Riding in the MOAA car were (L to R) CAPT Loren V. Heckelman USN (Ret), Maj Clifton G. Furedy USAF (Ret), Col Jack W. Hilgers USMC (Ret) and COL James A. Smith USA (Ret).

Among those attending the luncheon from our chaper were Col Hilgers, CAPT Douglas B. Williams USN (Ret), CAPT Heckelman, COL Smith and Maj Furedy.  Also attending but not shown was CDR John J. Uhrin III USN (Ret).

• Why it matters: She becomes the first Black woman to represent the Old Dominion in Congress.

Have you recently been contacted by a company aggressively seeking to legally represent you in filing presumptive VA claims authorized by the PACT Act? If so, be wary as the company might be seeking a portion of your VA benefits.

Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (PACT Act) represents the biggest expansion of Veteran benefits in history, and many Veterans may be eligible to receive compensation for their service. The PACT Act adds 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to VA’s list of service presumptions, including hypertension, with the expansion of presumptions related to Agent Orange exposure by including Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll as locations for Agent Orange exposure.

While this legislation brings great promise to Veterans, it’s also a monumental opportunity for fraud. VA has received multiple reports of unaccredited law firms or companies targeting Veterans to offer their services to file claims for presumptive conditions. Unaccredited law firms and companies are reaching out to help for a fee as high as 40% of the Veteran’s retroactive payment and 40% of the Veteran’s first year of entitlement payments.

VA is committed to help protect Veterans from predatory entities, by educating Veterans, their families, and all partners about the types of activity and tactics being used against them.

To avoid being a victim of these schemes, here are some helpful tips to remember:

• Apply directly to VA. You may submit your application securely online via VA.GOV or in person at any regional office. You may file your claim directly with VA, and VA will help you gather the necessary evidence to support it. There are no costs or hidden fees to apply. Do not agree to pay an unaccredited individual or organization a percentage of your disability compensation payment or retroactive entitlement. If you need help filing a claim, there are accredited representatives to assist you.
• Be cautious of aggressive law firms or companies. Firms may use frequent communications (phone, text, and media messages) to establish a sense of urgency.
• Be cautious of for-profit companies that use VA’s name. They may alter their name to create a false association with VA and establish legitimacy. Examples include a website such as VAclaimsassistance.com that incorporates VA into its name.
• Review all legally binding documents thoroughly. Never sign a blank form someone else will fill out later or give them full discretion to act on your behalf. See the contents before you sign and keep a copy for yourself.
• Be wary of media advertisements regarding legal representation for presumptive VA claims. Companies advertising legal services may be predatory and financially motivated to obtain your VA benefits.
• If a company or individual is projecting misinformation or has questionable business practices regarding VA entitlements, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at and the Better Business Bureau.
• To report suspected fraudulent activity, please contact the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Hotline (va.gov).
• Veterans and survivors who think they might be eligible should apply for PACT Act benefits right now. Go to va.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 for more information.

“Some of the changes you’ll see next year result from changes to the contract with Express Scripts, the company that manages the TRICARE Pharmacy Program,” said U.S. Public Health Service Cmdr. Teisha Robertson, a pharmacist with the Defense Health Agency’s Pharmacy Operations Division. “The increased options you’ll have are part of TRICARE’s next generation pharmacy contract, which focuses on ways to improve the pharmacy benefit for everyone who uses it.”

Here are the four pharmacy changes to prepare for in 2023.

    Kroger
    Harris Teeter
    Fred Meyer
    Smith’s Food and Drug
    Fry’s Food and Drug
    King Soopers

If you recently filled your prescriptions at a Kroger family pharmacy, you must move to a TRICARE in-network pharmacy before Jan. 1, 2023. You can use Find a Pharmacy to search by ZIP code for a new, in-network pharmacy in your area. Please note, you may still see Kroger family pharmacies listed in the Find a Pharmacy tool before Jan. 1, 2023.

Nearly 90% of TRICARE beneficiaries will continue to have access to at least one retail network pharmacy within 15 minutes’ drive time or less from their location. And almost all beneficiaries will have access within 30 minutes’ drive time or less.

On or after Jan. 1, 2023, if you continue to fill your prescriptions at a Kroger family pharmacy, you’ll pay the full retail price for your prescriptions. If you do this, you can file a claim for reimbursement. Reimbursements are subject to a deductible or out-of-network cost-shares and copayments. This change applies to all prescription drugs, including specialty drugs.

1. Express Scripts will let you know—via phone, email, or text—that you have a refill coming up.
2. You’ll log in to your account or through the free Express Scripts mobile app to confirm you want your next refill. Reminders for your refill will continue until your prescription expires. Keep in mind, if you don’t approve your refill, Express Scripts can’t ship your medication.
3. When your medication is ready, Express Scripts will send it to you. If you’ve selected text as your communication preference, you can receive your order status right from your phone. You can use the mobile app to track your order while it’s processed and shipped, as well.

To update how you’d like to receive communications, once in your account, choose “Communications Preferences” from the list, and follow the instructions.

It’s easy to add a caregiver to your Express Scripts account. Just log in to your account, choose “Add a Caregiver” from the list on the left, and follow the instructions.

