rutstein retirement sends shock waves throughout the commissioned

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COA MEMBER BENEFITS Capitol Hill Representation COA efforts on Capitol Hill Continually support all Commissioned Corps officers – active, inactive reserve, and retired. Car Rental Discount - AVIS & Budget Members enjoy discount rates on Avis and Budget rentals through the COA Members Only website. Financial Services – Pentagon Federal Credit Union PenFed is an on-line credit union providing full service to members worldwide. Visit the COA Members Only website to join. Frontline COA’s newsletter reports on monthly activities and items of interest to COA members about the Corps & COA. Insurance Programs - AGIA COA enables members to participate in several low-cost insurance programs that may continue after leaving the PHS as long as your membership in COA remains current. Local Representation COA Branches generate new venues for meeting fellow officers within your local area while providing a forum for the discussion of concerns within the Commissioned Corps. Publication - Public Health Reports COA members receive a free subscription to the Public Health Reports, available at the COA Members Only website. Ribbon The COA ribbon is authorized to be worn on the PHS uniform by members in good standing when attending COA functions. Scholarship Program COA offers thousands of dollars towards college scholarships for children and spouses of COA members. legislative update NDAA Stalled as Congress Leaves Town Fate of ‘TRICARE 26’ Proposals Unclear In ordinary years and under ordinary circumstances, the dense and critically important National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would be treated as a must-pass bill, and it would have been approved by now. But this rancorous political year is not ordinary. And the NDAA, among many other bills, is stalled. In the face of a so-called wave election, Congress recessed in mid-September, not to return until November 8. Onethird of Senate seats and all House seats are up for grabs. Many first-term lawmakers, and perhaps even some longtime committee chairs, are unlikely to return in January. The House and possibly even the Senate may change hands. Even if that does not happen, the composition of Congress will change anyway because a handful of winners of special elections can claim their seats immediately, without waiting for the 112th Congress to convene in January. The pile of unfinished legislative business left behind includes much that COA cares deeply about, including Post-9/11 GI Bill transferability and DHHS appropriations, as well as the NDAA. The NDAA is important because it sets defense policy and authorizes pay and benefit levels for all active-duty and retired members of the federal uniformed services, including the PHS Commissioned Corps. The FY 2011 NDAA include an acrossthe-board pay raise of 1.9 percent. This was the President’s recommendation, which exceeds the 1.4 percent figure initially proposed by congressional leaders. The Senate version of the NDAA includes a provision that mentions the PHS Commissioned Corps by name. It would ease accession and promotion for medical students at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) who have prior commissioned service. For many uniformed services families, however, the big issue in the FY 2011 NDAA is not pay, but continued health care coverage for adult children who are about to “age out” of TRICARE. It is the issue known as TRICARE 26. I wrote about this issue earlier this year in Frontline. Since then, I have heard from dozens of concerned COA members who have kindly shared their personal and often compelling stories. COA is very grateful to all. My counterparts in The Military Coalition report a similar outpouring of interest from their members, and the result has been a renewed effort to move TRICARE 26 forward, with or without the NDAA. Both the House (HR 5136) and the Senate (S. 3454) versions of the NDAA would require TRICARE to allow parents to continue including their adult children on their own policies until their children reach age 26. Both versions would have parents pay for the extended coverage. The House provision, included in the bill (HR 5136) that passed the House on May 28, would have taken effect October 1. The Senate proposal would take effect in January. The difference would have been resolved in a House-Senate conference committee. By the end of the summer, and with no apparent opposition, the TRICARE 26 issue seemed to be safely embedded in must-pass legislation that was already half-way home. see Legislative Update on pg 7... 2 commissioned officers association
