The Department of Defense announced Tuesday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Chief Warrant Officer Rodney A. Jarvis, 34, of Akron, Ohio, died July 13 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 46th Engineer Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Polk, La.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
16 July 2009
15 July 2009
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Pedro A. Barbozaflores, 27, of Glendale, Calif., and Master Sgt. Jerome D. Hatfield, 36, of Axton, Va., died July 11 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. They were assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Lance Cpl. Pedro A. Barbozaflores, 27, of Glendale, Calif., and Master Sgt. Jerome D. Hatfield, 36, of Axton, Va., died July 11 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. They were assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
14 July 2009
TriServ Likely to Protest Decision
/PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Defense has selected United Health Military & Veterans Services, LLC to serve as the TRICARE provider for the South Region. This decision comes at the completion of a process that has gone on for well over a year.
After a Wednesday debriefing from the TRICARE Management Activity, TriServ will review all available information and likely file a formal bid protest with the government in an effort to reverse the Defense Department's decision.
"It is difficult to understand the logic of the process that brought the Department of Defense to this conclusion." Charlie Abell, TriServ's CEO said, "The robustness of our provider network and our competitive pricing proposal, combined with the excellent past performance of our owner companies makes our loss very hard to accept. We remain hopeful that the decision will be reversed and the contract awarded to TriServ, thereby protecting the military beneficiary's access to the highest quality, most affordable health care."
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After a Wednesday debriefing from the TRICARE Management Activity, TriServ will review all available information and likely file a formal bid protest with the government in an effort to reverse the Defense Department's decision.
"It is difficult to understand the logic of the process that brought the Department of Defense to this conclusion." Charlie Abell, TriServ's CEO said, "The robustness of our provider network and our competitive pricing proposal, combined with the excellent past performance of our owner companies makes our loss very hard to accept. We remain hopeful that the decision will be reversed and the contract awarded to TriServ, thereby protecting the military beneficiary's access to the highest quality, most affordable health care."
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Court-Martial Appeals Would Change Under New Bill
24-7 - A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee is considering a military justice bill that would allow service members to appeal court-martial convictions to the Supreme Court. Current law limits the right to appeal for military members, giving them what critics charge are fewer rights than those accorded to illegal immigrants or enemy combatants.
The Equal Justice for Our Military Act of 2009 (HR 569) was passed by the House last year by voice vote but never made it through the Senate. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., reintroduced the bill this year. Davis chairs the House Armed Services Committee's military personnel panel.
Davis says the current appeals limits for GIs denies them the right to direct appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, an avenue open to civilians, immigrants and enemy combatants.
The bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wis.).
Supporters of the bill have stressed that the fears that financial costs to the military would be exorbitant are unjustified. They argue that the high court takes few cases and that, regardless of possible legal fees, rights shouldn't have price tags attached.
Estimates of the costs of a court-martial appeal range from $30,000 to $1 million per appeal, an expense the Pentagon would likely bear because most GIs convicted in court-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice use military lawyers for appeals.
Critics of current law argue that service members possess the same rights to due process and equal protection of the law as citizens and lawful immigrants, but that access to those rights is unfairly restricted.
While GIs can appeal cases to the Supreme Court, the technical demands placed on their appeals -- hurdles civilians don't have to clear -- effectively eliminate the possibility of the highest court in the land ever reviewing their cases. The Military Justice Act of 1983 enabled the Appeals Court and Solicitor General to each unilaterally limit the military appeals that could be presented for review to the Supreme Court.
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers also backs the Equal Justice for Our Military Act.
Article provided by National Military Justice Group
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The Equal Justice for Our Military Act of 2009 (HR 569) was passed by the House last year by voice vote but never made it through the Senate. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., reintroduced the bill this year. Davis chairs the House Armed Services Committee's military personnel panel.
Davis says the current appeals limits for GIs denies them the right to direct appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, an avenue open to civilians, immigrants and enemy combatants.
The bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wis.).
Supporters of the bill have stressed that the fears that financial costs to the military would be exorbitant are unjustified. They argue that the high court takes few cases and that, regardless of possible legal fees, rights shouldn't have price tags attached.
Estimates of the costs of a court-martial appeal range from $30,000 to $1 million per appeal, an expense the Pentagon would likely bear because most GIs convicted in court-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice use military lawyers for appeals.