Read the latest information in MilitaryTimes magazine

Military retirement income for service in any United States Armed Forces branch is eligible for the exclusion. Survivor benefits are also eligible for the exclusion.

MOAA Report on Virginia taxes...
 

The above increase is dependent upon the state reaching certain revenue targets; if those targets are not met then the standard deduction will increase as follows:
- Single taxpayers’ deduction will increase from $4,500 to $7,500
- Married filing jointly deductions will increase from $9,000 to $15,000

Starting in tax year 2026, the standard deduction will revert to the amounts prior to tax year 2019, making deductions $3,000 for single taxpayers and $6,000 for married filing jointly.
 

- Single taxpayers may receive up to $250
- Married filing jointly may receive up to $500

The payments will be paid as follows but are subject to debt offset collection for outstanding debts: 

- If you filed before July 1st, 2022, please expect your payment by October 17th, 2022. 
- If you filed after July 1st, 2022, please expect your payment within 4 months of filing. 

Your rebate should arrive in the same way as your annual tax refunds. Direct deposit taxpayers should see a “VATXREBATE” item memo, while all other taxpayers may expect a paper check via USPS. 

Check if you will receive a rebate...
 

Above are Captain Loren Heckelman, USN (Ret.), chapter President and Treasurer; Colonel Jim Edge, USA (Ret.), former chapter President and Personal Affairs chair; Colonel Jack Hilgers, USMC (Ret.), chapter board member and assistant Legislative Affairs chair; and Captain Andy Baan, USN (Ret.), 2nd Vice President and Legislative Affairs chair.  Not pictured but also in attendance was CDR John Uhrin, USN (Ret.), board director and chapter MEDAC representative.

As a result of these additional closures, walk-in customers may experience longer wait times.  It is highly recommended that you schedule an appointment for ID Card and/or DEERS service at a local area RAPIDS/DEERS ID Card office using the following link: https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco/

MOAA’s Director of Government Relations for Health Affairs reports on the importance of protecting the benefit for current Medicare-eligible retirees as well as future generations of TFL enrollees.

Over the course of the last six months, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun processing service-connected disability claims for six new presumptive conditions related to environmental exposures during military service. 

In May 2021, VA started implementing provisions of the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), adding bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinsonism to the list of medical conditions presumptively associated with exposure to Agent Orange. A few months later VA added asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis (to include rhinosinusitis) on a presumptive basis based on particulate matter exposures during military service in Southwest Asia and certain other areas. 

Any Veteran who was previously denied service-connection for any of these six conditions but had symptoms manifest within 10 years of military service would need to file a supplemental claim. Be sure to use VA Form 20-0995, Decision Review Request: Supplemental Claim when filing. The claim form should include the name of the condition and specify that the condition is being claimed due to in-service exposure to environmental hazards. 

VA is committed to assisting Veterans who may have been exposed to hazardous materials during their military service. 

Be sure to stay plugged in to www.va.gov for the most recent developments around environmental exposures during military service, as VA is constantly conducting research and surveillance as well as reviewing scientific literature for conditions that may be related to exposure during military service. 

For more information about VA benefits and eligibility, or how to file a claim, Veterans and survivors can visit VA’s website at www.va.gov or call toll-free at 1-800-827-1000. 

If your prescriptions are sent electronically by your outside civilian provider to Boone, Oceana and Norfolk pharmacies, they must now be processed in person. Refills must still be activated through AudioCare at (757) 953-6337.  The last day to use the Navy Pharmacy Call Center (servicing Boone, Oceana, and Norfolk) is July 31.  (See attached flyer for additional information.) 

If you are interested in volunteering, please email 
Bob Armour at  bobpetraarmour@cox.net

Please let Bob know your name, cell #, email address and which days in the week you are most likely to be available.  Once we know how many volunteers we have, we will contact the Food Bank Volunteer Coordinator.  He should be able to assign us a date several weeks in advance.  We would like to get more than 20 volunteers as we will want to have extra “standby volunteers” in case a primary volunteer has a last-minute emergency.   Contact Bob if you have questions or suggestions.  If there is enough interest, we will attempt to provide teams to the Food Bank on a regular basis.

Congress enacted changes to the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) that will eventually eliminate the offset for surviving spouses who are also receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The changes will take place in three phases.

• January 1, 2021 begins the first phase.  In 2021, surviving spouse SBP annuity payments issued by DFAS will be reduced (offset) by no more than two-thirds of the amount of DIC (issued by the VA) rather than by the entire amount of DIC, even though eligible surviving spouses will continue to receive the full amount of DIC from the VA.
• Beginning January 1, 2022, the second phase, surviving spouse SBP annuity payments will be reduced (offset) by no more than one-third of the amount of DIC (issued by the VA) rather than by the entire amount of DIC, even though eligible surviving spouses will continue to receive the full amount of DIC from the VA.
• On January 1, 2023, the SBP-DIC offset will be fully eliminated.  That means, beginning in 2023, SBP payments will no longer be offset by DIC.

For more details and frequently asked questions, see the DFAS special SBP-DIC News webpage: http://go.usa.gov/xGfqd

In addition, the December 2020 issue of Military Officer magazine has an article on page 28 outlining the phase-out plan.