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Within the military community, TRICARE is known for the health coverage for active-duty families and their dependents. It is the constant coverage for medical and mental health benefits.
When a service member retires, does that coverage change? If the service member retired with benefits and retains TRICARE coverage, then TRICARE covers the retiree and their dependents.
When service members retire with benefits, there are several eligible health care plans to choose from. TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Select, US Family Health Plan (depending on locations), TRICARE for Life and TRICARE Select Overseas are options, depending on the location of the service member and other eligibilities. For example, a retired service member is only eligible for TRICARE for Life before the age of 65 if they are eligible for TRICARE and they have both Medicare Part A and B. Most military retirees utilize TRICARE Prime, meaning they are near a military base that they are able to receive medical care at, or TRICARE Select, meaning they are using TRICARE to be seen by civilian providers whether they are near a military base or not.
Mental Health coverage for retirees under the age of 65 is similar to those on active-duty service utilizing TRICARE for coverage. What is covered by TRICARE’s plans is covered here. This includes rehabilitation therapy, family therapy, intensive outpatient programs, and partial hospitalization therapy. This does not mean that there are no out-of-pocket charges for these treatments. On the whole, there is a contracted rate with in-network providers that accept the rate that TRICARE will reimburse for this.
There are several exclusions for what TRICARE does not cover. Notably, counseling services like nutritional counseling, stress management, and marital therapy are not covered by TRICARE. For active duty service members, there are other resources that can be utilized to provide these services if needed. The full list of what is not covered is listed here.
If marital therapy is needed and it is not covered by TRICARE, a referral to family therapy from the primary care provider may help get this covered. Family therapy is a covered benefit when it is used for the benefit of the individual’s mental health. Other ways of receiving marital counseling may be available through a place of worship. Non-denominational churches may offer affordable counseling services. Veteran’s Affairs hospitals and clinics often have a chaplain on staff or within their network that they can refer to as well for counseling.
Once Medicare-eligible individuals read the age of 65 and are entitled to Medicare, the beneficiaries are automatically enrolled in TRICARE for Life. This means Medicare becomes the primary payer for medical costs. TRICARE will become the secondary payer, or the last if the beneficiary carries another health care insurance.
For beneficiaries with TRICARE for Life coverage, Medicare becomes the primary payer. This means that Medicare helps pay for and cover the following:
Whatever costs Medicare doesn’t cover, can be billed to TRICARE. Traditionally TRICARE covers mental health services that are medically required that include:
The only time these therapies would be covered is if they are part of a medically required inpatient, partial hospitalization, or intensive outpatient program which are covered.
Of the services listed above, the only 100% covered service with no cost to the individual is the annual depression screening by a provider. For every other service, the individual pays 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. This copay can be submitted to TRICARE for Life for coverage, and they may reimburse for that cost.
Tricare has partnered with Telemynd for online counseling and mental health services. This telehealth partner covers all TRICARE eligible beneficiaries for services without copays or co-shares. Telemynd does not require a referral or authorization as of this writing. They can provide counseling for grief, stress, work, family issues in addition to depression and anxiety.
While it isn’t always easy to understand where to go for services, there are some covered services available for retirees. Always ask your primary care provider for options and services too as they know your local area. Mental health is part of your physical health.
Parents of school-age children have never expected to have to decide on school options during a pandemic. But here we are. After a year and a half of virtual school, or mixed virtual and in-person, parents were able to send children in-person to school full-time with a mix of emotions. Did this mean that there was a change in schooling and safety during the pandemic?
Masks have become a daily habit. They are part of the daily checklist – backpack, water bottle, lunch, mask. Whether we go to the grocery store or school, masks are required. But not all schools are alike in mask practices. Several parents shared that their schools are practicing “mask breaks”- students take the masks off for a period of time every hour or so. Other parents shared that students are allowed to remove masks once at their desks, and only are required to wear the masks when walking. Mask requirements when outside is mixed as well – some schools requiring masks when outdoors for recess or sports while others do not require masks when outside at all. Some schools require masks on buses while others do not.
When schools returned to partial in-person schooling last school year, students were often put in “A” and “B” days so fewer students were in the classroom allowing for 6 feet in between each student. With the return to school with full classrooms, the ability to separate by 6 feet is not feasible with classroom size and student numbers. To balance this, some schools have grouped students into “pods” so those students are always together while allowing for separation from others. Some schools have returned to the normal spacing while requiring continued masks or plastic dividers to minimize the spreading of respiratory germs.