COA BRANCH PHS Officers Volunteer at Washington, DC Area Food Bank DC-COA Volunteers at the National Capital Area Food Bank On a hot and humid Saturday in July, 42 Commissioned Officers and 10 family members traveled to a warehouse in Washington, DC to volunteer at the National Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB). They sorted and packed nonperishable food items for distribution to those in need. This is not the first time Public Health Service (PHS) officers have so generously given of their time in support of the mission of the CAFB. Since 2007, more than 60 PHS officers have volunteered to sort non-perishable food items to help CAFB fulfill its mission. This event was coordinated under the auspices of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area Branch of the Commissioned Officers Association (DC-COA). LCDR Samantha Fontenelle has organized and coordinated the CAFB volunteer activity for the past several years. PHS Officers’ efforts have complimented those of other volunteers to help save the CAFB thousands of dollars each year, while having a significant impact on hunger in the DC metro area. Hunger and its Impact on Health Hunger is a significant problem for many people in the DC area. From 2006-2008, the U.S. Census estimated more than 640,000 DC area residents were at risk of being hungry, 200,000 of them being children. The recent study “Hunger in America 2010” reported that more than 478,100 people, including 224,707 children, receive emergency food each year through the CAFB and its network of 700 partner agencies. An estimated 88,400 people receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry, soup kitchen, or other agency served by the CAFB – 19,000 more than four years ago (CAFB, 2010). i People affected by hunger are not just the poor; they include working families, children, and the elderly. They must frequently choose between buying groceries and paying for their living expenses. More than 50 % of people receiving food assistance have jobs, a sobering statistic. Hunger adversely impacts public health and our communities: children who suffer from hunger have a diminished capacity to learn; adults can’t work as effectively; and seniors are more prone to illness. Ultimately, those affected daily by hunger are unable to live to their fullest potential and contribute their ideas, energy, and talents to their communities. Capital Area Food Bank’s Mission The CAFB will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, a major milestone for a program that was intended as a temporary measure. The CAFB began on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in 1980 as a response to a weak economy and cuts in the Food Stamp Program. Since opening its doors, the community’s need for the CAFB has grown tremendously as more and more residents have been impacted by hunger. Today, the CAFB is the largest, public nonprofit food and nutrition resource in the DC area. Each year, the organization distributes over 28 million pounds of food, including produce. Through a network of 700 partner agencies, including soup kitchens, homeless shelters, low-income housing communities, day care centers, elder care facilities, youth programs and faith-based organizations. Nearly 100,000 people benefit from these efforts each week. The mission of the CAFB is not only to distribute food, but to educate, empower, and enlighten the community on issues of hunger and nutrition. The CAFB also accomplishes its mission to help fight hunger in the DC metro area, through volunteer support and donations. More than 12,000 volunteers annually support the organization’s efforts, saving it over $729,000 in staffing costs. The CAFB then channels the savings back into the program to feed the community. Fighting Hunger a Positive Experience for Corps Officers The experience had a profound impact on the PHS volunteers. “I was surprised to learn how many children face hunger,” reported LCDR Melaine Shin, from the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs. “But it was great to see these volunteering activities coordinated by PHS, which provides officers an opportunity to participate in community outreach efforts. It was a very rewarding experience for me personally and I look forward to volunteering again in the near future.” Other volunteers noted the camaraderie among PHS officers working together for a common cause. “It was a great way to volunteer my time for a good cause and a wonderful way to meet other officers in the DC area,” said LTJG Samantha Spindel, from the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “I am looking forward to my first deployment so I can experience the PHS spirit, dedication, and hard work in action during a national emergency.” The spirit of PHS was on display by the officers who volunteered at the Capital Area Food Bank. They took another step in advancing the mission of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of our nation. The time spent at the CAFB not only provided a sense of personal enrichment that often comes with helping others, it also engendered a broader awareness of the sometimes seemingly invisible hunger problem in this country and its inter-relationship with public health. The DC-COA Officers expressed their thanks and gratitude to the staff of the CAFB with a coin ceremony, recognizing all that they do to help to fight hunger in the DC metro area. The Officers also expressed their continued commitment to volunteering at the CAFB and recognized LCDR Samantha Fontenelle, who has organized and coordinated this activity for the past several years. The CAFB staff and the PHS organizers thanked all the PHS Officers who volunteered and made the event a success. i Capital Area Foodbank (CAFB). 2010. Press Release – Landmark New Study Reveals 25 percent increase in Washington metro area residents seeking emergency food assistance. By LCDR Beverly Weitzman & LCDR Samantha Fontenelle Reviewers: LCDR Sara Anderson & LCDR Christine Merenda october 2010 | Frontline 3
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rutstein retirement sends shock waves throughout the commissioned

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