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From:
Ark–La–Tex Chapter of
The Military Officers Assn. of America
P.O. Box 134
Barksdale AFB, LA 71110-0134
www.arklatexmoaa.org
Phone: 318-456-5976
POSTMASTER: Please send the change of address orders to:
MOAA, PO Box 134, Barksdale AFB, LA 71110-0134
PERIODICAL
l i t a ry O f f i c e r
i
M
e
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T
Newspaper
The monthly Newsletter for Members of the Ark-La-Tex Chapter
of The Military Officers Association of America.
MOAA is the nation’s largest and influential association
of military officers. It is an independent, non-profit, politically
nonpartisan organization.
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VOLUME 01 ISSUE 21
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1,440 Mailings
January 2015
Look for new ‘Value’ signs at BAFB Commissary
By Karen Jowers,
MilitaryTimes.com
New orange “Value” signs may help
you spot the best deal in the commissaries.
The signs highlight prices that meet
the criteria of the Defense Commissary
Agency’s “Commissary Value Brand”
program. Officials picked 300 products
across 33 categories that are competitively priced — equal to or below the
price of store brands or private label
brands of similar items in commercial
supermarkets.
These value brands offer an average
of 25 percent savings over commercial
retail stores’ private label brands, officials said. In some cases, the savings
will hit 50 percent. (This is different
from price savings over national brands
in other retail outlets, where the average
commissary savings is about 30 percent.)
That said, some items of nationally
known brands are designated as
Commissary Value Brands — such as
certain Del Monte canned items and
ketchup and selected jars of Peter Pan
peanut butter. The products are guaranteed to be on the shelves at these low
prices for at least six months. The products and prices will be re-evaluated
every six months and products will be
added or subtracted from the Value
Brand program, based on price, sales
performance and market changes.
The agency has had value brand programs for about 14 years, but they
weren’t always obvious to shoppers.
That was highlighted earlier this year
in congressional testimony, when a sen-
Ark-La-Tex Chapter
2015 Dues & Donations
2015 chapter dues not paid are delinquent
after 1 Jan 2015! If you are not sure check
your mailing label and if it reads, “2014”,
then you have not paid your dues and are
delinquent. If it reads, “2015”, then you
have paid your annual dues. Thank you!
ior defense official and some senior
enlisted advisers talked about the need
for generics or store brands in commissaries to provide more savings for customers.
That effort seemed to envision hav-
ing the commissary agency create its
own “DeCA” store brands. But retail
experts said that would require funding
for an infrastructure to develop and
manage the program and its associated
see Commissary… Page 4
Longtime editor of MOAA passes
Mary Ann Burchfield Nelson, 69, of
Bossier City, passed away on Dec. 7, 2014
at her home after a lengthy illness. She
was born Feb. 13, 1945 in Greenville, Ms.
Mary Ann was the longtime editor and
typesetter for the MOAA and Armed
Forces Retiree newspapers.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Vida Dempsey Burchfield and
Charles Phillip Burchfield Sr., her brothers, Charles Phillip Burchfield Jr. and
Edward Earl Burchfield, and her late husband Jimmy Dale Nelson Sr.
She is survived by her siblings,
Quinton Burchfield, Nelson Burchfield,
Nancy Ingram, Sherry Moffett, Phyllis
Wilkerson, Judy Danysh, Jo Kathy
Gilbreath, Raymond Paul Burchfield,
Penny
Brown,
Michael
Wayne
Burchfield, and Teri Blackmon , her children, Jimmy Dale Nelson Jr., Stephen R.
Nelson, Susan M.
Johnson and husband Tommy M.
Johnson
Sr.,
Jennifer
S.
Thomas and husband
Brandon
Thomas,
her
grandchildren,
Leslie
Bolton,
Tammi
Hall,
Mary Ann
Elizabeth Barrett, Burchfield Nelson
Tommy Johnson Jr.,
Mikaela Thedford, Madison Casabonne,
Paul Casabonne, Maycee Casabonne, her
great grandchildren, Makynzie Hall,
Gavin Bolton, Kamron Hall, Lexis
Bolton, Harly Bolton.
Her vibrant personality, wealth of selflessness, and friendly smile will be dearly missed by all.
2
January 2015
The Military Officer
Commissary…
RETIREE OFFICE
800 Kenney Avenue,
Room 24
Barksdale AFB, LA 71110
318-456-5976
318-456-4480
Fax 318-456-3520
[email protected]
website “raobafb.com”
costs, at a time when DoD is trying to
reduce the commissary budget.
By law, the commissary agency can’t
create its own official store brand like
the Wal-Mart stores’ “Great Value”
brand or the Safeway brands, or the military exchanges’ “Exchange Select”
brand. But commissaries have long carried other options as part of programs
such as “Best Value Item” and even a
previous “Commissary Value Brand”
program.
These include “control label” brands,
which fill the same role as a store brand
or private label brand for grocers without their own store brand program.
These products are sold under various
names in commissaries, such as a pri-
vate label brand of ibuprofen called
Good Sense.
Over the years, the Best Value program splintered into a variety of different forms of savings, according to
DeCA officials. This new program is an
effort to refocus, reintroduce and more
clearly define the program.
Consider the Value signs to be a visual reminder to compare prices. Specials
and promotions will go on in commissaries, so you still need to compare unit
prices — price per ounce of cereal,
price per diaper, etc.
But this new program, officials said,
is meant to point you to the consistently
lower prices.
World War II Lunch
Planned for Friday 27 Feb
DirectorCol. Steve dePyssler
Invitations will be sent to all WWII Veterans
no later than Jan 15.
Lunch will be at Hoban Hall.
ARK-LA-TEX CHAPTER OF THE MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Directors/Positions/Duties
TITLE/POSITION/DUTIES
President
Immed Past Pres/Sec
Treasurer (2002)
Secretary
1st Vice Pres (2010)
2nd Vice Pres (2014)
3rd Vice Pres
Director (2003)
Director (2014)
Director
Director (2013)
Director (1980)
Director
Director (2006)
Director (2005)
Director
NAME
Stewart Greathouse
David Jampole
Philip Blaufuss
David Lay
Kevin Smith
Bill Davis
Walt Slocombe
Henry Burns
Daniel Charchian
William Cocke
Bill Davis
Steve dePyssler
Stan Johnson
James Kendall
Ivan McKinney
Anthony Wolf
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
Casualty Assistance: Steve dePyssler
Dinner Reservations: Steve dePyssler
Finance Committee: Philip Blaufuss
Historian/Awards: 1st Vice Pres
Membership: Steve dePyssler
Newsletter: Steve dePyssler
PHONE
318-965-0990
318-949-4342
318-797-3953
318-868-5483
381-747-9621
381-935-2053
318-752-1507
318-949-9115
318-918-7755
318-797-9703
318-935-2053
318-456-5976
318-742-9639
318-965-5115
318-742-0895
318-965-2017
CELL PHONE
E-MAIL
318-347-4838
318-469-5122
318-393-0509
318-426-1221
318-272-6170
318-754-7976
319-840-6302
318-773-9069
703-268-8068
318-469-7637
318-754-7976
318-525-4920
318-455-3483
318-573-0261
318-458-9440
318-564-1667
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
WORK CONTACTS
[email protected]
318-219-5025-work
Programs & Events: 2nd Vice Pres
Roster Updated: Lt Col (Ret) John Seanor/Phone: 318-456-4480/E-Mail: [email protected]
ROTC/JROTC Coordinator: 1st Vice Pres
Scholarship/Letters To The Front: George Finck
Transition Center: 3rd Vice Pres
The Military Officer is published monthly by the Ark-La-Tex Chapter, The Military Officers Association of America, P. O. Box 134, BAFB, LA 71110. For address changes, please
mail to: Military Officers of America Association (MOAA), P.O. Box 134, BAFB, LA 71110 or email: [email protected] or fax: 318-456-3520. Annual dues are $20 (includes
$3 dues and $17 subscription). Mail article suggestions, recommendations and complaints to MOAA at the above address. This newsletter is designed to provide information in regard to subject matter covered. It is published with the understanding that the editor is NOT engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional service
and is strictly a volunteer without pay. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. The opinions
expressed are those of the editor and not of the chapter.
The Military Officer
January 2015
3
Commissary funds restored; base tobacco prices rising
By Tom Philpott
House and Senate conferees negotiating a package to fund the Department of
Defense through September 2015 have
protected commissary operations by
restoring 90 percent of a planned $100
million cut.
Once again lawmakers thwarted a
cost-saving initiative targeting military
compensation and endorsed by the Joint
Chiefs as a way to dampen personnel
costs so more dollars can be spent on
training, weapon buys and other readiness accounts being victimized by arbitrary “sequestration” cuts.
Only last week House and Senate conferees on a different bill, the 2015
defense authorization act, unveiled a
deal to lower the Defense Commissary
Agency annual $1.3 billion budget to
$1.2 billion. DeCA said it could absorb
the knock without impacting customer
savings or services.
The military resale industry challenged that notion, saying a cut of more
than seven percent inevitably would
impact staffing and store hours.
This week conferees shaping a final
defense appropriations bill that is part of
a massive spending package for the
entire federal government restored $90
million of the commissary budget cut in
the authorization bill.
COLA MINUS 1 PERCENT
The plea to “wait for the commission”
was used again in the authorization bill
to delay adoption of a COLA-minus-1
percent formula aimed at dampening
retirement costs of future members.
Congress last year replaced the pearl
of full cost-of-living adjustments in
retirement for members who entered
service on or after Jan. 1, 2014. Their
Supportive Services
for veteran families
The goal of the Supportive Services
for Veteran Families program is to promote housing stability among very lowincome Veteran families who reside in
or are transitioning to permanent housing.
Outreach Services
• Case Management Services
• Assistance obtaining VA benefits
• Assistance obtaining other public
benefits and needed services within the
community
• Limited financial assistance that is
necessary to stabilize housing
• Housing counseling & assistance
with housing searches
• Financial Planning as it relates to
stabilizing housing
Temporary Emergency
Financial Assistance:
• Based on financial need criteria
• Limited assistance for rent, utilities
and/or deposits, childcare, bus fares,
storage and moving costs
• Emergency supplies
• Coordination with partners to provide
financial counseling or legal assistance
For further information or to arrange
an eligibility screening appointment
please contact (318) 674-9550. Our
offices are located at 1713 Marshall
Street, Shreveport, LA 71101. SSVF
staff are also available to make community presentations and can make
arrangements to meet with SSVF applicants at other locations when necessary.
COLAs, 20 years hence, were to be set a
percentage point below annual
inflation. The new bill moves the date of
that change to impact only members
entering on or after Jan. 1, 2016, giving
Congress time to meld this idea with
commission recommendations for
reshaping future retirement.
Thousands of career-minded personnel who first entered service after Jan. 1
last year just dodged a bullet that would
have devalued their retirement benefit
significantly.
TOBACCO PRICES RISING
The authorization bill also blocks any
attempt to ban sale of tobacco products
on base but also narrows the price discounts. Cigarettes, cigars and chewing
tobacco are not to be sold on base at
prices lower than the most competitive
prices in the local community.
Impacted will be Army and Air Force
exchanges and commissaries where
tobacco products still can be sold five
percent below the most competitive
price off base. In 2012 the Navy
Department ordered Navy and Marine
Corps stores to raise tobacco prices to
match competitive local prices.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus earlier
this year floated the idea of pulling all
tobacco products from exchanges, commissaries and ship stores. That led
House Republicans to insert bill language to block such a move. But in a
deal cut with Senate conferees last week,
the bill also declares that on-base tobacco prices cannot be set lower than the
most competitive price off base.
About 25 percent of military folks say
they smoke, a rate higher than found
among civilian peers. Studies blame this
in part on tobacco discounts. Critics also
find the 5-percent rule ineffective, arguing that discounts at Army and Air Force
stores actually average about 20 percent
when price comparisons include all retail
tobacco outlets.
The Defense Department estimates it
spends $1.6 billion a year on tobaccorelated medical care. It is committed to
lowering tobacco usage sharply by
2024. On-base tobacco sales, however,
totaled $711.4 million in 2012 and generated profits of $125.7 million. That’s
money the military plows back into its
morale, welfare and recreation programs.