While there were always sinks in bathrooms at school (or one would hope), now there are the additions of hand sanitizer stations seeded throughout schools. Students are encouraged to wash their hands between activities to lessen the potential of spread. Hand washing in younger ages has been discussed much more than a typical year –that one may be a win.
Per the CDC guidelines, after any COVID exposure, the exposed individual must quarantine to ensure no signs of symptoms for 10-14 days. There is a variety in schools for time out of school as well. Several parents noted that their school had a requirement of 10 days out of school for a school-based exposure and a 14-day out-of-school requirement for an out of school-based exposure. While the difference in time out of school does not inherently make since you cannot differentiate strain of COVID by location of exposure, it is the school district policy. Some schools require negative testing to return to school which can be difficult for students who may have had COVID as the tests can remain positive for a period of time after active infection.
If a teacher becomes positive that was around the whole school, the entire school closes. Some school districts have lessened this possibility by limiting activities like art and music to being done virtually by a teacher with the students in their respective classrooms. This seemingly keeps children and teachers in “pods” which lessens exposure risk.
At the time of this writing, the COVID-19 vaccine is approved and available for ages 12 and up. Historically, some vaccines are required for children attending school unless waived by a healthcare provider. Vaccines like the flu vaccine are not required. With the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for lower ages, some pressure would be expected for vaccination given the pandemic, but with the flu vaccine not being required it was not expected to be a requirement. But the COVID-19 vaccination may be mandated for all children old enough to receive it. Notably, the Los Angeles Unified school board voted that all students 12 and older are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by January of 2022 in order to attend in-person schooling. At the time of this writing, the school district does still offer virtual schooling. Other school districts are following suit with families or teachers mandating vaccines for their students and teachers. There is a waiver available for medical or religious grounds.
All this to say – no two school districts are alike. This comes down to school funding and the ability to accomplish all safety measures.
Parenting is never an easy task. Add in the pandemic with its new information daily adds a new element to the game of parenting. Ultimately, with all of these measures, each family’s comfort level is different. Some families prefer masks outside and inside, some families only use masks inside. Some families are more comfortable to hugs, while others prefer fist bumps. That is okay. Practicing what safety measures you are able to and are comfortable with are the best you can do. Can we all agree that handwashing practices are important and that when little Tommy wipes his nose with his hand we don’t want to high-five him after?
Here we are, preparing for a brand-new ball season. Time to pick out the duds to wear to the ball, hotel room, tickets, childcare…. Well, for some military families. With the pandemic still continuing, military balls are canceling across the U.S. With it being the second year of no military ball for some families, it’s time to mix it up (again) and celebrate the ball, your own way.
This is awesome. No need to worry about food allergies, you can choose food that is allergen-free! Make it at home, or splurge on your favorite restaurant. Or perhaps splurge on the new restaurant you have been wanting to try but haven’t due to time or cost. Well, you aren’t spending several hundred on ball tickets! Order food to go for a luxurious meal at home in celebration of the ball.
No ball celebration is complete without cake. The typical offerings of sheet cake at a ball don’t have to happen this year if you don’t want them to. Get a slice of cake from a local bakery, or maybe try something a little different with cannoli or baklava. All the sweets are for the taking. If you are making it a family ball, consider a dessert bar, shakes or root beer floats. There are so many ways to fulfill that sweet tooth!
No dress code in your own home! If you want to wear yoga pants, do it. If you want to dress up, do it! Athletic pants and sweatshirts never felt so comfortable when you are celebrating the ball your own way at home.
Whether you are up-to-date on all the new dancing trends or not, get your dance on. Don’t be afraid to use YouTube University to learn dance moves, or ask your kids (they probably know!)
Add a little sparkle to the day with confetti poppers, sparklers, or fireworks. I mean, if they celebrate July 4th with a sparkle in the sky, who says you can’t do a little too for a military ball? Please check state regulations for what is legal before setting off fireworks.
If your unit ball is canceled but there is a group that desires to gather together, consider outdoor options. Get a tent for an outdoor covering, everyone brings tables, chairs, and food to celebrate together. Perhaps there is a dinner cruise in your area that your group could go to. You can get dressed up, enjoy the food and dance – all with your people.
