By Marguerite Cleveland

The COVID-19 Pandemic has greatly impacted the mission of Honor Flight to bring America’s veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials that are dedicated to honor those who have served and sacrificed for our country. “Sadly we’ve had to suspend flights due to COVID-19 but we are closely monitoring state and federal guidelines as well as those of the District of Columbia. We intend to continue our Honor Flight trips as soon as it’s safe to do so,” said Carol Harlow, Public Relations for Honor Flight Network.

Currently the program serves veterans from the WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War eras as well as terminally ill veterans who served in any era. Unfortunately, these veterans fall into the high risk category in regards to COVID-19.

The network consists of independent hubs that work together to support the Honor Flight Mission. The common goal is to show our nation’s veterans appreciation and honor they deserve for their service to our country. With no cost to the veteran, an Honor Flight trip allows them to share their experience and stories, and to remember friends and comrades lost. It is a very significant occasion for them.

According to Harlow until the program is safe to run again, “many of our 130 Hubs across the country are running virtual programs for veterans. They’re also spearheading socially distant drive by’s or “parades” within the community to keep veterans spirits up.  We also have Hubs placing yard signs in Veterans yards thanking them for his or her service and reminding them they will participate in an Honor Flight as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

“Here at the national Honor Flight office, we’ve arranged for several celebrities and high-profile individuals to record messages to the approximately 23,000 veterans who would have flown on a Honor Flight this year.  We refer to this initiative as Operation Reassurance.  We will post the video messages on our social media (Facebook: Honor Flight Network and Twitter: HonorFlightNet) from November 1 through November 10 culminating with a compilation video on Veteran’s Day that hubs can use to send to the veterans who were unable to fly this year – reassuring them they will receive an opportunity to experience a Honor Flight as soon as it’s safe to do so,” she added.

If you’d like to assist the program Harlow said, “We encourage your readers to reach out to his or her local Hub to participate as a volunteer or to sign up a veteran to participate on a Honor Flight.  We are currently accepting applications from veterans who served in WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the service periods in between.  We also highly encourage terminally ill veterans of all service eras to participate in our Lone Eagle Program which is administered via our national office along with a program to fly veterans who do not live within 120 miles of an existing Honor Flight Hub.  They can find the nearest Hub and more information on all of our programs at, www.honorflight.org”

By Marguerite Cleveland

The Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy recently announced a new emphasis on people. To give junior leaders more time to build their teams it will now be the Army’s top priority. “Just as we did with readiness, we must invest in people,” followed by readiness and modernization, McCarthy said during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition. “The time is now.”

“Army leadership will continue to put ‘people first’ as they work to balance operational tempo requirements and make policy changes”, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. James C. McConville.

McCarthy acknowledged that the last 19 years of combat operations and global deterrence has come at a cost. People are the Army’s greatest strength and senior leaders released an action plan the will prioritize people and teams.

According to this new plan Army leaders will work to determine the level of total Army readiness necessary to meet operational requirements. This information will help to pursue options that will hopefully reduce the Army’s current cycle of heel-to-toe deployment rotations. “We are taking a look at rotational deployments and working with the [combatant commanders] to see how we can accomplish the mission in innovative ways,” McConville said.

Another new change is the new Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model, or ReARMM, slated to be released in the next few months. Its purpose is to balance op tempo requirements with dedicated periods for mission, training, and modernization.

The Combat Training Center (CTC) rotations are also reevaluated as part of the action plan. “Our CTCs are the gold standard for preparing our organizations for large-scale ground combat operations, especially in this time of great power competition,” McConville said, adding the Army must strive to balance its CTC rotations with other training opportunities.

According to the plan soldiers at brigade and battalion levels training will consist of tactical exercises without troops, command post exercises, and fire support coordination exercises “We will pursue options for the brigade combat training centers that are a mix of ‘in the box’ organic battalions, command post exercises, and heavy and light rotations,” McCarthy said. “These efforts will buy back time at home for our units to invest in their Soldiers and families.”