Critics of current law argue that service members possess the same rights to due process and equal protection of the law as citizens and lawful immigrants, but that access to those rights is unfairly restricted.
While GIs can appeal cases to the Supreme Court, the technical demands placed on their appeals -- hurdles civilians don't have to clear -- effectively eliminate the possibility of the highest court in the land ever reviewing their cases. The Military Justice Act of 1983 enabled the Appeals Court and Solicitor General to each unilaterally limit the military appeals that could be presented for review to the Supreme Court.
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers also backs the Equal Justice for Our Military Act.
Article provided by National Military Justice Group
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Department of Defense Announces Awards for Third Generation of TRICARE Contracts
(BUSINESS WIRE)--Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) announced today that it has received word from the Department of Defense (DoD) that the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Humana Military Healthcare Services was not awarded the third generation TRICARE program contract for the South Region.
Under its existing TRICARE contract, Humana Military provides managed care services supporting the DoD’s delivery of health benefits to approximately 2.9 million active duty service men and women, their dependents, as well as retired service members and their families in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. That contract is currently set to expire on March 31, 2010.
“Humana Military is disappointed with the decision by the Department of Defense and looks forward to obtaining further clarity via a debriefing on the bidding process,” said Dave Baker, president and CEO of Humana Military. “Our company will evaluate its strategic options with respect to the government’s decision, including protesting the award, and will act expeditiously to best position Humana for continued success.”
Due to the complexities of the bid award and protest processes, the company can not yet anticipate what impact, if any, the loss of the TRICARE contract may have upon its earnings for the year ended December 31, 2009.
Cautionary Statement
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in investor presentations, press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, and in oral statements made by or with the approval of one of our executive officers, the words or phrases like “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “likely will result,” “estimates,” “projects” or variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, among other things, information set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of our SEC filings, a summary of which includes but is not limited to the following:
* If Humana does not design and price its products properly and competitively, if the premiums Humana charges are insufficient to cover the cost of health care services delivered to its members, or if its estimates of benefits payable or future policy benefits payable based upon its estimates of future benefit claims are inadequate, Humana’s profitability could be materially adversely affected. Humana estimates the costs of its benefit expense payments, and designs and prices its products accordingly, using actuarial methods and assumptions based upon, among other relevant factors, claim payment patterns, medical cost inflation, and historical developments such as claim inventory levels and claim receipt patterns. These estimates, however, involve extensive judgment, and have considerable inherent variability that is extremely sensitive to payment patterns and medical cost trends.
* If Humana fails to effectively implement its operational and strategic initiatives, including its Medicare initiatives, the company’s business could be materially adversely affected.
* If Humana fails to properly maintain the integrity of its data, to strategically implement new information systems, or to protect Humana’s proprietary rights to its systems, the company’s business could be materially adversely affected.
* Humana is involved in various legal actions, which, if resolved unfavorably to Humana, could result in substantial monetary damages. Increased litigation and negative publicity could increase the company’s cost of doing business.
* As a government contractor, Humana is exposed to additional risks including reimbursement and payment changes that could adversely affect its business or its willingness to participate in government health care programs.
* Humana’s industry is currently subject to substantial government regulation, which along with possible increased governmental regulation or legislative change, could increase Humana’s cost of doing business and could adversely affect the company’s profitability.
* Humana is also subject to potential changes in the political environment that can affect public policy and can adversely affect the markets for its products.
* Any failure to manage administrative costs could hamper Humana’s profitability.
* Any failure by Humana to manage acquisitions and other significant transactions successfully could have a material adverse effect on its financial results, business and prospects.
* If Humana fails to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with the providers of care to its members, the company’s business could be adversely affected.
* Humana’s mail order pharmacy business is highly competitive and subjects it to regulations in addition to those the company faces with its core health benefits businesses.
* Humana’s ability to obtain funds from its subsidiaries is restricted by state insurance regulations.
* Downgrades in Humana’s debt ratings, should they occur, may adversely affect its cost and availability of funds.
* Extreme volatility and disruption in the securities and credit markets may adversely affect Humana’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
* Changes in economic conditions could adversely affect Humana’s business and results of operations.