Send comments to Military Update,
P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120,
email [email protected] or twitter:
Tom Philpott @Military_Update
La. Military Hall of Fame Museum
The Board of Commissioners of the
Louisiana Military Hall of Fame and
Museum has voted in accordance to its
mission to not only honor
the distinguished veterans
of the State of Louisiana,
but all veterans of all wars
who
were
born
in
Louisiana, and currently are
or were citizens of
Louisiana. We have chosen the LA
VETERANS HISTORY DATABASE
as the means to accomplish this. We are
asking every veteran or their descendants to furnish us their veteran information. For more information
contact the museum at:
La. Military Hall of Fame &
Museum
Chris Crusta Memorial Airport
911 Revis Sirmon Loop
Abbeville, LA 70510
337-898-9645
[email protected].
Information about this publication
Published by Ark-La-Tex Chapter of MOAA. “Military Officers Association of America, Ark-La-Tex Chapter Newsletter” is published to inform members and family members of
changes in legislation, defense policies and other matters affecting their military rights, benefits and obligations. It also contains information about Barksdale AFB and the local
retiree community. While every effort is made to verify information in this publication, we can’t guarantee the accuracy of information furnished by outside agencies.
Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical
handicap, political affiliation, or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Advertising inquiries should be directed to: Col. Steve dePyssler at 318-456-5976 or email
to [email protected].
USPS No. 11960
“The Military Officer”
Editorial and Publication
Published each month at 800 Kenney Ave. Rm#24,
BAFB, LA 71110
Periodicals Postage paid at
Bossier City, LA. 71111
Postmaster:
Send address changes to: Ark-La-Tex Chapter MOAA
P.O. Box 134, Barksdale AFB, LA 71110-0134
Membership in the ArklaTex Chapter MOAA with $20 annual dues
includes $3 Dues and $17 subscription price to The Military Officer
Advertising rates will be furnished upon request.
The advertiser shall defend and indemnify and hold harmless
The Military Officers Association of America, Ark-La-Tex Chapter
against any claim of liability or loss asserted or established against
it by reasons of the publication of any advertisement or any part
thereof submitted by or published at the direction of the advertiser.
For questions about advertising, call (318) 456-5976.
For questions about membership information, call (318) 456-4480.
4
January 2015
The Military Officer
January 2015
The Military Officer
5
Air Force Aid Society Education Grant Program
Submitted by: Amy Soeder
The open season for the General
Henry H. Arnold Education Grant program for the 2015-2016 academic year
begins now and ends in March.
Sponsored by the Air Force Aid
Society, the General “Hap” Arnold
Education Grant is a competitive
needs-based program that offers
$2,000 to eligible dependent sons,
daughters and stateside spouses of Air
Force personnel. The program is
designed to assist Air Force families
with the costs associated with seeking
higher education by providing a grant
that can be used to assist the family
member in achieving their academic
goals.
Dependent children of active duty,
retired, deceased and select reserve Air
Force members, in addition to spouses
of active duty Air Force members, may
be eligible to apply for the, $2,000
education grant. Students should
already be enrolled in a full-time
undergraduate program with a minimum GPA of 2.0. High school seniors
and spouses who are, new students will
need to be accepted by a Department
of Education accredited college beginning with the Fall 2015 term in order
to be eligible.
Last year, 32 Barksdale family
members were selected to receive the
education grant. “Family members
wishing to be considered for the education grant and who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply on
the AFAS website and submit the
required documentation prior to the
March deadline,” stated Ms. Stephanie
LDVA Veterans Parish Service Offices
The Louisiana Department of
Veterans Affairs maintains Veterans
Parish Service Offices throughout
Louisiana, ensuring Louisiana Veterans
and their families receive the assistance
they need right in their local community.
Offices are staffed by LDVA Veterans
Assistance Counselors (VAC) who are
trained and certified through U. S.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to
assist Veterans with all aspects of their
federal and state benefits.
Bienville
100 Courthouse Dr., Suite 1000
Courthouse Building
Arcadia LA 71001
Phone: 318-263-7419
Fax: 318-263-7445
Office Hours
Thursday
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Bossier
2292 Barksdale Blvd.
Bossier City, LA 71112
Phone: 318-741-8391/8392
Fax: 318-741-7470
Office Hours
M through F
8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Caddo
1031 Creswell Ave.
Shreveport, LA 71101
Phone: 318-676-7540
Fax: 318-676-7555
Office Hours
M through F
8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
DeSoto
404 Polk Street
Mansfield, LA 71052
Phone: 318-872-4325
Fax: 318-872-7538
Office Hours
Tuesday
9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Reyes, Chief of the Airman & Family
Readiness Center. “Even if you were
previously awarded the grant, you can
reapply during each academic year,”
said Ms. Amy Soeder, Air Force Aid
Society officer at the A&FRC. Ms.
Soeder added that a common reason
applicants are disqualified is because
they do not submit the required documentation as indicated on the website
www.afas.org/education-grants.
Additionally, the AFAS awards ten
$5,000 merit-based scholarships to
freshman who have completed both
phases of the 2015-2016 General
Arnold Education Grant application
and have already been reviewed for
eligibility with a verified GPA. These
scholarship candidates, regardless of
whether or not they receive the needbased General Arnold Grant, will be
directly contacted by AFAS in May.
Education grants can be used towards
the payment of tuition, books and fees,
or other direct education expenses.
Education grant eligibility requirements and applications can be found
on the AFAS website at www.afas.org
or contact the A&FRC at 456-8400 for
more information.
Patricia N. Miramon
Attorney At Law
Assisting Retirees Since 1985
Claiborne
507 West Main
Police Jury Building
Homer, LA 71040
Phone: 318-927-3077
Fax: 318-927-4809
Office Hours
M-W-F
8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Red River
2010 Red Oak Rd.
Courthouse Annex
Coushatta, LA 71019
Phone: 318-932-4911
Office Hours
3rd Tues. of month ONLY
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Webster (Main)
166 Pine Street
American Legion Memorial Home
Minden, LA 71055
Phone: 318-371-3045
Fax: 318-371-3331
Office Hours
M-T-Th-F (closed Wed)
8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Webster (Itinerant)
235 N. Main Street
Springhill, LA 71075
Phone: 318-539-4211
Office Hours
Wednesday
8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
• Probate • Estate Planning
• Wills • Powers of Attorney
• Trusts • Family Partnerships
http://www.patriciamiramon.com
[email protected]
3324 Line Avenue • Shreveport, LA 71104
(318) 869-0055
(888) 869-0055
(318) 865-4041 Fax
6
January 2015
The Military Officer
Final COLA Announced; Most will get 1.7 percent
It’s official. The 2014 COLA for
military retired pay, Survivor Benefit
plan annuities, Social Security checks,
and VA disability and survivor benefits
will be 1.7 percent, effective Dec. 1,
2014. It first will appear in January
2015 checks, which will be paid Dec.
31. The 1.7-percent 2014 COLA represents a slight increase over last year’s
1.5-percent increase.
But two categories of military
retirees won’t receive a 1.7-percent
COLA in 2014.
2014 retirees: Some servicemembers who retired during calendar year
2014 will receive a somewhat smaller,
partial COLA for this year only
because they weren’t in retired status
for the full year. Their partial COLAs
generally reflect the amount of inflation experienced in the calendar quarters since they retired.
Military contractors deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan not counted
What are military contractors?
They are the legions of civilian
workers who are hired to provide support tasks for the military. Some are
former soldiers, but the vast majority
of them don’t carry weapons. The jobs
they do range from building barracks
and staffing cafeterias to guarding
diplomats and intelligence gathering.
Armies have always relied on such
support staff. But since 9/11, U.S.
reliance on contractors has metastasized. In the Iraq conflict, the U.S.
employed 155,000 contractors-about
the same as the number of U.S. soldiers there-while toward the end of the
Afghanistan War, 207,000 contractors
supported 175,000 soldiers. Even now,
there are some 1,600 military contractors still working for the U.S. in Iraq.
It’s unclear what role they’re playing
and whether any of them will directly
join in the fight against ISIS. For contractors paid by the U.S., “it’s technically illegal to operate offensively or
to take part in combat,” said Molly
Dunigan of the RAND Corp. “But
lines blur quickly in the fog of war.”
Why did the U.S. shift to contractors?
The practice really took off under
President George W. Bush, as the U.S.
fought simultaneous wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, stretching the supply of
soldiers. Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld also believed the Pentagon
could save money by bypassing gov-
ernment workers and contracting support tasks out to the private sector.
Halliburton, DynCorp, Blackwater, and
other companies were paid $200 billion
to build infrastructure, feed and support
troops, and provide security in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
The uncounted American deaths
About as many contractors working
for the U.S. have been killed in
Afghanistan and Iraq as U.S. troops,
but those deaths generally are ignored
in assessing the cost of the wars. As of
October 2014, 6,838 troops had been
killed in the two conflicts, while the
estimated number of contractors killed
was some 6,800. Tens of thousands of
additional contractors have been
injured, with some losing limbs or suffering other permanent disabilities.
These people don’t get veterans’ benefits, and a group of them have filed a
class action suit against Blackwater,
KBR, DynCorp, and other firms and
their insurers alleging that they were
denied medical care after being
injured in war zones. Steven
Schooner, a former White House military procurement official who studies
contractor
policy
at
George
Washington
University,
said
Americans need to be aware that
“their government has increasingly
delegated to the private sector the
responsibility to stand in harm’s way
and, if required, die for America.”
Paper Social Security statements are back; Use information to plan smarter
by Penelope Wang
This fall the Social Security Administration began
mailing out benefit statements for the first time since
2011. It’s crucial information, especially if you’re
poised to move to your beach condo in Boca soon. “For
many upper-middle-class couples, those benefits can be
worth as much as $1 million over the course of your
retirement,” says Chris Jones, chief investment officer
of 401(k) adviser Financial Engines.
To save money, Social Security had been directing
people to its website for benefits information. After a
backlash, the agency resumed mailings to most workers
reaching landmark birthdays ages 40, 45, and so on. Of
course, you don’t need to wait for a paper statement to
find out how your benefit stacks up. For an estimate,
simply sign up at SocialSecurity.gov/myaccount.
That’s well worth doing if you’re within a few years
of retirement. Your future Social Security income is key
to determining if your financial strategy is on track.
Then take these steps.
Proofread it. Make sure your earnings history is
accurate. “If Social Security doesn’t have an earnings
record for a particular year, there will be a zero, which
may reduce your benefit,” says Boston University economics professor Laurence Kotlikoff, who heads
MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com, an online benefits
calculator.
Set your target. Your statement will have the income
you can expect at three different retirement ages,
assuming you keep working at your current salary. But
you have far more options for when to start collecting
benefits. If you are single, have never married, and
don’t plan to work in retirement, your choice will be
straightforward most of the time. Your main decision is
whether to delay filing, which will boost your benefit
by 6% to 8% a year up until the maximum at age 70.
Financial Engines and AARP have free online tools that
let you compare your annual and Lifetime benefits
based on the age you claim.
Plot the best strategy. If you’ve ever been married,
your choices are more complex. “Your claiming strategy can be the biggest retirement decision you’ll make,”
says Jones. Coordinating benefits with your spouse the
right way can add as much as $250,000 to your lifetime
Social Security income, according to Financial
Engines. That’s why you may want to pay for a calculator that allows you to add more variables, such as
working in retirement or a wide age gap in your marriage. MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com ($40) and
SocialSecuritySolutions.com (starts at $20) both do
that.
Get a reality check. Once you have a rough idea of
your future benefit, plug that number into a retirementincome calculator, such as the tool at T. Rowe Price.
You’ll see if your payouts, plus your portfolio withdrawals, are enough to ensure a comfortable retirement.
If not, use the tool to see how saving more or working
longer can help, or consult an adviser . Given the dollars at stake, devising a smart Social Security strategy
can be well worth a fee.
Money.com December 2014
The Military Officer
Exchange Earns
Top 100 Military
Friendly Employer
Designation
After an exhaustive analysis, Victory
Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine,
has named the Army & Air Force
Exchange Service to the 2015 Top 100
Military Friendly® Employer list.
More than 5,000 eligible companies
were ranked based on their long-term
commitment to hiring former military
service members, recruiting and hiring
efforts as well as policies for National
Guard and Reserve employees called to
serve on active duty.
Koval elected
State Chairman
Located in old clothing store South of BX Gas Station
Hours: Tuesday 11am-3pm; Thursday 11am-6pm
Great place to give sports equipment; military & civilian clothing; household items and more. Great
place to pick up items at no cost. Retirees - One day per month - you choose the day!
