NewsBytes August 9, 2019
In this issue:
Senate Confirms CNO Gilday
Veteran Unemployment Increases
Moving, then Update DEERS to continue TRICARE
Happy Birthday Coast Guard
Senate Confirms Gilday as CNO
The Senate recently confirmed Vice Adm. Michael Gilday as the next Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) by a unanimous vote. Gilday, the current director of the joint staff, was also promoted to a four-star admiral with the confirmation. His confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee was completed approximately 24 hours before the final vote in the Senate and less than a month after his nomination to the post.
Gilday, who has previously served as the head of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and 10th Fleet commander, was nominated for the top Navy job after the sudden retirement of Adm. Bill Moran.
Unemployment for Veterans Increases
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate for veterans increased for a second consecutive month in July, but still remained below the overall national unemployment rate.
The veteran unemployment rate increased from 3.3 percent to 3.4 percent in July. That rate had been below three percent for four consecutive months before the June estimates. Among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan war era, the unemployment rate in July was 3.6 percent, down slightly from 3.7 percent in June. The national unemployment rate remained unchanged from June at 3.7 percent.
The 3.4 percent jobless rate for veterans amounts to about 316,000 former military members looking for work last month. That number was as high as 500,000 just three years ago and topped the one million mark in 2011.
Moving? Update DEERS for Uninterrupted TRICARE Coverage
The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) wants to remind beneficiaries that if they change their location, be sure to update their information in the DEERS. Being able to use TRICARE depends on keeping DEERS up to date. DEERS is a database of active duty and retired service members, their family members and others who are eligible for TRICARE. TRICARE eligibility shows up in DEERS based on the sponsor’s status. Keeping your DEERS record up to date is the key to getting timely and effective TRICARE benefits.
FRA members should make sure that DEERS has correct, address, duty status, telephone numbers and email addresses. This is especially true after permanent change of station, or PCS, moves and anytime you experience a Qualifying Life Event (QLE). A QLE can include getting married or divorced, giving birth or retiring. Also, check out what you need to do if you are moving. Remember, DEERS needs the beneficiaries Social Security number (SSN) and the SSN of each covered family members must be included in DEERS for TRICARE coverage to be accurate.
Changing beneficiaries contact information in DEERS is easy and there are several options. Beneficiaries can make changes online, by telephone, fax, mail or in person at the nearest ID card office. You can find an office near you using the RAPID Sites Locator.
To add or remove family members, you must visit a local ID card office. To update contact information, choose one of these options:
1. Online: Log into MilConnect
2. Telephone: 1-800-538-9552 (TTY/TDD: 1-866-363-2883) or fax updates to 1-800-336-4416
3. Mail: Send updates to:
Defense Manpower Data Center Support Office
Attention: COA
400 Gigling Road
Seaside, CA 93955-6771
Only sponsors can add a family member in DEERS. Family members age 18 and older may update their own contact information.
Find more information on how to update DEERS information on the TRICARE website.
Happy Birthday Coast Guard
This week (Aug. 4, 1790) marks the 229th birthday of the U.S. Coast Guard. It was originally called the Revenue Cutter Service and was part of the U.S. Treasury Department. The name “Coast Guard” was established in 1915 and in 1967 was moved to the Department of Transportation. On February 25, 2003 it became part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
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