1. Who is eligible for the Post 9-11 GI Bill? Service men and women who have active duty service of at least 90 days since Sept. 10, 2001 qualify for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Benefits range from 100% for 36 months cumulative service to 40% for 90 days service.

2. Are military retirees and National Guard/Reserve servicemembers eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill? Yes, if they have post-Sept. 10, 2001 federal active duty service of at least 90 days.

3. Can currently serving members transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to family members? Those who qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, have six years or more of service, and agree to extend their service for four years may be eligible to transfer their benefits to a spouse and/or dependent children subject to DoD regulations. Only currently serving members who agree to reenlist/extend after August 1, 2009 will be eligible. DoD may adjust the service criteria for Post-9/11 GI Bill transferability. Critical skill criteria no longer apply to the transferability program.

4. Will veterans, including military retirees, be permitted to transfer Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to dependents? No. Post-9/11 GI Bill transferability is a force management tool that works just like a reenlistment bonus.

5. Are Service Academy/ROTC Scholarship commissioned officers eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill? Officers from these commissioning sources can qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. But, time spent satisfying their initial active duty service obligation does not count towards the service necessary to qualify for the benefits.

6. How does the Post-9/11 GI Bill compare to the current Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB)? The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays benefits based on active duty service performed after Sept. 10, 2001. Benefits are tailored to a veteran’s specific school and location. MGIB benefits, on the other hand, are elective upon enlistment and require a $1,200 payroll reduction. MGIB rates are based on the enlistment contract and the course load taken regardless of the institution’s tuition/fees and location.

[Source: MOAA Leg Up 15 Aug 08 ++]

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In a story posted earlier this month, 2009 COLA was listed at 2.8%. That was dated information provided by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and not reflective of the impact on inflation the oil crises has generated this year. The first bad news item is inflation jumped 0.5% for the month of July. The higher cost of living is primarily the result of the ripple effect (on food and other items) because of the high price of oil. The good news is that federal and postal retirees under the old CSRS retirement system, retired military people and folks who get Social Security payments are now due a JAN 08 cost of living adjustment of 6.2%. Last month the 2008 COLA had hit the 5.7% level. The second round of bad news involves retired Americans who don’t get a federal or military retirement benefit. Most of them don’t qualify for any kind of pension from their former employer. Of those that do get a pension, the rise in living costs has no effect on that benefit. The overwhelming majority of those pensions were frozen at the time of retirement.

How much the January federal-military-Social Security COLA be depends on how much living costs rise (or not) this month and again in September. The COLA is based on the change in the Consumer Price Index from the third quarter of the current year (2008) over the CPI level for the third quarter of the previous year. In this case 2007. That means if the CPI holds steady for August and September the COLA payment will be 6.2%. If the CPI goes up either or both months the COLA will increase accordingly. If the CPI should decline the COLA will be adjusted according. Meaning it could, in theory, be less than 6.2%. But there would still be an increase. If you would like to run the numbers for yourself, check out this explanation from the National Active and Retired Federal Employees NARFE website www.narfe.org/departments/leg/guest/articles.cfm?ID=942 . It also gives the projected COLA increase for employees retired under the FECA program. [Source: Mike Causey’s Federal Report 15 Aug 08 ++]

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About two dozen members and guests of the Armed Forces E9 Association, Inc. gathered at the association’s national headquarters 16 AUG to hear Mary Schantag of the P.O.W. Network of Skidmore, Mo talk about the 3,400 names they’ve confirmed as fraudulent claimants of high military medals or disabled or prisoner-of-war status, or all three. “We’ve determined that 30% of the people listed as Medal of Honor winners never received the medal,” she said. “In all, 20 to 40% of all military records showing honors or qualifications for special government assistance are fraudulent. It breaks the law to make fraudulent claims and breaks others to use them to gain benefits, but the FBI and federal courts are overloaded with drug and violent crimes, so most people get away with this.” Schantag had a roster of about 3,400 names she said the network had established were bogus medal winners, disabled veterans or former prisoners of war taped to the wall.