* Given the current economic climate, Humana’s stock and the stock of other companies in the insurance industry may be increasingly subject to stock price and trading volume volatility.
In making forward-looking statements, Humana is not undertaking to address or update them in future filings or communications regarding its business or results. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed herein may or may not occur. There also may be other risks that we are unable to predict at this time. Any of these risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements.
Humana advises investors to read the following documents as filed by the company with the SEC for further discussion both of the risks it faces and its historical performance:
* Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008;
* Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009;
* Form 8-Ks filed during 2009.
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Under its existing TRICARE contract, Humana Military provides managed care services supporting the DoD’s delivery of health benefits to approximately 2.9 million active duty service men and women, their dependents, as well as retired service members and their families in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. That contract is currently set to expire on March 31, 2010.
“Humana Military is disappointed with the decision by the Department of Defense and looks forward to obtaining further clarity via a debriefing on the bidding process,” said Dave Baker, president and CEO of Humana Military. “Our company will evaluate its strategic options with respect to the government’s decision, including protesting the award, and will act expeditiously to best position Humana for continued success.”
Due to the complexities of the bid award and protest processes, the company can not yet anticipate what impact, if any, the loss of the TRICARE contract may have upon its earnings for the year ended December 31, 2009.
Cautionary Statement
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in investor presentations, press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, and in oral statements made by or with the approval of one of our executive officers, the words or phrases like “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “likely will result,” “estimates,” “projects” or variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, among other things, information set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of our SEC filings, a summary of which includes but is not limited to the following:
* If Humana does not design and price its products properly and competitively, if the premiums Humana charges are insufficient to cover the cost of health care services delivered to its members, or if its estimates of benefits payable or future policy benefits payable based upon its estimates of future benefit claims are inadequate, Humana’s profitability could be materially adversely affected. Humana estimates the costs of its benefit expense payments, and designs and prices its products accordingly, using actuarial methods and assumptions based upon, among other relevant factors, claim payment patterns, medical cost inflation, and historical developments such as claim inventory levels and claim receipt patterns. These estimates, however, involve extensive judgment, and have considerable inherent variability that is extremely sensitive to payment patterns and medical cost trends.
* If Humana fails to effectively implement its operational and strategic initiatives, including its Medicare initiatives, the company’s business could be materially adversely affected.
* If Humana fails to properly maintain the integrity of its data, to strategically implement new information systems, or to protect Humana’s proprietary rights to its systems, the company’s business could be materially adversely affected.
* Humana is involved in various legal actions, which, if resolved unfavorably to Humana, could result in substantial monetary damages. Increased litigation and negative publicity could increase the company’s cost of doing business.
* As a government contractor, Humana is exposed to additional risks including reimbursement and payment changes that could adversely affect its business or its willingness to participate in government health care programs.
* Humana’s industry is currently subject to substantial government regulation, which along with possible increased governmental regulation or legislative change, could increase Humana’s cost of doing business and could adversely affect the company’s profitability.
* Humana is also subject to potential changes in the political environment that can affect public policy and can adversely affect the markets for its products.
* Any failure to manage administrative costs could hamper Humana’s profitability.
* Any failure by Humana to manage acquisitions and other significant transactions successfully could have a material adverse effect on its financial results, business and prospects.
* If Humana fails to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with the providers of care to its members, the company’s business could be adversely affected.
* Humana’s mail order pharmacy business is highly competitive and subjects it to regulations in addition to those the company faces with its core health benefits businesses.
* Humana’s ability to obtain funds from its subsidiaries is restricted by state insurance regulations.
* Downgrades in Humana’s debt ratings, should they occur, may adversely affect its cost and availability of funds.
* Extreme volatility and disruption in the securities and credit markets may adversely affect Humana’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
* Changes in economic conditions could adversely affect Humana’s business and results of operations.
* Given the current economic climate, Humana’s stock and the stock of other companies in the insurance industry may be increasingly subject to stock price and trading volume volatility.
In making forward-looking statements, Humana is not undertaking to address or update them in future filings or communications regarding its business or results. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed herein may or may not occur. There also may be other risks that we are unable to predict at this time. Any of these risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements.
Humana advises investors to read the following documents as filed by the company with the SEC for further discussion both of the risks it faces and its historical performance:
* Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008;
* Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009;
* Form 8-Ks filed during 2009.