What Social Security
isn’t telling you
MOAA Named
Top Lobbyist
William Meyer,
Social Security Solutions
UPS/FedEx/USPS
email virus
Virus circulating is the UPS/Fed
Ex/USPS Delivery Failure
You will receive an e-mail from UPS,
Fed Ex, or USPS along with a packet
number. It will say that they were
unable to deliver a package sent to you
on such-and-such. It then asks you to
print out the invoice copy attached.
DON’T TRY TO PRINT THIS. IT
LAUNCHES THE VIRUS!
Pass this warning on to all your PC
friends at work and at home!
This virus has caused millions of dollars in damage in the past few days.
Snopes.com confirms that it is real.
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus
/ups.asp
7
Barksdale Airman’s Attic
Kenneth P Koval, USAF CMSgt,
Retired, was elected State Chairman to
lead the Louisiana Veterans Coalition
for the 2015 -2016 term at a meeting
held November 15.
The Hill, the largest circulation newspaper on Capitol Hill, once again has
included MOAA on its annual list of
“Top Lobbyists.” This is the eighth
straight year MOAA has made the list.
January 2015
Official estimates of your future benefits from the Social Security
Administration can be both helpful and
misleading. The agency has resumed
mailing out the future-benefits statements after having halted the practice in
2011 to save money. Now you can
expect to receive one every five years if
you’re 25 to 60 years old... or every
year after age 60 if you are not yet
receiving benefits, unless you have
signed up to view annually updated
statements on the Social Security website.
Here’s how your benefits estimate
might mislead you...
It assumes that you will continue at
your current income level until you
begin receiving benefits. This means
that your future benefits may be overestimated if your income was exceptionally high during a recent calendar year
or if you intend to retire years before
you claim your benefits. Your statement
will probably underestimate your future
benefits if your income climbs significantly before you retire.
It ignores your spouse’s (or ex’s)
income. You could opt to claim a
Barksdale AFB Casualty Affairs
Selina Lyle 318-456-6450
spousal benefit equal to 50% of your
spouse’s retirement benefit rather than
your own, assuming that your marriage
lasts at least 10 years. If your spouse or
ex dies and you wait until your full
retirement age, you could claim a survivor benefit equal to 100% of that
spouse’s benefit rather than your own
benefit.
It doesn’t mention that your benefits
might be taxed. As much as 85% of
your Social Security benefits might be
subject to income taxes, depending on
your income. That means many people
will pocket much less from the Social
Security system than they expect.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed
William Meyer, founder and managing
principal of Social Security Solutions,
based in Leawood, Kansas, which
offers personalized Social Security benefits
optimization
guidance.
SocialSecuritySolutions.com
BAFB
Base info318-456-2252
8
January 2015
The Military Officer
Being prepared
November 2014
Retiree Deaths
Name
Date of Death Service Grade Age
John E. Godwin
3-Nov-14
Marines MSgt
88
Virgel A. McMillian
27-Oct-14
USAF
SSgt
83
Charles H. Stark
1-Nov-14
USAF
Cpt
74
Jack D. Miears
28-Oct-14
USAF CMSgt 85
Edward P. Gowanlock II 3-Nov-14
USAF
LTC
94
Paul J. Johnston
3-Nov-14
USAF
Col
90
Jack L. Rolen
15-Nov-14
Army
SFC
75
Wiley T. Baker
12-Nov-14
USAF
MSgt
85
John P. Lee
18-Nov-14
USAF
Col
82
Johnny R. White
13-Nov-14
Navy
SCPO 72
Harold L. Oakmail
4-Nov-14
USAF
LTC
95
Norman Fletcher
29-Oct-14
USAF
TSgt
85
John G. Easter
23-Nov-14
USAF
MSgt
67
Dempsey D. Bankus
20-Nov-14
USAF
MSgt
91
Edward A. Koechle
25-Nov-14
USAF
Col
78
Charles E. Perry
15-Nov-14
USAF
LTC
92
Jack E. Lewis
23-Nov-14
USAF
MSgt
98
Dear Annie: I read the recent letter
from “Being Prepared,” the woman
who had no spouse, no children, no
church and no close friends. She had
cared for her mother and wondered who
was going to care for her. May I make
an additional suggestion?
I live in Arizona, where a lot of people have retired but their children are
not here. Often they lose a spouse and
are on their own. I have become a campaigner to make sure my friends and
neighbors provide one another with pertinent information. I have given the
names and phone numbers of my family members in other states to several
neighbors. I have talked about the fact
that if my garbage doesn’t go out one
week, they should check on me. I let
them know when I am going to be traveling.
I also include the names of my pets
and their vet, contact information for
my doctor, and a copy of the card that
shows I am giving a whole-body donation at my death. Also, our fire department provides a File of Life, where all
of this information, as well as medical
information, is listed and hung on the
refrigerator. My doctor provides
advance directives at no charge, and
they are perfectly legal. I encourage
everyone to make their plans known.
Even if you write it out in your own
hand, it gives some direction. - M.D.
Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy
Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, veteran editors of the Ann Landers column. E-mail
questions to [email protected]
or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, in care of
Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century
Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
Beware of power-sucking appliances
Don’t let “vampire appliances”
bleed your bank account dry, said
Catey Hill in MarketWatch.com.
“Even when you’re not using electronics and appliances, they may still
be sucking up energy” and costing
you hundreds of dollars a year. Utility
experts estimate that roughly 10 percent of the average household’s energy bill is thanks to power-sucking
appliances. Flat-screen TVs are often
the priciest power drain, and though
it’s impractical to unplug your TV
each day, one option is to buy an
advanced power strip, which prevents
electronics from using power when
they’re not in use. At a cost of $15 to
$30, the strips will “save you money
in the long run.” Experts also recommend using the power strips to plug
in video game consoles, cable boxes,
laser printers, and small kitchen
appliances.
THE WEEK November 21, 2014
NW LA Veteran Cemetery
Located in Keithville, LA
Director: Timothy Johnson
Widow/Spouse Deaths
Name
Mattie L. Armstrong
Date of Death
14-Nov-14
Veteran
LTC George V. Armstrong
(deceased)
Charlotte Alexander
6-Nov-14
TSgt Charles Alexander
(deceased)
Joy Parker
17-Nov-14
MSgt Walter E. Parker
(deceased)
Ruby L. Combs
26-Nov-14
TSgt Freddie E. Combs
318-925-1046 • Fax: 318-925-5821
Web Site: vetaffairs.la.gov
Date Opened: 2007 • Burials 853
• To pre-register furnish copy of DD-214
The Military Officer
January 2015
9
USAA leading way in hiring veterans, spouses
USAA is expanding opportunities
and training for spouses so that they can
work from home. “That way, no matter
where the military member is deployed
or stationed, the spouse remains
employed,” says Purdy, who sees the
military spouse as one of the key new
areas of corporate recruitment.
The resume of a military spouse
often shows multiple jobs in multiple
locations, but companies that dig deeper have discovered that these potential
employees typically have well-developed organizational, logistical, troubleshooting, and tactical skills. As a
result, many employers are moving
aggressively to tap this labor pool.
The Cutting Edge
Consider USAA-a financial services
firm that provides products and services
to the military community-that is not
only launching innovative training programs but also providing support to
other companies. Having pledged that
30% of all new hires will be veterans or
military spouses, USAA has been ramping up its efforts as the company grows.
“We are on the cutting edge of these initiatives and sharing our lessons with
other companies,” says Jackie Purdy,
assistant vice president for talent management. “People want to hire vets and
military spouses, but don’t really know
how to do it.”
USAA is helping to lead the way. The
company recently partnered with the
Disney Veterans Institute and the State
of Texas in hosting a best-practices
summit for companies wanting to learn
more about hiring veterans. Participants
ranged from local government offices
and small companies to big corporations looking for new ideas on how to
start a veteran and military spouse hiring program or enhance an existing one.
One of the ideas that USAA highlighted at the summit was its work in
supplier diversity. “We have over 3,500
suppliers, and we have talked to them
all, asking them to make a commitment
to hiring vets, as well,” says Purdy.
“That is a best practice we were able to
share.”
USAA is also openly sharing the
innovative thinking behind its latest
programs. The company’s newest initiative-VetFIT, or Veterans for IT-offers
transitioning vets training in computer
languages such as Java to build skills as
software developers, often with no prior
developer experience. Of the initial
class, all 22 ended up employed by
USAA.
Another measure of the program’s
success is its impact on individual vets.
One class member, Levar Robinson,
had already deployed twice in the military and taken four contract deployments as a civilian after having a tough
time finding full-time employment at
home. He was in Afghanistan when
USAA interviewed him online for
VetFIT-actually coming under fire during the interview. He was accepted into
the program and recently became a fulltime software developer and integrator
at USAA.
Military spouses are also getting
increased attention.
Take a look at the Top 10 cars for those on a budget
A few years ago, there were still a
couple of car models that had starting
prices below $10,000. Not now. Finding
the cheapest new car can be a tougher
hunt.
But with the average prices of cars
continuing to climb, it’s worth taking a
look at some of the cheapest new cars
available out there.
To figure out what’s available,
cars.com compiled a list of the most
inexpensive cars for sale, including des-
tination charge.
And the winner of the cheapest car
contest this past summer was the
Mitsubishi Mirage, a car so basic that
The New York Times published a devastating review that said it “lowers expectations, strangles them and buries their
remains in a deep unmarked grave. If
this car wasn’t disappointing, it wouldn’t be anything at all.” Thankfully, there
are a few other models within a couple
of thousand dollars of it.
Barksdale Exchange’s extended holiday
return policy gives shoppers peace of mind
Barksdale Exchange - To make gift
giving easier, the Army & Air Force
Exchange service is extending its return
policy for items purchased from Nov. 1
to Dec. 24, 2014.
The Barksdale
Exchange’s standard policy allows
returns anywhere
from up to 15 to
90 days of purchase with a sales
receipt. The holid
a
y
return/exchange
policy
extends
these
terms
through Jan. 31,
2015.
“The Exchange
knows that sometimes a gift can be
the wrong color, size or brand,” said
General Manager, Ellen Henderson.
“The Barksdale Exchange’s extended
return policy goes the extra mile to
make sure everyone gets the perfect gift
this year.”
Refunds with sales receipts are
processed
as
forms of payment
(cash for cash,
credit for credit
card).
Refunds
without
sales
receipts receive an
Exchange
gift
card.
Shoppers can
also return items
purchased through
shopmyexchange.com at the
B a r k s d a l e
Exchange.
For
more information
about the extended refund policy, shoppers can visit customer service at the Exchange.
Cars.com says operating costs need
to be factored in, and Mirage still wins
on that basis. In compiling its lists of
cheapest cars, cars.com insisted that
each of them have power windows and
door locks, which are often standard
these days, as well as Bluetooth capability and USB ports. Prices include the
Bluetooth option on the Mitsubishi and
Mazda2.
The list:
2015 Mitsubishi Mirage DE - $15,115
2014 Chevrolet Spark 1LT - $15,820
2014 Nissan Versa SV - $16,340
2014 Scion IQ - $16,420
2014 Mazda2 Sport - $16,630
Toyota Yaris LE - $16,825
2015 Honda Fit LX - $17,115
2014 Nissan Versa Note SV - $17,340
2014 Ford Fiesta SE - $17,500
2014 Kia Rio EX - $17,600
First ‘Choice Cards’ go to 320K
vets living far from VA care
The Department of Veteran Affairs
has mailed its first medical “Choice
Cards,” with letters explaining how to
use them, to 320,000 VA-enrolled veterans who reside more than 40 miles from
any type of VA medical facility.
By late November, another
370,000 vets, those facing
waits longer than 30 days for
VA appointments, will be the
second group to get the cards,
said Dr. James Tuchschmidt, VA’s acting principal deputy under secretary for
health.
These are the two groups of vets eligible immediately to use information on
their Choice Card to try to secure more
convenient or timely care than VA can
provide. By the end of January another
8 million enrolled veterans also will
receive Choice Cards. These vets, however, won’t be eligible to use them to
access non-VA care unless they move
beyond 40 miles of a VA-owned medical facility or VA can’t provide care
within 30 days. The 30-day window is
based on a veteran’s preferred date to
get care or the date deemed medically
necessary by their physicians.
To receive a Choice Card,
veterans must have been
enrolled in VA health care by
Aug. 1, 2014. Those who have
enrolled later are eligible only
if they served on active duty in
a theater of combat operations in the
previous five years.
