By Peter S. Gaytan

 

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed by Congress in December, includes three provisions especially important to veterans.

There is a 25 percent increase in funding for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs on service-connected illnesses of Gulf War veterans. Given the current fiscal environment, it’s noteworthy that Congress recognizes the need for additional study of the diseases that appear to be a result of serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The NDAA has allocated $10 million for research of the medical problems faced by veterans of these conflicts.

The NDAA also addresses a legal issue that has limited the mental health care treatment of veterans, especially those who live in rural areas. Certain provisions of The Servicemembers’ Telemedicine and E-Health Portability (STEP) Act are part of the Defense Bill. Previously, health care providers needed to be licensed by the state(s) in which their patients were being treated. That meant that, for example, a VA doctor who was located in Chicago, but was treating veterans via telemedicine in Iowa and Kansas, needed to be licensed in all three states, Iowa, Kansas, as well as Illinois. It limited the access to mental health care for those veterans who did not live near a VA Medical Center. However, under the new STEP provisions in the NDAA, telemedicine and e-health applications can be used across state borders, without additional licensing requirements. This is a valuable resource for all veterans.

Finally, NDAA authorized tying TRICARE fee increases to cost-of-living allowances (COLA) for military retirement pay. During the debate, there had been some who argued that the TRICARE fee increases should be tied to increases in the National Health Care Index, but those are typically higher than COLA. TRICARE is the health care program serving active duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees, their families, survivors and certain former spouses worldwide. This provision is aimed at limiting increasing costs for health care for those served by TRICARE.

For more information on the provisions of the NDAA, go to: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr1540rh/pdf/BILLS-112hr1540rh.pdf

 

Peter S. Gaytan is the author of For Service To Your Country – Updated Edition: The Essential Guide to Getting the Veterans’ Benefits You’ve Earned (Citadel, 2011), available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. He has served as an advocate in securing and protecting the earned benefits of America’s veterans for more than a decade. Gaytan is the Executive Director of the American Legion, the largest

veterans service organization in America.