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12 July 2009
Chambliss, Isakson Co-Sponsor Legislation to Ensure Counting of Overseas Military Ballots
U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today announced that they are co-sponsoring legislation to ensure that all ballots cast by U.S. troops overseas are counted in elections.
The Military and Overseas Voters Empowerment Act (“MOVE Act”) requires all states to provide military voters with ballots no later than 45 days before an election. It also requires states to institute and maintain an electronic and fax system for sending voter registration applications and absentee ballot applications.
The bill addresses problems military and overseas voters face in registering to vote from outside the United States and it bars states from rejecting military ballots for lack of a notary signature, which can be difficult to obtain on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Of the 992,000 military and overseas absentee ballots requested for the 2006 election, more than 660,000 never reached election officials,” said Chambliss, the bill’s lead Republican sponsor and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “This is simply unacceptable. Our military men and women serving overseas to defend and promote our national values at very least deserve to participate in the electoral process.”
“Our men and women serving overseas are deployed in defense of freedom and democracy,” said Isakson. “It is imperative that we do everything in our power to ensure they are able to participate in our nation’s democratic process.”
The Military and Overseas Voters Empowerment Act (“MOVE Act”) requires all states to provide military voters with ballots no later than 45 days before an election. It also requires states to institute and maintain an electronic and fax system for sending voter registration applications and absentee ballot applications.
The bill addresses problems military and overseas voters face in registering to vote from outside the United States and it bars states from rejecting military ballots for lack of a notary signature, which can be difficult to obtain on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Of the 992,000 military and overseas absentee ballots requested for the 2006 election, more than 660,000 never reached election officials,” said Chambliss, the bill’s lead Republican sponsor and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “This is simply unacceptable. Our military men and women serving overseas to defend and promote our national values at very least deserve to participate in the electoral process.”
“Our men and women serving overseas are deployed in defense of freedom and democracy,” said Isakson. “It is imperative that we do everything in our power to ensure they are able to participate in our nation’s democratic process.”
10 July 2009
Pelosi Statement on House Passage of Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act
/PRNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on House passage of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, which will provide critical funding for veterans' health services and the construction of key facilities for training and housing our military. The bill passed today in the House by a vote of 415 to 3.
"Ensuring that the needs of our veterans are met is a top priority of this Congress. We honor their service and sacrifice by investing in health care for those who have worn our nation's uniform and the construction of key facilities for training and housing our military.
"With passage of this bill, the New Direction Congress has provided a 58 percent increase in funding for veterans' health care and benefits since January 2007.
"I am pleased that this legislation also includes advance appropriations for 2011. This ensures timely and predictable funding for the veterans' health care initiatives upon which so many Americans depend.
"Just last weekend, on July 4th, we celebrated the freedom that is uniquely available to us as Americans. Today we have honored our troops and our veterans who ensure this freedom with real investments in their well-being."
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"Ensuring that the needs of our veterans are met is a top priority of this Congress. We honor their service and sacrifice by investing in health care for those who have worn our nation's uniform and the construction of key facilities for training and housing our military.
"With passage of this bill, the New Direction Congress has provided a 58 percent increase in funding for veterans' health care and benefits since January 2007.
"I am pleased that this legislation also includes advance appropriations for 2011. This ensures timely and predictable funding for the veterans' health care initiatives upon which so many Americans depend.
"Just last weekend, on July 4th, we celebrated the freedom that is uniquely available to us as Americans. Today we have honored our troops and our veterans who ensure this freedom with real investments in their well-being."
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06 July 2009
VA Secretary Announces Opening Alabama National Cemetery
/PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officially opened its 129th national cemetery June 25 with the first burials at Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo.
"With the opening of this new national shrine, many thousands of Alabama Veterans and their families will have a no-cost burial option nearby, in a setting that is worthy of their service," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "Providing lasting tributes to their sacrifice is one of VA's most honorable missions, one we are proud to fulfill."
The new 479-acre national cemetery in the Birmingham area will serve Veterans' needs for at least the next 50 years. The cemetery is located on State Highway 119, 15 miles south of Birmingham, just north of the town of Montevallo and west of Interstate Highway 65.
