Home Legislative 2010 Legislative Agenda

FRA's 2010 Legislative Agenda

FRA will fight to preserve and enhance benefits and quality-of-life programs for active, Reserve, retired, and veterans of the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard and their families and survivors.  FRA’s legislative agenda for 2010 is listed below. 

Expand Health Care Options

Oppose Excessive TRICARE Enrollment Fee Increases - FRA believes that the Defense Department has not sufficiently investigated other options to make TRICARE more cost-efficient as alternatives to shifting costs to TRICARE beneficiaries.

Support Adequate Funding for Defense Health Program - Continue working with Congress and DoD to ensure adequate funding for the Defense Health Program in order to meet readiness needs, fully fund TRICARE, and improve access for all beneficiaries regardless of age, status or location.

Ensure Health Care Access for Reservists and Family Members – Support equitable premiums for Reservists participating in TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) and enhance awareness of this benefit.

DOD/VA Health Care Resource Sharing – Support adequate funding for Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) health care resource sharing in delivering seamless, cost effective, quality services to personnel wounded while participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, other veterans, service members, Reservists, military retirees and their families.

Expand Health Care Options for Retirees Under Age 65 - Expand health care alternatives including TRICARE Standard, TRICARE Prime Remote and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP) as options for active duty and military retirees under age 65 who do not have access to military treatment facilities.

Expand Military Retiree Access to the VA Health Care System - Support legislation expanding access to VA Hospitals and Clinics and to adopt VA Medicare Subvention. Also support opportunities to expand DOD/VA joint facilities demonstration projects and ensure that military retirees are not forced to pay for VA care or choose between DOD and VA for care.

Managed Health Care Plans - Continue to monitor current programs to ensure the availability of best care for all beneficiaries.

Pharmaceutical Drug Benefit – Continue to monitor the pharmacy benefit and ensure that the pharmacy program includes a broad uniform formulary.  FRA will support efforts to reduce prescription costs through "federal pricing" and other pricing dicsount programs. FRA will work with DoD to encourage increased utilization of mail-order prescriptions to reduce co-pays for beneficiaries and reduce costs to the program to forestall increasing fees, and co-payments.

Allow Military Retirees to Pay for Healthcare with Pretax Dollars – Allow military retirees to pay health insurance premiums on a pretax basis and to allow for a tax deduction for TRICARE supplemental insurance premiums.

Protect Personnel Programs

Active Duty Pay - Secure additional annual active duty pay increases that are at least .05% above the Employment Cost Index (ECI) along with targeted increases for mid-career and senior enlisted personnel to help close the pay gap between active duty and private sector pay.

Support Defense Budget of At Least 5 Percent of GDP – Advocate for a Defense (DoD) Budget that is at least five (5) precent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to ensure adequate funding for both people and weapons programs.

Support Bonus Payment for Stop-Loss and Extended Deployments – Support legislative efforts to provide active duty service members and Reservists additional pay for Stop-Loss and extended deployments to adequately compensate for extraordinary demands of extended military service beyond contractual obligations.

Education Enhancements - Improve education benefits for active duty personnel and family members, Reservists, and veterans, plus survivors of disabled or deceased veterans who died of a service-connected disability, were killed on active duty or while on drill status. Continue to advocate for an open enrollment period for active duty personnel who did not enroll in the Veterans Education Assistance Program (VEAP) or Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). Encourage DoD to retain schools on military installations to ensure continuation of quality education for our military personnel.

Dislocation Allowance - Work to authorize the payment of a dislocation allowance to members of the Armed Forces with at least 20 years of service, as part of their final compensation package upon retirement.

Commissaries / MWR - Oppose privatization and ensure adequate funding for the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) to preserve the value of the current benefit for all patrons, protect the exchange benefit and ensure adequate funding for MWR programs.

Active Duty and Reserve Component Personnel End Strengths – Track manpower levels to ensure there are an adequate number of personnel available to meet the demands of OIF, OEF and other operational requirements.

BAH – Enhance enlisted housing standards by allowing E-7s and above to reside in separated homes. Track the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to ensure it remains at the level of payments authorized commensurate with actual housing costs, as required by law. Ensure the housing privatization program remains favorable to military residents.