In lieu of paying for ball tickets, hotel room, a new outfit for the ball, and childcare, consider donating to an organization that supports military families and veterans. Every little bit helps, and it stays within the military community.
Based on your level of comfort, consider asking close friends over to celebrate. Print up invitations with the details – including the date, time, and dress code. Make dinner potluck style so everyone can share their favorite dish.
The ball is more than a celebration, it is time together as a family and friends reflecting on the year. Getting that hotel room as a break is sometimes just as much of the celebration as dressing up and getting down on the dance floor. Why not get a hotel room local to where you are? Dress up or down, but order room service or get food delivered for a treat. Want to bring the whole family? Why not! It’s your ball!
How are you celebrating the ball this year?
In August, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a memo stating a mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 was necessary to keep “a healthy and ready force.” The Pfizer-BioNTech version of the COVID-19 vaccination was officially approved by the FDA, while it was previously under emergency-use authorization. With this change to official approval, the Department of Defense moved toward requiring vaccination. The Moderna and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccinations are still under emergency-use authorization and are therefore not included.
There is a long history of required vaccinations within the military. Vaccinations for Small Pox and Anthrax are required for deployment and readiness. According to AP News, the Navy and the Marine Corps stated they had zero religious exemption requests for other vaccines in recent years while the Air Force reported there were a few, and the Army did not have any data to share. When the COVID-19 vaccination approval was first announced, the vaccination was offered to military members, but not initially required.
On August 31, Vice Admiral W. R Merz, the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Plans and Strategy released NAVADMIN 190/21 which mandated that all Navy service members must be vaccinated for the COVID-19 vaccination. All Navy personnel must be vaccinated by November 28th, 2021 and reservists must be vaccinated by December 28, 2021. A message from Marine Corps Commandant General Berger stated that “All non-exempt active component personnel will achieve full vaccination no later than 90 days from the date of ALNAV 062/21, and all non-exempt reserve component personnel will achieve full vaccination no later than 120 days from the date. Vaccination could occur on installation or off, proof just needs to be provided to the active or reserve command for appropriate documentation. Exemptions for medical or administrative reasons can be requested through the Navy personnel or Marines command. Among the Marine Corps, a permanent medical exemption can be approved by the first O-5 or O-6 command surgeon in the member’s chain of command after the recommendation by a licensed healthcare provider working for the Department of Defense. Anyone who is not exempt who refuses the vaccination by the deadline will face adverse administrative action.
The Army released its plan for implementing the mandatory vaccination on September 14, 2021, stating that all active-duty units are expected to be vaccinated by December 15, 2021, and Reserve and National Guard units are expected to be vaccinated by June 30, 2022. Furthermore, it stated that soldiers who refused the vaccine would be counseled through the chain of command and medical providers and that failure to comply could lead to administrative or non-judicial punishment. Soldiers would have the ability to request an exemption through medical, religious or administrative reasons as outlined by Army Regulation (AR) 600-20 and AR 40-562. While pending a request, no punitive actions would be given.
The Air Force released their COVID-19 implementation plan on September 03, 2021. It stated that all active-duty service members without an exemption are required to be fully vaccinated by November 2nd and Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel are required to be fully vaccinated by December 2nd, 2021. Service members can apply for medical or administrative exemption through AFI 48-119_IP and for religious accommodation through DAFI 52-201. Any refusal of the vaccination could lead to punitive actions.
New joins or recruits are required to have vaccination as well. The Navy stated that “new accessions will be fully vaccinated as soon as practicable following service entry” per a Navy message. The Marine Corps stated that “Marines in recruit training will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.”
All across the board – every service member is required to get the COVID-19 vaccination. Even if the service member had a COVID-19 infection previously, vaccination is required. Any refusal of the vaccination without an exemption is punishable by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Per a Pentagon briefing on August 25th, the current percent of service members who were fully vaccinated for each service was the following: Navy and Marine Corps: 73%, Air Force and Space Force 57%, Army: 40%.
With the commission to rename bases formed with the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the goal of renaming 10 bases across the United States has moved forward. The Army bases named during World War II are getting a name change. The commission is made up of 8 members – four that are selected by the Secretary of Defense, and four from within the House and Senate Armed Services Committee representing veterans and military communities.