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If a nationwide veterans’ group gets its way, sailors and Marines who see combat would be decorated with a new Combat Action Medal, instead of the Combat Action Ribbon for which they’re currently eligible. The members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars adapted a resolution 17 AUG at their national convention in Orlando FL calling for Congress and Navy Secretary Donald Winter to create a Combat Action Medal to augment the existing ribbon. Retired Florida attorney Patrick Guarnieri, a former Seabee who served in Vietnam, drafted the resolution this winter after he realized that, of all the military services, the Navy Department’s was the only personal combat decoration without a medal or badge. He pointed to a decision by senior Air Force officials in early 2007 to create a Combat Action Medal, designed to recognize the growing numbers of airmen seeing action on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, as opposed to in the skies above. If the Pentagon is interested in keeping awards consistent across the military services — to the point that commanders changed the wording on four medals earlier this year and changed the size of eight others — it’s only fair that sailors and Marines be eligible for a combat medal, Guarnieri said. The VFW resolution calls on Congress to pass a law directing Winter to create a Combat Action Medal that would be retroactive to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Every sailor or Marine who had received a Combat Action Ribbon would be authorized to wear the medal — including Guarnieri, who said he received the CAR for action in Vietnam. [Source: NavyTimes Philip Ewing article 19 Aug 08 ++]

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Service members and federal civilian employees who drive their own cars on official business now are being reimbursed 58.5 cents per mile, an 8-cent increase, effective 1 AUG. The General Services Administration announced the increased rate to match the private business rate approved by the IRS that has been in effect since 1 JUL. GSA also increased reimbursement rates for motorcycles, from 30.5 cents to 58.5 cents per mile; and for airplanes, from $1.07 to $1.27 per mile. [Source: NavyTimes Gregg Carlstrom article 21 Aug 08 ++]

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The Tricare military health system’s 9.2 million beneficiaries now have an easy way to receive the latest newsletters and stay informed about changes in coverage, pharmacy updates and other news. Their new electronic delivery system is up and running. Tricare officials said subscribing is fast and secure by clicking on the “little red envelope” on Tricare’s Web site, www.tricare.mil. Subscribers can choose alerts by topics or beneficiary category. Delivery is safe and secure. An e-mail address is the only information collected. Subscribers also have a unique page they can manage any time and they can choose to be notified as soon as news or benefit changes are posted or get updates daily, weekly or monthly. The new subscription service also links users to similar alerts available on other Military Health System Web sites, including www.health.mil, which features MHS news and other information. Partnership subscription options with other health-related federal Web sites include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Disabilityinfo.gov. [Source: NGAUS NOTES 22 Aug 08 ++]

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On 12 JUN, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled in favor of three SBP widows who sued the government (Sharp v. The United States) to avoid any deduction of VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from their restored SBP annuities. On 11 AUG, Pentagon lawyers appealed that ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. At issue is a 2004 law (PL 108-183) that restored DIC payments to veterans’ surviving spouses who remarry after their 57th birthday. Before the law change, survivors lost DIC regardless of the age at which they remarried. The three widows claim the new law not only restored their lost VA benefit, but also prohibited deduction of DIC from SBP in such cases. When DoD initially rejected that interpretation of the new law, the widows sued. The new Pentagon appeal is one more step in a potentially long legal process that could ultimately end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. But this court case may yet prove to be one more tool in the campaign to end the unfair SBP/DIC offset for all survivors of active or retired members who die of service-caused conditions. [Source: MOAA Leg Up 22 Aug 08 ++]

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The Army, Air Force and Marine Corps announced the current number of reservists on active duty as of 27 AUG 08 in support of the partial mobilization. The net collective result is 3,789 more reservists mobilized than last reported in the Bulletin for 15 AUG 08. At any given time, services may mobilize some units and individuals while demobilizing others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty in support of the partial mobilization of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 84,721; Navy Reserve, 5,799; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 11,395; Marine Corps Reserve, 8057; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 741. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been mobilized to 106,904 including both units and individual augmentees. A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel, who are currently mobilized, can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Aug2008//d082608ngr.pdf. [Source: DoD News Release 691-08 13 Aug 08 ++]

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The following subject listing identifies respective office and/or website/telephone data for conducting veteran related business:

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GIFT POLICY FOR USA: The U.S. Army has put up a web site to facilitate donations from the public to help soldiers and their families at http://giftstoarmy.army.mil. While the army states very clearly that they are not soliciting contributions they are providing lots of information on how to make donations in 4 areas of concern: -

• Soldiers and Families (MWR);

• Wounded Warriors;

• Army Installations;

• How to Contribute.

Joyce Morrow, the administrative assistant to the Secretary of the Army, explained: “Many individuals have asked how they can help the Army. We appreciate how generous the public is and the concern they have for the welfare of our soldiers and families. We’ve developed this Web site to provide information on how to contribute money, goods or services to benefit Soldiers and their Families.” [Source: TREA Washington Update 29 Aug 08 ++]

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