My Life As A Military Spouse: February 2010

Sometimes you feel like this - all day! Or maybe all week :)

Finance Updates

Banks must get consumers to agree, or "opt in," to a service covering purchases on a debit card when there is not enough money in their account

A Card Fee Still Hides in the Luggage

Stop Treating Your Dough Like Monopoly Money

H&R Block Talks MSRRA

Public college tuitions spike 15%, even 30%

MyCAA FAQs

TSP Supports Military Saves Week

Military kicks off campaign promoting financial stability

NMFA Updates

2010 Census and Military Families

The 2010 census will make its way to your mailbox in early March. With many service members deployed, military families may have questions regarding how to answer certain questions. The first question on the census is, “How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment or mobile home on April 1, 2010?” If your service member spouse is overseas, then the person receiving the questionnaire should not count the spouse that is overseas. The spouse overseas will be counted based on home of record provided by the Defense Manpower Data Center to the Census Bureau. Likewise, military families and service members living overseas will not receive a questionnaire and will be counted based on home of record provided by the Defense Manpower Data Center. If your spouse is on a military vessel with a United States homeport, then they should be counted as part of your household. If your spouse is on a military vessel from a foreign homeport, then they should not be counted as part of your household.

Military families may not necessarily be counted based on where they vote. If the service member lives in the barracks in the U.S., the service member is counted based on the barrack location. Service members and families who live either on base or off base in the U.S., but not in the barracks are counted based on the residence where they live.

Current Regional Contractors to Serve Beneficiaries through March 2011

Contract extensions issued by TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) mean current regional health care contractors, Health Net Federal Services in the North, Humana Military Healthcare Services in the South, and TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corporation in the West, will continue to provide services to beneficiaries until March 31, 2011. Transition to new regional contracts, known as “T-3,” was initially slated for completion by April 1, 2010, but formal protests filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) by two of the current contractors put transition activities on hold. Both protests were subsequently sustained by the GAO, and TMA is reevaluating the awards. In addition to the sustained protests filed by Humana and Health Net, UnitedHealth filed an agency-level protest regarding the West Region award to TriWest, which has delayed transition for the entire United States.

A formal transition period of at least 10 months will ensure that beneficiaries and stakeholders get the information they need well in advance, and will allow enough time to establish new processes and test interoperability.

The T-3 contracts announced in July of 2009 are worth an estimated $55.5 billion over the base and five option periods. Aetna Government Health Plans, Hartford, CT, was the contractor selected for the North Region, and UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services, Minnetonka, MN, was selected in the South Region, while TriWest was retained in the West Region.

Under T-3, the three-region structure in the United States and all of the TRICARE benefit options offered under the current contracts remain the same. T-3 also features incentives encouraging the regional contractors to deliver:

High quality care
Exceptional customer service
Improved preventive care
Increased electronic claims processing
Better program management
Cost savings
Detection of fraud, waste, and abuse

There are also measures to assure network provider, beneficiary and military treatment facility command satisfaction.

Budget Friendly Monday

Beach escapes that won't break the bank

Gadgets That Will Save You Money

Deal News

What are the Longest-Lasting Batteries?

The Best Stuff to Buy in February

Proctor & Gamble Coupons

My Career Advancement Accounts " temporary shutdown"

Spouse tuition aid shuts down without warning

Defense officials have abruptly shut down the My Career Advancement Accounts, a program that gives qualified military spouses up to $6,000 in tuition assistance to help them pursue portable careers.

Officials said the MyCAA shutdown is temporary, but no date has been set for resuming operations. Officials “hope to resume accepting financial assistance applications in a few months,” Defense Department spokeswoman Air Force Maj. April Cunningham said.

Cunningham said defense officials are “reviewing the software applications, financial assistance documents and overall program,” but she offered no specific details on the reason for the sudden halt and review.

“We’re reviewing it from top to bottom to ensure the program is meeting the intent established in legislation,” she said.

Meanwhile, spouses are finding out about the program shutdown at the worst time — when they are trying to request funding for classes that start within a month.

“I found out this morning when I logged in to have money sent to my school,” said Army wife Julie Thornton, who lives near Fort Gordon, Ga. Her education plan had been approved, and she had registered for two courses at Augusta State University. But the MyCAA program regulations require that spouses must wait until 30 days before classes start to request payment of funds to their schools. When Thornton called Military OneSource to ask what to do, she said, she was told that employees were informed at 4 p.m. Feb. 16 that the program was shutting down.

“I can’t use the application to get the funds for courses already approved,” Thornton said. She is taking refresher courses to get her teaching credentials up to date.

When she asked a Military OneSource consultant about what to do, she said, “I was told, ‘Can’t you apply for other financial assistance?’ Where else can I get funds in 30 days?”

Cunningham said no new or pending financial assistance accounts will be approved during the review period.

Without any formal announcement of the program’s existence, nearly 133,000 military spouses have applied for the MyCAA program since it started early last year, Cunningham said.

Currently, 98,000 are enrolled in courses or have been approved for tuition assistance.

Although the financial assistance no longer will be available, spouses can receive career counseling support at local installations and through Military OneSource, Cunningham said.

“They should have sent an e-mail to people” in the program, Thornton said, to let them know about the halt, so people could start trying to find alternate funding.