Choice Card is to end in three years
or whenever VA spends all of the $10
billion set aside to fund it. Tuchschmidt
predicts that the money won’t run out
before card program expires in late
2017.
The letter sent with Choice Cards
invites veterans to access more information on the program online at
www.va.gov/opa/choiceact.
10
January 2015
The Military Officer
Vaccinations for grandparents
If you’re a grandparent, you’ll want
to make sure you’re up to date on all of
your vaccinations to help keep the
grandkids healthy. These shots can help
keep you healthy and keep you from
spreading illnesses to your grandchildren:
• Flu (influenza) - Get this shot every
year. It protects against the latest strains
of the flu virus.
• Tetanus, whooping cough and diphtheria (Tdap) - These infectious diseases can be especially troublesome for
infants and older adults. After your initial Tdap shots, further boosters for
adults include one Tdap shot then
tetanus and diphtheria (Td) boosters
every 10 years.
• Chickenpox (varicella) - If you’ve
never had chickenpox or been vaccinated against the disease, you’ll need two
doses.
• Shingles (zoster) - One dose of the
zoster vaccine is approved for age 50
and older, even if you’ve had the
painful rash before. The same virus
causes shingles and chickenpox. It’s
possible for a baby who hasn’t yet been
vaccinated against chickenpox to get
the virus from exposure to an open shingles rash.
• Pneumococcal disease - Both the
PPSV23 and the peV13 pneumococcal
vaccines are recommended for adults
age 65 and older. If you’ve not been
vaccinated, it’s recommended that
peV13 be given first, with PPSV23
given six to 12 months later. If you’ve
already had the PPSV23 vaccine,
peV13 can be given at least 12 months
later.
December 2014
www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com
Some alcohol good in moderation
Alcohol warnings
At holiday time, when parties are
plentiful, it can be difficult not to
indulge. But be aware that many medications come with instructions not to
drink alcohol while you’re taking
them. It’s an important warning.
Alcohol alone can make you
drowsy, light-headed, and less coordinated; when it’s mixed with certain
drugs, those effects can be magnified.
Even worse, certain drug-alcohol combos can increase the chance of serious
side effects, such as internal bleeding,
difficulty breathing, and heart prob-
lems. And though alcohol might make
a drug less effective, it can also make it
toxic. For example, just a few drinks
mixed with acetaminophen (Tylenol)
can damage your liver.
Alcohol and memory
Light-to-moderate drinking in later
life may keep memory strong, reports
Faika Zanjani, PhD. Consuming up to
one drink a day is associated with better
episodic memory-the ability to remember specific events. Episodic memory is
the type that usually diminishes in
dementia. Theory: Alcohol may help
preserve the hippocampus, a brain area
that shrinks in people
with dementia.
Faika Zanjani, PhD, is
associate
professor,
department of behavioral
and community health,
University of Maryland
School of Public Health,
College Park, and leader
of a study of 664 people,
average age 75 at the end
of the study, published in
American Journal of
Alzheimer’s Disease &
Other Dementias.
Pharmacy Prescriptions from Doctor
Effective immediately, BAFB will start accepting Electronically Prescribed
(eRx) Prescriptions from your Civilian Provider. BAFB will no longer be accepting faxed prescriptions. This is a great service that not only tremendously
increases patient safety, but also speed of services for you and your provider.
Please have your providers transmit all new prescriptions via eRx starting
immediately to: DoD BARKSDALE ePharmacy
Thank you, BAFB Pharmacy Staff
The Military Officer
January 2015
11
Health screening tests everyone should have
Not everyone requires a complete
head-to-toe physical each and every
year. But you should keep tabs on the
screening tests for heart disease, cancer,
and other chronic diseases that are recommended for you. Below is our list of
the tests that most healthy people need,
and how often they need them. “If you
are up-to-date and know your numbers,
pat yourself on the back,” says Marvin
M. Lipman, M.D., Consumer Reports
chief medical adviser. “If you’re not,
put ‘make a doctor appointment’ on
your to-do list for the new year.” And
use the form below to keep track of
your most recent test results.
Blood pressure: At least every two
years; annually if your readings are
high.
Systolic (upper) level ___________
Diastolic (lower) level___________
Cholesterol: At least every five years
if you’re a man 35 and up or a woman
45 and up and have a history of high
cholesterol levels or heart disease.
Total cholesterol _______________
LDL (bad) cholesterol___________
HDL (good) cholesterol _________
Diabetes: Every three to five years if
you have any of these risk factors: systolic blood pressure over 135 or diastolic pressure over 80, obesity (with a
body mass index of 30 or higher), or
LDL (bad) cholesterol over 130.
Blood glucose level_____________
Colon cancer: For people ages 50 to
75, a colonoscopy every 10 years, sigmoidoscopy (an exam of the lower third
ALS patients to get adaptive housing grants
As a result of new guidelines, veterans and active-duty military personnel
diagnosed with service-connected amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease,
are now considered medically eligible
to receive the maximum adapted housing grant from the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
The change means veterans with
service-connected ALS could now
receive up to $67,555 to build or purchase a new home or to adapt an exist-
ing home to meet the adaptive needs of
their disability. Other grants may also
help eligible veterans purchase adapted
homes or pay down the mortgage of
homes that have already been adapted.
The VA amended the disability rating
scale in 2012 to assign a 100-percent
disability rating to any veteran diagnosed with service-connected ALS.
This change meant veterans no longer
had to file additional claims for
increased benefits as their condition
progressed. Until now, however, the eli-
gibility for adapted housing grants did
not reflect the change.
“Prior to this, some veterans were
unable to make the needed modifications to their homes as their disease progressed,” said DAV National Service
Director Jim Marszalek. “This will help
ensure they can make those adaptations
or move into an adapted space in a more
appropriate timeframe.”
At the time of the announcement, former VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki
explained the change is part of the VA’s
of the colon) every five years, or a stool
test every year.
Cervical cancer: For women ages 21
to 65, a Pap smear every three years,
though women 30 to 65 can go five
years between tests if they have the
human papillomavirus (HPV) test to
detect the virus that can cause the cancer.
Breast cancer: For women ages 50 to
74, a mammogram every two years.
Women in their 40s and those 75 and up
should talk with a doctor about getting
the test.
Osteoporosis: Women 65 and up
should get a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan once. Men 70 and
up should talk with a doctor. The need
for follow-up tests depends on the
results of the first test.
Aortic aneurysm: Men ages 65 to 75
who smoked at some point should have
an ultrasound once to detect a potentially deadly ballooning of the main artery
that carries blood from the heart to the
rest of the body.
By Ashleigh Bryant
commitment to eliminating barriers that
keep veterans and service members
from their earned benefits.
The VA estimates the changes will
save veterans roughly 12 months in the
overall process of applying for and
receiving a Specially Adapted Housing
grant.
To
learn
more,
visit
benefits.va.gov/homeloans/adaptedhousing.asp.
DAV MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2014
Can’t Do Dinner? Try Family Breakfast!
Mornings Together: Some families take time to make breakfast a group meal on
weekdays. It helps to get up early and prepare some of the meal the night before.
Coffee Klatch: When parents sit at the table to drink a cup of coffee with the children, it can have a positive effect on their eating habits, one study says.
12
January 2015
The Military Officer
2015 Oil Price Outlook
Oil prices likely will keep falling in
2015 to about $70 per barrel for the
benchmark US crude, compared with
$95 at the beginning of 2014 and $75 on
November 15. That will help push gaso-
line prices down to a national average
of $2.65 a gallon for regular, compared
with the 2014 peak level of $3.77 in
early June.
In fact, energy prices overall are likely to be subdued for the foreseeable
future. This is mainly in response to
shifting forces of supply and demand.
Emerging markets, which make up onethird of the global economy, are growing by an average of about 4% a year,
compared with 6% annual growth from
2000 to 2012.
In addition to sluggish foreign
demand, the drilling method called
hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has
pushed US domestic oil production to a
25-year high, including an increase of
50% over the past four years.
Also, because oil prices are denominated in dollars, the sharply rising US
dollar has helped push down oil prices.
Effects of the Affordable Care Act
(Obamacare) on Economic Productivity
By Casey Mulligan,
University of Chicago
The ACA has three major taxes in it.
Two are taxes on full-time employment
and the other is a tax on income. They
may be implicit, they may be hidden,
politicians may not call them taxes, but
that’s what they are. Their economic
impact on workers varies widely,
affecting low-skill workers the most.
They create all kinds of productivity
problems and will have visible and permanent effects on the economy. I have
estimated that employment will be
three percent less over the long term
because of the ACA, and that national
income- or GDP, if you like to think of
it that way, will be two percent less. If
you look at the productivity costs
alone-forgetting the fact that there will
be a number of people not working
anymore-they come to $6,000 per person who gets health insurance because
of the law. And I’m not beginning to
count the payments needed for health
are providers.
In conclusion, I can make you this
promise: If you like your weak economy, you can keep your weak economy.
Average sale price of old cellphones
Half of consumers say they own at
least two unused cellphones. On recycling comparison site SellCell.com, the
typical phone sale comes to nearly
$100. (Keep in mind that people are
more likely to sell valuable phones.) So
why isn’t everyone putting old tech on
the market? A third of people say they
don’t know what to do with it, according to SellCell. Here’s a primer.
DIALING FOR DOLLARS
START ONLINE. There’s no steadfast rule about where to get the most
money for your device, so shop around.
Online is the easiest place to start.
Gazelle.com will buy your item via
check, PayPal, or Amazon gift card,
while SellCell.com sifts about 25 recy-
cling programs to find a buyer.
GET SOME CREDIT. Planning to
buy a new gadget with your profits?
Save a step by swapping your device for
a gift card at a Best Buy, Target,
Staples, or Wal-Mart store. You can use
the retailers’ websites to get a quote, but
be warned: It may not match what
you’re offered in the store.
HIT THE ATM. For fast cash, try an
“ecoATM,” says Euromonitor analyst
Tim Barrett. These machines, in 1,100
locations in 44 states, analyze your
device, then spit out up to $300 (you
can also choose to donate a portion to
charity). See locations at Ecoatm.com. NEIL PARMAR
DECEMBER 2014 MONEY.COM
Federal Student Aid documents checklist
Among the documents you will need
to file the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (applies to both students
and parents, unless otherwise specified):
• Social Security cards
• Federal income-tax returns for the
2014 tax year. If unavailable, 2013
returns or 2014 W-2 forms, 1099 forms
or pay stubs are acceptable, but must be
updated with 2014 returns
• Current bank, brokerage and other
investment-account statements
• Records of untaxed income for
2014
• The student’s driver’s license
Among the other documents you will
need to file the CSS/Financial Aid
Profile:
• Principal balance owed on home
mortgage and other debt secured by the
home
• Parents’ federal income-tax returns
and untaxed-income records for 2013
and 2014, and estimates for 2015
• Student’s federal income-tax
returns and untaxed-income records for
2014, and estimates for 2015
Sources: Edvisors.com; The college
Board
Military money savers 401(k) loans
Price breaks for service members on
electronics, hotels, jewelry, movie theaters, restaurants, vehicle sales/rentals
and other products and services. Some
discounts also are available to former
military
personnel.
MilitaryBenefits.info/military-discounts
About one in four participants have
taken a 401(k) loan, according to financial-services firm Charles Schwab. The
top reasons were to pay routine bills, at
24%; to make a house down payment, at
23%; and to pay for home improvements or repairs, at 19%.
The Military Officer
January 2015
13
It’s not easy to accumulate $1 million in an IRA
An investor would have to follow
both a disciplined savings strategy and
an aggressive portfolio strategy to
accumulate $1 million in his or her
individual retirement account (IRA).
This strategy would have involved
both maximizing IRA contributions
and staying fully invested in the S&P
500 index over a 36-year period. In
order to accumulate $5 million, the
same investor would have had to maximize his or her savings in an employer-sponsored plan (including the maximum legal amount of employer contributions) and stay fully invested in the
S&P 500. Conversely, if the individual
only contributed to an IRA and fol-
lowed a conservative allocation strategy of achieving rates of return equal to
those reported by the Social Security
trustees for special issue government
bonds, he or she would accumulate a
balance of just $303,420. These are the
findings
of
a
Government
Accountability Office (GAO) study for
the period of 1975 through 2011.