Leaders have the opportunity to waive a CTC rotation requirement if the unit is scheduled for a noncombat rotational deployment on the condition, they will conduct similar training while deployed. “There is no intent to reduce the number of CTC rotations,” McConville said. “We are discussing the prerequisites required to go to a CTC and how they fit into” the rotational-deployment model.

The Army has faced many challenges in 2020 beginning on New Year’s Eve with an unexpected deployment of soldiers from the 82^nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. Other challenges included a global pandemic and massive civil unrest. The government response to COVID-19 led to 45,000 active-duty, National Guard, and Reserve Soldiers being called to help step the pandemic.

“As one crisis tapered, another one began. Following the murder of George Floyd, massive civil unrest that had been simmering across the country for decades reached a tipping point,” McCarthy said. The National Guard worked to protect the safety of citizens practicing their constitutional right to protect. He added, “As civil unrest grew, Soldiers watched as peaceful protests turned violent, hijacked by outside actors.”

The murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen by a fellow soldier shocked the country and sparked the Army to add procedures to clarify what happens when a Soldier fails to report for duty. Under the guidance which will soon be published, the Army will consider them missing and take immediate action.

“Through this sort of reckoning, we realized that some of the same barriers and threats still exist within our formation. We must be accountable, and we must act. This year, and its series of events, has hardened our resolve to create enduring change,” McCarthy said. “The Army is taking rapid, positive, and meaningful steps towards reducing systemic and symbolic inequities, while safeguarding every person in our formation.”

The Army’s Project Inclusion initiative will ensure “that we have an organization that is truly inclusive and makes everyone feel like a valued member of the team,” McConville said. In addition the “This is My Squad” initiative led by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston will continue the Army’s focus on people first.

Food Security is not achievable for all in the military and the House passed a draft of the defense bill that provides a provision for an extra allowance for some military members to pay for basic needs. For many young families, groceries are bought with each paycheck and stretched over the following two weeks. If the number of food banks established just for military members is any indication, the bi-monthly pay sometimes isn’t enough. Military spouse employment, and the lack thereof, is a great part of the funds of a family and oftentimes military families are solely relying on the active duty service members pay.

Section 602 of the House’s current National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (H.R. 6395) has a provision for an extra monthly allowance of pay for some service members, on top of a proposed 3% pay raise for all troops. The monthly allowance would be intended for basic need coverage like food, tolietries, clothing and diapers. The annual allowance would be equal to 130% of the Federal poverty guidelines of the Department of Health and Human Services minus the service member’s gross income and divided by twelve for a monthly allowance. Currently, 130% of the poverty leve is $28,200 for a family of 3. Eligibility for the allowance will be conducted by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), with the hopes for each qualifying member to be notified by December 31 of each year. Each eligible service member will be able to opt-out of the extra pay stipend annually if they desire.

According to research, this type of provision was written into the 2019 House proposal of the National Defense Authorization Act as well but was not included in the final version of the bill. The White House

According to Blue Star Family’s 2018 Military Family Lifestyle survey, 12% of veteran families and 7% of military families reported food insecurity in the previous year with 18% of veteran families and 9% of military families reporting use of an emergency food pantry or charity. The additional allowance will assist in bridging the gap in food security.

The Senate has passed their own version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (S.R. 4049), and it is yet to be determined what will be in the final, accepted version of the bill will come out of the conference committee. This will be determined after the November 3^rd election. You can follow the bill’s movement and amendments on Congress.gov.

2020 certainly feels like a remix, on repeat, of polka and ska. The ball season is being mixed up as well. Large gatherings are not recommended and military balls are cancelled. Military families are used to going with the ebb and flow and are making plans to celebrate in different ways.