In October 2008, VA awarded a construction contract for $3.7 million to BSI Contracting Inc., a service-disabled, Veteran-owned small business in Birmingham, to develop a small burial area. That 12.7-acre section, with 1,095 casket gravesites and nearly 1,000 in-ground cremation sites, will provide approximately two years of burials, enabling VA to begin providing services while the remainder of the cemetery's larger first phase of development is completed.
When complete, the first phase will consist of approximately 45 developed acres with more than 6,000 additional gravesites and 2,700 columbarium niches, as well as facilities needed to operate and to provide burials for approximately 10 years. The new cemetery will include an administration and public information center complex, including an electronic gravesite locator and public restrooms, a maintenance building, an entrance area, a flag assembly area, a memorial walkway and two committal shelters for funeral services. Other infrastructure elements include roadways, landscaping, utilities and irrigation.
The new cemetery serves approximately 200,000 veterans in the region and will be the third national cemetery in Alabama. The state's other national cemeteries are in Seale and Mobile.
Veterans with a discharge issued under conditions other than dishonorable, their spouses and eligible dependent children can be buried in a VA national cemetery. Other burial benefits available for all eligible veterans, regardless whether they are buried in a national cemetery or a private cemetery, include a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate and a government headstone or marker. Families of eligible decedents may also order a memorial headstone or marker when remains are not available for interment.
In the midst of the largest expansion since the Civil War, VA operates 130 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and 33 soldiers' lots and monument sites. More than three million Americans, including veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in VA's national cemeteries on nearly 18,000 acres of land.
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"With the opening of this new national shrine, many thousands of Alabama Veterans and their families will have a no-cost burial option nearby, in a setting that is worthy of their service," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "Providing lasting tributes to their sacrifice is one of VA's most honorable missions, one we are proud to fulfill."
The new 479-acre national cemetery in the Birmingham area will serve Veterans' needs for at least the next 50 years. The cemetery is located on State Highway 119, 15 miles south of Birmingham, just north of the town of Montevallo and west of Interstate Highway 65.
In October 2008, VA awarded a construction contract for $3.7 million to BSI Contracting Inc., a service-disabled, Veteran-owned small business in Birmingham, to develop a small burial area. That 12.7-acre section, with 1,095 casket gravesites and nearly 1,000 in-ground cremation sites, will provide approximately two years of burials, enabling VA to begin providing services while the remainder of the cemetery's larger first phase of development is completed.
When complete, the first phase will consist of approximately 45 developed acres with more than 6,000 additional gravesites and 2,700 columbarium niches, as well as facilities needed to operate and to provide burials for approximately 10 years. The new cemetery will include an administration and public information center complex, including an electronic gravesite locator and public restrooms, a maintenance building, an entrance area, a flag assembly area, a memorial walkway and two committal shelters for funeral services. Other infrastructure elements include roadways, landscaping, utilities and irrigation.
The new cemetery serves approximately 200,000 veterans in the region and will be the third national cemetery in Alabama. The state's other national cemeteries are in Seale and Mobile.
Veterans with a discharge issued under conditions other than dishonorable, their spouses and eligible dependent children can be buried in a VA national cemetery. Other burial benefits available for all eligible veterans, regardless whether they are buried in a national cemetery or a private cemetery, include a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate and a government headstone or marker. Families of eligible decedents may also order a memorial headstone or marker when remains are not available for interment.
In the midst of the largest expansion since the Civil War, VA operates 130 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and 33 soldiers' lots and monument sites. More than three million Americans, including veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in VA's national cemeteries on nearly 18,000 acres of land.
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03 July 2009
Keeping Faith with Those Who Serve
/PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of the anniversary of our nation's founding, Lt. General Claudia Kennedy and Col. Don Fowler, Co-Chairs of the Democratic National Committee's Veterans and Military Families Council released the following statement lauding the efforts of the President and Democratic Congress to support our veterans:
"On the week of the anniversary of the birth of the United States, the President enacted into law the 2009 supplemental appropriations bill which extends new benefits to those Americans who, like their ancestors of 1776, have voluntarily put their lives on the line to protect the American people.
"The men and women serving in the armed forces of the United States deserve access to the highest quality health care facilities and mental health programs available to help with their transition to civilian life. The President's budget request includes the largest increase to veterans funding in 30 years, building on recent efforts to modernize veterans hospitals and facilities and improve care for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.