Two scenarios were run as part of an
analysis of IRA balances. The GAO
sought to gather information on
whether the tax benefits of lRAs
accrue primarily for higher-income
individuals. The agency estimates that
fewer than 50,000 taxpayers had IRA
balances of $3 million or more and
fewer than 10,000 had IRA balances of
$5 million or more. “It would take an
aggressive stock market investment
strategy or investments in assets
unavailable to most investors to accumulate an IRA balance over $5 million,” wrote directors James McTigue
and Charles Jeszeck in the report.
Most taxpayers (98.5%) had IRA
balances of $1 million or less in 2011,
with the majority having far less. The
GAO calculated the median accumulated IRA balance as being about
$34,000.
The information on the 2011 balances was gathered from the Internal
Revenue Service’s (IRS) Statistics of
Income database. IRA custodians
report the fair market value of
accounts to the IRS. The GAO analyzed the data by taxpaying units,
which included married couples filing
joint returns. The data included inherited lRAs, but excluded savings held in
defined-contribution plans (e.g. 401(k)
plans). Defined-contribution plans
were factored into the scenarios for
accumulating $1 million and $5 million.
“Individual Retirement Accounts:
Preliminary Information on IRA
Balances Accumulated as of 2011,”
James R. McTigue and Charles A.
Jeszeck, GAO, September 16, 2014
New rules for rolling over aftertax 401(k) contributions
Taxpayers now have the option to
designate which accounts pretax and
aftertax contributions from 401(k),
403(b) or 457(b) plans are disbursed to.
Bowing to pressure and acknowledging
a lack of compliance with previous regulations, the Internal Revenue Service
issued new proposed rules slated to take
effect on January 1, 2015. Taxpayers
can use the new rules as guidance for
distributions taken on or after
September 18, 2014.
The rule changes apply to taxpayers
who have made both pretax and aftertax
contributions to an employer-sponsored
qualified retirement plan. Under the
previous regulations, partial distributions were assigned a prorated amount
of pretax and aftertax dollars. In other
words, if a taxpayer rolled over part of
his or her retirement savings to an IRA
and kept the remainder, both distributions would split proportionate to the
amount of pretax and aftertax dollars
previously held in the account.
The IRS acknowledged that this led
to a multi-step process to get around the
rule. The taxpayer would first take the
eligible rollover as a cash distribution.
Then he or she would roll over the pretax amount included in the distribution
to an IRA. The remaining amount, con-
sisting entirely of aftertax dollars, could
then either be kept by the taxpayer or
deposited into a Roth IRA.
This multi-step process is no longer
necessary. Prior to taking the rollover,
the taxpayer can simply give the plan
administrator directions for assigning
the distributions. Assignments to multiple accounts must be given in advance
of the rollover. If the pretax amount is
less than the amount of the distribution
that is directly rolled over to one or
more eligible accounts, the entire pretax
amount is assigned to the portion of the
distribution that is rolled over. If the
pretax amount exceeds the amount of
the distribution rolled over, the pretax
amount first goes to the rollover and
any remaining pretax amount is
assigned to a 60-day window where it
must be either invested in a qualified
investment account or taxes will be due
on it.
Examples of various scenarios are
given in IRS Notice 2014-54. We suggest consulting a tax professional for
additional clarification and for questions regarding the new rules.
Source: “Guidance on the Allocation
of After-Tax Amounts to Rollovers,
Notice 2014-54,” Internal Revenue
Service, September 18, 2014.
IRA / 401(k) / 529 News
A very early 529 gift
Why wait until a child is born to start
a 529 college savings plan? asked Peter
S. Green in The Wall Street Journal.
Anyone hoping to become a grandparent one day can open a 529 to “get the
savings ball rolling early.” A future
grandparent who designates the beneficiary as the future parent can contribute
as much as $70,000 in a single year tax
free (equal to five years’ worth of contributions at $14,000). When the infant
arrives, the account can be transferred
into his or her name. Starting early has
major benefits: A 529 plan opened with
an initial gift of $14,000, five years
before a child is born, funded with $500
every month, and earning interest at 3
percent compounded monthly, would
yield $226,784 by the child’s 18th
birthday. The same plan started at birth
would yield $167,336.
THE WEEK November 21, 2014
IRA and 401(k)
changes in 2015
Some taxpayers will be able to save
more in their retirement accounts next
year, said Emily Brandon in
USNews.com. The annual limit for
401(k)s and 403(b)s has been raised by
$500, to $18,000. The IRA contribution
limit has been left unchanged at $5,500,
or $6,500 if you are 50 or older. Savers
will also soon have a new account
option: the myRA, the no-fee Roth IRA
accounts offered by the Treasury
Department and available later this
year. The accounts are open to individuals who make less than $129,000 a
year ($191,000 for couples) and are
guaranteed to never lose value. And for
those savers with several IRA accounts,
a new rule takes effect Jan. 1 prohibiting more than one rollover from one
IRA to another in any 12-month period.
THE WEEK November 21, 2014
Jump-Start
Your Roth Clock
IRA &
Divorce
If you don’t have a Roth IRA yet,
consider opening one with even a
small contribution, such as $500, to get
the clock for tax-free earnings ticking.
For earnings to be tax-free, you must
have one Roth IRA open for at least
five years, even if you open a Roth
after age 59 1/2.
The bonus of opening your first
Roth IRA late in the year? This year
will count as one of the five years.
Open your first Roth IRA by
December 31, 2014, and your account
will meet the five-year test by January
1, 2019. This particular five-year test
only has to be met once and will apply
to any other Roth IRAs you open in the
future.
KIPLINGER’S RETIREMENT
REPORT NOVEMBER 2014
My husband’s will names me as beneficiary of his individual retirement
account, but he forgot to remove his exwife’s name from the beneficiary form.
What can I do?
In most states, you’re stuck.
Whoever is on the beneficiary form gets
the money-even if it’s obviously wrong
and unfair. You’ll have to live with this
permanently. Wives are better protected
in community property states. In
California, the law revokes the right of
an ex-spouse to IRA assets, even if she
is still named on the form, says divorce
attorney Sharon Mah of San Rafael,
Calif. To win a claim, she would need
“clear and convincing evidence” that
her ex-husband meant her to have the
money.
14
January 2015
The Military Officer
and advisers. Another complaint was
the theft of money for essentials. Bad
officers meant poor performance in
combat and lower morale, which led to
more desertions, and it was easier for
the Taliban and criminals to bribe soldiers and police. A lot of officers, especially generals, are expected to lose
their jobs now.
A big deal
Afghan
Self-sufficient
The Afghan Defense Ministry
announced that the U.S. agreed to deliver 62 more helicopters and 20 attack
aircraft by 2017. In addition, the U.S.
will seek to recruit and train enough
Afghan pilots and maintenance personnel to make the Afghan Air Force selfsufficient by 2017.
Harassing diplomats
Afghanistan is accusing Pakistan of
harassing Afghan diplomats in the
northwest tribal territories of Pakistan.
This is in violation of international rules
governing the treatment of diplomats.
Lifting restrictions
Afghanistan’s new government is
also rescinding many restrictions placed
on military operations, many of which
seemed to benefit the Taliban. It was
widely believed that the Taliban and
drug gangs bribed several members of
the Karzai government.
Government waste
$486 million spent by DoD for 20
G222 transport planes intended for the
Afghan air force that sat idle in Kabul
before they were sold for $32,000 and
scrapped.
Investigations reopened
The new Afghan government is
cracking down on corruption, in sharp
contrast to the previous Karzai administration. Old corruption investigations
are being reopened. Karzai often went
through the motions of investigating
major scandals where foreign aid was
stolen, but only because the donor
nations insisted. These investigations
were superficial and soon closed, especially when members of the Karzai clan
were usually involved. The first cases
reopened are some of the most notorious ones, like the looting of the Kabul
Bank in 2010.
More investigations
Of particular interest to NATO is the
long-sought investigation of corruption
in Afghanistan’s security forces.
Political influence in the selection of
officers, especially senior ones, was
always a sore point with NATO trainers
The new government in Afghanistan
senses great opportunities and not just
for fighting corruption. While only 36%
of Afghans are literate, during the last
decade, cell phone service has become
available for 90% of the population. For
a largely illiterate population this is a
big deal. At the same time, half the population has access to the Internet but,
unlike cell phones, the Internet is most
useful to those who are literate. By
increasing literacy’ efforts, especially
among adults, the government hopes to
speed up economic growth. More literacy means more economic growth and
while most children are growing up literate, without more literacy among
adults, economic progress will be limited until those kids are adults.
Status of forces
As promised, the newly installed
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani
Ahmadzai signed a Status of Forces
agreement. Such agreements are standard practice for foreign troops overseas and, in the case of Afghanistan, are
necessary to protect American troops
from abuse by corrupt Afghan judges
and prosecutors.
Arabic
Americans were right!
Maliki, like many Shia Arabs, did not
trust the Iraqi Sunnis or the Shia militia
leaders who were usually sponsored
and financed by Iran. Turns out the
Americans were right about the Sunni
Arabs and are helping the new government make new deals with the Sunni
tribes. Many Shia Arabs feel that the
Sunni Arabs still believe that the Sunni
minority will eventually be back in
charge. The Shia militias are being
allowed to reform, often with quiet help
from Iran. Maliki’s fears were not
unfounded, but those fears allowed the
Sunni Islamic terrorists to rebuild their
old coalition while rampant corruption
crippled the Iraqi security forces.
Still supports slavery
Despite the many Arab states
involved with the 60-nation anti-IS
coalition, many Arabs still support IS
goals of establishing religious dictatorships in places like Syria. This is part
fantasizing and part fear of Iranian
plans to make Iran, and Shia Islam, the
leader of the Islamic world. The more
conservative Sunnis comprise over 80%
of Muslims and are violently opposed
to Shia domination. Many Arabs disagree with IS methods but not with their
goals, and though recent IS boasts of
reintroducing the slavery of nonMuslims may appall many in the West,
it still exists in many parts of the Arab
world, and with much local support.
Rewards offered
The U.S. announced rewards totaling
$45 million for information leading to
the death or capture of eight AI Qaeda
leaders in the Arabian Peninsula
(AQAP).
Considerable evidence
Saudi Arabia called on Iran to withdraw its support for the Shia rebels in
Yemen. Iran denied any involvement,
despite considerable evidence otherwise. Inside Iran the mass media is
quite happy with the way things are
going in Yemen. The Saudis fear that
Iran is gaining another ally as it already
has with the Assad dictatorship in Syria
and the Shia Hezbollah militia in
Lebanon, which is so powerful it can
usually veto any government policy it
disagrees with. In all three of these
countries the Shia are minorities,
which, via Iranian support, have come
to gain a disproportionate amount of
political power.
Drove them back
U.S. officials confirmed that on 7
October IS forces got within 25 kilometers of the Baghdad airport before
American air strikes drove the Islamic
terrorists back.
China
Major supplier
Since the 1990s, China has become a
major supplier of police equipment. Not
just vehicles, weapons, uniforms and
special gear for riot control, investigations, eaves-dropping and crime scene
scrutiny and analysis, but also equipment that is generally avoided, or even
condemned in the West. This involves
equipment used for “vigorous interrogation” (torture) and censoring the
Internet or telephone use.
The culprit
In 2009 there were claims that
unknown hackers had breached the U.S.
Department of Defense Internet security and stole terabytes of classified data
on the F-35. This caused considerable
alarm. The Department of Defense and
manufacturer Lockheed Martin denied
that this penetration and theft took
place, but it was later revealed that there
had been hacker attacks. Eventually
China was found to be the culprit.
China has since developed two
“stealth” fighter designs, both of which
have elements very similar to the F-35.
Honey trap
Eighteen months after his arrest,
Benjamin Bishop, a 61-year-old
American defense contractor and a U.S.
Army reserve officer with a top-secret
clearance, was sentenced to seven years
in prison for espionage. Bishop had
been dating a 27-year-old Chinese
woman he met at a defense conference
and had begun supplying her with classified information. The girlfriend, in the
U.S. on a student visa, had been hanging around conferences like the one
Bishop attended, where he was
ensnared in the “honey trap.” The
Chinese frequently use sex to obtain
secrets from foreign nations and usually this trap is used to blackmail the victim into spying to avoid a sex scandal.
Bowing to pressure
Bowing to growing popular pressure,
the government has eliminated a 14year ban on video game consoles and
almost immediately the American Xbox
console showed up in Chinese stores.
