The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes changes to expand eligibility to include certain medical retirees. Amendments to Chapter 61 expand eligibility to medical retirees with less than 20 years of service and a combat-related VA disability rating of 10 percent or greater. Retired veterans must still provide documentation that shows a link between a current VA disability and a combat related event.

Summit on Women Veterans Issues

Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Peake announced the Fourth National Summit on Women Veterans Issues to be held from June 20 - 22 in Washington D.C. The Summit will offer attendees an opportunity to enhance future progress on women veterans issues, with sessions specifically for the Reserve and National Guard, information on military sexual trauma and re-adjustment issues, after the military veteran resources and many more programs and exhibits. For more information on the summit, visit

Commissaries Highlight Food Safety

The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) will highlight awareness of proper food handling and cooking measures in all its stores throughout the month of April 2008. Customers will see displays and demonstrations with store personnel and military food safety inspectors on hand to answer questions on how customers can protect themselves and their families when they take food home. DeCA will also announce its participation in Be Food Safe, a government program to help educate consumers about the four steps of preventing food-borne illnesses in the kitchen: cleaning, separating, cooking and chilling foods. For more information on keeping your food safe, visit DeCA's Food Safety webpage.

New Benefits Handbook Available

A new edition of the handbook "Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents" by the Department of Veterans Affairs updates the rates for certain federal payments and outlines a variety of programs and benefits for American veterans along with a listing of toll-free phone numbers, Internet addresses and a directory of VA facilities throughout the country. The 2008 edition of the 153-page booklet also provides an overview of programs and services for veterans provided by other federal agencies. The handbook can be downloaded for free from VA's website

TRICARE Continues Cancer Trials

A new agreement signed between the Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will allow TRICARE-eligible cancer patients to take part in NCI-sponsored cancer clinical and prevention trials. For more information about the trials, TRICARE beneficiaries should speak with their oncologist. For information on TRICARE cancer clinical trials benefit and authorization, contact your respective TRICARE Cancer Clinical Trials Coordinator: (1) TRICARE North Region, Palmetto Government Benefits Administrators (PGBA), (800) 395-7821; (2) TRICARE South Region, PGBA, (800) 779-3060; (3) TRICARE West Region, TriWest, (866) 427-6610; and (4) TRICARE for Life, Wisconsin Physicians Services, (608) 301-3243.

VA Gets Acting Secretary for Benefits

On Wednesday, President Bush designated Patrick W. Dunne, Acting VA Under Secretary for Benefits. Acting Secretary Dunne served in the active duty Navy for 33 years before retiring as a Rear Admiral. Since August of 2006, he has been the VA’s Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning. The Under Secretary for Benefits is in charge of a $52 billion a year budget which provides compensation and pensions for approximately 4,000,000 veterans and survivors. He will also be responsible for administering the VA’s educational programs, the home loan programs, the VA’s life insurance program and other programs. The recently appointed search committee headed by the VA’s Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield is still searching for candidates for a permanent appointment.

DoD Publishes Proposed Rule on TRICARE (Relationship Between the TRICARE Program and Employer-Sponsored Group Health Plans)

DoD published its proposed rule concerning TRICARE and retirees’ civilian employers health plans. In the FY07 NDAA Congress prohibited military retirees’ civilian employers from providing incentives for them to use TRICARE rather than their company plan. The language as written, we believe, could be read to bar military retirees from participating in any cafeteria plan or receiving any cash payments or other bona fide fringe benefits for not taking their health plan in an employment contract. The new proposed rule attempts to deal with this issue. If you are interested please go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-6419.pdf where you can read the proposed rule in the Federal Register. You have until May 27 to send in comments.




VA's New "Travel Nurse Program" Hits the Road March 11, 2008

Program Offsets Personnel Losses, Improves Quality

WASHINGTON -- To deal with a nationwide shortage of nurses and to improve the quality of care for veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has created a "Travel Nurse Corps" to enable VA nurses to travel and work throughout the Department's medical system.

"VA is committed to putting health care facilities closer to veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "The Travel Nurse Corps will make it easier to bring our world-class health care professionals closer to veterans, too. And it will make it easier for us to shift personnel during times of crisis."

The Travel Nurse Corps, headquartered at the Phoenix VA Health Care System, is beginning as a three-year pilot program. Initially, it willm place as many as 75 nurses at VA medical centers across the country. The goals of the program are to improve recruitment, decrease turnover of experienced nurses and maintain high standards of patient care.

Under the program, participating nurses may be temporarily assigned to distant medical centers and clinics to help nursing staffs that have vacancies, to reduce wait times or the reliance upon contractors, or to maintain high-skill services and procedures.

On February 20, the Department announced plans to create a Rural Health Care Advisory Committee to enhance VA services to veterans in rural areas. The Travel Nurse Corps will work with this national VA panel to support VA health care in rural areas.

"Those who join the VA Travel Nurse Corps will become key members of a talented group of professionals who are dedicated to providing the best care possible to our nation's veterans," said Cathy Rick, R.N., VA's chief nursing officer. "The program helps VA medical facilities address supplemental staffing needs while also ensuring there is a continued commitment to quality and safety."

Those who become VA travel nurses are compensated for their time on duty and their travel. They also receive standard government per diem allowances, which include lodging, meals and incidentals.

"This program is competitive with the private sector. VA has state-of-the-art facilities, high-tech computer systems and professional colleagues second to none," said Jacqueline Jackson, Travel Nurse Corps director at the Phoenix VA Health Care System.

The program is also designed to establish a potential pool for national emergencies and serve as a model for an expanded VA travel corps with nurses who have varying specialties. The program is designed to reduce the use of contracted nurses, thus preserving resources that can be used elsewhere to care for veterans.

To learn more about VA's Travel Nurse Corps, visit the Web site at www.travelnurse.va.gov, email travelnurse@va.gov or call toll free at (866) 664-1030 or in Phoenix at (602) 200-239