Recently Fort Bragg has solicited feedback on renaming the base. Per the installation’s homepage, the criteria for selecting a new name have not been released. Generally, the ideals of the Army of courage, values, sacrifices, and diversity of the military community will be utilized for the name selection per the Army’s website. There is also a Google doc specifically for the Fort Brag renaming with 17 suggested names with the history of each name listed.
Will giving feedback make the difference? On the one hand, the Army wants to include the local community and military community in the name choice. This would help the community feel ownership of the new base. It may also ease the tension in renaming the base. There has been division in regards to the naming commission. Some people applaud the effort of renaming the bases noting that the name change doesn’t erase history but moves forward. Others see the name change as exactly that – an erasing of history and poor use of funds and time. While others still feel the name of the base does not matter – naming the base generic things like “the Fort” or “Basey McBase Base” does not change or devalue what work is done there.
The commission has stated that they will take feedback into consideration, and will release criteria for name considerations. The bases being renamed are Ft. Bragg in North Carolina; Camp Beauregard and Fort Polk in Louisiana; Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Rucker in Alabama.
Providing feedback for the installation you call home or have called home, is a great way to stay connected to your community, and be part of the history of the name change. It has certainly provided ample discussion on the history of military figures throughout America’s 250+ years.
The name change will not be immediate. Name recommendations were submitted to Congress by October 1, 2022.
It’s that time of year again. The temperatures are cooler, pumpkins are making an appearance in grocery stores and pictures of children in pumpkin patches are filling your social media feed. It’s Halloween time! Many families have traditions surrounding Halloween time. A tradition that can be done no matter where you live is donating candy to the troops.
Donate Halloween Candy
Want to go further and take candy bags for the troops? Make it a family activity, or perhaps gather friends in a safe setting to make treat bags with assorted treats inside. Once the bags are complete, send candy bags to
Soldiers’ Angels Candy
2895 NE Loop 410, Suite 107
San Antonio, TX 72818
Military units, hospitals, first responder units, and veteran organizations can request candy donations from the same organization
Attn: Receiving
8360 East Highway 25
Belleview, FL 34420
And More!
What are your go-to ways to share sweets and treats with the troops?
Ah, the season of orange and black, pumpkins and apples. It is time for that all-so-popular caffeinated drink of pumpkin spice latte. Pick up your ingredients at the local commissary and have one at the ready all the time with this recipe.
Ingredients:
Heat up milk, pumpkin puree, and sweetener of choice in a saucepan. Do not let it come to a boil or the milk can become curdled and burned. Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and hot coffee.
Want to be extra? Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of additional pumpkin pie spice.
When you are overseas, holiday items often come a little bit slower. And then once they arrive, you better snatch it up because once they are gone – they are gone!
This led to making my own creamer at home for when I wanted to fulfill that fall flavor. The original recipe was from Food Network, but I found it to be too sweet so I edited it a bit.
Ingredients:
When we switched to dairy-free as a household for a time, I swapped out the half and half for almond milk. You could also use oat milk or soy milk with the variety of options out there for dairy-free. I have also totally swapped out the milk and vanilla for unsweetened vanilla almond milk and found the flavor to be delish.
Like the Pumpkin Spice Latte, heat the ingredients for the creamer together on the stove to really blend the sugar and ensure the pumpkin pie spice is throughout the creamer. Let cool slightly before storing in a mason jar and storing it in the fridge.
While you may not be overseas where supply chains have the additional transit time, now you can add a touch of fall to any coffee or even tea!
This one is really truly easy – swap out your favorite dairy-free milk for regular milk. Oat milk adds an earthy tone which is perfect for any fall drink. Unsweetened almond or soymilk works well as well, allowing for easy flavoring. Unsweetened vanilla almond or soymilk can add a touch of sweetness, without adding vanilla extract which saves time and money! Coconut milk could also be used if that is your favorite.
Will you try a pumpkin spice latte at home? Tell us how it was!
Orange you ready for fall now! 😉
This past summer’s PCS peak season was one for the record books. The lack of moving companies available for moving items and the short-staffed companies leaving families in the lurch to pack their own things or find a UHaul was compounded with an all-time housing price high. In response to the rising housing prices, a temporarily elevated BAH has been offered to 56 areas per the recently released memo from the Secretary of Defense.