Nearly 500 million Chinese regularly
play video games on their PCs, usually
via the Internet. Game consoles have
been smuggled in for years and this
made it difficult for government censors to control what Chinese played on
those illegal but more common consoles. Meanwhile, the government has
had more success in controlling what
kind of online games are available.
Incursions
Three Chinese Coast Guard ships
moved near the Senkaku Islands, again.
This was the 25th such intrusion this
year and the first since 3 October. The
ships entered Japanese territorial
waters, something that has been more
frequent this year. China claims ownership of the Senkakus, even though
Japan has occupied them for more than
a century.
Troublemaker
In July 2012 China declared that
most of the 3.5-million-square-kilometer South China Sea had become
Sansha, which is administered from
Woody Island. The U.S. government
responded by asking that China obey
international law regarding territorial
waters. In response, the Chinese called
the U.S. a troublemaker.
Empire building
Chinese construction efforts on
Woody Island, one of the disputed
Paracel Islands, continue as China
recently announced the completion of a
2,000-meter-long airstrip. This is long
enough to support warplanes and work
continues on facilities adjacent to the
see G-2… Page 15
The Military Officer
Iraqi Kurds, plus a new government in
Iraq, will be able to deal with IS in Iraq.
Iran has been very active in supporting
the Shia Arab government in Iraq
against IS, but have not been very public about it because many of the things
that the IS is hated for are the very
things that have long been enforced in
Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran would like
IS to just go away, permanently and
with great violence if necessary.
Trading one for another
airstrip, apparently to support warplanes based on the tiny island. A
school building has been completed and
is being used for the 40 children of officials and their families who are stationed there. The workers continue construction of facilities for the capital city
of Sansha, a new Chinese municipality.
Support to oppose
The nations bordering the South
China Sea are creating alliances and
trying to persuade the United States to
lend some military, or at least diplomatic, support to opposing an increasingly
aggressive China. This aggression is
popular inside China, where the government has increasingly been playing
the nationalist card. All Chinese know
their recent history.
Chinese aggressiveness
Indians living in areas near the
Chinese border are becoming more
vocal about growing Chinese aggressiveness in asserting its claims. The latest incident involved a formal Chinese
protest against India building roads near
the Chinese border in northeastern
India. New Chinese maps show this disputed territory of Arunachal Pradesh as
actually being part of China and within
its borders. In this part of northeast
India there are few, if any, ethnic
Chinese and the locals know that a
Chinese takeover would mean drastic
changes. This rarely ends well for the
locals.
Denmark
Main suspect
Denmark is the latest customer for
the new American F-35 fighter to report
that local companies and military
organizations involved in F-35 work
were hit by numerous and frequent
hacker attacks since 2008. The hackers
were mainly interested in F-35 material
and got a lot of it. China was named as
the main suspect.
Iran
Unofficial member
Iran continues to be
member of the anti-IS
appear to believe that
strikes and military aid
an unofficial
coalition and
the U.S. air
going to the
Iran has always considered Sunni
religious radical groups like al Qaeda
and the Muslim Brotherhood as their
main religious enemies, until now. IS
has replaced these traditional foes and
groups, and even al Qaeda and the
Muslim Brotherhood have openly
turned against IS. While Iran does not
fear IS will succeed in attacking Iran
itself, they have become a major threat
to Iranian influence in Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon and Yemen.
Quite proud
The nuclear disarmament talks in
Iran reached another deadline in
November, and there will be still more
economic sanctions if they don’t cooperate. Iran shows every indication of
continuing to insist that it has no
nuclear weapons program while, at the
same time, refusing to let the UN verify
their claims. The UN is particularly
upset at Iran’s refusal to let some UN
technical experts into Iran or to let UN
personnel near certain military or scientific facilities. It’s something of an open
secret in Iran that the nuclear program
exists, of which most Iranians are quite
proud.
Absurd
Iran threatened to attack Israel with
long-range missiles if the United States
attacked the forces of Syrian dictator
Basher Assad. Iran apparently fears that
the American, NATO and Arab attacks
on IS in Syria will be interpreted as
helping the Assads too much and lead to
air attacks on the Assad forces as well.
There have been some calls for that in
the West and in Arab countries.
Excuse to kill
Despite Iranian cooperation in the
fight against IS, Iranian leaders continue to accuse the United States, Britain
and Israel for creating IS, done, they
say, to weaken Islam and give the West
an excuse to kill Muslims. Conspiracy
theories that absolve Muslims of
responsibility for problems they created
have long been common in the Islamic
world.
Iraq
Permission granted
Iraq has given permission for foreign
warplanes to move through Iraqi airspace to and from bombing missions in
Syria. One exception was with the
United Arab Emirates, which is currently feuding with Iraq.
Purge the inept
Iraqi security forces and militias
have succeeded in halting the IS
advances. The new Iraqi government
has followed American advice and
allowed more competent and reliable
army and police commanders to purge
the forces of the most inept officers.
There is still a lot of corruption, but the
quality of the leadership is higher and
more effective. These forces are stopping IS attacks and troops are running
away less often. Desertion is still a
problem, but many officers prefer to be
rid of men who are not willing to fight.
Corrupt officers keep deserters on the
payroll and pocket their pay.
Annoyed
The militias in Iraq are full of
untrained but eager men, and the
Americans are helping organize training for the militiamen. The Americans
are also upgrading army training and
continuing to monitor the leadership.
This annoys many officers, often
because the Americans are also noting
corrupt practices. Being an officer is an
opportunity to get rich, but the new
government is talking about cracking
down on corruption, and the Americans
have a growing list of dirty officers.
Islamic State
Suffering losses
The Islamic State (IS) has suffered
heavy losses and they have ramped up
their recruiting efforts. This is especially true in Syria, but losses are also
mounting in Iraq. IS has become more
reliant on terror attacks, because using
large groups of gunmen to seize territory or attack security forces simply
makes them a target for air strikes. The
heavy losses in Kabane, Syria, are a
painful reminder that when the opposition has air support, you have to slow
down and take more time to weaken
and defeat the enemy. It’s back to
bombings, assassinations, small-scale
ambushes and roadside bombs.
Tumultuous
The Islamic State (IS) is very vulnerable if it has to operate among a hostile
population. Most of the territory IS
controls is populated by Sunni Arabs
and IS prefers to kill or drive nonSunnis out of areas they govern. Most
Sunni Arabs back the idea of Sunnis,
especially Sunni Arabs, being in
charge. This situation is particularly
acute in Iraq, where most Sunni Arabs
believe Iraq will not work if Sunni
January 2015
15
Arabs are not giving the orders, as they
did for 500 years.
Slow to respond
IS seized one of the few large military
bases in western Iraq’s Anbar province
in the vicinity of Ramadi. Anbar officials insist that IS controls 80% of the
province and that the government has
been slow, or ineffective, to resist their
advances. Some Anbar officials are calling for foreign intervention to prevent
the entire province from coming under
IS control.
Japan
Chinese threat
Japan announced another increase in
their defense budget, to $47.25 billion,
slightly higher than what was proposed
at the end of 2013. The reason for all
this spending is concern over the growing Chinese aggression in the Western
Pacific. In 2013 Japan raised defense
spending 2.8% for 2014 and released a
list of priorities for the new, improved
and larger defense budget. The Chinese
were not pleased with this list as it
emphasized dealing with the Chinese
threat, and saying so publicly is considered bad manners in China.
Philippines
Plan halted
The Philippine government quietly
halted a planned upgrade to an airfield
on Thitu Island, a small piece of land in
the Spratly Islands. China claims all of
the Spratly Islands, despite competing
claims from the Philippines and other
nations. The Philippines are halting the
airfield work to enhance their chances of
getting a favorable ruling from the UN
on their territorial dispute with China.
Meanwhile, China has been increasing
pressure on the Philippines since 2013
to remove small detachments of sailors
and marines stationed on nine islets and
reefs in the Spratly Islands.
RUSSIA
Ready reserves
Despite resistance from Russian traditionalists both inside and outside the
military, Russia is moving ahead to
establish a Western-style military
reserve system, composed of troops
who are fully trained and capable of
being quickly mobilized and operating
as effectively as full-time troops. This
is a big departure from over a century
of using lesser trained reservists. The
new system is supposed to be ready by
2016 and will look similar to the
reserve system currently used in the
United States and other Western
nations.
see G-2… Page 17
16
January 2015
The Military Officer
11 steps to improve your credit score
Credit-scoring models are like
snowflakes: There are a lot of them, and
no two are exactly alike. FICO alone
sells 65 versions. Because of that variation—and because a lender might not
use the same credit scores you obtain—
be aware of the range of your scores, and
follow their trend over time. John
Ulzheimer, a credit expert at the website
Credit Sesame and formerly of FICO
and Equifax, recommends these other
points when managing your score:
Pay your bills on time
Payment activity accounts for 35 percent of a FICO score and 40 percent of a
VantageScore. At least pay the minimum
each month rather than fall behind.
Check your reports
Request one free credit report from a
different reporting agency every four
months
through
AnnualCreditReport.com. “Hard pull”
credit inquiries—from a potential lender
and others with permission from you—
can lower your scores slightly. But
there’s no penalty for checking for your-
self; that’s called a “soft pull.” Creditscoring companies consider multiple
inquiries by lenders within 45 days as
only one inquiry because the timing suggests that you’re shopping for interest
rates for one loan, not multiple loans.
Don’t apply for multiple credit cards
at once
Unlike applying for a mortgage, auto,
or student loan, applying for several
credit cards generates multiple hard
pulls. Instead, carefully read prospective
cards’ terms and conditions and apply for
just one.
Don’t cancel unused cards (unless
they carry an annual fee)
Stick the card in a drawer instead. Part
of your score depends on the ratio of
credit used to total available credit.
Eliminating a card reduces your credit
line and can raise the ratio, which would
be a negative on your report.
Don’t open too many new credit
accounts at once
By doing so, you lower the average
“age” of your accounts, which can lower
your credit score.
Keep credit balances relatively low
Maintaining a revolving credit balance under 10 percent of your total credit line is wise, experts say. A higher ratio
indicates an elevated credit risk.
Beware of points-driven high balances
If you charge everything on your
rewards card for the points, switch to
cash or a debit card for a couple of
months before applying for new credit.
Lenders can’t tell from your score
whether you zero-out your balances
every month. They’ll see your credit
score, a snapshot in time, showing that
you’re charging a lot relative to your
credit limit, which is a negative.
Maintain a variety of credit types
Successfully paying, say, an auto loan,
a student loan, and credit-card bills over
the same period shows that you’re able
to juggle different types of credit. That
contributes 10 percent to your score.
Get a personal loan to pay off creditcard debt
You can improve your credit score by
paying off the score-damaging revolving debt of credit cards with the scorebenign installment debt of a personal
loan. And the interest rate on the loan is
likely to be lower than the credit-card
interest rates.
Pay off debt in collections
It’s always beneficial to have zero
balances on collections, but soon you
might also see a much higher credit
score as a result. The most current versions of VantageScore and the FICO
credit score ignore collections with a
zero balance.
Get a secured credit card after a bankruptcy
If you’ve been through one, start populating your credit report with good
credit. Secured credit cards may be an
effective way to rebuild your credit. A
bankruptcy will have less impact on
your score over time as long as you
aren’t defaulting on new loans. But
Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcies stay on
your credit report for 10 years.
Mending fences with
VA updates disability
family: If all else fails... claims application
Joshua Coleman, PhD
Sometimes estranged family members rebuff repeated attempts at reconciliation. If so....
Be sure you’ve made amends. It is
important to take responsibility for
whatever part you played in the
estrangement, and try to repair any past
hurts.
Don’t give up hope. The estranged
family member might become more
open to reconciliation down the road,
though perhaps not until there is a significant change in the family dynamic.
Examples: The estranged relative
becomes more confident due to an
improvement in life circumstances. Or
an estranged child becomes a parent
and becomes more sensitive to the challenges of parenting.
Suggest that the two of you speak in
the presence of a family therapist.
Estranged family members sometimes
feel more comfortable meeting this
way.
Send friendly, chatty e-mails or letters every few months-even if you
never receive a response. These serve as
a reminder that you still want to have a
relationship and make it less uncomfortable for the estranged family mem-
ber to contact you later.
Warning: Do not rehash the past or
try to solve the underlying problems in
these notes.
