No Time To Rest

The 2014 legislative year was another hard fought campaign but once again AFSA held the line against a relentless assault on our promised benefits. The current administration and its political appointees in the DoD have sought to balance the budget on the backs of the treasured few who have volunteered to defend and secure our liberty. This is why our association is so critically important and why each of us has an obligation to recruit and retain new members because our membership strength is what matters on Capitol Hill. So what has our membership and our association accomplished together in the face of this all-out assault?

Active / Reserve Force Issues

• Repealed the annual COLA reductions established by 2013 Bipartisan Budget Act for retirees and survivors.
• Blocked a proposed $1 billion reduction in federal appropriations for the Defense Commissary Agency
• Blunted a proposed reduction of Basic Allowance for Housing for service members
• Extended COLAs protection to service members entering service through January 1, 2016
• Eliminated the Guard and Reserve retirement credit “fiscal year glitch”

Health Care Issues

• Blocked a proposed consolidation of TRICARE health programs into a single plan that would cost beneficiaries more while providing them less choice
• Prevented a 24% reduction in Medicare and TRICARE payments to doctors (“Doc Fix”)
• Blunted disproportionate pharmacy copay increase
• Blocked the adoption of means testing for TRICARE Prime and TRICARE for Life fees
• Blocked implementation of strict caps on Medicare payments for physical and speech therapy
• Secured passage of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act to reduce vet waiting times
• Established commission to look at veteran health care delivery for the 21st century
• Convinced the VA to expand primary care services through its nationwide Community Care contracts
• Expanded counseling services for victims of military sexual trauma
• Protected the US Family Health Plan (USFHP) from elimination or consolidation

Military Family / Veterans / Other Issues

• Acquired all 50 states’ ratification of the Interstate Compact on Education for Military Children easing the burden of school-age children moving from state to state
• Secured in-state tuition rates (effective July 1, 2015) for vets and authorized Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to surviving spouses
• Prevented a 1 percent reduction in the annual COLA for the Post 9/11 GI Bill’s monthly housing allowance
• Secured $30B in supplemental aid to school districts serving large military communities
• Authorized SBP annuities to be paid to Special Needs Trusts for permanently disabled children
• Secured VA advanced appropriations to protect disability, pension, survivor, and GI Bill programs
• Authorization of $1.12 million for installing Fuel Call assistance systems at military service stations

These victories are a direct result of your involvement and interactions with your elected officials. An informed electorate is the first defense against harmful cuts to our national defense. These cuts if allowed to go unchallenged would have eroded the readiness of our Air Force and had a devastating effect on our recruitment and retention efforts. As we march headlong into the 2015 legislative year we will need you to redouble your efforts and to energize those around you to get involved. The agencies that lost these legislative battles will once again come hard after our benefits and sadly they are finding allies in congress. Our mission should you choose to accept it is to counter these efforts by reminding our elected officials of the human element and how these desired cuts actually affect our families and our Air Force. Whether you are: Active Duty; Retired; Reserve; or National Guard these issues matter.

I hope that we can count on you to take action early and often so that we can continue to hold the line against the relentless assault on our benefits. Together we can accomplish great things so recruit, retain and get involved. As always, thanks for all you do for our Air Force and our beloved association.

Mark R. Clark, CMSgt, USAF, Retired, AFSA Division 3, Legislative Trustee

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