Reform of PCS Process - Track the the Families First HHG program and other improvements to the PCS process. Ensure adequate funding of the Transition and Relocation Assistance Programs, and authorization of increased PCS household goods weight limits for senior enlisted personnel.

Predatory Lending Protections  – Ensure that active duty personnel and their dependents have adequate protections against predatory lenders who target military personnel and their families.

Coast Guard Parity - Ensure parity with DoD of pay and benefits for Coast Guard personnel with adequate funding within the U.S. Coast Guard budget.

Support Full Funding for the Impact Aid Program - Ensure that the Department of Education has adequate funding to reimburse local school districts for educating military children and that the DoD budget includes sufficient funds to provide support for highly impacted school districts and the continuation of the current DoD school system by retaining the school facilities now in its inventory.

Reimbursement for Out-of-Pocket Expenses for Reservists – Allow full tax-deductibility of non-reimbursable expenses related to military training and weekend drill.

Continue to Monitor Support for Sea Services Recruiters – And work to ensure that they have unrestricted access to secondary schools, colleges and universities on the same basis as private sector employers.

Voting Reform - Continue to monitor and seek support for improved voter participation in Federal elections and expedite the military mail processing of overseas ballots.

Veterans' Issues

Monitor Benefits and Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs – Advocate for benefit enhancements for Sea Service veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Improve Funding of the Department of Veterans Affairs – Support any initiatives to help ensure timely and full funding for the VA, with special attention for VA health care to ensure access and care for all beneficiaries.

Eliminate Restrictions on Agent Orange Disability Claims – Seek to reverse the VA’s policy that prevents “blue water” military retirees and veterans from claiming disability benefits for diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange.

Oppose VA Health Care Fees for Veterans – Oppose establishing a tiered enrollment fee structure for veterans in Priority Groups 7 and 8 within the VA Health Care System.

Improve VA Claim Processing – Work to eliminate backlog of claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs and supports reform of the antiquated Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) paper claims system.

Education Enhancements - Improve education benefits for veterans, and survivors of disabled or deceased veterans who died of a service-connected disability or were killed on active duty or while on drill status.

Full Veterans Status for Reserve Retirees – Seek full veteran status for Reservists with 20 years or more of service, but do not otherwise qualify for veteran status with associated benefits under current law.

Safeguard Retiree Benefits

Concurrent Receipt of Military Retired Pay and Veterans’ Disability Compensation - Support legislation authorizing the immediate payment of concurrent receipt of full military retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation for all disabled retirees.

Reduce Age for Paid-Up SBP to 67 – Work to change the minimum age for paid-up SBP from 70 to 67, which will allow those who joined the military at age 17, 18 or 19 and served 20 years to only be required to pay SBP premiums for 30 years.

Recoupment Relief for Separated Service Members – Ensure that former service members voluntarily and involuntarily separated due to budget cuts in the 1990s that either return to active duty or join the Guard or Reserve are not required to pay back their separation pay.

Allow Retirees to Continue Contributing to TSP – Provide retirees the option of continuing to contribute to their Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) as they did when they were on active duty.

Reserve Retirement Age – Support extension of authority for reduction (90 days active duty = 3 months reduction) of retirement age for all Reservists who have served since 9/11/01.  

Retention of Final Month’s Retired Pay at Time of Death – Support legislation authorizing the retention of the full final month’s retired pay by the surviving spouse (or other designated survivor) for the month in which the member was alive for at least 24 hours.

Uniformed Services Retirement System – Oppose initiatives to "civilianize" the military retirement system in ways that reduce the value of the current retirement system and undermine long-term retention.

Base Closures – Support retention of military treatment and other facilities at BRAC sites that are patronized by sizeable retiree and Reserve populations and closely monitor the impact of closures and realignments.

USFSPA - Encourage the introduction and enactment of legislation to eliminate inequities in the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act (USFSPA).

Military Retired or Retainer Pay COLA Equity - Fight any efforts to reduce military retired or retainer pay and ensure equitable cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for all military retirees.

Armed Forces Retirement Home- Support adequate funding for the operation of the Armed Forces Retirement Home’s two facilities and continue to provide adequate care for its residents.