"And the historic benefits provided by the New GI Bill, which ensures a bright future for our warriors returning to a civilian life, will now be available to the children of those who have lost their lives in active duty."
After September 11, 2001, tens of thousands of Americans answered the call of duty and signed up to serve their country. Since then, under the Bush administration's stop-loss policy, they have been asked to serve double and triple tours of duty - putting a huge emotional and financial burden on service members and their families. As enacted by the President and Democratic Congress, the supplemental compensates those veterans who were asked to bear the extra burden by providing a $500 allowance for every month served under stop-loss orders since September, 10, 2001.
The bill also includes important provisions to support family members of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and lost their life in service to their country. The Fry Scholarship, a new benefit included in the bill, provides extended GI Bill of Rights college education benefits for children of service members who die in active duty.
To support military families, the bill also provides $1.8 billion for defense health programs that provide family counseling and traumatic brain injury and psychological health research. The bill supports the construction of nine wounded warrior support complexes to help wounded soldiers recover and invests $488 million in military hospital construction, as well as investments to complete construction at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
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"On the week of the anniversary of the birth of the United States, the President enacted into law the 2009 supplemental appropriations bill which extends new benefits to those Americans who, like their ancestors of 1776, have voluntarily put their lives on the line to protect the American people.
"The men and women serving in the armed forces of the United States deserve access to the highest quality health care facilities and mental health programs available to help with their transition to civilian life. The President's budget request includes the largest increase to veterans funding in 30 years, building on recent efforts to modernize veterans hospitals and facilities and improve care for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.
"And the historic benefits provided by the New GI Bill, which ensures a bright future for our warriors returning to a civilian life, will now be available to the children of those who have lost their lives in active duty."
After September 11, 2001, tens of thousands of Americans answered the call of duty and signed up to serve their country. Since then, under the Bush administration's stop-loss policy, they have been asked to serve double and triple tours of duty - putting a huge emotional and financial burden on service members and their families. As enacted by the President and Democratic Congress, the supplemental compensates those veterans who were asked to bear the extra burden by providing a $500 allowance for every month served under stop-loss orders since September, 10, 2001.
The bill also includes important provisions to support family members of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and lost their life in service to their country. The Fry Scholarship, a new benefit included in the bill, provides extended GI Bill of Rights college education benefits for children of service members who die in active duty.
To support military families, the bill also provides $1.8 billion for defense health programs that provide family counseling and traumatic brain injury and psychological health research. The bill supports the construction of nine wounded warrior support complexes to help wounded soldiers recover and invests $488 million in military hospital construction, as well as investments to complete construction at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
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01 July 2009
Gates Plan May Be Beginning of the End of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
/PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of yesterday's unexpected Pentagon announcement about gays in the military, experts say the "don't ask, don't tell" policy may be on the brink of irreversible change that would speed up its demise. After speaking with President Obama last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked military lawyers to explore how to modify enforcement of the policy in ways that are "more flexible until the law is changed." The President Monday reiterated his intention to end discrimination against gay troops, saying he is working with Congress and the military to do so.
Christopher Neff, political director of the Palm Center, said the remarks by Secretary Gates marked the first time the Defense Secretary has made clear that the Pentagon is onboard with the President's determination to lift the ban. "'Don't ask, don't tell' is a package -- both a law and a policy -- that hasn't been penetrated for fifteen years," Neff said. "This is a crack in humpty dumpty, and it gets the ball rolling for a political solution since it gives cover to lawmakers who have been waiting for a nod from the Pentagon."
Neff said that even a small change in how "don't ask, don't tell" is enforced could represent a seismic political shift, even if it does not have a substantial operational impact on most gay troops, who would still be subject to discharge. If the military stops applying certain provisions of the policy, as Gates says it is considering, it would send a signal to Congress about the inevitability of change. "That's why executive action is the key to unlocking the political stalemate," said Neff. "Even the statements themselves, although they do await follow-up action, have changed the political landscape."
