Two important benefits changes have been announced in Washington, D.C., that could affect many Association of the U.S. Army members or their friends.

One involves dental and vision care coverage for families of active-duty service members, military retirees and their families, with 5.4 million Tricare beneficiaries affected. For military retirees and their families, the Tricare Retiree Dental Program expires Dec. 31. They may enroll in the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Program, known as FEDVIP, but to have coverage in 2019 they must enroll during an open season that begins Nov. 12 and ends Dec. 10. Details are available at https://tricare.mil/coveredservices/benefitupdates/archives/07_17_18_fedvip_plans.

Active-duty family members, and reserve members and their families, may also be eligible for the federal vision coverage. To have benefits in 2019, they also must sign up during the enrollment window.

The second change is a tax refund that may be owed to up to 130,000 veterans who received a disability severance payment from the Defense Department since 1991. The refund results from what DoD and the IRS have determined is an overpayment of taxes.

DoD is mailing notices to affected veterans, who must apply to the IRS for refunds. Details on how to apply and how much money to expect are included in the letter, but defense officials said a veteran could receive up to $3,200.

Details on the tax refund are available from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service at https://www.dfas.mil/dsp_irs.html.