCONUS.

With that said, it can still be a challenge to acquire certain American goods because of availability to ship and dealing with extensive shipping times. Military families miss the luxuries of what was once easy to buy when stateside. It’s almost an understanding that when a service member gets stationed at an OCONUS location that your family will have a limited supply of groceries.

Even before the major shortage of 2015, military families have been practicing tips and tricks for dealing with an overseas commissary because, let’s face it, we need to be a little understanding about the shipping woes.

Here are 3 suggestions to help you get through your OCONUS commissary inventory struggles.

  1. Try the Local Cuisine. Before my husband was stationed in Korea, he would have NEVER thought about eating Korean food. Well, I probably would have eventually presented it to him at some point, but he was such a picky eater! His assignment to Korea was the perfect way to “forcefully” introduce him to the food and he has since, opened his mind (i.e. taste buds) to different cuisines. Get yourself and your family out to the markets and pick up on the culture. You’ll be thankful for it later!
  2. Stock Up When You Can. When you see a particular food you like in stock that is sparse at times, pick up extras at the commissary and save it. If it’s something fresh, be mindful of the shelf life and use it before it goes bad. That could mean to double up on a favorite dish for 2 weeks in a row to get the most out of an ingredient that’s hard to come by. In addition, you can utilize the freezer to keep applicable foods preserved for awhile. I’m a fan of canned veggies for times that fresh ones might be hard to come by. It also makes for a quick dish when you’re tight on time with dinner too.
  3. Use This Time to Get Creative. Notice that an ingredient is not available at the commissary that is typically in your family’s favorite recipe? Think outside the box and substitute it for another ingredient that is available at your OCONUS commissary. Instead of being frustrated that something is missing, accept the challenge of modifying a recipe and you might be surprised by the taste. The worst thing that could happen is that you don’t like it. At least you tried and can cross that substitution off your list for any future meals.

Hopefully by now, the shortages that OCONUS military families have been dealing with at the beginning of this year has subsided and the commissary you’re familiar with from previous years is back on track.

Have you experienced a commissary food shortage while stationed overseas? How did you deal with it?