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Weekly newsletter of the Fleet Reserve Association
March 30, 2018
In this issue:
Shulkin Out, Trump
Nominates Navy Admiral Doctor
DHA Briefs FRA on TRICARE Changes
New MCPOCG Selected
National Vietnam War Veterans Day
Shulkin Out at VA and
Trump Nominates Navy Admiral Doctor
President Trump has dismissed Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David Shulkin and
will nominate the presidential physician and Rear Admiral, Ronny Jackson to
replace him. Adm. Jackson has served in the White House since 2006 after
serving as an emergency physician in Iraq. Jackson must be confirmed by the
Senate. In the interim, Trump announced Robert Wilkie would serve as the acting
secretary. Wilkie now serves at the Department of Defense as Undersecretary of
Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
Shulkin's removal had been
rumored, following a scandal over a taxpayer-financed trip to Europe this past
summer. A VA Inspector General Report released this past month, criticized him
for wasteful and unethical actions during an official 10-day VA trip last
summer.
Jackson began his active duty
naval service in 1995 at Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Va. After completing
his internship program in 1996, he went on to become the honor graduate of the
Navy's Undersea Medical Officer Program in Groton, Connecticut.
In 2001, Jackson returned to
Portsmouth Naval Medical Center to begin his residency in emergency medicine,
finishing at the top of his class and receiving the Honor Graduate designation.
Upon completing his residency in 2004, he was assigned to the Emergency
Medicine Residency Program at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Va. In 2005 he
joined the 2nd Marine Logistics Group, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, in Camp
Lejeune, N.C. From there, he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
DHA Briefs FRA and Others
on Implementation of TRICARE Changes
NED Thomas Snee, NVP Bob Washington and DLP John Davis attended an MSO/VSO
Executive Advisory Council meeting with Vice Admiral Raquel Bono, Director of
the Defense Health Agency (DHA). The lead topic for the meeting was an
update on the TRICARE transition from changes mandated by FY2017 Defense
Authorization Act. Billy Maynard, President and CEO of Health Net Federal
Services (Eastern Region) and Orie Mullen, President, Humana Military (West
Region) briefed the group on how the transition is progressing in their
respective regions. Maynard estimated achieving normal performance
standards by mid-April (for more details on Western Region transition problems
go to March 2, 2018 NewsBytes).
Mullen explained his company's region increased from 10 states to 32 states,
and that Humana has hired an additional 1,000 employees to help with increased
workload. Currently, only 88 percent of enrollments are being completed within
the 10 days.
The group also received a
briefing from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on upcoming changes to
TRICARE dental and vision programs. This new insurance option is set to be
implemented on January 1, 2019. The existing TRICARE Retiree Dental Plan,
which is currently provided through Delta Dental, will expire December 31,
2018. At the briefing OPM officials explained that the new plan will be offered
and administered through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance
Program (FEDVIP).
All TRICARE retirees and their
families are eligible for both the dental insurance and the vision coverage.
Active duty military families are only eligible for the vision coverage. The
FEDVIP dental program of offerings will replace the existing TRICARE Retiree
Dental Plan, which is currently provided through Delta Dental.
The retiree dental plan and the
new addition of a vision plan will allow for beneficiaries to choose from among
several dental and vision carriers who provide a variety of benefit options. Beneficiaries
must choose a plan during TRICARE's open season (November 12, 2018 to December
10, 2018). Beneficiaries need to understand there is no automatic transition
for those currently enrolled in the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program. Changes
can only occur during open season and life changing events.
For more details on the new
dental and vision plans, go to February 2, 2018 NewsBytes. Beneficiaries are encouraged to start getting information
and pre-enrollment communications through the website
set up just for this program.
New MCPOCG Selected
Master Chief Jason Vanderhaden has been selected as the new Master Chief Petty
Officer of the Coast Guard (MCPOCG). Vanderhaden has served as Command
Master Chief, Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS) since June 2016, and
will take over from Steven Cantrell as the senior non-commissioned officer at
USCG on May 17, 2018.
In his current role as Command
Master Chief, Vanderhaden advises DCMS on strategic vision, goals and
objectives in all facets of mission support. He is responsible for mentoring
senior enlisted leaders throughout the DCMS enterprise. As MCPOCG, he will assist
in the development of policy for managing the enlisted workforce of the Coast
Guard and work closely with the Department of Defense senior enlisted
counterparts
Vanderhaden has served in the
U.S. Coast Guard since 1988 and his previous assignments include Command
Master Chief Pacific Area, Command Master Chief 13th Coast Guard District,
Command Master Chief Base Honolulu, Chief Petty Officer Academy and USCGC
Reliance.
His awards include the
Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal and the Coast Guard
Achievement Medal. He is a graduate of Class 114 of the Coast Guard Chief Petty
Officer Academy and holds a bachelor's degree from Excelsior College.
National Vietnam War
Veterans Day
In 2017, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the FRA-supported
"Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act" (S.305) sponsored by Senators
Pat Toomey (Penn.) and Joe Donnelly (Ind.). The law establishes March 29
as Vietnam Veterans Day. The date was selected because March 29, 1973, is the
date that the last combat troops were ordered out of Vietnam. The bill passed
the Senate and House unanimously. The law makes March 29 a day "The flag
should be displayed."
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