Last month, the Palm Center published a report which outlined several legal and political rationales for executive branch discretion in regulating, and even halting, discharges provided for by federal statute. One of those rationales is closely linked to the new review announced by Secretary Gates. According to the Palm Center study, "the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy itself, as codified by Congress, also grants authority to the Department of Defense to determine the procedures under which investigations, separation proceedings, and other personnel actions under the authority of 10 U.S.C. Section 654 will be carried out ... The Secretary of Defense has discretion to determine the specific manner in which 'don't ask, don't tell' will be implemented." Prior to the release of the Palm Center's report, most observers had assumed that only Congress or the federal courts end the firings of gay troops.
Amidst mounting public pressure, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said this week that he thought "don't ask, don't tell" would be repealed by the end of the President's first term. Nathaniel Frank, senior research fellow at the Palm Center, said this week's developments were politically significant. "Serious discussions have been launched by the President himself," said Frank. "Obama has said this is a failed policy that harms national security, so these measures are not just fixes, but may be the beginning of the end." Frank added that any regulatory changes that fall short of halting all discharges will be "window-dressing," but he focused on the implications for further political change. "This means the hot potato party may finally be over, as the President understands where the buck stops."
In the wake of this week's developments, the Palm Center announced that it is preparing a more extensive legal analysis of administrative options for relaxing the application of certain provisions of "don't ask, don't tell." Neff said that the Defense Department should invite public input as the rules are re-drafted, which would be consistent with past processes when military regulations have been changed. "This review should be no different," he said.
Organizations and individuals who have endorsed or endorsed consideration of the use of executive action based on the legal theories outlined in the Palm Center's study include Secretary Gates, 77 members of Congress, the New York Times editorial page, Center for American Progress, Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Hendrik Hertzberg of the New Yorker, the political consultant Robert Shrum, and former White House aide Richard Socarides.
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Christopher Neff, political director of the Palm Center, said the remarks by Secretary Gates marked the first time the Defense Secretary has made clear that the Pentagon is onboard with the President's determination to lift the ban. "'Don't ask, don't tell' is a package -- both a law and a policy -- that hasn't been penetrated for fifteen years," Neff said. "This is a crack in humpty dumpty, and it gets the ball rolling for a political solution since it gives cover to lawmakers who have been waiting for a nod from the Pentagon."
Neff said that even a small change in how "don't ask, don't tell" is enforced could represent a seismic political shift, even if it does not have a substantial operational impact on most gay troops, who would still be subject to discharge. If the military stops applying certain provisions of the policy, as Gates says it is considering, it would send a signal to Congress about the inevitability of change. "That's why executive action is the key to unlocking the political stalemate," said Neff. "Even the statements themselves, although they do await follow-up action, have changed the political landscape."
Last month, the Palm Center published a report which outlined several legal and political rationales for executive branch discretion in regulating, and even halting, discharges provided for by federal statute. One of those rationales is closely linked to the new review announced by Secretary Gates. According to the Palm Center study, "the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy itself, as codified by Congress, also grants authority to the Department of Defense to determine the procedures under which investigations, separation proceedings, and other personnel actions under the authority of 10 U.S.C. Section 654 will be carried out ... The Secretary of Defense has discretion to determine the specific manner in which 'don't ask, don't tell' will be implemented." Prior to the release of the Palm Center's report, most observers had assumed that only Congress or the federal courts end the firings of gay troops.
Amidst mounting public pressure, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said this week that he thought "don't ask, don't tell" would be repealed by the end of the President's first term. Nathaniel Frank, senior research fellow at the Palm Center, said this week's developments were politically significant. "Serious discussions have been launched by the President himself," said Frank. "Obama has said this is a failed policy that harms national security, so these measures are not just fixes, but may be the beginning of the end." Frank added that any regulatory changes that fall short of halting all discharges will be "window-dressing," but he focused on the implications for further political change. "This means the hot potato party may finally be over, as the President understands where the buck stops."
In the wake of this week's developments, the Palm Center announced that it is preparing a more extensive legal analysis of administrative options for relaxing the application of certain provisions of "don't ask, don't tell." Neff said that the Defense Department should invite public input as the rules are re-drafted, which would be consistent with past processes when military regulations have been changed. "This review should be no different," he said.
Organizations and individuals who have endorsed or endorsed consideration of the use of executive action based on the legal theories outlined in the Palm Center's study include Secretary Gates, 77 members of Congress, the New York Times editorial page, Center for American Progress, Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Hendrik Hertzberg of the New Yorker, the political consultant Robert Shrum, and former White House aide Richard Socarides.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
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