The housing market around the United States has outpaced the previous housing price bubble. Both rental rates and purchase rates escalated in the spring of 2021, right in time for military movers. The demand for available homes slowly increased the already higher prices. Stories of military families standing in 10-people deep lines just to see rentals off base while waiting months in hotels because on-base housing was also not available were commonplace. Meanwhile, families were spending hundreds of dollars on rental applications to be one of 20+ families being considered. The demand for homes increased rental prices, forcing some families to spend hundreds of dollars above Basic Allowance For Housing (BAH) for a home.
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is designed to cover 95% of a service member’s housing costs – this includes housing rental and utility costs. The increase in rental and purchase prices has driven monthly rental and mortgage costs wildly higher than this. The several hundred dollars over BAH means families are paying over their allotment for the rental alone and does not account for utilities. In some areas like Southern California, electricity alone can cost several hundred dollars due to their tiered pricing by time. This means some families are spending $500-$1000 over their housing allowance.
To some, spending over the allowance isn’t a stretch, but to some it a financial strain. The financial strain may impact the service member and affect the mission. Per a press release by the DOD, the 5% expected as an out-of-pocket expense to service members was calculated to range from $70 to $158. This is a bit different than what some families are facing for out-of-pocket costs now. In previous years, BAH was only meant to cover 80% of the average housing and utility costs, but this increased in 2005 to 100% with the slow re-integration of out-of-pocket costs since that time.
Each area has been given a percentage increase by locations from 10-20%.
To receive the increased BAH, the service member must apply per their service branch’s application showing that their total housing costs of rent and utilities are over the current authorized BAH rate. The increase will be in effect from 1 October 2021 to 31 December 2021. If there is a dependency change during this time period, the service member must reapply to demonstrate that the authorized BAH rate does not cover their expenses.
It has not been announced that this temporary increase will continue beyond 31 December 2021 at this time. There are many areas on the list that are not named that still demonstrate high rental prices coupled with competition, like Southern California.
Is your area getting a BAH temporary increase?
The Marine Corps service branch is known for its physical fitness. In fact, Eleanor Roosevelt famously said about Marines that “The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!”
As other services update their physical fitness tests, it is now the Marine Corps turn. It’s change in the physical fitness test may surprise you.
The MARADMIN release in August of 2021 stated that planks will now be a mandatory component of the physical fitness test, replacing the old exercise of crunches. This replacement will be in full effect in 2023. The alternative of planks for crunches has been in place since 2019 when then Commandant Neller approved it to be so, although not many Marines have chosen this option over the crunches. Plank scoring adjustments will be made and go in effect in 2022. The minimum time to hold a plank will be one minute and 10 seconds, with the maximum points given for a plank held for 3 minutes and 45 seconds.
The reason for the change is simple – this is a move in injury reduction. While crunches are known to help develop a strong core (abdominal muscles), they are awful for the lower back often causing low back pain or increasing previously occurring low back pain. In addition, crunches require another person holding the feet down which can lead to potential injury to the lower leg. Maj. Lindsey Slyman, the programs and assessments section head, Human Performance Branch, Policy and Standards Division, Training and Education Command told a military newspaper that while there was no specific research on what the injury risk reduction would be “we do know that the crunches place stress on the spinal column, neck, and cervical spine due to the repetitive loading and increased use of hip flexors.”
Beyond risk reduction, the physiological evaluation of core strength is better tested with a plank than with crunches. The plank requires muscle activation of the lateral and central abdominal muscles, and given that they are required to be activated for a longer period of time, they provide a better test of endurance and strength of the core muscles.
For active Marines, getting ready for the plank addition to the PFT should happen now. Start slow and in small increments. Doing a plank for 30 seconds for a week straight will increase the strength and ability to increase the time the following week to maybe 45-60 seconds. If staying in a plank position is difficult, try alternating between elbows and up to hands to see if this will help pass the time in addition. The key with any plank is to keep the back flat to avoid any lumbar strain. Check out YouTube if you need help determining how to maintain the appropriate posture, or ask your buddies at work.
Remember a Marine over the age of 60 held a plank long enough to break the Guinness World Record holding it for 8 hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds. Three minutes should be a piece of cake in comparison!