If attempts to reach out inevitably
enrage the estranged family member,
stop making contact. Additional
attempts will only increase the animosity.
Monitor your emotions. Being frozen
out by a family member can trigger
feelings of guilt, regret, anger or worry.
Speak with a family therapist if these
feelings become overwhelming.
Do not ask other family members to
take sides. That would make it even
harder for things to ever return to normal. It would also make it less likely
that your children will ever form a relationship with the estranged family
member’s children. Instead, be diplomatic when discussing the situation
with your family. Express regret that the
relationship has gone wrong and hope
that it eventually can be mended.
Be cautious with social media. It’s
sometimes possible to keep tabs on
estranged relatives through socialmedia sites and Internet searches. But
doing so could dredge up painful memories and feelings of loss, leaving you
feeling worse.
The Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) announced that it is introducing a
uniformed disability claims form to better serve Veterans, families and survivors. Standardizing the process by
which Veterans file claims and initiate
appeals will make it easier for Veterans
and their survivors to clearly state what
benefits they are seeking from VA and
provide information that is necessary to
process their claims and appeals. The
new forms eliminate applicant guesswork, which often leads to delays in
decisions and ultimately delays in
receiving benefits. The new regulations
go into effect in late March 2015.
“We must do everything that we can
to make it as fast and easy as possible
for Veterans and their survivors to file
for and receive an accurate decision on
their claim,” said VA Secretary Robert
McDonald. “Our Veterans and survivors will know, at the outset of the
claims process, what is needed, which
removes subjective interpretation from
the process. We want to eliminate any
barriers that make it difficult for our
Veterans or survivors to receive benefits
to which they are entitled.”
In the past, a Veteran or survivor did
not have to use a certain form to seek
compensation or other benefits from
VA. Claims or appeals (Notice of
Disagreement) could be submitted on
any piece of paper which caused delays
due to missing information. By using standard forms for all disability claims, VA can more quickly and
accurately identify what the Veteran is
claiming or appealing. This will allow
VA to immediately move on to next steps
in the evidence-gathering and decisionmaking process, which saves administrative processing time and speeds the
delivery of earned benefits. The existing
process is also inconsistent with most, if
not all, other government and non-government application processes, such as
applying for social security, applying for
a driver’s license, applying for a job or
filing for an income tax refund. “These days, government agencies and
private businesses rely on standard forms
to deliver faster and more accurate customer service,” said Under Secretary for
Benefits Allison A. Hickey. “VA’s ability
to deliver better customer service requires
the use of standard forms as well. That is
why we worked extensively with our partners in the Veterans community to streamline the way we process claims while preserving the effective date rules concerning
informal claims through the creation of a
new intent to file a claim process.”
The Military Officer
January 2015
17
Pneumonia: Two vaccinations are better than one
Influenza gets much attention this
time of year, but pneumonia-characterized by a fever, cough and trouble
breathing-is another serious illness that
is common during winter and can sometimes emerge as a flu-related complication. In the United States, pneumonia
accounted for 1.1 million hospitalizations, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
People ages 65 and older face high rates
of the lung infection and increased risk
of complications and death.
A multi bacteria dilemma
Pneumonia is caused by many different infecting organisms and usually
involves several subtypes of bacteria.
Streptococcus pneumoniae, often
referred to as pneumococcus, are a common cause of pneumonia in older adults
who live independently as well as those
who live in assisted-living or nursing
homes.
The most effective way to prevent
pneumonia caused by pneumococcus is
through vaccination. Until now, the
CDC recommended a one-time dose of
pneumococcal vaccine (which also protects against meningitis and bacteremia,
a bloodstream infection) for most
healthy adults ages 65 and older. This
year, the CDC is recommending that
older adults add another pneumococcal
vaccination to their immunization
schedule.
The traditional vaccine-pneumococcal polysaccharide (brand name:
Pneumovax 23)-has been preventing
pneumonia for decades in 50 to 85 percent of people who get the vaccine. By
adding a second, newer vaccine-pneumococcal conjugate (Prevnar 13)-adults
will get even more protection against
pneumonia, says the CDC. Prevnar 13previously used only for infants and
adults with chronic medical conditionsimproves immunity
to
pneumococcal
infection in a different way than that of
the original vaccine.
Prevnar 13 contains
fewer of the polysaccharides-sugars that
form the outer coating of the pneumococcal bacteria-than
Pneumovax 23, but
these polysaccharides are connected
to protein of a different bacteria, diphtheria, so the immune
response may be enhanced.
Prevention is key
Past CDC guidelines recommended a
one-time dose of Pneumovax 23 for all
healthy adults older than 65. (Unlike flu
shots, pneumonia vaccinations aren’t
repeated every year.) The new guidelines make the same recommendation,
but with some schedule adjustments to
work in a one-time dose of Prevnar 13.
Here’s what you need to know:
If you’re 65 or older and never had a
pneumonia shot, you should get a
Prevnar 13 vaccination, followed by
Pneumovax 23 six months to a year
later. If you’ve had a Pneumovax 23
shot since turning 65, you should get a
dose of Prevnar 13 but wait at least one
year after your Pneumovax vaccination.
If you were younger than 65 when
you received your first Pneumovax 23
vaccine, you should get a dose of
Prevnar 13 after you turn 65 (but no
sooner than five years after the first
shot).
If you’re 65 or
older and can’t recall
whether you’ve ever
been
vaccinated
against pneumonia,
proceed as if you
never received a
shot: Get one dose of
Prevnar 13 followed
by a dose of
Pneumovax 23 six to
12 months later.
If you received a
dose of Prevnar 13
when you were younger, there’s no need
to get a second dose after age 65.
Some people may have mild reactions
for up to 48 hours after the shot, such as
pain, tenderness, swelling or redness at
the injection site. Less common reactions include fever and muscle pain.
Unfortunately, the double-dosing
schedule may leave many patients who
follow it with out-of-pocket costs:
Currently, Medicare part B typically
pays for only one dose of pneumococcal
vaccine in a lifetime, although it’s not
clear whether Medicare will be covering
a second shot in the near future. The
Prevnar shot costs $135, and
Pneumovax 23 is about $68. If you have
insurance that supplements Medicare
part B, check with your insurer to see
whether it provides coverage for a second shot.
Who else should be vaccinated?
Adults younger than 65 who have
underlying medical conditions that
increase their risk of developing pneumonia should be immunized with either
one or both vaccines. Discuss an immunization schedule with your doctor if
you’re not yet 65 but have:
Diabetes
Lung disease, such as asthma or
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Cochlear implants
Heart disease (but not high blood
pressure)
Cancer
Advanced or chronic kidney disease
Chronic liver disease
Asplenia (the absence of a functional
spleen)
Alcoholism
Certain blood disorders
A weakened immune system, caused
by conditions such as HIV infection and
AIDs, a bone marrow or organ transplant or immunosuppressive therapy
such as that from cancer treatments or
drugs for immune disorders such as
rheumatoid arthritis
Cerebrospinal fluid leaks (an escape
of fluid between the brain and the spinal
cord, which can be caused by a head
injury; head, brain or spinal surgery; a
spinal tap; or placement of a tube for
epidural anesthesia or pain medications)
In addition, if you smoke or live in a
long-term care facility, you should get
the Pneumovax 23 only.
handle China, and Chinese leaders
believe their economic power will give
them unprecedented control over
Russia.
Sunnis caused the Sunnis to accept a
2007 American-sponsored peace deal,
are back in action. So are the Americans,
but not in sufficient numbers to do much
of the fighting. Despite that, the Sunnis
are again seeking a peace deal. The
Maliki government reneged on the 2007
deal after the Americans left and he dismantled and disarmed the Shia militias.
campaign to regain control of the government. The IS is the current manifestation of that effort.
south sudan
Accountability
The U.S. government said that South
Sudan must hold people accountable for
war crimes committed during their civil
war that began in December 2013.
Unprecedented control
Russia is being forced to depend on
China for tech and cash it can no longer
get from the West because of the growing sanctions over Ukraine. As much as
Russian leaders loathe and fear NATO,
many also resent being forced to grant
China access to Russian markets, raw
materials and military technology in
payment for help coping with the sanctions. Russian leaders believe they can
sunni
Seeking peace deal
Returning American troops in Iraq
have noted some similarities. Many of
the Sunni Islamic terrorists involved
before 2008 are still there and working
with IS. The Sunni tribes that supported
the Sunni Islamic terrorists then, are
doing so again, though with less enthusiasm and more reluctance. The Shia
militias, whose terror campaign against
Terror a necessity
The IS deliberately employs terror as
a tactical and strategic weapon - a centuries-old custom of the Iraqi and Syrian
Sunni Arabs. The Iraqi Sunni, who dominate the IS leadership, consider terror a
necessity and Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein was notorious for his use of terror by his secret police and criminal
gangs to control the Shia majority and
the Kurds, even publicly murdering or
mutilating opponents. After Saddam was
overthrown in 2003, his followers continued to use these tactics in a terror
united states
Semper Fi
After two years of trying to justify
allowing women into the infantry,
artillery and armor, and special operations forces, the U.S. government has
ordered the military to make it happen,
and without degrading the capabilities of
these units. While the Army is inclined
to just say “Yes,” find out what quotas
the politicians want and go through the
motions, the Marines are refusing to play
along. The Marines point out that the
research does not support the political
demands and that actually implementing
the quotas could get people killed while
degrading the effectiveness of the units
involved. This is yet another reason why
many politicians do not like the Marines.
18
January 2015
The Military Officer
Question and answer with Social Security
GENERAL
Question: I’m creating my budget
for 2015. How much will my benefit
increase at the beginning of the year?
Answer: The monthly Social
Security and Supplemental Security
Income benefits for nearly 64 million
Americans will increase by 1.7 percent
in 2015. This annual cost-of-living
adjustment (COLA) is tied to the
Consumer Price Index as determined by
the Department of Labor’s Bureau of
Labor Statistics. This New Year, you
can enjoy your COLA starting in
January. Read our press release at
www.socialsecurity.gov/news/#!/post/1
0-2014-2.
Question: I’d like to change the
healthcare coverage that I signed up for
through Healthcare.gov. How can I do
that?
Answer: The open enrollment period
for Affordable Healthcare coverage
takes place from November 15, 2014 to
February 15, 2015. During this fourmonth period, you can enroll in a new
plan or change current plans using the
Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace. To
continue health coverage in 2015, simply renew the current health plan, or
choose a new plan through the
Marketplace between now and
February 15, 2015. Once the open
enrollment deadline passes, the only
way to get coverage for 2015 is to qualify for a “Special Enrollment Period”
due to a qualifying life event as specified by HealthCare.gov. You have four
months to decide what type of coverage
you want, but the sooner you act, the
sooner you will enjoy the security of
affordable healthcare.
Find
out
more
about
HealthCare.gov’s open enrollment period at www.healthcare.gov.
RETIREMENT
Question: I went back to work after
retiring, but now the company I work
for is downsizing. I’ll be receiving
unemployment benefits in a few weeks.
Will this affect my retirement benefits?
Answer: When it comes to retirement benefits, Social Security does not
count unemployment as earnings, so
your retirement benefits will not be
affected. However, any income you
receive from Social Security may
reduce your unemployment benefits.
Contact your state unemployment
office for information on how your state
applies the reduction to your unemployment compensation.
Question: I plan to retire in spring of
2015. How soon can I file for my Social
Security benefits?
Answer: You can file four months
before you plan to receive benefits. Go
ahead and apply now if you plan to
retire when winter’s frost finally lets up.
To
apply,
go
to
www.socialsecurity.gov/applytoretire.
Applying online has never been easier—you can do it from the comfort of
your home. All you need is 15 minutes
and Internet access.
DISABILITY
Question: I was wounded while on
military service overseas. What are the
benefits for wounded warriors, and how
ability or call our toll-free number, 1800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
You can find more information for
veterans
at
www.socialsecurity.gov/people/veterans.
Question: My aunt became mentally
disabled as a result of a car accident.
Does Social Security have a special
program for people who are obviously
physically or mentally disabled?
Answer: Social Security is committed to providing benefits quickly to
applicants who are severely disabled.
can I apply?
