NewsBytes July 23, 2021
In this issue:
NDAA Markup Begins
EHR Implementation Delays
Military Day Care Crisis
NDAA Markup Begins
The Senate Armed Services Committee and its subcommittees started consideration of the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) behind closed doors, and as NewsBytes goes to press the text of the bill was not available. Based on discussion with staff and other sources the SASC FY2022 NDAA includes:
• No additional TRICARE fee increases;
• Active-duty annual pay increase that keeps pace with civilian pay increase (2.7 percent);
• Creating a new basic needs allowance to ensure service members do not suffer from food insecurity;
• Additional impact aid for school districts serving military children;
• Expanding Selective Service enrollment to all Americans at age 18, rather than just males; and
• Removing sexual assault investigations from the chain of command.
The Senate NDAA now goes to the full Senate for further consideration. The House Armed Services Committee and its subcommittees are scheduled to markup their version of the FY2022 NDAA next week.
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VA Delays EHR Implementation
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that it will completely overhaul their training and deployment schedule for the VAs electronic medical records modernization project, acknowledging fundamental flaws in the work so far. At a recent Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC) hearing, Chairman Jon Tester (Mont.) expressed serious concerns about the cost of the program. “I for one am fed up with the amount of taxpayer dollars we’re spending on this program without any demonstrated benefits to veterans or VA medical staff,” stated Tester
The FRA wants to ensure adequate funding for Department of Defense (DoD) and the VA health care resource sharing in delivering seamless, cost-effective, quality services to personnel wounded in combat and other veterans and their families. Some members of Congress have expressed concern about the cost and length of time to fully implement. With the cost and the long time for implementation notwithstanding, the FRA believes there is a tremendous opportunity with the two departments using the same EHR.
Crisis in Military Day Care
According to Rep. Jackie Speier (Calif.) taking care of the nation’s 1.2 million children of active-duty military personnel isn’t just a family issue, it is a matter of national security. Providing quality daycare for military families ensures that the troops can be ready to deploy at any time and be able to focus on the mission. The chair of House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee is asking for $5 billion in additional funding for Children Development Centers (CDC) on military installations. She claims that 135 CDCs are in poor or failing conditions, and 9,000 military families have kids on a waiting list for day care services. The FRA 2021 Survey of Military and Veterans Benefits indicates that 75 percent of active-duty members rate availability of childcare as very important (the highest rating).
Members are urged to use the FRA Action Center to weigh in on this issue.
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