1. Dress down to dress up. Without the etiquette of a long ball gown for a ball, dressing up for this years’ military ball can be as casual as families want.
2. Watching the service specific message. This summer, Army Senior Leaders released their birthday message. In August, the Coast Guard released their birthday message.  In September, the Air Force recognized the resiliency of the force in their birthday message. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Mike Gilday, released a birthday message in October. The Marine Corps will release the Commandant’s message in November.
3. Donating to their favorite organization. Families are adding up the cost of ball tickets, ball dresses, baby-sitting, up-dos, military uniform updates and donating that sum as a way to celebrate the military birthday.
4. Support local. A night off without cooking is part of the fun of the military ball. This year families are choosing to purchase a meal from a local restaurant as a way to support local and celebrate the night without cooking.
5. No dry cake! Along the same lines as supporting local restaurants, some are choosing a local bakery to buy a dessert to celebrate the ball. No dry sheet cake here!
6. Dance Party. Breaking out the dancing shoes is an annual tradition for military balls. A dance party at home, with everyone in the family, will keep the tradition alive with a smaller gathering.
7. Outdoor Gathering. Small groups are gathering outside tailgate style, keeping distance between family groups as a way to be together, but remain socially distant.
8. Thank a veteran. Making it a family activity and write to veterans at your local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Just like invitations of veterans to military balls, military families are extending their thanks locally.

Ball seasons’ selfies may look different this year, but your military service birthday is worth celebrating. Here is to another year of unknowns and ebb and flow.

TRICARE open enrollment season is here!

The annual period where you can change your health coverage for the next calendar year is open from November 9 – December 14, 2020. Any changes made to enrollment during this period will be effective starting January 1, 2021. Anyone currently enrolled in or eligible for a TRICARE Prime or Select healthcare plan option is able to change enrollment among these plans.

3 Options During Open Enrollment:

1. Stay in your plan. If you do not want to change your current plan, you do not need to do anything as long as you are eligible.
2. Enroll in a plan for the first time. If you are eligible for TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select but are not currently enrolled, open enrollment is the time to do so.
3. Change plans. During this enrollment period you can switch from TRICARE Prime options to TRICARE Select. You can also switch from individual or family enrollment.  

Enrolled Retirees with an initial enrollment date before January 1, 2018 or family members enrolled in TRICARE Select have new fees beginning January 1, 2021.

Can you make changes outside of open enrollment?

In order to make changes outside of open enrollment, you must have a Qualifying Life Event (QLE). A QLE includes but is not limited to a relocation to a new location, marriage, birth of a child or retirement from active duty. A new pregnancy no longer counts as a QLE. Within the 90 period from those events, you can make enrollment changes as eligible.

FEDVIP Enrollment

FEDVIP is the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program. Eligibility for this program runs open enrollment during the same time as TRICARE. Check eligibility and compare plans here.

What are the TRICARE plans?

There are several TRICARE health plans. Active Duty military and their families living at most military bases are eligible for TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select. Read more about each plan to know what you are eligible for and what it covers.

The basic plans are TRICARE Prime and Select, with branches off of those based on locations.

TRICARE Prime – Active Duty are automatically enrolled in this program. For families, this program provides are with a military or network provider without copays except in cases of using point-of-service options. Primary Care Managers provider care and referrals as needed to specialists.

TRICARE Prime Remote – Command-sponsored active duty and family members whose sponsor’s home and work addresses are more than 50 miles from a military hospital or clinic.

TRICARE Prime Overseas – Command-sponsored active duty and family members living overseas are seen by military or network providers.

TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas – Command-sponsored active duty and family members living in remote locations overseas including Eurasia-Africa, Latin America, Canada and areas in the Pacific.

TRICARE Select – Family members and retirees are seen by Tricare-authorized providers chosen by them, and no referrals from a primary care manager are required. A deductible, cost share and enrollment fees may be required.

TRICARE Select Overseas – Family members can see any overseas provider without referrals. A deductible, cost share and enrollment fees may be required.

The following healthcare plans can be enrolled in outside of open enrollment if eligibility criteria are met per the links provided below.

TRICARE For Life – TRICARE eligible beneficiaries who have Medicare A and B.

TRICARE Reserve Select –  Qualified Selected Reserve members and their families are eligible for this healthcare plan.

TRICARE Retired Reserves – Retired Reserve members are eligible to purchase this healthcare plan.

TRICARE Young Adult – This premium-based insurance is available for adult children through age 25.

US Family Health Plan – Enrollment is available to those who live in an area where this care is available.

Healthcare options can be confusing. Gather all the information you can to make an informed decision that works best for your family.