“I sent an e-mail to DoD telling them my problem is with the way they’re handling this,” Thornton said. “It’s beyond poor.”

More here.

More and more snow

A Few Updates

National Financial Capability Challenge

This March, high school teachers across the country are invited to save a class period for the, National Financial Capability Challenge an initiative by the Department of the Treasury. The Challenge is a non-monetary awards program designed to increase the financial knowledge and capability of high-school aged students. From March 15, 2010 through April 2, 2010 students can take a voluntary online exam designed to illustrate the relevance of financial capability. To learn more about the National Financial Capability Challenge, please go here.

2010 Military Saves Campaign

This should be required reading - Minding Manners

New TRICARE Standard Handbook – Get e-Version Now

TRICARE Expands Behavioral Health Care Options

Scholarship Application for Military Children Deadline Next Week

Interstate Compact Eases School Transitions

Military OneSource offers free tax filing

Lowe's Military Discount

Lowe’s military discount now year-round

Most members of the military community no longer will have to wait for a special holiday discount to buy shovels, paint, and other home improvement needs.

Home improvement retailer Lowe’s has expanded its 10 percent military discount to all day, everyday, for active-duty, National Guard and reserve, retiree and disabled service members, and their families, company officials announced Wednesday.

Those who want to receive the discount must present a valid military ID card.

All other military veterans will receive the 10 percent discount on the holiday weekends of Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day.

The discount is available on in-stock and special-order purchases of up to $5,000. It cannot be used on sales at Lowes.com, on previous sales, or on sales of services or gift cards.

“Lowe’s was founded on the heels of World War II by veterans Jim Lowe and Carl Buchan and has always been a supporter of the military,” said Larry D. Stone, Lowe’s president and chief operating officer, in a statement announcing the new policy.

“The year-round discount program is one way we are reaffirming our commitment to the thousands of men and women who are serving throughout the world, as well as their family members at home.”

Mandated H1N1 Vaccines For Some AF Children

I am not anti-vaccine, but this mandate disturbs me.

I vow....

That I will NOT watch any television or internet political ads during the 2010 election year.

They are generally nasty and I refuse to fork over any of my valuable time to watching political ads.

I will instead rely upon my ability to do research and decide for myself. The ads never sway me anyway, they simply make my blood pressure go up and make me question the honesty and integrity (mostly the lack thereof) of all involved.

How will I avoid the ads? The same way that I do now - it is called the mute button, changing the channel or fast forwarding through commercials when using my DVR.

2010 Military Child Award

The 2010 Military Child Award

Military families bear the brunt of the wars' burdens on the homefront. When parents deploy, their children soldier on without them. But they're rarely recognized for their service and sacrifice. That's why Operation Homefront created the Military Child Award -- to recognize and reward military children who set a positive example for the rest of us. The winner receives $5,000 and is flown to Washinton, D.C. for a special ceremony in his or her honor.

Click here to nominate a military child today!

Disney and Military Families

I have read over the years about the wonderful military discounts offered at Disney, but we have been unable to take advantage. Military life, life in general, caring for kids, caring for parents and grandparents - things just get in the way of a particular yet much needed and desired vacation. You know the drill, right?

This was going to be our year. Our year to take advantage of the military discounts offered at Disney World. Our 'vacation time' was to take place in October/November time frame. It was the only time of year that we could be guaranteed (well, as guaranteed as you can get in the military - cough) that my husband would not be TDY and would be able to take leave, re: vacation with his family. A real vacation, one that doesn't involve visiting family members, TDY or a PCS move.

I set out to gather up to date information on Disney's Armed Forces Salute for 2010. I am now disheartened. And truth be told, a little ticked off.

Disney is still offering military discounted tickets, but.......

....required to activate those Tickets at Walt Disney World® theme park ticket windows, no later than September 26, 2010, in order for those Tickets to be used.
Disney's 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets (including any options) expire and may not be used after September 30, 2010.

So - the tickets must be purchased by July 31, 2010, and will expire on September 30 of this year.

UGH!!!

I should not be crabby I suppose. Any offering of military discounts are wonderful. I know that many military families will take advantage of these discounts and I am happy for those families. But today I am shallow, I am self centered and ticked off. Why the date of 30 Sept? Why do they not reevaluate these discounts on a yearly basis, update the offers and offer a full calendar year? I don't get it.

Am I willing to fork over the massive amount it costs to go to Disney sans a discount. No, it isn't in the cards. So that is out.

Ok then, we won't go to Disney, we will go spend our time and money elsewhere. There are lots of things to do in the area and Disney isn't the only game in town. We will take advantage of the Hero Salute offer.

But it still ticks me off about Disney and for today I am going to be okay with and accepting of my selfishness. Tomorrow I will move beyond it. I hope :)

SurvivorBUZZ

If you have not already done so, be sure to go over and check out the SurvivorBUZZ portion of SpouseBUZZ.

It is truly worth your time.

Have You Been Through Deployment?

Are you a spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, parent or sibling of a servicemember who has been or is currently deployed? If your answer is yes, then this (portions of it, if not all of it) will likely touch you.

You are not alone within your experiences or feelings. And sometimes the best feeling in the world is to know that you are not alone.

Continue reading »