Answer: Through the Wounded
Warrior program, Social Security expedites processing of disability claims of
current military service members or
veterans disabled while on active duty
on or after October 1, 2001. Also, service members and veterans who have a
Veterans Administration compensation
rating of 100% Permanent and Total
(P&T) may receive expedited processing of applications for Social Security
disability benefits. Keep in mind, this
expedited process applies to only the
application for benefits. To be eligible
for benefits, you must meet Social
Security’s strict definition of “disability,” which means:
You must be unable to do substantial
work because of your medical condition(s); and
Your medical condition(s) must have
lasted, or be expected to last, at least
one year or to result in death.
You
can
apply
online
at
www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordis-
Through
our
Compassionate
Allowances program, we can quickly
identify diseases and other medical conditions that qualify, based on minimal
objective medical information, and that
allow us to make payments much sooner than the usual review process allows.
Compassionate Allowances is not a separate program from the Social Security
disability insurance or Supplemental
Security Income programs. People who
don’t meet the Compassionate
Allowances criteria will still have their
medical conditions reviewed by Social
Security.
Learn more about our Compassionate
Allowances
at
www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY
INCOME
Question: I have been receiving my
Supplemental Security Income by
direct deposit for years, but I need to
change my bank account. How can I do
that?
Answer: The most convenient way to
change your direct deposit information
is by logging in to your personal my
Social
Security
account
at
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
This is the safest and most secure
method for updating and verifying your
information. And, it’s more convenient
than visiting a local Social Security
office. With your account, you can also
track your earnings, estimate future benefits, and get a letter with proof of your
benefits. Think of my Social Security as
your hub for all Social Security-related
information.
Question: I receive Supplemental
Security Income (SSI), and I just got
promoted and received a pay increase at
my job. Do I need to tell Social Security
about the promotion?
Answer: Because the Supplemental
Security Income program is needsbased, the amount of the payment you
receive is partly based on your income.
You will need to report your wages
monthly to make sure you get timely
and accurate payments. The law
requires you to report your earnings by
phone or mail or take your pay stubs to
Social Security at the beginning of each
month. When you report your earnings,
make sure to include overtime, vacation
pay, and bonuses. If your income
changes because of a job loss or promotion, Social Security will likely either
increase or decrease your payments.
Learn more by reading the fact sheet,
Reporting Wages When You Receive
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), at
www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.
MEDICARE
Question: I applied for Medicare
benefits last week. How can I check the
status of my application?
Answer: Checking the status of your
application is easy. If you applied for
benefits, you can check the status at our
secure
website,
secure.ssa.gov/apps6z/IAPS/application
Status, but you must wait
5 days from the date you originally
filed. You will need to enter your Social
Security number and the confirmation
number you received when you filed
your application. Your application status
also shows the date that we received
your application, any requests for additional documents, the address of the
office processing your application, and
whether a decision has been made about
your benefits. If you are unable to check
your status online, you can call us at 1800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778),
Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7
p.m.
The Military Officer
January 2015
19
From Dream to Reality with MY Social Security
By Khalisha Gatlin
Social Security Public Affairs
Specialist in Lafayette, LA
In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. spoke about his dream of an
America where equality was more
than a concept—where it was an
everyday reality.
I have a dream that one day this
nation will rise up and live out the
true meaning of its creed: “We hold
these truths to be self-evident: that
all men are created equal.”
His dream struck a chord with
many people and inspired a nation. It
shined a light on the ideal that every
citizen should have equal opportunity to prosper and succeed.
As we remember Dr. King and his
dream for America, take a moment to
reflect on your dreams for yourself
and your family. What are the things
that you want for your future? Do
you see yourself enjoying retirement
someday?
With some planning, that dream
can come true. The best way to keep
your retirement dreams on track is by
opening a my Social Security
account. A my Social Security
account is an excellent tool that helps
you plan for the future. It lets you
verify your earnings on your personal Social Security Statement—
because your future retirement benefit depends on your earnings
throughout your career. You can view
your Statement at any time, giving
you a good picture of what your
future benefits will be. When you are
ready to retire, you can even go
online to apply for benefits from
your home or office.
And the advantages of having a my
Social Security account don’t stop
after you retire. Once you start
receiving benefits, you can manage
them with a my Social Security
account. You can get an instant benefit verification letter, check your benefit and payment information,
change your address and phone number, and start or change your direct
deposit information—all online.
Setting up a my Social Security
account is quick, secure, and easy.
Millions of Americans already have
accounts. In fact, someone opens one
about every 6 seconds. Join the
crowd and sign up today at
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
It’s the stuff dreams are made of.
Tip your hat for pie day and Social Security
By Khalisha Gatlin
Social Security Public Affairs
Specialist in Lafayette, LA
A hundred years ago, no one would
leave the house without a hat. Hats
were everywhere: top hats, cowboy
hats, stovepipe hats, even pork pie
hats. Women wore elaborate hats to
church, matching them to their fashionable outfits. Today, people celebrate their favorite sports teams with
ball caps. And, we celebrate National
Hat Day on January 15.
Social Security wears many hats to
provide you with world-class customer service and benefits. One of the
hats is as the administrator of the
nation’s Social Security disability
insurance program, known as SSDI.
This program provides critical support to some of our most vulnerable
citizens—those with severe disabilities. You can start your disability
application online from the convenience of home by visiting
www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability. You will save time and money
by avoiding a trip to a Social Security
office. And, you can wear your
favorite fedora while you do it.
And, hats off to Pie Day on January
23! Planning and applying for retirement is as easy as pie at
www.socialsecurity.gov/retirement,
where you’ll have quick and easy
access to online financial planning
tools like the Retirement Estimator.
The Retirement Estimator lets you
experiment with different earnings
and retirement dates to make sure
your slice of retirement is just right
for you. Make sure you have your
piece of the pie covered. Create your
personal my Social Security account
to view your Social Security
Statement instantly and to learn about
retirement benefits you can receive.
Sign up for your account at
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
Wearing another hat, Social
Security offers survivors benefits.
Once you’ve registered for a my
Social Security account, view your
Social Security Statement to see the
total survivors benefits your family
may receive if something happens to
you. Take the time now to make sure
your family is provided for in the
event of your death. You can get started at www.socialsecurity.gov/survivorplan. Now there’s a plan that’s
fully baked!
Whether you are retiring, are disabled, or are a survivor, you can use
the online benefits planners at
www.socialsecurity.gov/planners to
understand your Social Security protection better.
Like a good hat, Social Security has
you covered.
Unflinching in the fight against fraud
By Khalisha Gatlin
Social Security Public Affairs
Specialist in Lafayette, LA
If you’re like most people, you protect what’s valuable to you.
To protect your family financially,
you buy health and life insurance. To
protect your home, you get homeowner’s insurance, a security alarm, or
perhaps a large dog. To protect your
jewelry, you hide it in a safe place or
buy insurance in case you need to
replace it. To protect your money, you
invest it, perhaps in a bank that offers
FDIC coverage.
Social Security is much the same.
We value the people we serve, our
employees who work hard to provide
world-class customer service, and the
integrity of our programs. We protect
these by using many tools to identify,
prevent, and stop fraud, and we seek
the maximum punishment for those
who commit it.
The tools we use help us predict
where fraud may occur, and, by monitoring cases closely, we identify
fraud sooner rather than later. We also
have stiff penalties that discourage
people from committing fraud.
Social Security has a zero-tolerance
policy for fraud. While we cannot prevent every instance of fraud any more
than law enforcement can prevent all
crime, we aggressively investigate
and pursue prosecution of those who
try to cheat the system. Our message
to those who would defraud Social
Security is clear: We will find you;
we will prosecute you; we will seek
the maximum punishment allowable
under the law; and we will fight to
restore to the American public the
money you’ve stolen.
Social Security takes fraud serious-
ly and so should you. If you suspect
someone is committing Social
Security fraud, report it online at
http://oig.ssa.gov/report or call the
Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1800-269-0271.
Contents of the Ark-La-Tex Chapter Military Officers Association of
America (MOAA) newsletter are not necessarily the official views of, or
endorsed by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the
Department of the Air Force.
The appearance of advertising In this publication, including inserts
and supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Ark-La-Tex
Chapter Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) or the
Natchitoches Times, the publishing company, of the products or services advertised.
20
January 2015
The Military Officer
Honoring the many forms of military service
By JOSEPH L. SHAEFER
‘They also serve who only stand and
wait.” For anyone in uniform, these
words, from the concluding line of a John
Milton sonnet, connote a certain nobility
of purpose to everyone in military service, not only those who have deployed or
seen combat.
The line resonates because all who
defend the nation in uniform understand
two things. The first is that any of us who
have had the honor of serving at the tip of
the spear depend mightily upon the support of those along the entire shaft as well
as the nation behind us that hurls the
spear.
The second is that it is often merely the
luck of the draw where along the continuum any service member lands. Soldiers
all learn, early on: “The needs of the
Army come first.” I had the good fortune
to serve in both the U.S. Army and the
Air Force, and I can attest that each
branch of service feels the same when it
comes to the assignments process.
A new recruit who wants to be trained
as a helicopter mechanic for a transferable civilian skill may find that the Army
has a surfeit of helicopter mechanics by
the time he is ready to begin his training,
but needs someone with mechanical brilliance to test new fourth-generation
weapons systems. A young woman aspir-
ing to become a jet-aircraft pilot runs into
the reality of Air Force budget cuts and
pilot-corps reduction. Rather than train
her as a pilot at huge taxpayer expense,
the Air Force changes her career field to
air intelligence,
where she
becomes
an officer
on
an
Airborne
Wa r n i n g
a n d
Control
System,
directing
an
air
campaign
instead of being among those executing
it.
There is no dishonor in aiming for a
particular goal and finding yourself on a
different vector. It isn’t a failure. Sure,
there are slackers in uniform, and they
are justly derided. But deride other members of the team who aren’t on the spear
tip? Never. I thank God that a weapons
tester provided me with a rifle that can
handle the rigors of a jungle environment
or that an air-battle commander brought
in well-armed fast-burners when we
needed their support. If you served, you
served.
Sometimes it works out the way we
hoped it would. By the standards of the end
of the Vietnam era, I was one of the “unenlightened” kids who actually volunteered
for the Army, then volunteered for infantry,
airborne
a n d
Special
Forces.
Never a
d u l l
moment,
never
a
regret.
After the
A r m y,
when
I
went into
the
Air
Reserve, I asked for and got a human-intelligence assignment—and over the next 30
years had a dozen different jobs I never
knew existed as a callow lad.
On Veterans Day, while honoring every
soldier ever in uniform, regardless of
career field, I would like also to submit
that there is another group who “also
serve” alongside every soldier, sailor, airman or Marine: their families. They are
the parents who go to war with us in spirit. Some of us leave brothers and sisters at
home, or wives, or children for whom a
parent’s extended absences are all too confusing.
Those who serve on the home front
don’t think about the camaraderie,
learning and moments of humor that
come with military duty overseas. They
only know that their loved ones are
potentially in danger. In every generation, family members of service personnel have known the stress of regarding every news report of military casualties as potentially bearing a grim personal message.
It was my honor to know a woman
who never wore a uniform or bore a
weapon, but she nonetheless served,
and served well. Her father was a quartermaster for Gen. George S. Patton in
World War II, part of the Red Ball
Express that supplied his fast-moving
troops. Her husband served two tours
in Vietnam; and her son was deployed
to the Middle East. She did it all with
dignity and grace, never letting on just
how much it affected her. I know
because that woman was my mother,
who never knew a time when one of the
men in her life was not serving in uniform.
To her and all the others, both uniformed and civilian, “who only stand
and wait,” your contribution is valued
more than words can express.
Mr. Shaefer, a retired U.S. Air Force
brigadier general, is a senior geopolitical consultant with Omnis Inc.
Filing insurance claims
Filing even one insurance claim
makes a home owner’s premiums jump
by an average of 9%, according to
insurance expert Laura Adams. The
biggest increases tend to be in
Wyoming, averaging 32%, followed by
Connecticut (21%), Arizona (20%),
New Mexico (19%) and California
(18%). Always ask your insurance agent
or insurance firm how much your premium might rise if you file a claim and
consider whether filing is worth the
extra cost.
Laura Adams is senior analyst at
Insurance Quotes.com, which conducted a survey of the effects of filing a
claim on premiums for six large insurers in 50 states.
Freedom Scholarships
Did you know, Hillsdale College
offers full-ride Freedom Scholarships
for outstanding veterans who are seeking the best liberal arts education in the
land and wish to retain their GI Bill benefits for later. Information is available at
veterans.hillsdale.edu.
Hillsdale College – Pursuing Truth ·
Defending Liberty since 1844