Ø1 TRICARE Supplement Law Clarified. Last week, DoD issued a proposed regulation that would clarify exactly what is allowed under the 2007 law that bars employers from providing TRICARE-specific incentives not to enroll in a company’s health plan

Ø2 House Steps Up on GI Bill.  A new House bill (H.R. 5740) modeled after Senator Jim Webb's Post-9/11 GI Bill (S. 22) would greatly increase educational benefits for veterans including activated members of the National Guard and Reserve forces. Another bill, H.R. 5684, also proposes big increases to the existing Montgomery GI Bill framework.

Ø3 Recruiting Report Card.  The Army is meeting its 2008 recruiting goal so far, and has met its yearly goal for the last two years. But it’s important to take a step back and analyze what past trends could mean for Army recruiting in 2008.

Ø1 Military Will Remove Social Security Numbers from Military IDs.  The Department of Defense announced this week that it plans to remove Social Security Account Numbers (SSAN) from military identification cards by the end of 2010. Instead, the cards will display only the last four digits of the SSAN.

Ø2 MOAA Storms Hill for Troops, Survivors, Retirees.  MOAA leaders and staff members teamed up to visit almost every U.S. representative’s and senator’s office this week, urging them to oppose disproportional TRICARE fee increases, fix Survivor Benefit Plan and concurrent receipt inequities, and push for a bigger military pay raise.

Ø3 MOAA and AMA Join Forces.  MOAA’s Director of Government Relations spoke at an AMA Capitol Hill press conference on April 2, opposing the 10.6% cut in Medicare and TRICARE payments to doctors scheduled to take effect on July 1.

Ø4 Veterans’ Groups: Fix VA Problems this Year.  When asked at a joint Senate and House Committees’ on Veterans Affairs hearing this week, MOAA and other veterans’ organizations told legislators they intend to hold Congress’ feet to the fire to get the VA spending bill done before October 1.

Ø5 MOAA Honors Hill Champions. On April 1, MOAA honored several legislators, congressional staff members, and private citizens for their efforts in supporting the military community.

Ø2 Top Five Member Questions. This week, we asked MOAA’s member service representatives what kinds of questions our members are asking them most frequently. Check out the answers to the top five questions on MOAA members’ minds.

Ø3 Age-62 Widow’s Tax Is History. The age-62 Social Security offset of the military’s Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) will officially end on April 1. Find out when SBP annuitants can expect the government to "show them the money."

Ø1 Reducing Copays Saves Everyone Money. A panel of Congressional, defense, health and beneficiary experts convened this week to discuss ways to encourage better use of preventive medical care. Such care has been proven to save money for health plans and improve quality of life for beneficiaries in the long run.

Ø2 As I See It: Dreaming Of Unfunded Military Personnel Requirements.  MOAA's Director of Government Relations would like to see service leaders push Congress on unfunded personnel needs as hard as they do on unfunded weapons needs.

Ø1 COLA Watch. The Consumer Price Index for the month of February jumped 0.3 percentage points over January's value.

Ø2 House, Senate Approve Budget Resolutions. This key document favors, but doesn't guarantee, fixes for TRICARE fees, Medicare payments, concurrent receipt and survivor benefits.

Ø3 QRMC: Count Retirement, Health Care in Compensation Standard. A new military pay study group says military people are well paid, especially when health and retirement benefits are included.

Ø4 Key Panel: No Health Fee Increases.  Leaders of a key House subcommittee stated their intention to oppose TRICARE fee increases for military beneficiaries, and expressed interest in finding ways to cut DoD costs without charging patients more.

Ø5 Veterans Panel Gets Earful from Families of Wounded.  At a hearing before the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, members heard from the families of wounded who said care for injured servicemembers is still confusing and fractured.

Ø1 Economic Stimulus Rebate Rules. Important information has surfaced indicating that even those who don't have taxable income will have to file with the IRS to get their rebate.

Ø2 Budget Blueprint. House - Senate budget resolutions express opposition to TRICARE fee increases but fell short of recommending how to pay the $1.2 billion price tag.

Ø3 Disability "Overhaul" Bill Introduced. A measure aimed at reforming the DoD and VA disability systems was introduced this week. The measure closely follows the recommendations of the Dole/Shalala Commission, which was established by the president in the wake of the Walter Reed scandal

Ø4 Webb Offers New GI Bill.  Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) has re-introduced a sweeping plan to increase educational benefits for Iraq - Afghanistan veterans.